Spiritual, Not Religious, Authentic Judaism : B.S. Decoded

(This is my rebellion post. I officially wrote my last MHK blog post a week ago. But I'm a contrary person, so I am rebelling by posting again. Enjoy.)

Human beings generally don't like being labeled or stereotyped. But sometimes, stereotypes contain some truth. It may be an exaggerated and demonized version of the truth, but it's truth nonetheless. For the purposes of this post, I'm talking about those who try to avoid open and clear labeling of their religious beliefs - those folks who are "spiritual", not "religious" or "authentic". Take, for example, born-again (or once-born) Evangelical Christians. 

Passover and Harriet Tubman, The Black Moses

Passover will arrive in just under 24 hours (where I live), and time is of the essence. There are many places you can go to find funky, alternative seders and traditions. I wish I had time to give a significant list of links. But since I don't, I'm going to focus on Moses. Specifically, the Black Moses. You know, the woman.

8 Interesting Facts About Purim

This weekend, the Jewish calendar turns to the Purim festival. Purim is a trickster holiday in that it is a time of jokes, riddles, masks and merriment. While not everyone celebrates Purim or even knows about it, it is a fairly popular holiday. I myself celebrated Purim as a child in Hebrew School and knew that it related to the biblical book of Esther, but I was not aware of the rich symbolic and mystical traditions and legends surrounding it. I also did not have the opportunity to explore the biblical and scholarly texts with the feminist and renewalist perspective I do today. So to help you celebrate Purim, here are 8 interesting Purim facts for your pleasure!

Mezuzah - Paper or Plastic-Wrapped Animal Skin?

For over a year, I've had an absolutely beautiful, stunning mezuzah case I bought for $5 at a sale at Rodals Quality Judaica. Mezuzahs are often known as the beautiful, decorative cases found on the doorposts of many Jewish homes. However, the actual mezuzah is not the case, it is the scroll inside. The word mezuzah literally means "doorpost".

Sleep - A Daily Sabbath

In the last month, I've been adjusting to sleeping with contraption that makes me look a little bit like Darth Vader. It's called a CPAP machine, or a continuous positive airway pressure machine. I've also been adjusting to the idea of "sleep hygiene".

Mamzer Magic : Jewitch Voodoo Protection Powder

I want to share an interesting psychic protection recipe I've come across. I recently ran into an old friend who is on a unique spiritual path. When we were younger, we explored Paganism and Magic together at the tender age of ten. He wrote in my Book of Shadows, which I still have.

My First Jewish-Renewal Yom Kippur

So this past Yom Kippur, I had the privilege of attending a Jewish Renewal Yom Kippur sponsored by the Chavurahs of "Har Kodesh" and Mile End. We used the Ukranian Federation building, which was a synagogue decades ago when Mile End was a more predominantly Jewish neighborhood. I mean, it still is Jewish, but now it's mostly Hasidim.

Jewish Renewal, Yom Kippur, Montreal...

This week, I was preoccupied with learning new job-skills and navigating an ever-expanding work-week. Which is good, because Hashem, Jesus, and Hathor the ancient Egyptian cow-mother Goddess know I NEED the work.

Whenever I start something new and challenging, I panic. And sometimes, I panic all day long. You see, sometimes I decide to cash a check the day before I have an important bill to pay, inconveniently forgetting that the bank will hold any deposited amount in excess of $200 for five business days. And then it rains all day. And my back hurts. And part of me is cursing myself for a low-paying work commitment I'v taken on. But another part of me keeps telling myself I'll be ok, and that I will make it through the next week eating the beans and lentils I've got in my kitchen. And then, somehow, when I get home, I feel ok. I feel like I can make it through. And then, the next morning, I check my account and realize I under-estimated, and I'm going to be able to pay that bill.

Fun Things To Do On Rosh-Hashana

Hello dahhh-lings!

I have a longer, rambling post about Rosh-Hashana to put up later on, but for the moment I'll content myself with sharing a short, fun activity to try on Rosh-Hashana:

Walk into your local Chabad shul (synagogue) on the second day of New Year's dressed in business pants and patterned top with cleavage showing. Run into that nice lady you met a month ago at an Orthodox Kabbalat Shabbat when you were wearing a long-sleeved dress in the oppressive summer heat. Get that 'hey-I'm-trying-to-show-you-a-friendly-face-but-your-dress-and-clearly-un-halachically-stringent-manner-are-freaking-me-out' smile from her.

Oops, I did it again....

Oops, I did it again. I spent another weekend trying to find some well-meaning, but rigid Orthodox Jews to fawn over me and to spend time trying to convince me that they're right. To hold me in value just because I was born of a Jewish mother.