Wednesday, May 28, 2025.  The weather was cool and misty, the vegetation was lush, and the birds were abundant.  Our Great Lakes woods become rain forests at this time of year.  We reflected on the welcome greenery after a long winter and cold spring.  In Israel, the extensive summer harvest season is well underway, with barley first harvested around Passover, and the first wheat crop coming in at the time of Shavuot early in Sivan, leading all the way to the grape harvest at Sukkot in the fall.  Here we’re on a different schedule – if you look closely, you’ll see the trees budding with tiny flowers and even some fruits and seeds. Our growing season is short, and the harvest season is even shorter.  We hope to drink up their many blessings while they are with us.

The theme for the month of Sivan is growth and creativity, and the area of healing is the subconscious mind.  We focused on purifying our hearts and minds in Iyyar – now this month is our opportunity to deepen, to strengthen our faith in and relationship with the divine, to become aware of our deepest needs and thoughts – and in so doing, respond to the universe with creativity.  At Shavuot on the sixth of Sivan, we celebrate our receiving of the Torah and its revelation of divine inspiration and guidance.  May we benefit from it well this year, and counter the evil around us in creativity, spirit and action. Chodesh tov! – K. Miriam

Our next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will honor the month of Tamuz, Friday morning, June 27, at 8:30 am.  Rain or Shine! Please contact us for location.

Tuesday, April 29.  Well we made it – spring has finally arrived.  The air this morning was warm with a blunt breeze – and the woods were green and busy.  There were deer in the parking lot, a groundhog just out of its burrow munching greenery, and birds, birds, birds. At the least, we heard cardinal, chickadee, song sparrow, goldfinch, redwinged blackbird, red-bellied woodpecker – and a brown-headed cowbird! 

For contrast, we noted that in the middle east, sowing season is over and we are approaching first harvests.  Soon Shavuot will be upon us.  The long harvest season will go over many months, much longer than we have here in the Great Lakes, stretching from Shavuot to Sukkot.

Meanwhile, this month of Iyyar is one of purification and the healing that can accompany it.  We talked about how every lunar month seems to be a “going inward” of a different sort – from transforming anger, to contemplating inner light, to listening to our hearts.  In this month, perhaps in honor of the Torah portions we read, Leviticus with its definitions and rituals of purification – we seek to purify our hearts and minds.  Our source Mindy Ribner advises us to take stock of our inner world, root out what does us no good, and strengthen the patterns and thoughts that are healthy.  Acknowledging that the purification process starts with cleaning our homes for Passover, we talked a bit about what purifying our hearts might mean – focusing on what matters, finding meaning in our daily lives, separating ourselves from the digital, spending more time in nature.  May we all find ways to purify and heal this month.  Chodesh tov! – K. Miriam

Our next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will honor the month of Sivan, Wednesday, May 28, 8:30 am.  Rain or shine!  Contact us for location.

Nisan 5785      ניסן

Sunday morning, March 30, 2025.  After a blustery couple of weeks, we were rewarded this morning with warm, if wet, weather.  The air was fresh and there were green tips and buds, and birds singing a symphony.  Yes, spring is actually coming, we are sure of it now!  We can see the end of the long winter ahead of us. We talked about the weather in the middle east, where spring is in full swing – trees are in bloom – olive, pear, apple, and cherry – and the almonds are setting fruit.  The first crops of the year – barley, peas, lentils and vetch — are actually being harvested, and millet, sesame, and vegetables are being sown. 

Nisan marks the turning of the year – according to our sages, from Rosh Hashanah onward we have six months of material and earthliness – and starting in Nisan, we have a second New Year as we turn over into transcendence.  There is an energy of renewal and pending freedom, as we head toward Passover in just two weeks. 

This morning, we noticed a family of deer, the young male’s head heavy with antlers, striding through the marsh. We noticed faint stretch marks in some trees’ bark, as they wake from winter slumber and begin their year’s growth.  And we noticed the breath of the world, as the warm breeze filled our lungs and reminded us of the Breath of the Divine Name, yud-hey-vav-hey.  As we walk together toward Passover freedom, may we overcome the constrictions that bind us, bear well the stretch marks that we may experience as we grow, and sense the breath of the Source of Life as we move into freedom. Chodesh tov, and Chag Sameach! — K. Miriam

Our next Rosh Chodesh Walking Meditation will honor the month of Iyyar, Tuesday, April 29, 8:30 am.  Contact us for location.

