Through the Gates

Through the Gates is a series of evocative daily messages that guide the reader through the practice of counting the Omer. Weaving a spiritual memoir as well as offering guidance for the intricate discipline of the Omer, poet Susan Windle writes to a group of companions who share the same contemporary Jewish mystic for a teacher. She writes as a way of engaging in the spiritual discipline that marks the forty-nine days of the Omer, the seven weeks between the spring festival of Pesach (Passover) and the early summer festival of Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks which is the Hebrew foundation for the Christian celebration of Pentecost. In the course of counting the days, Susan tells the story of her “convergence” with Judaism. Methodist by heritage, with a long connection to Unitarian Universalism, Susan became a Jewish by choice in 2008. A bridge builder in many ways, Susan has been described as a multifaith community within herself. For seekers of all faiths, Through the Gates reveals a true treasure of the Jewish mystical path. Through the exploration of this ancient spiritual practice, with loving attention to the struggles and surprises of daily life, the poet invites the reader into intimate engagement with the mystery of life itself. Susan’s story, as it unfolds through the days of the Omer, is celebratory, sweetly challenging, and deeply satisfying.