Mapmaking (and eipsode 5!)
Sep 10, 2025
It's Wednesday.
At least, it’s Wednesday for you. For me, it’s last Wednesday. I’m writing this email early, because by the time you’ll get to reading, I’ll be off-grid in the beautiful chaos of Azamra Facilitator Training.
The days before training are always… a thing. Because before something new can be born, something old insists on being purged. Sometimes it’s emotions. Sometimes outdated belief systems. Also, sometimes it’s closets.
(Case in point, about an hour ago, when I suddenly had the urge to do “arts and crafts”* with the teens, we uncovered 25 hoodies between us that we're ready to recycle. Needless to say, they’re now bagged and ready for donation. Purge complete.)
Whenever I think of purging, I think of my friend Rachel Mozes. Yes, the same Rachel of Belly Button Hour fame. She’s the one who taught me the sacred art of letting go. She introduced me to It’s Not Your Money by Tosha Silver, and that eight-week process still ranks as one of the most miraculous things I’ve ever done.
But Rachel isn’t just about clearing out stuff. She’s about clearing the stories. And she does it with this perfect mix of humor, sharp intelligence, lived wisdom, and the kind of presence that makes you feel both safe and seen.
That’s why I refuse to reduce her work to a “healing journey” (we all know how I feel about those). Rachel isn’t the journey. She’s the mapmaker.
The map that shows you where you’ve been. The compass pointing to where you’re headed. The lanterns lighting the way for the nights when you swear you’re lost.
And this totally wasn't planned, but it's not lost on me that this episode drops on the eve of Chai Elul, the birthdays of two mapmaking greats, the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe. Rachel even shares her newfound love for Tanya, and how its teachings weave into her own work.
Elul is the month of maps. The season we retrace our steps and realize maybe we weren’t wandering after all. Maybe the detours were part of the design. Maybe we’ve been wondering ourselves onto a new path all along.
In this week’s Vessel podcast, Rachel and I talk about the Higher Self, that part of ourselves that already know the way. The voice that whispers, when you finally quiet down enough to listen:
You’re not broken. You’re charting the path.
And at some point in the episode we even let ourselves speak about the spiritual undercurrent of this work. Awkwardly. But also honestly. Because how could we not?
This way of walking the world, it’s about holiness braided into the ordinary, about friendship and vulnerability, about raising your head and noticing Hashem is right there, waiting in the field.
This is what Vessel is. A circle of mapmakers. A place where your life stops being a private wilderness and becomes a path others can follow. Where your laughter, your mistakes, your hoodies and your heart all become part of the design.
In All Ways,
I've been getting lots of emails from those of you that don't have YouTube. Lucky for you, these episodes are available on Spotify and Apple as well.
Above mentioned Pre-Azamra Arts and Crafts (because it's not like I have an entire training module to prep...I'm not panicked at all.)
Vessel early (and discounted!) registration opens next week! The early-bird window is just three days long. I’d love for you and your friends to be in when it begins!
If this email series or episodes are adding value to your world, consider sharing them with people you love. How amazing would it be to live in a world where more of us just get it?
Join the Mailing List!
Life happens in little bits. Learn to love the little bytes.
