Ep. #24 w/ Jewish Mysticism and The Tale of a Modern Prophetess w/ Evonne Marzouk

Underground Antics with Shane Pokroy

Evonne Marzouk has spent her career in pursuit of inspiring others, making a difference, and bringing Jewish wisdom into the world. In this episode, Evonne and I go deep into discussing Jewish mysticism. Following the theme of Growing Into Your Gifts in Evonne’s novel “The Prophetess”, we discuss how wisdom teachings have impacted our lives - both from a pragmatic and mystical perspective. The teachings of Judaism have been around for thousands of years, and have provided countless people with insight into life’s most difficult questions. There is an amazing connection between ourselves and the divine, and coming into ‘contact’ with the divine can have profound positive transformations on your life.

Connecting with faith (emunah) and experiencing the light of consciousness can provide a deep sense of connectedness and peace to the turbulent lives we live. One of the main ways people connect with God is through meditation - a practice that is generally thought to be exclusive to Eastern wisdom traditions, but is actually also a fundamental part of Jewish mystical teachings. Taking the time to consciously experience life, nature, ourselves, and divinity is both the means and outcome of mediation. There is so much wisdom available in the world - we need only allow ourselves the opportunity to find and connect with it at a deep level, and the majesty of the universe will begin to reveal itself.

Support Evonne’s Kickstarter project, The "Grow Into Your Gifts" Bat Mitzvah Present. Providing a present that inspires young women with Jewish wisdom... and empowers them to grow into all their gifts. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1044547715/the-grow-into-your-gifts-bat-mitzvah-present

Get a copy of Evonne’s book The Prophetess: A Novel https://www.amazon.com/Prophetess-Novel-Evonne-Marzouk/dp/161088504X

Exploring modern adolescent anxieties and ancient mystical teachings, The Prophetess is a story about faith and sacrifice, promises kept through generations, and how, through the support of others, we can grow bigger than we ever believed we could be.

Evonne Marzouk Evonne Marzouk has spent her career in pursuit of inspiring others, making a difference, and bringing Jewish wisdom into the world. She grew up in Philadelphia and began writing and publishing poems and stories as a young child. Evonne attended the Johns Hopkins University and received a B.A. from the Writing Seminars program, with a minor in Religious Studies. Evonne founded and is the former director of Canfei Nesharim (recently merged with GrowTorah), an organization that teaches Jewish wisdom about protecting the environment. Evonne began work for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1999 and has played key roles in work on the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, the Minamata Convention on Mercury, and the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint. Throughout all these activities, publishing a novel has been one of Evonne’s lifelong dreams. She is incredibly grateful, and sometimes amazed, that the moment has finally arrived.

More of Evonne: Book website: https://www.evonnemarzouk.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evonne.marzouk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evonnemarz/

More of Shane: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-pokroy/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/shanepokroy/ Facebook