We met for our annual service to honor the dark. As always, our liturgy explored the richness and necessity of the dark in all natural cycles, and to honor this time of when we go can inward, rest, and prepare for new growth. As Jewish liturgy doesn’t encode this understanding, we draw even more heavily from poets, including farmer/author/activist Wendell Berry. Our “consquences” piece this month is visual – an image of the stunning beauty of the night sky we have lost by living with constant lights. You’ll see it below.
For torah study we examined various historical texts on the tzitzit, using examples to draw conclusions about what it means to built an intentional community on the Fringes. What can the set of rules and guidelines and discussions teach us about intentionality, diversity, connections? The texts we read are in the liturgy handout below. Fringes’ 20th anniversary is in February, so we’ll continue a discussion of fringes/tzitzit and community next month.
Some of our music:
A modern paradox – the more light we live under, the darker and duller are our nights.