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!

Friday, November 25, 2022.  It was cold and damp this morning at the marsh, with a raw breeze.  We cut our walk a little short, but it was nevertheless good to gather, still warm from holiday dinners the night before. We honor the new month of Kislev, which brings us from darkness into light – the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year – also is the day of turning, when light begins to return to the world.  Our holiday Hanukah, which ends the month and overlaps into the coming one, reminds us, as our candlelight steadily grows day by day for eight days, that the world is turning and the light and spring season will return in due time.

Kislev is also known as the “month of dreams”, since the Torah portions read during this month tell stories of our ancestors’ dreams. The dreams of Jacob and Joseph are among the most mystical scenes in our Torah, bringing to mind the subliminal and deep unconscious images and aspirations that thread through human lives.  The zodiac sign for the month of Kislev, Sagittarius, is a centaur, half-human, half-animal, reminding us that we are both.  Our animal minds, or “limbic brains”, the core at the center of each of our brains, are the center of stress response – “fight, flight or freeze”, often getting us into trouble.  But they are also the center of creativity, spontaneity, and the deep source of our dreams.  The opportunity given to us by Sagittarius is to honor and welcome our animal selves, while tempering our deep stress response with creativity, joy, and our uniquely human endeavors in philosophy, ethics, morals, religion, the arts, and science. We are both animal and human – may we harness the best of our full selves in serving the divine, the world around us, and each other. —- Kirby

Our next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will honor the month of Tevet, Sunday morning, December 25, 8:30 am.  NOTE LATER TIME FOR THIS MONTH!! Contact us for location.

Wednesday, October 26.  A warm but dark, blustery and rainy day – the trees are painted with the most intense color this year, stronger than usual – and in the dark and wet, they glowed.  It was wonderful to walk among them. In the middle east, harvest is just about done, olives the last crop.  And then the rains come – rejuvenating the soil and preparing it for planting to come.

We spoke today about MarCheshvan, the original and still-used name for the month of Cheshvan.  “mar” refers to bitterness – often explained as referring to the lack of holidays in this month.  But it also could refer to the need this month to take our inspired commitments of the High Holidays and confirm them in our everyday lives.  This often involves digging deep into the roots of our souls, finding the not-so-good truths about ourselves and pulling them out in order to truly start anew.  This is not easy work, and even could be bitter work – perhaps this is also the origin of the name.

Orthodox sources we have seen this month seem to also focus on the ethics of clean, kind speech, and business ethics.  Bringing our inspired commitments into our everyday lives means being aware of our every action, and its impact on others – whether it is a response to a family member or acquaintance, information shared inadvertently, or a business decision.  What do we hear from our ancestors and modern-day advisors about the right thing to do or say? – how good are we at carrying this through, day in and day out? – most of us are works in progress.  Let Cheshvan give us many opportunities for this work. — Chodesh tov! — Kirby

Our next Rosh Chodesh Walking Meditation will honor the month of Kislev, Friday, November 25, 7:30 am.  Contact us for location!

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!

Sunday, August 28, 2022.  I am newly returned to Cleveland after almost three weeks in the Adirondack Mountains.  We are very grateful to Linda and Stephen for holding Rosh Chodesh Cleveland together during a summer when I was unable to attend most months, including this past Rosh Chodesh Elul.  Elul nevertheless began, with the marshmallows in pink bloom as always at the marsh. Now, we are coming to the end of a month of preparation and anticipation, wherever we are, as we look to the coming High Holidays.

I was fortunate this summer to participate in an online meditation course, sponsored by the Institute of Jewish Spirituality[1], that was led by Rabbi Sheila Pelz Weinberg.  The first week covered an introduction and refresher on meditative practice, and cultivating meditative attention.  Key to Rabbi Weinberg’s teaching was the concept of Teshuvah: returning, which is also a key theme of Elul and the High Holidays. Traditionally, we think of Teshuvah in the context of “returning” to Jewish observance; or “returning” to spiritual wholeness. We do spiritual accounting in Elul to help us plan and “return” to being our better selves in the New Year.

