Love on the Brink of History

At the age of forty, Ethel, who grew up in Los Angeles, California, decided to take possession of her true name, Hannah—the name on her Israeli birth certificate. To make a little ceremony of it, she asked the bishop of an esoteric storefront Gnostic church in Hollywood to baptize her. Without preconception or preparation, she found herself pulled into a world of early Christian myths and symbols. The “dreamtime” world that engulfed her after this baptism became her guidance, as marriage and family disintegrated. As Hannah, she was drawn up through church sacraments from a suburban life she’d never wanted to live, through a mystical initiation she never asked for, which culminated in ordination to the Gnostic priesthood. But that attainment was not the conclusion. Hannah Rappaport’s memoir of this journey is mystical and pragmatic, heartbreaking and healing.“I am mesmerized by Hannah’s story. When a Jewish woman can be utterly transformed by her encounter with an ancient Christian Wisdom Way, and still honor her roots, there is hope for peace on earth. Hannah Rappaport is a living example of the power of the interspiritual life. Highly recommended.” Mirabai Starr, Author of GOD OF LOVE: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity & Islam“Hannah Rappaport’s uniquely beautiful and accomplished tale of spiritual transformation will serve as guidance and inspiration for those who hear the call of the transcendent in their own lives.” Sean Murphy, Author of: Hope Valley Hubcap King, Time of New Weather, The Finished Man, One Bird One Stone

Hannah Rappaport is a lifelong independent learner whose experience is, "when the student is ready, the teacher will come." She sees her life as a verb rather than a noun. She has designed clothing, practiced Trager bodywork, taiji and jigong, made pottery and sculpture, bore two children, married and divorced, said mass as a Gnostic Priestess, and more. Remembering and performing her soul's purpose in life is her purpose in life. She is a spiritual counselor and lives alone in Northern New Mexico.