There is a Jewish tradition that natural-flowing waters, such as rivers and oceans, have the capacity to provide spiritual cleansing and renewals. The practice of ritual immersion, which is done by women after menstruation ends and done by men before Jewish holidays, is the origin of baptism in Christianity.
Normally, the ritual of immersion is performed in a mikveh, or ritual bath, which is typically indoors. Though initially filled with waters of natural origin, a mikveh typically remains enclosed. This allows it to be heated to comfortable temperatures, and also allows for privacy (since the immersion must be nude).
But outdoor immersion is still practiced, where possible. And the practice means that the entire landscape around us -- wherever there is natural water -- has little spiritual portals, places where the physical world and the spiritual world intersect, if you know the right way to immerse and the right blessing to say.
Being aware of this practice -- of the direct spiritual potential of the natural world around us -- means experiencing reality in a slightly altered fashion. It means that the landscape itself can feel invested with potential -- if the quiet, secret paths can be found, if you have the daring to take them where they lead.
The story of Noah is familiar; the details, less so.
Noah is often seen as an ambivalent figure. He was righteous -- but only for his generation. What was his deficiency?
One answer suggests itself: knowing that the world was about to be flooded, he built an Ark for the animals and for his own family -- but did not try to save anyone else or to convince them to repent and change their ways (the prophet Jonah, later, would share that reluctance).
Abraham, later, would set himself apart by arguing with God -- with the Lord Himself! -- against the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying that they should be saved if there were enough righteous people to be found (there were not).
Still, Noah was good enough -- and sometimes, that really is sufficient to save the world. We don't need heroes every time -- just ordinary decency.
Hi all -- as I noted last month, I'm going to be closing down my Locals page, at least for tips and subscriptions -- I may keep the page up and the posts as well, but I'm no longer going to be accepting any kind of payment.
Look for cancelation in the very near future. Thank you for your support!
An interesting weekend -- one of the last of Daylight Savings Time -- in which there is much to celebrate, much to contemplate, and a bit to worry about.
The Gaza peace deal is shaky, but holding, after the living hostages returned; the shutdown is still going on, with no end in sight; the China trade war is heating up; and the confrontation with Venezuela continues to escalate.
The "No Kings" protest was a dud, despite the media's attempt to inflate it. What I find fascinating is that the Democrats have basically stolen the rhetoric and the imagery of the Tea Party protests, circa 2009. They claim they are defending the Constitution -- just like the Tea Party did.
On the one hand, this is good. How wonderful to have a political system in which both sides, bitterly opposed though they are, articulate differences through the Constitution -- and not, as in so many other countries, outside it.
On the other, this is sheer hypocrisy for the Democrats. Not only did they malign the Tea Party as ...
