God Wears Lipstick by Karen Berg Review by Cate Montana

In this first Kabbalah-based “bible” for women, Kabbalist, teacher, wife, mother and co-director of the Kabbalah Centres, Karen Berg, lays out the foundational teachings of one of the most secret books in the Jewish religion.

Taught exclusively to the over 40, top Jewish male scholars for 4,000 years, the Kabbalah has always held mystique and power in the religious world. Now, through the efforts of Karen and her husband, Kabbalist Rav Berg, its teachings have been made available to women, men and children of all races and creeds. It is clear, from the first couple chapters, why the knowledge in this book was kept secret for so long: God cross dresses.

Yep. God is also a woman. Not only that, God knows that women are naturally more spiritually attuned than men and as such, are ethically responsible if they should so choose, for helping men grow up and learn how to be feeling, open, loving, giving beings. No wonder this book has been held under lock and key for hundreds of generations of male religious scholars. What ever would have happened to the world if this got out?

With charm, simplicity, candor and not a trace of female superiority, Karen reveals the tenets of Kabbalah, starting with what the word itself means: to receive. According to the Kabbalah in the beginning was the Light. And the Light is the energy of the Endless World, contained in all things and characterized by one consistent, driving force - the desire to give and share itself. The Light needed something upon which to bestow itself, so it created the second force in the universe, the Vessel or infinite receiver. The Light is the cause, the Vessel is the effect.

At this point, a bit of unhealthy human projection seems to creep in. The Vessel begins to feel unworthy of being given to all the time and says “stop.” Upon which time the Big Bang occurs and the universe is created in order to give all of us not only the opportunity to reconnect with the Light, but to learn to be equal beings in sharing like our Creator.

Karen explains how the Light, which is the male in this created world, and the Vessel, which is the female, need one another. Without the Vessel to shape it, the Light has no purpose and direction. Hence, the long tradition of the power behind the throne: men need women to shape their energy and guide them towards a worthy goal.

From here on, God Wears Lipstick becomes a how to manual, heavily based in Biblical stories and tradition, laced with psychological self-help instruction, with dashes of astrology and sexual advice to spice things up a bit. That said, it is also a very good how to manual that covers everything from reclaiming personal power and managing conflict, to steering a spiritual course and learning how to pray.

Did my feminist hackles rise reading this book? Absolutely. But in a gentle way that only poked holes in some very tired Biblical cloth. What really counts is Karen’s sincerity and practical knowledge, both of which abound and make the book well worth the read. Plus, it is fascinating peering behind the curtains and accessing material barred to women for so many thousands of years.

PAVEL'S PICK

The March of the Penguins

Review by Pavel Mikoloski

How does a French documentary about penguins, directed by the unknown Luc Jacquet make over 38 million dollars at the US box office? This French import, originally entitled La Marche de l’empereur (The Emperor’s Journey) is definitely unequivocal proof that the day of the documentary has definitely arrived. The March of the Penguins, narrated by Morgan Freeman, has become the third most financially successful documentary in the US after those by Michael Moore.

Does it merit this kind of interest? I think so. Based on a story by Jacquet, who has former training as a biologist, and a screenplay by Jacquet and Michel Fessler (with Freeman’s narration written by Jordan Roberts) this 80 minute long doc is simply the story of the annual breeding cycle of a group of Antarctica ’s Emperor Penguins. One might think that a documentary on penguins that is not even an hour and a half long belongs on television on the science channel. What makes this one the exception?

Most baby boomers remember as kids watching with fascination “Animal Kingdom” by Mutual of Omaha for hours on end. Animals are inherently interesting to humans and the more human-like they are, the more interesting. And the Emperor Penguins of the Antarctic are in so many ways like “little men in tuxes,” that there antics are riveting. Freeman’s warm, stentorian narration is written to emphasize the human characteristics, further anthropomorphizing the penguins with words like “love.” He even states that penguins can “sulk” – which seems a bit of a stretch even to this animal lover.

Besides the subject matter, what makes this documentary so worthy of the big screen? A couple of things – first, the narration which definitely heightens the natural drama of these birds, marching, mating, swimming, and giving birth, and huddling for warmth in the coldest, driest and (in winter) darkest continent on Earth. The dialogue, written to emphasize the constant battle for survival is one of the main reasons. The fact that we almost feel we are looking at humans further emphasizes the drama.

Another reason this belongs in movie theaters is that directors of photography, Laurent Chalet and Jerme Maison capture the penguins in this land of ice and sky in a way that is breathtakingly beautiful.