In the late summer of 2008, as if I received a literal phone call, a voice inside of me spoke loudly mandating that Earl and I guide a trip to Israel. The focus was to travel the country of Israel to follow the steps of Yeshua's (Jesus) life from his Essene roots onward.

Having already experienced Israel three times before, I was very ready to introduce the land of the world's three Abrahamic religions to anyone who wished to join us. My heart sang with thrill as I molded the itinerary to include numerous locations, 2000 years and older.

I am a Jew raised by a mother born Orthodox and a father born somewhat less observant. All of my grandparents and their families stem from Eastern Europe, having left during the pogroms of the late 1800's, seeking safety and an easer existence as Jews. In 2005, Earl and I shared the profound experience of walking the streets of Chernobyl, Ukraine, my paternal grandparents shtetl (Jewish agrarian village). Our spiritually-oriented 'family' 0f 12 began the journey in mid-October 2009. On our first evening our group of American and English travelers came together in the Dan Panorama Hotel in Tel Aviv. As an infant-aged city, Tel Aviv sits on the Mediterranean Sea. Looking out our hotel window the beauty of the water welcomed us on the first eve of our travels. Dinner in a Middle Eastern restaurant with our Israeli guide, Dov, occurred in the Yemenite section of Tel Aviv.

October 12:

Preparing to head north we met Nasur, an Israeli Arab Bedouin, seated in the driver's seat of our mini-bus. Cesearea, the city King Herod built in honor of Caesar, served as the initial step on our foray. Driving toward the actual site of Caesarea, you might feel as if you're in southern California with palm trees and a golf course, the only golf course in Israel. Arrival at Caesarea brings you quickly into the Roman world of approximately 2000 years ago with an amphitheater and aqueducts built directly on the Med Sea. The amphitheater is utilized today for the performance of world-class concerts.

Our second stop was Megiddo, where six civilizations have been discovered in layers below the ground. Megiddo sits high on a hilltop overlooking a deep valley. In the distance looking north is the city of Nazareth, the 'hometown' of Jeshua. To the right is Mt Tabor from which Jesus is said to have ascended to heaven, or the Garden of Eden as Jews would describe where we go when death happens.

The end of the day brought our traveling group to Haifa, upon the top of Mt Carmel overlooking the beauty of the Med Sea and a glorious harbor. Haifa is the home of the Cave where Elijah, the prophet, lived; the incredibly beautiful and perfectly manicured gardens of the Bahai faith, who devote their purpose to the universality and oneness of all nations, and to the egalitarian mystical Essene community, where Jeshua studied. The Carmelite Christian order was born of the remnants of the Essenes.

Let me add that I, Linda, was on a quest to locate the exact location of where the Essene community lived and studied. Having discovered internet pictures and description, my determination could not be deterred. Dov, our guide, quickly gleaned my perseverance and caringly shared such determination.

Tuesday Oct 13:

We began our day at the contemporary Carmelite monastery high above the Med Sea, overlooking the lower portion of the beautiful modern city of Haifa. Quickly the 'seal' of the Carmelites is noticed on the main gate as including the Star of David and the Cross. Linda insists to our guide, Dov, that there is a dry river bed, or Wadi, in the Haifa area where the Essene village, during Jeshua's life, existed. Dov, who has been a guide in Israeli for 38 years explained that he, and his guide colleagues of similar vintage, have never known of such a place. By asking various locals and perseverating into the late afternoon, lo and behold, Dov and our group hike up a particular Wadi (dry riverbed) to discover the exact location of where Jeshua and his cousin (as well as Jeshua's mother and Mary Magdalene) studied in their early years to learn more of the purity and mystical awareness of the Mt Carmel Essenes.

Before its inception I had little doubt of the mystery and promise of our spiritual group tour to Israel. After we actually came upon the ruins of the Essene village (established approximately 2300 years ago), where men and women lived in equality, I KNEW we were in for an amazing and indescribable experience of 11 days in October, 2009.

 

 

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday-- Oct 14-16:

This travelogue would go on for pages and pages were I not to begin to encapsulate and combine a few days into one discussion. Wednesday morning took the group to the city of Akko, where the Crusader port and famous British prison reside. The movie Exodus depicts in detail the revolt and break-out of the Jewish prisoners being held during the British occupation of Israel. Subsequent to the creative endeavors of the prisoners to escape the prison, Israel was voted into 'statehood' as an independent country by the United Nations in May, 1948.

Our mini-bus and guide take us to the limestone cliffs and grottos near the Lebanese border, and then we move eastward through Arab and Israeli villages to the area of Israel called the Upper Galilee, heavily forested and filled with hills and valleys. We lunch at an agricultural vegetarian village with delicacies as wondrous, or perhaps more tasty, than any veggie restaurant I've ever encountered in the US.

Tsfat, or Safed, is our home away from home for three nights. Jewish mystics for numerous centuries have resided here in a hilltop town, as they live in a puritanical and religious life, to study the depths of spiritual understanding of being a soul and having a human experience, not the reverse.

