Sunday, December 25, 2022. It was bitter cold this morning, at 12 degrees Fahrenheit, -32 with windchill. Too cold to take many pictures! A polar vortex descended on the Great Lakes from Canada on Friday, and while the blizzard is done, the cold remains for another day or two. Nevertheless, three of us made it to the marsh today to bless the month. Mid-Winter is upon us, with November and December just about done – four months to go.
Tevet is one of the three months our sages acknowledged for negative emotions, when we are steeped in anger, sadness, depression, and anxiety. The other two are Tammuz and Av, set in the heat of the summer. Here we experience the deadly cold and wind of winter, when summer life seems far off and we hide indoors. And yet, we have the last lights of Hanukah to show the way, and the solstice is past, daylight increasing every day. Our task during this month is to harness our negative emotions, fiery though they may be, and transform them into the positive, the good, and the productive.
As a guide during the month, we have the astrological sign for Tevet, which is Capricorn, the goat. Characterized as brazen, fiery and stubborn, the goat is also persistent, a hard worker and challenging task master. Through work and hardship come the rewards and transformation we desire. At the same time, we know about scientific research which shows us that we can transform negative emotions simply by dreaming ourselves to the positive. If we make ourselves smile, no matter how little we want to smile in the moment, we start to feel better. If we look for the good in others, no matter what grudge we may hold – we start to see them in a new light.
So we have two tools at our disposal – enhanced by the last of the Hanukah lights, and the growing daylight after the solstice. May they sustain us and support us, and may we support each other, as we look to transform ourselves and our world for the good. —Kirby
The next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will be honoring the month of Sh’vat, Monday, January 23, 7:30 am. Contact us for location!
Rosh Chodesh Cleveland 