wandering astronomer @wanderingastronomer - Tumblr Blog

“There’s a great Yiddish expression that says, “If I knew God, I’d be God.” In fact, I think that claiming that you “know God’s will” is an act of incredible hubris. Instead, what we say about God has much more to say about us than about God. There are, in fact, a whole range of different theologies within Judaism (you can find some of them in the terrific books “Finding God“ and “The God Upgrade,” both of which describe a whole range of differing, and sometimes even conflicting, theologies.) And while I can only speak personally here, to me, “God” isn’t really a noun at all — it’s a verb. Here’s why. The most common name that God gives Godself in the Torah is “YHVH,” a name that is sometimes thought to be so holy that no one was allowed to pronounce it. But that’s not exactly right — it’s not that “YHVH” was not allowed to be pronounced, it’s that it is literally unpronounceable, since it consists of four Hebrew vowels (yod, hay, vav and hay). By the way, that’s also why some people incorrectly call this name “Yahweh,” since (as Rabbi Lawrence Kushner once said), if you tried to pronounce a name that was all vowels, you’d risk serious respiratory injury. But even more importantly, the name YHVH is actually a conflation of all the tenses of the Hebrew verb “to be.” God’s name could be seen as “was-is-will be,” so God isn’t something you can’t capture or name — God is only something you can experience. And indeed, when Moses is at the burning bush, having just been told by God that he will be leading the Israelites out of Egypt, he says, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God responds that God’s name is “Ehyeh asher ehyeh,” which is often translated as “I am what I am.” But it could also be translated as, “I am what I will be.” So God is whatever God will be — we simply have no idea. Indeed, for my own theology, I believe that God is found in the “becoming,” transforming “what will be” into “what is.””

— Rabbi Geoffrey A. Mitelman,

keshetchai

Convert Resources: Jewish Study Time!

I spend most of my life doing e-research anyways so here goes. This is for other converts who are like “????” but also hey, applies to anyone already Jewish too. Enjoy. This following list proves enough resources to obtain a free siddur, haggadah, the whole Torah (with commentary), free ways to learn hebrew, and no money spent to learn history, theology, or philosophy. Learning comes free of charge. :)

*cracks knuckles*

Where REF is Reform, C is Conservative, O is Orthodox, and REC is Reconstructionist. * Is a news source, and + is a practice/text/prayer resource.

General:

My Jewish Learning

Reform Judaism.org [REF]

The Forward *

Tablet Magazine *

Judaism 101 [O]

Siddur Audio [C prayers] +

Haftorah Audio +

Keshet Online LGBT

Jewish Women’s Archive

Haaretz *

Jewish Telegraphic Agency *

The Times of Israel *

Center for Jewish History

Aish HaTorah

Jewish Virtual Library

Jewish-English Lexicon

National Museum of American Jewish History

Chabad.org [O]

The Jewish Museum

Haggadot +

Sefaria +

Hebrew Calendar

Jewish Study Network - Focus Readers

Coffee Shop Rabbi [REF/General]

OpenSiddur +

Judaism StackeXchange

You’re Not Crazy - Blog for Orthodox Converts

Convert Confidential blog

Kveller - parenting / relationship centered

70 Faces Media hub

GoDaven +

RitualWell (REC)+

JewSchool

NLE Orthodox educational resources (O)

Hebrew Union College LGBT resources

University/Academic databases and Research Guides (some limited access):

Yeshiva Jewish Studies Guide

Princeton Guide

Columbia Guide

AJS - Association for Jewish Studies

Shamash - a 20 year old directory of resources. Many no longer usable.

YIVO - Center for Jewish Research

JTSA - Research Study Guides

Center for Jewish History E-Resources

Podcasts, Itunes U, and MOOC:

For long commutes and drives!

Vox Tablet Podcast

UnOrthodox - Tablet/Slate Podcast.

