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I’ve recently realized, there aren’t many spiritual resources for a person juggling multiple responsibilities in life. I’ve read a lot of books designed for priesthood, warriors, spiritual seekers, advanced students, etc. I found very little reference, not to mention actual help, for someone who maintains a professional career, works 10+ hours a day, keeps...
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It’s nteresting how getting dressed is gradually and steadily becoming a preferred medium I use for self-expression. It is now almost as fulfilling as painting or writing. Come to think of it, fashion is, and always has been, a form of wearable art. Each and every day, fashion lets be to be a canvas and...
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After posting yesterday about “Isabella and the Pot of Basil”, I was inspired to search more artists who paid attention to food, cooking, farming, and fresh produce. One of the most interesting artists in the context of food is Joachim Beuckelaer, a Belgian painter from the 16th Century who depicted cooks, butchers, market scenes...
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Planting basil on the weekend reminded me of this painting by by William Holman Hunt from 1868. The painting depicts a scene from John Keats’s poem by the same name. Keats’s poem is adapted from a story in Boccaccio’s Decameron about Isabella, a young woman who is supposed to marry a rich nobleman, but...
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I’ve been writing a lot about food lately, both in this blog dedicated to living a sustainable life, as well as in other journals, in which I talk about spirituality and personal growth. My relationship with food has changed a lot over the years. I grew up in a family of farmers, so we...
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It’s been one months since my wedding. While it feels too early for any solid conclusions about the institution of marriage, there’s one thing I know for sure and that is that dinner is important. Growing up, I took eating at the table for granted. My mother was a full-time home-maker, not just a...
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I love the winter holidays, all of them. This time of year reminds feels enchanting and wild, with Hannukah candles at home, Christmas lights in every window in downtown Haifa, and Eid al-Adha fires in the Carmel mountain villages. I love fire, and my soul makes no distinction between the variants of the different...
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“Women’s willingness to tolerate discomfort, even pain, in the service of fashion is often chalked up to the desire to attract a mate or to rise a step in the social hierarchy. But today’s extreme fashions may have more to do with expressing power and control — control over one’s own body, and the...
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I sometimes think that marriage is like potatoes. An essential staple in almost every home, practically an institution, marriage can be cooked in a variety of methods. Marriage, like potatoes, can be fried and exhausted, mashed and crushed, grilled and well-done, habitual and seasoned, flavored, tasteless, or simply divine. Because potatoes are so versatile, and can be beautifully prepared...
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The moment you say “I do” to a man and accept an engagement ring from him is the moment you sign up for a spiritual process of death and rebirth. By consenting to a marriage proposal, you agree to make irreversible life changes, transform your identity, and radically revolutionize both your life and your...
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