In my naming of the moons, Kislev is the moon of dreaming. As the nights grow longer and the days grow shorter, we are treated to Torah portions about the power of dreams and the power and risks of being an interpreter of dreams. This is also the month of the Baalat Ov (בעלת אוב), the witch, the shamaness, the spirit vessel. In these long nights, take the time to dream and re-ignite your creativity.
The soul trait for the month of Kislev is yirah (יראת) awestruck. A word most commonly, and I believe incorrectly translated as “fear.” Yes. There can be fear in awe, but also reverence and wonder. And when we have a moment of yirah, we have a choice — to close down to the potential for wonder or to embrace the mysterious, liminal, unknown. Does the moment of yirah crack you open to new possibilities or do you panic at the cracks and close yourself off even more tightly?
How do we tend the liminal — that might might contain fear, reverence, awe, and wonder all the same time? How do we hold our hearts open to the wonder and not close down from the fear?
Dance with me. Tilting. Turning. Whirling. Healing. Transforming. Transform and be transformed - opening your heart to where others fear to go.
Kislev Resources
Kislev: Overview
Moon: Dreaming
Constellation: Keshet (קשת) Sagittarius
Soul Trait: Yirah (יראת) Awestruck, Radical Amazement
Tribe: Benjamin (בנימין)
Tarot: Temperance
Netivah: Baalat Ov (בעלת-אוב) Witch/Shamaness/Spirit Vessel
Looking Ahead to Tevet
Tevet: Overview
Moon: Clarity
Constellation: G’di (גדי) Capricorn
Soul Trait: Sakranut (סקרנות) Curiosity
Symbol: Candles
Tribe: Dan
Tarot: Devil
Netivah: Doreshet (דורשת) Seeker
Find source citations for correspondences and so much more.
MAKING
I don’t know why, but I’ve been thinking about these pretty paper globe ornaments I used to make out of my collections of birthday and holiday cards I’ve received. You can also just make them out of pretty paper. It also occurred to me one could magick them up by writing word or intention on each circle or drawing sigils on the circles. You could even write an intention and hide it inside with some herbs!
Clearly the tutorial has Christmas trees in mind, but I can think of so may ways to use these for Hanukkah, the winter solstice, New Years Eve, or just every day.
If you make some, please share pictures!
MUSSAR
Date: Sunday 11/19/2023
Time: 3-4:30pm ET
Where: Register for Zoom Link
Cost: None, but donations gratefully accepted
The soul trait that corresponds with Kislev, in the Kesharim K’doshim approach to mussar, is Yirah/t (יראה/ת) Awestruck, Radical Amazement,
There is no cost to attend Soul Trait Studio, but registration is required each month.
Register and find upcoming schedule at devotaj.com/soultraitstudio
And if you can’t attend in real time, all registrants also receive the recording the following day. And you can add your thoughts and experiences on the monthly Practice Guide (posted the day of each session).
You can also purchase a copy of my ebook: Introduction to Mussar Practice.
MAGICK
Embodied Incantations
Create an incantation and then transform it into an embodied incantation or movement “sigil”. Haikus work nicely if you are the poetic type, but in general anything fairly short, snappy, and hopefully rhyming that concentrates your intention into short bit of verse is what you want to start with. If you like to bring in a little Chaos magic element, feel free to use a stanza from a famous poem or few lines from a popular song.
Here’s the incantation I used to finish the intro of this post:
Dance with me. Tilting. Turning. Whirling. Healing. Transforming. Transform and be transformed - open my heart to where others fear to go.
This practice can simply be a series of hand positions or you can put your whole body into it. If you are a yoga practitioner, maybe it’s a series of asanas or mudras. But it doesn’t have to be based on that. Think about how you would, literally, embody this or any other incantation. Try out several versions. When you found the right sequence — make a mini ritual out of it.
Light a candle. Take a deep breath. Recite your incantation. Then move through it 3 (or 5 or 7, etc) times. Recite your incantation. Take a deep breath. Blow out the candle releasing your into the flame, smoke, and ether.
Resources & Rituals
Just a reminder that I’m in the process of moving the Wheel of the Year resources from devotaj.com to devotaj.substack.com, which will become the unified home for all my writing.
Here’s a few of the relevant and recent additions to the Resources & Rituals on Substack that don’t fit cleanly into Making, Mussar, or Magick. Most of these are only for premium subscribers, but all have a free preview.
» » » Explore all posts about Kislev « « «
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Watch | Listen | Read
Key: Shows & Movies 📺 | Books 📚 | Articles 📄 | Music 🎼 | Podcast 🎙
🎙Episode 6: How monotheistic is the Torah, really? (Polytheism Today with Angela Raincatcher) I had the pleasure of being interviewed on Polytheism Today, as the token monotheist. Regardless of your theism, my dear friend Angela has created a really great podcast exploring modern polytheism and how it functions within America’s wider monotheistic (primarily Christian) culture. Learn more about the podcast and find my episode at https://polytheismtoday.com/ or where ever you get your podcasts.
🎙Episode 117, Ketzirah Lesser - Jewitch Art Priestess on the
Witch Wave with Pam Grossman || Not only did the episode of Polytheism Today come out in Cheshvan, but so did my interview with Pam Grossman on The Witch Wave! I think you all know what a fan I am of Pam’s and that includes her podcast. I. Had COVID when we recorded this, so my voice was extra sexy. Over the hour we talked, we covered really hard issues like Israel/Palestine and really fun things like Jewitch history and sigil making. Find it at witchwavepodcast.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
🎙 Judaism Unbound Episode 399: “God? Gods? Goddesses? Godexes?” Join Dan, Lex and Tamar Kamionkowski to learn more about the topic of deity in the Torah/Tanakh and Jewish teachings! I’m so excited that this episode came out so close to my episode with with Polytheism Today. Find it at JudaismUnbound.org/podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.
🎙📚Unveiling the Hidden – Anticipating the Future (Divinatory Practices among Jews Between Qumran and the Modern Period) with Josefina Rodriguez Arribas & Dorian G. Greenbaum (on Ad Astra) I stumbled across this book and found a bunch of the chapters on Academia.edu and then hit the gold mine when I found this interview with the authors. The link above goes to the interview on YouTube and here’s the link to the book: https://brill.com/display/title/59308
📚 Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall (Bookshop | Amazon) I am a sucker for a good romcom, but historically I am NOT a romance novel person. However I am now apparently managing my anxiebnty by reading…um romcom novels? Especially queer romcom novels?
📚 Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott (Bookshop | Amazon) I can’t believe it took me this long to get to this book! Seriously! Jewish urban magickal fantasy that involves the descendants of Baba Yaga and her house?! Fucking loved this book and how it deals with generational trauma and breaking those cycles.
📚 Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (Bookshop | Amazon) Yep, another queer romcom — but this time with magick and witchcraft! This was a re-read for me. I loved FanGirl, and could not read this fast enough when it was published. Definitely held up well on a second read.
📺 Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse (Netflix) I am a Marvel person, but not necessarily a Spider-Man fan. That said, I enjoyed “Into the Spiderverse” and flat out LOVED “Across the Spiderverse.” It’s kind of brilliant and the animation is just absolutely stunning.
What are you listening, reading, or watching?
Note: Links to Bookshop.org and Amazon.com contain affiliate code that allows authors to earn a small commission on purchases
I do enjoy dancing with you!