Talking in Shul Podcast

“Stuff Jews Should Know” Podcast

Ancient Israel – Free Online Video & Resources – Free Online Video – Daniel Fleming, NYU

From Israelite to Jew – Free iTunes Audio, Michael Satlow, Brown University

Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) – Free Online Video –Christine Hayes, Yale. (Unknown if “Jewish” or Christian entirely)

Jerusalem: The Holy City from Ancient Canaan t0 Modern Israel – Free iTunes Video – Free iTunes Audio – Robert Cargill, UCLA

Jews and Christians Throughout History – Free iTunes Video – Rabbi Michael Signer, Notre Dame

Literature and World of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible – Free iTunes Video – Free Online Video – John Strong, Missouri State (Again, unknown if solely Christian view)

The Hebrew Bible – Free iTunes Video – Shaye J.D. Cohen, Harvard

The Hebrew Scriptures in Judaism & Christianity – Free iTunes Video –Shaye J.D. Cohen, Harvard

Modern Jewish History - University of Wisconsin-Madison

Modern European Mysticism and Psychological Thought - Hebrew University

The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem - Tel Aviv University

Rutgers: The Bible and History , Israeli Political System , Introduction to Rabbinic Literature , History of Zionism , Jews Under Islam , The Inquisition and the Jews

Jewish Public Media has a few podcasts I think?

Jewseum Podcast

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - itunes u/podcasts

Frankel Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies (U of Michigan)

Jewish Theological Seminary Parashat - Torah Commentary

Any of JTS’s other series!: Biblical readings for holidays, philosophy, sephardic history, what to wear, science, talmud, etc.

University of Washington - Intro to Judaism (emphasizes Contemporary US)

Salvador Dali’s Aliyah: The Rebirth of Israel

92|Y Podcast

A Fine Romance: Jewish Songwriters, American Songs

Matzoh ball Gumbo: Tales of the Jewish South video

Center for Israel Studies

Center for Jewish Studies - U of Wisconsin

New Books in Jewish Studies

American Jewish Archives - Podcast in American Jewish History

G-D Talk podcast/videos

Learning Hebrew (not from Hebrew 4 Christians):

Hebrew Podcasts

LiveMocha

Ancient Hebrew Resources Center

Learn Hebrew with NEMO (app)

Tyndale Archive of Biblical Studies (TABS)

Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar

University of Washington

Animated Hebrew

Northwestern Theological Seminary (NTS) Library - PDF of Basics in Biblical Hebrew charts

Hebrew Audio Bible

Most recommended starter books:

First: GO TO A LIBRARY!!!!! LIBRARY BOOKS ARE FREE, ISN’T THAT GLORIOUS? Then if you’ve asked the public library and they neither have anything on the shelf nor can they borrow a book from another branch for you, ask a Rabbi. Then: Check thriftbooks.com for cheap copies!

JPS Annotated Study Bible (Tanakh in English)

Living Judaism - Rabbi Wayne Dosick

Essential Judaism

Jewish Literacy - Rabbi Telushkin

The Jewish Book of Why?

Jewish Living - Washofsky [REF]

Aleph Bet isn’t Tough!

Jews, God, and History

Choosing a Jewish Life - Diamant

CoffeeShop Rabbi’s Basic Books List

What are some good Jewish Book lists or print magazines (or ebooks)?:

Jewish Book Council Reading Lists

Top 100 Jewish Books (My Jewish Learning)

Tablet’s Print Magazine

The Jewish Book Review (print, can be found in larger city bookstores, filed in the literary section of magazines)

Yiddish Book Center’s list of Books

HuffPo Books Every Jew Should Read

Jewcy’s 50 essential works of Jewish Fiction

JWeekly’s List 9 new books

FREE BOOKS FOR JEWISH CHILDREN PJ LIBRARY i just!!!!!! they are free books.

