Snow plant, Sarcodes sanguinea, at about 7k feet elevation in the Sierra Nevada. This plant is red and doesn’t photosynthesize; instead, it maintains a mutualistic partnership with a fungus, exchanging fixed carbon through its roots for mineral nutrients and hydration. What a beautiful, intelligent plant... Doing things its own special way. In what ways could you stop seeing your differences as disadvantages and more fully inhabit your particular human niche?🌹🍄 ✨ #sierranevada #snowplant #wild #wildflowers #backpacking #wildernessculture #sarcodessanguinea #mountain #hiking #foraging #nature #inspiration #outdoors #johnmuirtrail #pct #pacificcresttrail
“To pray is to take notice of the wonder, to regain a sense of the mystery that animates all beings, the divine margin in all attainments. Prayer is our humble answer to the inconceivable surprise of living. It is all we can offer in return for the mystery by which we live.” -Abraham Joshua Heschel
Prayer does not have to be understood. It doesn’t have to start with a specific string of words in Hebrew or English or mention “Jesus” or “Great Spirit” or any other name for the Divine. Prayer is guttural. It is primal. A face of wonder, a welling up of tears, an exclamation of joy at a very furry caterpillar— prayer is beyond human language. Prayer is action, emotion, yearning, and celebration. We don’t have to ask G-d for anything. All we have to do is be present in this amazing world. #rabbi #wisdom #jewish #judaism #kohenet #kohenettribe #torah #truth #california #priestess #hiking #fog #sonoma #seminary #wilderness #prayer #blessing
In Olam Habah, the World to Come, the “Messianic Era” where all life dwells in bliss, peace, abundance and clarity, there will be no separation. Ego death will release us from our perceived differences. In Isaiah 11:9, “The earth will be full of the knowledge of G-d as the sea fills up the ocean bed.” R. Eliyahu Touger says, “The ocean contains a vast host of living beings. However, the waters cover them to the point that their individual existence is no longer perceived. Similarly, in [the World to Come], the world will continue to exist. However, every element of its existence will be permeated by the knowledge of G-d.”
This reminds me of a beautiful story I heard years ago when I was a fellow at @urbanadamah. A wave was very lonely, rolling along and seeing other waves being born and crashing around her. Day after day, she rolled along alone, without a companion to speak of. One day, she felt herself losing form. She realized she was no longer a wave. She realized that she, and all the other waves around her, were water, all together... @dearaabby @instakimmy0 @frecklefoot366 maybe you can help me tell the story a little better? 😊 There is so much magnificence in the ocean. 🌊💦 We need not concern ourselves with separation. Instead we should concern ourselves with how better to serve each other, love the “other” and come together in our collective power.
#Rambam #wisdom #torah #jewish #judaism #hebrew #priestess #kohenet #kohenettribe #ocean #california #norcal #searanch #beach #wilderness #wildernessculture #rabbi #spirituality #community
“It is natural for a man’s character and actions to be influenced by his friends and associates and for him to follow the local norms of behavior. Therefore, he should associate with the righteous and be constantly in the company of the wise, so as to learn from their deeds. Conversely, he should keep away from the wicked who walk in darkness, so as not to learn from their deeds.” (Rambam’s Mishneh Torah, Hilchot De’ot, Ch. 6:1)
Who do you associate with? Are your friends, neighbors, lovers, and teachers reverent, humble, and kind? Sages in our tradition held wickedness to be contagious. Are you careful with who you allow in to your inner life? Do you surround yourself with people who lift your spirit higher, or keep you down?
#sacred #kohenettribe #sonomacoast #forest #rabbi #wisdom #rambam #maimonides #learning #torah #trametesversicolor #turkeytail #foraging #mushroom #fungus #fungusamongus #fungi #fungusporn #shrooms #herbalism #california #armstrongredwoods #redwoods #wilderness #wildernessculture #foraging #jewish #judaism #kohenet #priestess