Shabbat morning, Saturday, March 1.  This morning it was biting cold, too cold for much quiet contemplation – snow on the ground, and it felt as if we had made no progress out of this winter since last month.  As always at the end of the season, our patience grows short. But wait:  there are birds.  And a patch of blue sky shows through. And there is Purim, our joyful holiday, to look forward to. And next month will be Nisan, and spring truly will be upon us.  There are all of these good things to celebrate.

It has been a tough month for several of us in our family lives, and there are the larger issues hovering over us ominously as well.  How on earth to be joyful, as we are commanded, in Adar?

Abraham Joshua Heschel, in speaking of the Sabbath, writes of Shabbat holiness, which is present every Friday night and Saturday from sundown to sundown, whether we acknowledge it or not.  “Even when men forsake the Sabbath, its holiness remains.”[1]  It is just up to us to tap into it. Similarly, our sages say that Adar’s joy is present, flowing throughout the month,– we just need to allow ourselves to be part of it.  As we walked in meditation, we noticed the blue sky faintly visible through the clouds – the brightness is up there, all day, no matter the weather here below .  May we all find ways to tap into holiness, and joy, and the blue sky this month.  Chodesh tov! – K. Miriam

Our next walking meditation will honor the month of Nissan, Sunday, March 30, 2025, 8:30 am.  Contact us for location!

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[1] Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1951.p. 82

Thursday, January 30, 2025.  It was cold this morning, but still warmer than the last couple of weeks.  The sun lit the snow and the morning golden and pink, and we felt the hope that increasing light brings to this time of year – spring will return! In the middle east, other kinds of hope are happening – in agriculture, seeds are being planted, and in human affairs, hostages are redeemed and there is the possibility of peace.  We have a lot to hope for, even as we continue to pray for the continuation of this progress.

Last month, in Tevet, we acknowledged the emotion of anger and the opportunity to transform it into positivity.  This movement is confirmed in Shevat, which our sages identify as a month of redemption, or achieving freedom:  from negativity and sin, or from physical constriction, as our ancestors were freed from slavery in Egypt so long ago.  Redemption follows from the historic and civil release of slaves and captives – and it also originates in our own hearts.  Before it is possible, we must have a vision of a brighter future, and put in the work.  It is not possible without partnership – our work and the grace of the Divine.

At the full moon of Shevat, we celebrate the holiday of Tu B’Shvat, – the sap rises in the trees, and we feel a sense of hope as the light begins to return post-solstice.  The promise of spring is before us, even if it is many weeks away yet. We begin the journey toward Passover and our redemption from slavery. Leaving Tevet and the deep darkness of winter, we turn toward the light – and continue our work.  From the slavery of anger and resentment, revenge and warfare, we build hope and a future of freedom.  May it be so. —K. Miriam

Our Next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will honor the month of Iyyar, Shabbat, March 1, 8:30 am.  Rain or snow or shine!  Contact us for location.

Monday, December 2, 2024.  This week we felt the change of seasons abruptly – after a long, warm autumn, snow has fallen throughout our region, in some places heavily, and the temperatures have dropped.  Winter is upon us!  It can feel like we’re just beginning a 5-month journey of cold and ice.  And yet, the snow brings its own light, welcome after the descending darkness of November and Cheshvan. Some of us eagerly anticipate this time of year, looking forward to firelight, warm cuddles with blankets and books, and cocooning with friends and family.

Kislev is the month of dreams, and in Europe and the northern US, a month of snow’s light.  Our source Jill Hammer recalls advice from our sage Rabbi Judah Loew of Prague, who saw winter snow as a “vessel of spiritual light…reminding us of G-d’s ‘colorless’ presence in the world at this season.”[1] After the darkness and quietness of November and Cheshvan, we enter deeper into the interior, spiritual realm, and consolidate our dreams for the year to come.  We are headed toward the lights of Hanukah – like the candles in a cabin window at night, beckoning us forward.  May we all have a meaningful month, as we begin our winter journey! — K. Miriam

Our next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will honor the month of Tevet, Tuesday, December 31, 2025, at 8:30 am.  Rain or snow or shine!  Contact us for location.