Go patron nice fellow tumblr-ers Shira Glassman and Rose Lerner for jewish protags in fiction and romance

Wait, I want a siddur (prayerbook):

Go to Open Siddur for free siddurim. The following are also popular purchases or PDFs free online:

Mishkan T’feliah (REF)

Gates of Prayer (REF)

Eit Ratzon

Lev Shalem (new C)

Sim Shalom ©

Koren-Sacks (O)

Artscroll (O)

Kol Haneshamah (REC)

Siddur Sha’ar Zahav LGBT

Siddur B’chol L’vav’cha LGBT

Build your own at Build a Prayer

Beth Shalom Morning Siddur PDF

NFTY Siddur PDF

Beth El Siddur PDF ©

Kesher Siddur PDF (REF)

A link for more links and PDFs

Learning Hebrew Siddur (for Kids or anyone)

But where do I buy….(a Mezuzah, a havdalah set, lots of gelt….etc)?:

Jewish Used Books

Thriftbooks

My Jewish Books

Judaica

Modern Tribe

Etsy

Nehora

My Sefer

Judaica Webstore

Ahuva

World of Judaica

ChallahConnection

Koofsa - Israeli Food subscription Box

Jewish Holidays in a Box

Shalom in a Box

Blue Box Israel

Judaica Shop NMJH

Shop the Jewish Museum

Contemporary Jewish Museum Store

Other places whose websites carry a selection of Judaica: Bed, Bath, and Beyond; Target; Wayfair.

ok i’m exhausted. This is what I’ve got for now!

jewish-privilege

Joe and I are working on a FAQ with conversion resources listed, but in the meantime (and also in conjunction in the future!) @keshetchai has a WONDERFUL and IN DEPTH conversion resource post!

keshetchai

I actually expanded this list over on my wordpress, so feel free to borrow/copy what I added! It’s now broken down into multiple parts:

Websites - General Practice - General, and Jewish Orgs - News & Magazines (General) - Israeli News - Torah, Tanakh, Talmud, & More! - Liturgy - Reform - Reconstructionist - Conservative - Orthodox - Other/Independent Minyan - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Resources - Regional & Local

Academic Databases

Podcasts, Itunes U, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

General Apps

Learning Hebrew

Books & Reading Lists

Wait, I need a Siddur/Haggadah….

Ok, but where can I buy a….mezuzah/menorah/tallit/etc…?

We survived, Let’s Eat!

I sent this list from wordpress to one of the Rabbis and he was like “….wow. that is a lot of links.”

laughicate

Journals, articles, books & texts, on folklore, mythology, occult, and related -to- general anthropology, history, archaeology.

Some good and/or interesting (or hokey) ‘examples’ included for most resources. tryin to organize & share stuff that was floating around onenote.

Journals (open access) – Folklore, Occult, etc

Culutural Analysis - folklore, popular culture, anthropology – The Mythical Ghoul in Arabic Culture

Folklore - folklore, anthropology, archaeology – The Making of a Bewitchment Narrative, Grecian Riddle Jokes

Incantatio - journal on charms, charmers, and charming – Verbal Charms from a 17th Century Manuscript

Oral Tradition – Jewish Folk Literature, Noises of Battle in Old English Poetry

Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics – Nani Fairtyales about the Cruel Bride, Energy as the Mediator between Natural and Supernatural Realms

International Journal of Intangible Heritage

Studia Mythologica Slavica (many articles not English) – Dragon and Hero, Fertility Rites in the Raining Cave, The Grateful Wolf and Venetic Horses in Strabo’s Geography

Folklorica - Slavic & Eastern European folklore association – Ritual: The Role of Plant Characteristics in Slavic Folk Medicine, Animal Magic

Esoterica - The Journal of Esoteric Studies – The Curious Case of Hermetic Graffiti in Valladolid Cathedral

The Esoteric Quarterly

Mythological Studies Journal

Luvah - Journal of the Creative Imagination – A More Poetical Character Than Satan

Transpersonal Studies – Shamanic Cosmology as an Evolutionary Neurocognitive Epistemology, Dreamscapes

Beyond Borderlands – tumblr

Paranthropology

GOLEM - Journal of Religion and Monsters – The Religious Functions of Pokemon, Anti-Semitism and Vampires in British Popular Culture 1875-1914

Correspondences - Online Journal for the Academic Study of Western Esotericism – Kriegsmann’s Philological Quest for Ancient Wisdom

– History, Archaeology

Adoranten - pre-historic rock art

Chitrolekha - India art & design history – Gomira Dance Mask

Silk Road – Centaurs on the Silk Road: Hellenistic Textiles in Western China

Sino-Platonic - East Asian languages and civilizations – Discursive Weaving Women in Chinese and Greek Traditions

