Imagining Beyond the Self: A Mussar Poetry Workshop
What might happen to our writing when we begin to imagine beyond the boundaries of the self?
Vanessa Machado de Oliveira calls the horizons we are walking toward “presently unimaginable futures.” We can’t fully imagine these futures as we are—we have to be changed in order to recognize them.
Mussar invites us into just this kind of transformation. At its heart is a questioning of the sovereign self: an opportunity to reimagine ourselves as people who include and depend upon others, and whose lives are inextricably connected to the lives around us. Mussar practice asks us to see beyond the sometimes-narrow structures of the self.
And poetry can do the same.
One of the most compelling intersections between Mussar and poetry is the way a Mussar mindset can open us to more imaginative ways of thinking and writing. It can invite us beyond familiar habits and approaches, toward poetry that is more experimental, surprising, and alive.
Join beloved Ritualwell teacher Rabbi Joshua Boettiger for an immersive poetry workshop exploring the intersections of Mussar and creative practice. Together, we’ll study a variety of poems and Jewish texts, use them as portals for reflection and experimentation, and generate and share new work. No particular experience with Mussar is necessary—come ready to explore, imagine, and write.
This series will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.
Rabbi Joshua Boettiger is Jewish Chaplain and Visiting Assistant Professor of Humanities at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. He is the current Rosh Yeshiva for the Center for Contemporary Mussar and for the last decade, directed the Mussar program at Temple Emek Shalom in Ashland, Oregon. Joshua also teaches Jewish Meditation and co-leads silent retreats. He holds an MFA in creative writing from Pacific University and his poetry has appeared in the Missouri Review, the Southern Review, B O D Y, and elsewhere.
