Monday, September 26, Rosh Hashanah. A clear morning with a rosy sunrise to start the New Year of 5783. We gathered with hope for a new year of possibilities. It is harvest time for fruits and nuts in the Middle East, with the ingathering of grapes, figs, pomegranates, and olives aligning with the High Holy Days and the Sukkot harvest festival. Here in the Great Lakes, we harvest apples and pumpkins, and witness the slow yellowing of the leaves and cooling of the air.
This year I would like to introduce the elements of Jewish astrology teachings to our monthly blog. The heavens are an important part of our natural world – the source of inspiration throughout the ages, recognizing the other-worldiness of heavenly signs and events – and universal to our human experience, perhaps the most global aspect of nature, along with the oceans. Our sages were intensely opposed to the use of astrology and horoscopes to foretell a person’s future, identifying that study with pagan worship. And yet, the Kabbalists recognized the role that heavenly constellations could play in the sense of the months. Similar to the role of other sensibilities assigned to each month, such as the energy of the s’firot, the tribes of Israel, and divine letters of the Hebrew alphabet, these were combined with the month’s holidays and Torah readings to fully understand the possibilities for human reality within the month. There is more information on each month in our source Mindy Ribner’s Kabbalah Month by Month (see resources page).
And so, for Tishrei, we note that the sign is Libra, the balancing scales. While the constellation assigned to each month does not align with what is in the sky in our modern age, it did do so 2000 years ago. Imagine living through the High Holy Days with a scale above your head in the desert sky, every night. There is a message here about balance – finding the balance between the good and evil, the stressed and centered, the scattered and focused, the kind and the unkind, in our world and in our hearts. May this coming year be one of increasing balance for all of us as we seek peace in our lives and communities. —Kirby
Our next walking meditation will be the morning of Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, Wednesday, October 26, 7:30 am. Rain or shine! Contact us for location!
Rosh Chodesh Cleveland 