MELA Notes - Middle East Librarians Association

Didaskalia - Journal for Ancient Performance

Ancient Narrative - Greek, Roman, Jewish novelistic traditions – The Construction of the Real and the Ideal in the Ancient Novel

Akroterion - Greek, Roman – The Deer Hunter: A Portrait of Aeneas

Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies – Erotic and Separation Spells, The Ancients’ One-Horned Ass

Roman Legal Tradition - medieval civil law – Between Slavery and Freedom

Phronimon - South African society for Greek Philosophy and the Humanities – Special Issue vol. 13 #2, Greek philosophy in dialogue with African+ philosophy

The Heroic Age - Early medieval Northwestern Europe – Icelandic Sword in the Stone

Peregrinations - Medieval Art and Architecture – Special Issue vol. 4 #1, Mappings

Tiresas - Medieval and Classical – Sexuality in the Natural and Demonic Magic of the Middle Ages

Essays in Medieval Studies – The Female Spell-caster in Middle English Romances, The Sweet Song of Satan

Hortulus - Medieval studies – Courtliness & the Deployment of Sodomy in 12th-Century Histories of Britain, Monsters & Monstrosities issue, Magic & Witchcraft issue

Annual of Medieval Studies at CEU

Medieval Archaeology – Divided and Galleried Hall-Houses, The Hall of the Knights Templar at Temple Balsall

Medieval Feminist Forum – multiculturalism issue; Gender, Skin Color and the Power of Place … Romance of Moriaen, Writing Novels About Medieval Women for Modern Readers, Amazons & Guerilleres

Quidditas - medieval and renaissance

Medieval Warfare

The Viking Society - ridiculous amount of articles from 1895-2011

Journals (limited free/sub/institution access)

Al-Masaq - Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean – Piracy as Statecraft: The Policies of Taifa of Denia, free issue

Mythical Creatures of Europe - article + map

Folklore - limited free access – Volume 122 #3, On the Ambiguity of Elves

Digital Philology - a journal of medieval cultures – Saracens & Race in Roman de la Rose Iconography

Pomegranate - International Journal for Pagan Studies

Transcultural Psychiatry

European Journal of English Studies – Myths East of Venice issue, Esotericism issue

Books, Texts, Images etc. – Folklore, Occult etc.

Magical Gem Database - Greek/Egyptian gems & talismans [x] [x]

Biblioteca Aracana - (mostly) Greek pagan history, rituals, poetry etc. – Greater Tool Consecration, The Yew-Demon

Curse Tablets from Roman Britain - [x]

The Gnostic Society Library – The Corpus Hermeticum, Hymn of the Robe of Glory

Grimoar - vast occult text library – Grimoires, Greek & Roman Necromancy, Queer Theology, Ancient Christian Magic

Internet Sacred Text Archive - religion, occult, folklore, etc. ancient texts

Verse and Transmutation - A Corpus of Middle English Alchemical Poetry

– History

The Internet Classics Archive - mainly Greco-Roman, some Persian & Chinese translated texts

Bodleian Oriental Manuscript Collection - [x] [x] [x]

Virtual Magic Bowl Archive - Jewish-Aramaic incantation bowl text and images [x] [x]

Vindolanda Tablets - images and translations of tablets from 1st & 2nd c. [x]

Corsair - online catalog of the Piedmont Morgan library (manuscripts) [x] [x]

Beinecke rare book & manuscripts – Wagstaff miscellany, al-Qur'ān–1813

LUNA - tonnes from Byzantine manuscripts to Arabic cartography

Maps on the web - Oxford Library [x] [x] [x]

Bodleian Library manuscripts - photographs of 11th-17th c. manuscripts – Treatises on Heraldry, The Worcester Fragments (polyphonic music), 12 c. misc medical and herbal texts

Early Manuscripts at Oxford U - very high quality photographs – (view through bottom left) Military texts by Athenaeus Mechanicus 16th c. [x] [x], MS Douce 195 Roman de la Rose [x] [x]

Trinity College digital manuscript library – Mathematica Medica, 15th c.

eTOME - primary sources about Celtic peoples

Websites, Blogs – Folklore, Occult etc.

