Author Archives: kherzogcohen

With the 5am light the birds praise the morning in song. I try and will myself back to sleep but the melodies are persistent. At first, I am annoyed—could you find a tree at a greater distance from the window, or fly on down the road? But the birds are exuberant, surrounded by the crispContinue reading “Morning song”

We must renew our acquaintance with the sensuous world in which our techniques and technologies are all rooted. Without the oxygenating breath of the forest, without the clutch of gravity and the tumbled magic of river rapids, we have no distance from our technologies, no way of assessing their limitations, no way to keep ourselvesContinue reading “Shabbos”

We use the word “resiliency” often in describing our capacity to cope with change, to face reality. Resiliency is mentioned in describing the tools that can help us continually develop and draw from a reserve of mental, physical and spiritual strength. I tuned in yesterday to a week-long summit on trauma and resiliency with speakersContinue reading “The village”

We began walking in the rain which had been steadily falling all morning since I woke up at 5am. The rain was light enough that with the proper gear, I hardly noticed, unlike a good old Texas downpour.  I was blessed to walk with a woman who has lived on Bainbridge Island for over 50Continue reading “The Grand Forest”

As we so often find in ancient folklore, the Caileach offers us a cyclical metaphor for life, one in which the energies of spring arrive again and again, nurtured by the deep retreat of winter. We are no longer accustomed to thinking in this way. Instead we are in the habit of imagining our livesContinue reading “Labyrinth”

I happened upon an article by Rabbi Everett Gendler that begins with a quote from BT Chagigah 12b: It is taught: R.Jose says: Alas for creatures who see but know not what they see, who stand but know not upon what they stand. After R.Jose’s statement there is a lengthy debate in Tractate Chagigah aboutContinue reading “Ground rules”

As I spend time nestling in to the Mother Tree of Ludlow Falls and seeking the lessons of a deeper Intelligence that animates all life, I feel gratitude for the connection with my saplings (E&J), so very strong through the storms and squalls of life. What a blessing and humbling responsibility. For as long asContinue reading “A wish”

My colleague and dear friend Rabbi Nicole Luna recommended Earth Prayers, a book that can easily fit in your coat pocket. I share this beautiful Chinook blessing — the refrain, “Teach us, and show us the way” is an apt message as preparation for Shabbat begins. The Chinook people lived just south of here, alongContinue reading “Teach us, and show us the way”