“In the Dust of the
Ancestors”
A shamanic tour across the Land of Israel
Sacred Journeys into the Soul of the Land of Israel
and Her Tribal Roots
November 3-13, 2005
Cost is $1750 (includes all meals, lodging, tours, and tuition;
does not include airfare to and from Tel Aviv Airport which you
must arrange on your own)
Registration is limited to 20 participants.
Please Note: There will be some rugged walking, so please consult
your physician if you have a medical problem that might be
aggravated by arid climate conditions or uphill and downhill
wilderness treks.
For information and to register, contact elkmesa@walkingstick.org
This trip is being sponsored by Walking Stick Foundation. When
inquiring
about this trip, please indicate the dates of the trip.
About the Journey
Nine delightful days of engaging the wisdom and experience of
the Four Winds in what the ancient Kabbalists called “Land
of the Deer.”
This is not a commercialized tour, but a spiritual quest, a rare
opportunity to recapture the aboriginal, earth-based spirituality
of the Jewish people on the very soil that gave birth to them
over thirty-eight hundred years go. You will also encounter
a growing movement of Israelis seeking to recover the long-lost
indigenous ways of our people as part of a serious attempt to
bring much needed joy, peace, and healing to the land and its
inhabitants.
We will travel as a close knit group of friends being hosted in
each region in accommodations ranging from hotel-style rooms in
cities to guest houses on kibbutzim. At each sacred
site, Miriam and Gershon will share deep teachings from the Jewish
tradition as well as lead us in chant, drum, movement, and ceremony, to
help us blend with the voices and the spirits of the ancestors.
Our guide, Dovid Ringler, will tickle us with his humor and light-heartedness
as he leads us along roads less traveled and through caverns and
underground ritual pools known to few.
We will begin our journey in the relaxed atmosphere of Kibbutz
Shoresh en-route from the airport toward the Galilean Hills. Here
we will Jacuzzi, swim, spoil ourselves every which way, in preparation
for the sacred journey ahead as follows:
North – Tsahfon
“The Place of Concealment”
Sefad, Ma'ron, Galilean Hills
North is where the eagle dwells, and the place of Water, holding
the power of mystery and elusiveness. We will settle down at the
Kibbutz Sasa Guest House while we visit the tombs of the ancient
rabbis whose teachings we will be sharing. We will also wander
around the old mystical city of Sefad, home to the most important
medieval kabbalists, and the Galilean mountains whre the mystics
and sorcerers of our people wee nourished and inspired by the
mystery wisdom of North. We will also converge on Amirim for Shabbat,
a rural vegetarian community overlooking the Sea of Galilee.
East – Kehdem
“The Place of Beginning”
Jerusalem and the Dead Sea
East is where the lion dwells, and the place of Breath, both symbolic
of the powers needed for new beginnings. We will visit the longest-running
point of controversy on the face of the earth: yerushlayim, which
ironically means: “that which will show you peace.”
After visiting the sacred sites of Jerusalem, we will drop south
to the Dead Sea to cleanse ourselves with earthiness and to salt
ourselves with endurance. Salt is indestructible, never spoils,
and holds the power preservation. In Jerusalem we lodge at the
Mt. Zion Hotel.
South – Dahrom and Nehggev
“the place of cleansing and transcending”
Qumran and Ein Gedi
South is where the Inner Self dwells, and the place of Fire. We
will lodge on the breathtaking cliff site of metsukei dar’got,
home to Rabbi Ohad Ezrachi and his Jewish meditation and learning
center, Ha’Makom. While nestled in this arid
and incredibly scenic region of the Judean Desert, we will hike
into deep canyons replete with mystery and history dating from
the era of King David to the period of the Essenes whose caves
and dwelling ruins we will visit. We will also lodge at the Ein
Gedi Field School while we trek up to the last stronghold of the
Second Jewish Commonwealth: Masada. There we will walk through
the ruins of ancient Roman palatial quarters that were built for
Nero before the rebellion, and the ruins of the homes, ritual
pools, synagogue, and meeting places of the Jewish rebels and
their families who later took refuge there.
West – Ma’arav
“The Place of Merging”
Tel Aviv and Yafo
West is where the buffalo dwells, and he place of Earth, symbolic
of our wild, unbridled side, our merging side where all of our
lights and shadows merge to dance in unison, no holds barred,
and bring our deepest seed self to fruition. Here we will visit
the ancient port city of Yaffo and then blend our spiritual selves
with our physical selves in the market whirlwind and nightlife
of Tel Aviv. We will lodge at Kibbutz Shoresh Hotel
en-route, and at the Astor Hotel in Tel Aviv. West is where
it all ends, where the sun vanishes into the horizon, where we
all merge into the mystery of the next moment, into the uncertainty
of the future, bringing along with us the clarity of south, the
inspiration of east, and the north wind’s gift of the capacity
to surrender to unknown. From west, we head home.
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