I don’t connect with women easily.

I’m an only child. I moved constantly as an immigrant and refugee. Most of my life, friendships with women my age felt distant. Surface level. If I’m honest, I usually avoided them. I assumed that’s just who I was.

Then this week happened. Fourteen women. 5 days.

Different generations. Different backgrounds. Married women. Divorced women. Some single. Some mothers. Women celebrating. Women grieving. Women carrying impossible dreams. Women carrying unbearable pain.

The only thing we truly shared was our love of G-d and our desire to grow.

The retreat itself was created by a powerhouse woman name Naomi, the founder of Astro Torah. She has this rare ability to weave Torah, Kabbalah, Jewish astrology, wisdom, and deep spiritual work into something that feels ancient, ancestral, and completely alive. She doesn’t simply teach, she invites you to awaken parts of yourself that always existed but maybe needed a little waking.

And then there was Shely.

Watching her was like watching a butterfly. She is........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)