In Rabbi Weinberg’s teaching, we focused on “returning” our meditative attention, being drawn “like a magnet” back to our center of focus when our mind inevitably wanders in mindfulness practice.  “Teshuvah” then becomes a sort of mantra, returning, returning ourselves to presence in the moment.  We can also practice this “Teshuvah” in “returning” to being present with others, in the moment, when they need a listener, or even when just enjoying each others’ presence.  How often are we distracted by stress, daily needs, longstanding conflicts, or even our phones?  How could we practice Teshuvah in truly being present with our loved ones and acquaintances this year?

Wishing everyone a meaningful end of the month, and a most sweet and happy and healthy New Year!  L’Shana Tova! — Kirby

Our next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will be Rosh Chodesh Tishrei, Rosh Hashanah, Monday morning, September 26, at 7:30 am.  Rain or shine! Contact us for location.

[1] See https://www.jewishspirituality.org/

Friday, July 29, 2022.  Another beautiful Great Lakes summer day – just before the cicadas start their buzz, and the dryness of vegetation in August settles in.  We are lucky in our region – with the lakes’ influence, it is never too hot for too long, or too humid for too long, alternating heavy heated days with days of fresh air and blue skies.  This was one of the latter.  We take a deep breath and feel both the heat and the cooling of this time of year.

In Jewish tradition, the first of Av is right in the middle of the Three Weeks, marking the beginning of Nine Days of destruction between the Romans’ breach of the walls of Jerusalem and the fall of the Temple and the City on Tisha B’Av, the 9^th of Av.  Since then, many other tragic events have been attributed to the 9^th of Av —  the expulsions of Jews from Spain, the emptying of the Warsaw ghetto to Treblinka among them.  The Three Weeks bring a heat and intensity of catastrophe, sorrow and trauma. And then, a few days after Tisha B’Av, we celebrate Tu B’Av, supposed to be one of the happiest days of the year, associated with love and courtship, sort of a Jewish Valentine’s Day.

So Av is a month of extremes – the saddest and happiest days of the year, commemoration of destruction and celebration of love.  We talked about finding peaceful places in places of busyness  – and so may our hearts swing between extremes this month. May we all weather what the universe has for us this month, and find peace in the midst of it. – Kirby

(Many thanks to Linda and Stephen for leading this month, and for the beautiful photos!)

The next walking meditation will honor the month of Elul,  Sunday, August 28, 7:30 am.  Rain or shine!  Contact us for location.

Thursday, June 30, 2022.  A beautiful morning, with a clear blue sky – you’d never think of the underworld on such a morning.  Unless you are honoring the month of Tammuz, when we recognize the darkness that can underly the bright light of summer.  As noted by our source Jill Hammer (see sources tab), Tammuz is named after the Sumerian god Tamuz, condemned by his wife Inanna to the live in the underworld six months of the year – descending in the summer heat, and returning as spring returns.  In this month we also honor the birthday of patriarch Joseph, who was thrown into a deep pit by his brothers, emerging as a slave who would be taken to Egypt, later to save his people from famine. 

In the happy, bright, carefree days of summer, especially here near Lake Erie where we often enjoy cool breezes and the lush greenness of rain-watered lawns and gardens and woodlands – it is easy to overlook the darker energies that nevertheless flow within us at this time of year.  In the middle east, it is easier, the fierce piercing light and heat of the sun at this time of year make us yearn for winter and spring. In both places, though, we descend to the underworld of our strong, negative emotions, and try to learn from them.

In Tamuz, we are on guard for anger and darkness, and acting in the heat of the moment, which can bring us into conflict within our selves and with others.  The key is to listen to what the dark side may be telling us, acknowledge it, and see what good can come of it.  Maybe we need to take action to build a bridge with a loved one, maybe a long-covered-up story needs to be told, maybe we just need a break from daily stress and toil.  May we all weather the month in peace, and come to its end with some new understanding that will help us to be our best selves. – Kirby

Much credit goes to Linda for the lovely photos! Thank you!

Our next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation, for the month of Av, will be on Friday, July 29, 7:30 am. Rain or snow or shine!  Contact us for location.