Demonthings - Ancient Egyptian Demonology Project

Invocatio - (mostly) western esotericism

Heterodoxology - history, esotericism, science – Religion in the Age of Cyborgs

The Recipes Project - food, magic, science, medicine – The Medieval Invisible Man (invisibility recipes)

Morbid Anatomy - museum/library in Brooklyn

– History

Islamic Philosophy Online - tonnes of texts, articles, links, utilities, this belongs in every section; mostly English

Medicina Antiqua - Graeco-Roman medicine

History of the Ancient World - news and resources – The So-called Galatae, Gauls, Celts in Early Hellenistic Balkans; Maidens, Matrons Magicians: Women & Personal Ritual Power in Late Antique Egypt

Διοτίμα - Women & Gender in Antiquity

Bodleian Library Exhibitions Online – Khusraw & Shirin, Hebrew Manuscripts as a Meeting-Place of Cultures

Medievalists – folk studies, witchcraft, mythology, science tags

Atlas Obscura – Bats and Vampiric Lore of Pére Lachaise Cemetery

north-of-annwn

To be a Local Witch

Throughout history and our legends, Witches and Wizards were the crazy men and women that lived on the outskirts of the village. Their craft was wild and strange to those that lived in the village, but, nonetheless, people would seek after their wisdom of the land, the plants, the local spirits, and for wisdom or guidance in their path. These men and women, often bachelors, would know the ins and outs of the region and often went walking alone.

Today, our villages are less rustic and more like local towns, and suburbs. But one can still be a Local Witch, and develop special connections with the land you call home.

Become a Local Witch:

Learn Local Lore Folktales, legends, and even tall tales develop the culture of a town or area. Learn these. Retell them over summer campfires, and over drinks with friends. People will start to LOVE your stories.

Start Frequenting locally owned shops and stores Develop connections and relationships with the owners and those that work there every day. Learn their names, and introduce yourself after visiting more often. Supporting locally owned shops helps small business owners and provides nourishment to your community. This is putting down roots, and develops your connection with the people that shape your town.

Find a Local Bookstore This is an extension of 1 and 2. Locally owned bookstores always have a Local Writers, Local Plants, and Local History sections. Ask inside where these sections are, and start devouring these books. Not only will you be supporting a local shop, but you have a direct source of helpful information. Oftentimes, employees and owners also know a lot of Lore. Talk to them about what you’re interested in learning. They probably have some hidden gems of information.

Learn about your Indigenous Plants Start researching and learning about the flora that grows locally, learn their lore, their uses, and magical or folklore associations. If Natives from your area used these plants, find out how. Learn where these plants grow and research local foraging. If you’ve never foraged, see if you can find a local group that can serve as helpful guides to stay safe. Never ingest anything unless you are SURE.

Start a local Plant Grimoire Keep dried presses of flowers and plants in it, draw and diagram to help you remember what they look like.

Learn about the indigenous animals Research their folklore and mythology. Start finding out what they eat, and what their habitats are. (Safely) Do your part to help foster their growth and health. This could be making insect houses to help local endangered pollinators, or leaving out special birdseed for endangered bird species in the area. (Safely) Start interacting with the non-aggressive species and leave them treats. This is great for birds, deer, rabbits, moles, chipmunks, hedgehogs, etc

Join local Conservation Projects Getting directly involved in wildlife conservation strengthens our spiritual and natural ties to the land we call our home. Taking personal responsibility and interest in it’s stewardship is honoring the spirits of the land, and the Gods.

Use Google Maps while exploring parks, or protected open spaces to drop pins and places where you find animal habitats or useful plants for foraging.

That’s all for now. More will come later I’m sure. Now go be the best local Witch or Druid you can be!

dawn0star-deactivated20191205

9. learn whose land you’re standing on and benifiting from, for the love of fuck

10. volunteer. volunteer volunteer volunteer volunteer VOLUNTEER VOLUNTEER VOL UN TEER. H E L P P E O P L E

north-of-annwn

👆👆🏼👆🏽👆🏾👆🏿 THIS TOO. THIS FIRST.

progressivejudaism

“For God does not want to be believed in, to be debated and defended by us, but simply to be realized through us.”