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[1] Rabbi Jill Hammer, The Jewish Book of Days, p. 110.  See “Sources” tab for full citation.

Shabbat morning, November 2, 2024.  This month we all found ourselves in different places, and crowdsourced our blessings and photos from wherever we were.  In the Great Lakes, autumn is in full swing, with leaves coloring and falling, and clear blue skies.  In Arizona, where I was, similar to the middle east, occasional rain is most welcome, and the desert responds with flowers, and hope for more rain in winter.

Cheshvan is also known as “MarCheshvan”, or “bitter Cheshvan” in English. Originally referring to the emptiness of the month, which has no holidays, it is also, for some of us, a time of bitterness following a contentious election season.  In either case, our sages advise us to slow down, appreciate the quietness, deepen our relationship with G-d and the Universe, and plan for action to come.  May we all find Cheshvan fruitful, and a time to reconnect with ourselves, our natural world, and our communities. Chodesh tov! —K. Miriam

Thanks to Stephen, Ann, Julie and Louise for the Great Lakes photos!

Our next walking meditation will honor the month of Kislev, Monday, December 2, 8:30 am.  Rain or snow or shine!  Contact us for location.

Thursday, October 3, Rosh Hashanah morning. We blessed the day with admiration for the cycles of the seasons, and appreciation for the constancy of nature amid all the changes around us. With apples and honey we wished each other a good year – as we wish our readers here. L’Shana Tovah! — Kirby

Our next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will honor the month of Cheshvan, Shabbat morning, November 2, 8:30 am. Rain or snow or shine! Contact us for location.

Wednesday, September 4. Our group met on a perfect day to welcome Elul and begin the journey toward the High Holy Days.  Flowers were blooming, and hummingbirds and deer graced our presence as we walked in honor of the month[1].

In reflection, we acknowledged that this is a time of introspection and teshuvah, returning, when we assess our behavior and spirit during the past year, and ask for forgiveness from those we have harmed – and grant it to those who have harmed us. In so doing we return to a sense of our better selves.

As Rabbi Alan Lew teaches us[2], the journey actually begins at Tisha B’Av, the observance in the month of Av when we commemorate the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans over 2,000 years ago.  As the walls fall, so do we break down our Selves, weeping and mourning.  Stephen reminded us that the seven weeks between Tisha B’Av and Rosh Hashanah – another 7-week journey reminiscent of the Omer of the spring – are known as the Weeks of Consolation, when we read in Isaiah words of consolation for our sorrow:

54:7 For a brief moment I forsook you, but I will gather you with great compassion.

54:8 In an outburst of wrath, for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you, says God, your Redeemer. 

54:10 For the mountains may depart, and the hills may be removed, but my kindness will not depart from you, nor will my covenant of peace be withdrawn, says God, who has compassion on you.[3]

We marvel that we are moved by these words written so long ago – and remember that the Universe in nature is enduring over thousands of years, like the redwoods in the forests of California.  In breaking our souls and being consoled, we travel to Rosh Hashanah – rebuilding ourselves as we return in Teshuvah.  In closing, Linda blew the shofar long and loud. May each of us experience a meaningful Elul – and, consoled, look forward to a joyful Rosh Hashanah, not so far away! – K. Miriam

Our next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will honor the month of Tishrei and the New Year! – Thursday, October 3, 7:30 AM. NOTE EARLIER TIME in observance of the holiday!  Contact us for location.

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[1] I note that I was out of town, and thank Linda and Stephen and the group for a moving observance!  This is written from their notes.  Photos were taken that morning, and include both the group’s walk, and my travel spot in northern Michigan. – K. Miriam

[2] Rabbi Alan Lew, This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation. See Resources tab for full citation.

[3] Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, The Living Torah: A new Translation, 3^rd Edition; 1981, Moznaim Publishing Corp.