Jerusalem View from Haas Promenade, JHD
In December, my husband and I (and two of our grown children) visited Israel for the first time in nearly a decade. I’ll continue reflecting on this journey and our experiences in my Rabbi’s Blog. Please check it out if you would like to learn more. Meannwhile, I’ve added a Gallery of Seashore in Israel to the Gateway of the Sea. In Israel, I exchanged wintry walks at the woods of the Hudson Valley for sunny walks on the shores of the Mediterranean. The sea enraptured me with it’s light, color, and warmth. The rhythm of the waves and the sea air filled me with a sense of peace/Shalom and well-being. I hope that my photos will share those feelings with you.
For daily nature photography interspersed with some spiritual reflections, please follow Wellsprings on Instagram.
Cellist and humanitarian Yo-Yo Ma speaks about the “edge,” the natural or cultural place where environments intersect, as one that always has more life forms and new life forms. Bach taught him to balance going to his center and to the edge. In cultural interactions and dialogue, it’s good to be centered and it’s also good to reach out, edge to edge, to touch something new. Photos by Julie Hilton Danan, Israel, 2018. Return to the
Gateway of the Sea.
More and more people around the world are learning that walking* in nature can be a spiritual practice. It was surely known to our biblical ancestors, and today intentional time strolling in nature has become an international movement known as Shinrin Yoku or Forest Bathing.
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Shalom! Just checking in to let you know that this site is active, even if it’s not like a blog with continual updates. I haven’t added a new Gateway (themed content page) to Wellsprings of Wisdom this fall, but I’m continuing to add some new posts to current Gateways, update existing posts,and add to the resource guide. I also post daily content (my own nature photos and some inspirational messages) on Instagram @wellsprings. I hope to continue to add content to Wellsprings of Wisdom over time, but I’m turning much of my creative attention–when not working at my job as a rabbi or teaching classes or being busy as a mom and grandma!–to writing a nature-centered spiritual memoir on the same themes as Wellsprings of Wisdom.
I recently attended a workshop by the Jewish Book Council and that gave me a lot of encouragement. I wrote one book years ago, then went off to graduate school and rabbinical school and wrote a dissertation. Since then, the publishing world has changed so it’s good to get a refresher! Thanks for your patience, and I hope you enjoy the existing content. Feel free to write to me through the website if you have any questions. Your comments on any posts and your posts in the Sharing Circles in each Gateway are much appreciated, and I’m looking into different ways to get together by offering classes online. Let me know if that interests you.
Happy Thanksgiving! This is a wonderful time to cultivate gratitude. One thing I’m grateful for, since moving the Hudson Valley from California (and Texas before), is the amazing fall foliage in this part of the country. In honor of the season, I’ve added a new Autumn Gallery to the Gateway of Seasons. I hope you enjoy it.
I know that I’ve being growing as a photographer since my “Seasonal Scenes” gallery, and it’s developed into a real hobby. I also purchased an second hand camera (to upgrade from phone photos alone) and took a photography class.
I try to use my photography for mitzvot (good deeds), for example my current fundraiser of greeting cards and tote bags with my photos from Chico, California, all profits going to NorCal Wildfire Relief.
Click on this image to activate a gallery of beautiful scenes from Autumn at Rockefeller State Park Preserve. They document the season from its early pastels and oranges to the golden peak, though an early snowfall and into bare branches.
All photos by Julie Hilton Danan.
Return to the Gateway of Seasons.
Thanks to a reader/fellow traveler who wrote to me with several suggestions for the Resource Guide, it continues to expand. I’ve recently added more programs for hiking, family retreats, organic farms and summer camps that focus on Jewish spirituality in nature. Locations span the United States, Canada Mexico, England, and Israel. I present these as a public service and listing does no imply endorsement, so please check them out for yourself!
It’s been a very hard couple of weeks. First, the tragic antisemitic killings at Tree of Life- Or L’Simcha Congregation in Pittsburgh shocked and saddened the Jewish community and all of America. People of many faiths came together together in prayer and support around the country. Read my rabbi blog to read the messages that I shared with our community. For those who want to give tzedakah/charity to support the Pittsburgh Jewish community, you can do so here.
Then less than two weeks later, devastating wildfires ravaged parts of California, with the most destructive fire in California history decimating Paradise, California, the nearest town to our former home of Chico. Watching these tragic events from afar, I wanted to give back in some way.
To help the community in Northern California, I have started a Wellsprings Fundraiser for Fire Relief. I’ve made my nature photos from a recent trip to Chico into greeting cards and tote bags, that you can purchase here.
All profits benefit the Northern California Fire Relief Fund of the North Valley Community Foundation. Feel free to donate directly there, too! And please keep everyone in your prayers.
Just updated the pathway (post) about Rosh Hodesh, the women’s celebration of the New Moon. I r
ealized that most of my suggested resources were rather “vintage,” from the heyday of women’s rediscovering this holiday in the 1970’s and 80’s. Now there’s a great new organization, At the Well, offering beautiful materials online to support women and others who want to form Well Circles and celebrate this ancient holy day to promote both spirituality and wellness.
I’m constantly delighted to find wonderful initiatives among the younger generation in Judaism, nature and the outdoors. Today I had a wonderful conversation with Julia Plevin, founder of the Forest Bathing Club of San Francisco. (The “bathing” reference is to the Japanese practice of Shinrin Yoku, “Forest Bathing,” therapeutic immersion in nature.) Founding the popular club and getting involved in nature-based spirituality has been a catalyst to Jewish self-discovery for Julia, who has participated in San Francisco-based Wilderness Torah.
A website is kind of like a garden. I have to keep checking my posts and links for necessary updates. I have updated the pathway (post) on the Rainbow of Community, in the Gateway of Rainbows, to reflect changes in organizations that foster inclusiveness and diversity.
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