Jeshurun Time

Well, I knew when Alchymical Time was ended. It ended at Mabon, but the time between Mabon and Samhain was a little hazy. Holidays weave together. Mabon was a perfectly serviceable name for the Feast, but not for the month and a half that followed, especially since most of the Mabon feasts were linked to the Jewish Harvest festivals and the magic worked is worked through them. And so, from now on, or at least for now, The time between Mabon and Rosh Hoshana will be Mabon to Autumntide, and the time between Rosh Hoshana and Samhain, were we focus on the Jewish mysteries will be Jeshurun Time, for Jeshurun is another name for Jacob and his descendents, Israel.  Jeshurun is the poetic and therefor magical name of Israel, and we here are Israel in her magical state.

Now, there are Christian witches and Jewish witches, Jewitchery and Christopagans. But Young Tradition is Young Tradition. When I work the Christian Rite, I am Christian so a deeply heretical extent, but certainly not Christian in a conventional sense, and it is the same when working the Jewish Rite, though it may be more difficult to remember that. The Rite is Jewish, and while practicing it I feel part of the Secret Jeshurun, but I am not exactly a Jew, anymore than the Alchymical Rite makes me an Egyption, or Old Craft makes me British.

More notes may be forthcoming. This is a time for notetaking.

I wish that I could say that magic was the way you got the things you wanted, but magic is a path and no tru path works that way. You are never the master, always the student and the magic is like a strange dough, a bread that grows in its own time and in its own way. Or it is, as we have known before, the Living Word, the Holy Child being born, that we wait upon. This is the Christian mystery. We await with sleeplessess, with regrets, with sitting on hands and sometiems with anguish in the night and darkness in the day, he fulfilling of the word we have spoken, the seen we have planted.Our longings are wonderful, but sometimes the space between the longing and the possessing is a scourge. We discipline our souls. Because magic is a spiritual practice, or part of one, and not a cheap parlor trick, we join our waiting with the waiting of the whole world and offer our bodies up as a living sacrifice.

Elevate my prayers from the West

And may our worthiness come from the morning

And show us our awakening evening

Elevate my voices from the West

And may our righteousness come from the morning

And show us our redemption in the evening.

Elevate my refuge from the evening

And may their benefit come before in the morning

And show us our repentance until the evening

May our cries be elevated from the evening

And come before you in the morning

And may it look favorably upon us until evening.

יעלה תחנוננו מערב,

ויבוא שוועתנו מבוקר,

ויראה רינוננו עד ערב.

יעלה קולנו מערב,

ויבוא צדקתנו מבוקר,

ויראה פדיוננו עד ערב.

יעלה מנוסנו מערב,

ויבוא למענו מבוקר,

ויראה כפורנו עד ערב.

יעלה אנקתנו מערב,

ויבוא אליך מבוקר,

ויראה אלינו עד ערב.