— Martin Buber (via yidquotes)

will-o-the-witch

A Deep Room Cleanse

The state of my room is extremely important to me. It’s a direct reflection of my mental health, so when it’s messy, my energy levels are low and I just feel yucky. There’s no way I’m getting any kind of work done, magical or mundane. When it feels good and clean to be in, it’s a lot easier to deal with my symptoms and be productive. You don’t have to do every step every time of course, but each step has helped me so I figured a list like this might help someone.

Change the lighting. Use natural sources of light (like pulling back the curtains and letting the sun in) over artificial ones. If you have salt lamps to turn on, those are still very nice. If you need artificial light to keep it from being too dark, try to prioritize light bulbs you like the color of, and ones that don’t whistle quietly when they’re on.

Change the airflow. Open a window, if you can. Often our rooms feel yucky because the air is stale. Get some fresh air moving. If it’s too cold, it’s okay to only keep it open for a few minutes or put on a coat while you work because you’re stubborn like me.

Change the sound. Put on your favorite cleansing music. Let it soak into the room. I tend to go or ambient spa stuff, or playlists that sound built for a rainy day. (Note: the music that helps you cleanse the best may not be the same as what you like the most. The playlist should keep you focused/uplifted while you work and reflect the vibes you want your room to have.)

Change the smell. Take out the trash, maybe refresh the sheets on your bed. Light a scented candle, some incense, heat up some oil, something to make your room smell distinctly different from the mucky-feeling room from before. (If your method of choice is something short like a room spray, I actually like doing it at the very end.)

Actually clean and organize. Nothing junks up the energy of a room more quicker than actual junk. Organize everything as much as you can (this might mean finally gutting your closet, even if you can close the door and hide it.) Wipe down any surfaces that need it, get everything fresh and functional again. Do some laundry while you work. If you have clothes or trinkets that are just collecting dust, extra points for purging them!

Cleanse any sacred spaces by themselves. A lot of us have altars or shrines in our rooms. A sacred space can also be just an extra important area of your room, like a reading nook. Make sure to give them extra attention! You don’t need to wipe the board energetically (and probably shouldn’t), but taking a little extra time to clean surfaces, straighten up, and make sure everything feels okay on them goes a long way.

Cleanse in your regular way. Bust out the herb bundles, the bells, the ribbons, the broom, whatever you usually do to cleanse a space! The room is SUPER primed for it now, most of the negative energy probably already feels removed if not broken down. A good once-over with your favorite cleansing method should finish it off nicely.

Refresh any wards or protections. Self explanatory. If you maintain energy borders in your room, now is a good time to check in on them and zhoosh them if needed. Keep the space clean for longer!

Practice self-care. Take a shower, a nap, eat some food, whatever you need. You’ve put in a lot of work and you deserve it.

spiritscraft-deactivated2025031

Sorry, what is an alphabet of desire and how is it used?

An alphabet of desire is the personalized magical alphabet of a witch or sorcerer. Each letter represents a sensation and is tied to a sense memory. The letters are used by the witch or sorcerer to *spell* out their desire. The *named* desire is *drawn* into existence. It is especially useful for artistic magic. You can put your personal letters on tools, charms and divination sets. Your alphabet can be used to make sigils. The alphabet of desire will reveal to the witch or sorcerer more uses as they work with it more. It can become a form of dream language too. For the most straightforward and simple information on Alphabets of desire check out Liber Null by Peter Carroll (available in paperback). Otherwise you are venturing into the challenging stuff: Frater UD’s Practical Sigil Magic, Andrew Chumbley’s Azoetia, Kenneth Grant’s various articles and excerpts re the alphabet of desire to be found via google and original works by Austin Osman Spare. When I read difficult books it can take me ages to understand, but I dig that process.

But really it’s simply the ongoing tradition of witches and sorcerers making personal alphabets and symbols that transcend mere code for regular letters A-Z and instead identify the spirit of things.