Dear Friends~
Here’s the news from my world–first in poetry, then in prose.
House Wren
Spring of my Spring
He’s back again, the little bird
with his drill of a song.
See how he cleaves to the branch
by the hanging box that swings
so hopefully in the Rose of Sharon.
He is all song, every brown inch.
Again, again he insists,
I want this story again!
Tremulous fistful of life,
he reminds me of our son Gabriel,
intense, insistent messenger
wanting everything he loved over and over
again, again.
Thank you, persistent one,
for needing me. Thank you
spring of my spring, for showing me
that an empty house
aches to be thoroughly
inhabited, wholly
lived in, to rock with appetite,
bulge with voice, and fledge out fully
into summer mornings.
Again, again,
tell me the story again,
O little wren, O holy one.
from Through the Gates–A Practice for Counting the Omer
by Susan Windle
For those who would like to write and listen in the company of others,within the nurturing embrace of our beloved Wissahickon woods, Friday’s afternoon Writing Circle will move from Mt. Airy back to The Cedars House in the Wissahickon Park on May 6 and will be open to new members on that date.
A new Thursday afternoon cycle will begin on May 19.
Please contact me if you would like to explore joining either of these groups for the second half of the spring. I’d love to talk with you!
Circles During the Counting of the Omer
Counting the Omer is an ancient Jewish spiritual practice marking the forty-nine days between the spring festival of Passover and the summer festival of Shavuot. The count begins as always on the second night of Passover—this year on April 23.
My book Through the Gates, a collection of daily letters and poems, grew out of an exploration of the Omer with a community of spiritual friends within the Jewish Renewal movement. For me, the coming weeks are a time to cleanse and re-balance, to open the heart and receive the help of the Great Mystery that holds us all. It is a time to clear the obstacles that clutter the pathways for love and recommit my will to the values I hold most dear.
I draw on the ancient and evolving practice of counting the Omer–begun in Biblical times and honed through the centuries by the Rabbis and the Mystics–to help me in this holy and challenging endeavor. In my experience, the practice of the Omer offers special gifts–spiritual tools–to help me remember who I am: nothing more, nothing less than a being wholly and intimately connected to the web of existence—or in symbolic language of the Mystics,”The Tree of Life.”
Knowing many others throughout the world are engaging in this practice at the same time—and have done so for ages—buoys my individual efforts. And moving through the days in the context of a close community, an hevruta, as the sages have taught, is the best way to go.
That’s how I began counting in 2008. Since then, each year I find new ways to move “through the gates” of the seven days of the seven weeks in holy community. This year, in collaboration with Lev Learning a new, online Jewish learning center open to all who seek the heart of Jewish wisdom, I’ll be offering two ways to connect with during the weeks the Omer:
- Through the Gates of the Omer. An on-line, Wednesday evening Writing Circle webinar using my book as its primary text. Begins April 27. Fee: $200 for eight live sessions.
- An Email Journey. For those who cannot make a live class, but would like a way to connect with me and others during the weeks of the Omer. Each morning, the participants receive an audio-file of the day’s poem from Through the Gates, as well as a personal blessing from me in the spirit of the day. Additionally, there will be a “virtual classroom” where participants can share writings and resources as desired. Begins Sunday morning, April 24 and costs only $18 for the entire 7 weeks!
If the practice of the Omer calls you this year (you don’t have to be Jewish to be called!), please consider joining me in either of these ways. And don’t hesitate to contact me or call—215-247-5545–with your questions. We will find a time for conversation!
Blessings~
Susan
Dear Friends~
Here’s the news from my world–first in poetry, then in prose.
House Wren
Spring of my Spring
He’s back again, the little bird
with his drill of a song.
See how he cleaves to the branch
by the hanging box that swings
so hopefully in the Rose of Sharon.
He is all song, every brown inch.
Again, again he insists,
I want this story again!
Tremulous fistful of life,
he reminds me of our son Gabriel,
intense, insistent messenger
wanting everything he loved over and over
again, again.
Thank you, persistent one,
for needing me. Thank you
spring of my spring, for showing me
that an empty house
aches to be thoroughly
inhabited, wholly
lived in, to rock with appetite,
bulge with voice, and fledge out fully
into summer mornings.
Again, again,
tell me the story again,
O little wren, O holy one.
from Through the Gates–A Practice for Counting the Omer
by Susan Windle
For those who would like to write and listen in the company of others,within the nurturing embrace of our beloved Wissahickon woods, Friday’s afternoon Writing Circle will move from Mt. Airy back to The Cedars House in the Wissahickon Park on May 6 and will be open to new members on that date.
A new Thursday afternoon cycle will begin on May 19.
Please contact me if you would like to explore joining either of these groups for the second half of the spring. I’d love to talk with you!
Circles During the Counting of the Omer
Counting the Omer is an ancient Jewish spiritual practice marking the forty-nine days between the spring festival of Passover and the summer festival of Shavuot. The count begins as always on the second night of Passover—this year on April 23.
My book Through the Gates, a collection of daily letters and poems, grew out of an exploration of the Omer with a community of spiritual friends within the Jewish Renewal movement. For me, the coming weeks are a time to cleanse and re-balance, to open the heart and receive the help of the Great Mystery that holds us all. It is a time to clear the obstacles that clutter the pathways for love and recommit my will to the values I hold most dear.
I draw on the ancient and evolving practice of counting the Omer–begun in Biblical times and honed through the centuries by the Rabbis and the Mystics–to help me in this holy and challenging endeavor. In my experience, the practice of the Omer offers special gifts–spiritual tools–to help me remember who I am: nothing more, nothing less than a being wholly and intimately connected to the web of existence—or in symbolic language of the Mystics,”The Tree of Life.”
Knowing many others throughout the world are engaging in this practice at the same time—and have done so for ages—buoys my individual efforts. And moving through the days in the context of a close community, an hevruta, as the sages have taught, is the best way to go.
That’s how I began counting in 2008. Since then, each year I find new ways to move “through the gates” of the seven days of the seven weeks in holy community. This year, in collaboration with Lev Learning a new, online Jewish learning center open to all who seek the heart of Jewish wisdom, I’ll be offering two ways to connect with during the weeks the Omer:
- Through the Gates of the Omer. An on-line, Wednesday evening Writing Circle webinar using my book as its primary text. Begins April 27. Fee: $200 for eight live sessions.
- An Email Journey. For those who cannot make a live class, but would like a way to connect with me and others during the weeks of the Omer. Each morning, the participants receive an audio-file of the day’s poem from Through the Gates, as well as a personal blessing from me in the spirit of the day. Additionally, there will be a “virtual classroom” where participants can share writings and resources as desired. Begins Sunday morning, April 24 and costs only $18 for the entire 7 weeks!
If the practice of the Omer calls you this year (you don’t have to be Jewish to be called!), please consider joining me in either of these ways. And don’t hesitate to contact me or call—215-247-5545–with your questions. We will find a time for conversation!
Blessings~
Susan
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