On Thursday, we travel far to the north and east to drive along the Lebanese and Syrian border. The Golan Heights is where numerous Jewish soldiers have battled, and in 1967 Israel won the land from Syria expanding the land of the country. Dov, our guide in his sixties, describes in two former battlegrounds where many were lost, and the related emotion. Each of us feels as though we, too, were literally present and are struck by the power and energy of the land.

For fun and pleasure we visit one of the local wineries and taste quality wines of this region. Dov's friend who is a Danish, Jewish woman welcomes us with open arms to the tasting room.

Numerous evenings our spiritual group came together to discuss and delve into our feelings and emotions tied to this ancient land. Many group members felt the physical and affective result of the power of this land, and their own related past life experiences.

Linda's friend, and distant family of family, is one of the more well-known artists who reside in Tsfat. We receive a rich teaching and description of the content and purpose of mystical Kabbalah, with layer upon layer of meaning. In addition, the group visits the graves in an ancient cemetery of Rabbi's who brought into palpable awareness the truth of being divine in spirit and body. An evening Jewish Sabbath/Shabbat service brings to awareness the energy of many mystical old world Jews in Tsfat, who maintain the experience of only the men participating in the service, with separation of genders by a barrier wooden structure.

Saturday and Sunday-- October 17 and 18:

Our family of 12 travelers, expanded to 14 with our guide and driver, begin our short drive to the banks of the Sea of Galilee near Tiberius. The church where Jesus preached, and is said to have performed miracles, is one of our stops (Tabgha). We come down over the hillside to view the expansive waters and have the opportunity to view an actual boat unearthed in the last 50 years, stemming from the times of Jesus and the Apostles.

Lunch becomes an experience in and of itself, as we are invited to the home of our Bedouin driver. Nasur's village contains the houses of one large extended family. Each person in the village is related to Nasur. After relishing a delectable lunch cooked by Sosan, Nasur's wife, we relax for tea and coffee and are treated to observing Nasur and Sosan smoking their hookah pipe. I think that Earl and I need one of these pipes in our home also.

Leaving the hotel fairly early on Sunday our group boards a boat to have our own feel for literally being on the water of the Sea of Galilee. We are treated to the raising of the American flag and then music tied to Israel, as many of the group are deeply affected by the energy of plying the waters of the lake where Jeshua and his compatriots fished and enjoyed pleasant times.

As each day ensues our family of 12 is amazed and profoundly impacted by the energy of the land of Israel and the history of being in the Fertile Crescent. The knowledge and openness of our guide is clear, as he merges Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and mystical awareness into one tapestry.

Our spiritual family's next step is the Mount of Beatitudes, where Yeshua's Sermon on the Mount is believed to have happened with blessings such as, 'the meek shall inherit the earth' and more. Italian Catholics have built an ornate, byzantine style church on this location overlooking the Sea of Galilee (known as the Kinneret in Hebrew).

With a very full day we travel to Capernaum, a settlement on the shore of the Galilee from approximately 100 years before the birth of Yeshua to nearly 800 years beyond his birth. Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew are said to have lived here. Yeshua also lived here, for periods of time, and taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Our group continues to feel the profound energy of each location.

Finally, our day culminates at the Jordan River, where we observe many people receiving baptism and healing in these waters. Examining the look on the faces of each person being baptized is priceless. One man guiding the baptismal process speaks the Hebrew names and words of the father, Abba, the son, Yeshua, and the holy spirit, Ruach HaKodesh, which come as a surprise.

Our evening completes with a dinner outside in a restaurant sitting directly on the Galilee. Each traveler exhibits a sense of fulfillment, as we continue to absorb rich moments, perhaps life-altering.

Monday Oct 19:

Finally, it is our day to travel to Jerusalem. Nazareth, the largest Arab city in Israel, is where we begin our day. We visit the Church of the Annunciation, built over the site where Mary is said to have been visited by Archangel Gabriel and told she would carry a child, who would be the son of God. Many countries of the world have placed artistic representations of Mother Mary, the quintessential image of divine maternal energy. As we returning to our 'home away from home', our mini-bus, we walk through the extensive, aromatic market area.

Our group then travels onward to Beit Alfa, where we visit a byzantine-era synagogue to view the mosaic floor which depicts the months of the year tied to the calendar of the zodiac. Each location we experience carries an energy, as our group absorbs and develops their own energetic sense of the place and time.

We complete our travels in northern Israel at Beit She'an, a city having played an important role in history due to its geographical region at the junction of the Jordan River and Jezreel Valleys .Beit She'an is first listed among Pharoah Thutmose III's conquests in the fifteenth century BCE, and here the remains of an Egyptian administrative center from the XVIII and XIX dynasties have been excavated. The Bible mentions Beit She'an as a Canaanite city in the Book of Joshua, and its conquest by David and inclusion in the later kingdom is noted Large Solomonic administrative buildings were uncovered from this period.

Finally, as the sun is setting our Arab bus driver takes us through the West Bank to Jerusalem. We view the lights of Jericho on the right and the lights of Jordan on our left. Arrival in Jerusalem is celebrated to music in our bus, and our emotions run high.