Tuesday, May 31, 2022.  Our walk this morning was joyously green and full of birdsong, and a deer in the woods.  What a change from Iyar, with tiny leaves barely showing, to this lush explosion.  Here in the Great Lakes, in Sivan, the month of full foliage, wildlife babies, peonies and roses, we are suspended between Iyar’s cold early spring, and Tammuz’s summer. In Israel, sowing is over and harvest begins.  For now, we are encouraged by this burst of spring to enjoy the moment. Soon enough the heat of the sun will change the seasons once again.

Sivan is known as a month of receiving, a month of deep spiritual growth and intimacy with G-d and nature and each other.  In Sivan we received the Torah at Mount Sinai, all the Jews standing together in wonder.  As we commemorate this receiving in the holiday of Shavuot, to be held this weekend, may we grow stronger in our connection to G-d, to our resilient natural world, and to each other.

Our next New Moon gathering (Rosh Chodesh Tammuz) will be Thursday morning, June 30, at 7:30 am.  Please contact us for location.

Monday, May 2, 2022.  Our walk was cold but bursting with spring this morning – green shoots and buds, wildflowers, trees in bloom, and birds singing and feeding.  A heron arrived from the south and settled in the marsh, and some of us saw mallards. No turning back, spring is here, at last.

The month of Iyyar carries us on the journey from Passover to Shavuot – days 16 to 44 of that 49-day walk. This parallels the journey our ancestors traced in the desert, from the Red Sea to Sinai where we received our instructions for life.  Following on the traditions of the Kabbalists, many modern-day Jews are choosing to use this 7-week period, known as the Omer, to improve and enhance their personal character, much as the Israelites did to forge themselves as a nation during that time, in order to be ready to receive the Torah at Shavuot.

The monthly theme of Iyyar is “healing” – in body, mind, character, soul. Evaluating our lives and habitual responses in the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual realms can be a way of healing ourselves.  In Jewish tradition, one of the ways we can do this is through the practice of Mussar, a spiritual and practical discipline which engages us in healing ourselves through examination of our character traits, or Middot.  While every Mussar master has a somewhat different way of defining the middot, traits such as lovingkindness, discipline, compassion, endurance, humility, connection with others, and strength, are often among them. Over time, these middot have become associated with the seven weeks of the Omer.  By working on these traits, week by week, on our own and with partners, we hope to become a more balanced person, turning to the world in kindness, and becoming our best selves. May all of us find ways to heal this month, in body, mind, character and soul – ready to receive the revelation that awaits us at Sinai.   —Kirby

Our next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will be Tuesday, May 31, 7:30 am, rain or shine.  Contact us for location.

Saturday, April 2, 2022.  This morning’s bitter cold seemed more winterlike than what we might expect for the month of Nissan. We bundled in our winter layers, and our fingers ached anyway.  And yet: birds were singing, and buds are starting to show.  A Great Lakes spring is on its way, reluctant as usual, as Lake Erie’s ice cover slowly dissipates. 

The month of Nissan, we note every year, is the month of Passover, a celebration of the Israelites’ freedom from bondage in Egypt.  We imagine every year that we personally were freed from slavery, and we talk of modern-day and personal manifestations of slavery and freedom: our own habits and expectations for ourselves and others, and those in the world who still are in bondage literally or figuratively, physically or mentally, or by lack of opportunity. 

This morning we considered that the entire month of Nissan has embodied within it divine emanation, encouraging us to ask ourselves what our “boxes” are, and to “think outside the box” in bringing newness to our world.  One of our members talked of the “box” that is our language, locking us into seeing trees, rocks, and creatures as “things” instead of “persons”, by calling them “it”, in comparison to native American languages, which refer to them as “who”.[1] What would it take for us to think outside this box, to imagine a world in which the perspective is changed, and we share it with others, who have as much right as we do to live in peace and health and freedom? What other paradigm boxes do we live within – and isn’t this month, of this year, an auspicious time to question them?

Wishing everyone a peaceful, meaningful and “out of the box” holiday! —Kirby

The next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will be for the month of Iyyar, on Monday, May 2, 7:30 am.  Rain or snow or shine!  Contact us for location.

[1] Referencing Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass, 2013. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Milkweed Editions.