Tuesday Oct 20:

Tuesday brings an unexpected surprise as we are able to travel by bus to Bethlehem, just outside of Jerusalem. Our mini-bus driver, Nasur, is a Bedouin Israeli Arab and is able to drive us into Bethlehem in the West Bank. Dov, our guide, awaits us just outside the checkpoint leading from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. Israeli non-Arabs are not allowed into the West Bank.

What a powerful experience to walk into the church most believe is built over the site of Yeshua's birth. We view the actual location of where Yeshua was born and across the room where he was laid in the manger.

Words do not easily describe this entire day, as our next step is into the Old City of Jerusalem. First, we stand at the steps leading into where the First and Second Old Temples of the Hebrews stood, now the location of significant Muslim holy sites, including the Dome of the Rock. 'The Rock' signifies the foundation stone of the Old Temple, where the Ark of the Covenant is said to have been placed.

The notable 'Wailing Wall' or Western (foundation) Wall of the Old Temple, profoundly holy to the Jewish people, is where we take time to reflect and meditate before our group tours the tunnels under the Old Temple, open to anyone. In the tunnels we come to the place under and closest to the Holy of Holies, the location of the foundation stone where Abraham is said to have come to sacrifice his son, Issac.

Lunch happens in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem sitting outside and literally staring at one of the stations of the Cross. We walk past the specific station where Veronica, Yeshua's first cousin, is said to have stepped out of the crowd to kiss Yeshua.

Finally, our day is completed in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Yeshua was buried. This church contains various sections tied to various 'sects' of Christians, such as the Egyptian Coptics, Greek Orthodox, etc. Our guide suggests an alternate location in the church that may be where Yeshua was actually buried, rather than the 'sepulcher' many acknowledge.

Wednesday Oct 21:

Each day builds on the next. This particular day was amazing. We leave our hotel with a new mini-bus and new driver, as Nasur has needed to guide a new group for 10 days. Now, we have an Israeli driver----two different experiences for us. We head south from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. First a camel ride is in order.

We travel onward to Masada, an ancient palace and fortification, where a group of Jewish Zealots lived high atop a red rock plateau overlooking the Dead Sea. The inhabitants of Masada were besieged by the Romans and chose to end their lives through suicide, preferring death to surrender. We take a large cable car to the top and tour this sizable community. For some of our traveling family, past life memories begin to surface in this profound location.

Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were accidentally discovered in various caves is our next stop. An ascetic sect of male Essenes (mystical Hebrews) is believed to have lived in this community, where archaeologists have unearthed Jewish ritual baths, an assembly room, and a cemetery at the site. The scrolls contain both widely accepted Jewish beliefs, along with minority interpretations of ancient texts.

Last, but not least, our traveling group coat ourselves with Dead Sea mud, and then float in the waters of the Dead Sea, an experience that suits our last visit of the day. We travel back to Jerusalem with thoughts of bathing, as we are going to spend our final evening together at a lovely restaurant in the heart of Jerusalem.

Thursday October 22:

Though this is our final full day of traveling, we have an extraordinary day of varied experience. We begin our day with visiting the Mt of Olives and phenomenal views of the New and Old Cities of Jerusalem. Many beautiful and ornate churches are on our journey. Our bus takes us through the City of David, today an Arab city. The City of David is believed to have been the original Jerusalem dating to 3500 or 4000 years ago.

We return to the Old City, to Mount Zion where King David's Tomb is in the lower floor below an ancient synagogue where the Last Supper is believed to have occurred. Viewing the tomb and the room of the final meal, a Passover meal, which Yeshua shared with his cohort, commonly known as the Apostles, is striking. Another delicious lunch of Arab shish kabob and wonderful salads/hummus is shared, as we tour more of the Old City.

Our 11 day tour in Israel completes with the poignant and striking memorial to the holocaust, Yad Vashem, built high on a hill overlooking Jerusalem. As we emerge from the memorial the sun is setting, and the stars begin to shine, seemingly to honor our spiritual visit to Israel.

 

 

 

 

SPIRITUAL ISRAEL TOUR REFLECTIONS

Words do not come easily to describe and define the experiences, encounters, and emotions of our group journey. Some members of our traveling family knew one another prior to the trip, while others were joining without knowing 'a soul'. Seemingly within one day, our cohort melded together with commonality, as if we'd been together for many years.

I might add that there was not a hint of overt conflict on this excursion. It was almost as if each member was hand-selected to come together to walk step by step this tapestry of elements in the land of Israel.

The beauty of our shared tapestry included planned components and unexpected elements. We flowed through history including Jewish, Christian, Muslim stemming from a minimum of 4000 years ago. Our journey touched the borders of three Arab countries, as well as territory of the Palestinian Authority.

We laughed; we cried; we shared past life memories; we dealt with minor intestinal upset, sharing whatever remedies brought along in our suitcase; we ate a home cooked meal in the home of our Arab driver; our Israeli guide was open and accommodated our spiritual perspectives; and more and more.

Linda and Earl have no doubt that 14 lives were impacted in describable and indescribable ways. We're each altered by the experience.