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Home , Elul, Selichot, Simchat Torah, Sukkot

From through & to & Simchat

An Inward of Walking, Meditation, and Journaling from Maggid Andrew Ramer www.andrewramer.com

We come to the of Elul as spiritual pilgrims, wandering slowly toward Rosh

Hashanah, Yom Kippur, then on to Sukkot, our . What follows is an outline for a journey of meditation, walking, and journaling, all the way through the month of Elul to Sukkot, which in this challenging time you may want to hold as an inner harvest, of joy, hope, sorrow, loss, regret, gratitude, and a time of unfolding possibilities.

Consider going on this journey with others, and please play with and change any element of this in any way that you care to, in order to deepen your own spiritual journey.

And all through this – if it’s meaningful to you – you may hear a blowing, you may feel an energy of change and new beginnings vibrating within and around you. And please know that you can go on this journey every day, once a week, on , or………???

First week of Elul

Imagine that you’re standing at a gateway, about to begin an inward journey of release and healing, as we move toward a new year. Picture this gateway in your mind, and when you’re ready, feel yourself step through it. As you do so, walking indoors or out, look back on all of human history and ask yourself – “What do I carry from the past that I want to release, and what do I carry that’s a blessing?” You can do this silently, as a meditation, you can do this in a conversation with someone else, and you can do this as a journaling exercise. Each day imagine that you’re taking a step closer toward the present, and each day ask yourself the same two questions about burden and blessing. Imagine this as a form of , of reciting penitential , and also a form of reciting the traditional morning prayers of blessing, any time of the day. And as you continue on this journey know that you’re slowly moving toward Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when you’ll have the chance to work on what you’re discovering inside.

Second week of Elul

This week as you to walk, indoors or out, look back at our entire history as a people, all the way back to and . And ask yourself – “What do I carry from the past that I want to release, and what do I carry that’s a blessing?” You can do this silently, as a meditation, you can do this in a conversation with someone else, and you can do this as journaling exercise. Each day imagine that you’re taking a step closer toward the present, and each day ask yourself the same two questions about burden and blessing. Feel as you continue on this journey that you’re a little bit closer to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and that you can now see in the distance, in your imagination, a sacred space where you’ll have the chance to work on what you’re discovering inside.

Third week of Elul

This week as you to walk, indoors or out, look back at your own family history, your family by adoption, of birth, of choice, going back as far as you can into the stories you know, feeling them in your body. And ask yourself – “What do I carry from the past that I want to release, and what do I carry that’s a blessing?” Again, you can do this as a silent meditation, in a conversation with someone else, and as a journaling exercise. Each day imagine that you’re taking a step closer toward the present, toward a broad flight of wide stairs that you will slowly begin to ascend as you walk toward your inner temple of renewal. As you approach it, each day ask yourself the same two questions about burden and blessing, and feel as you approach the temple that you’re a coming closer to the Rosh

Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when you’ll have the chance to work on what you’ve been discovering.

Fourth week of Elul

This week as you to walk, indoors or out, imagine that you are now ascending that broad stairway of your temple of renewal. This week as you ascend, look at your own personal history, going back as far as you can into the stories of your early years, going back into your memories and experiences right up to the present; all your sorrows and joys, your regrets and delights, feeling them in your body, and asking yourself – “What do I carry from the past that I’m ready to release, and what do I carry with me that’s a blessing?”

You can do this meditating, in conversation, as a journaling exercise.

Each day imagine that as you climb those inner steps you’re coming closer to the present, and each day ask yourself the same two questions about burden and blessing.

And feel as you continue on this journey that as you get closer to Rosh Hashanah and

Yom Kippur that you step through an outer gateway, and on the final day of Elul feel yourself stepping into the outer courtyard of your own most sacred imagined space, where you’ll have the chance to work on what you discovered within during your Elul pilgrimage.

Rosh Hashanah

However you celebrate Rosh Hashanah, alone or with others, going to services or walking, inside and or out, spend time sitting in a quiet place, reading through everything you’ve recorded about the things that you want to release that you carry from our human past, our Jewish past, your family’s past, and your own individual life. Alone or with others, imagine that you’ve stepped from the outer courtyard right into the front chamber of your holy temple, however you imagine it, and take some times to talk about it if you’re on this journey with others, and give yourself some time to write about it in your journal.

Now that you’re in the your sacred space, sitting comfortably, lovingly massage your body from head to toe, wherever you can reach, and as you massage yourself, feel everything inside you that you want to let go of. With each touch feel that you can loosen it, free it up, in the energy field around you, and from your brain and your bones, from all of your inner organs, going all the way down into all of your cells, shifting these burdens, getting ready to let go of them. Imagine now that you are standing beside a stream or a river or the ocean. See and feel the water flowing, moving, and as you stand there, feel and know that you can breathe out into these living waters everything that you’re ready to let go of, and as you exhale feel and know that the waters will receive this energy, in fact draw it out of you and take it away, wash it away, transmuting it, in a Tashlich of the soul. As you’re releasing these burdens from the past, thank them for anything and everything they may have taught you, and feel yourself getting lighter and lighter, both lighter – that you weigh less energetically, and lighter – that you’re beginning to glow from the very depths of your soul out through and in through all of your cells. And know as you get lighter and lighter, that you are clean and pure and blessed and a blessing in and to the world, that you are new and renewed, and that you bring to the world and receive from the world, all the joyous possibilities of a new year. End this session by talking and/or writing about this experience.

Yom Kippur

In the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, continue walking, talking, and journaling. Use this time to see if anything else comes up in you that you want to release, and breathe it out of you. And continue to explore all of your blessings from our human past, our Jewish past, your family’s past, and your own individual life and your own past, at the beginning of a new year.

However you celebrate Yom Kippur, give yourself some time on this day to read through everything you’ve written about your blessings. Set aside some time on this holy day to sit quietly, alone or with others, and feel and know that just like the high priest in days of old, that you are about to step from the front chamber of your inward temple into the inner chamber, the holy of holies. Feel and see yourself stepping into it, into the very deepest part of yourself, into the living heart of your very soul.

Now that you’re there, sitting or standing quietly, feel your breath rising and falling in your body, feel your spine undulating, as all of your sacred body gently rocks. The high priest wore a sacred robe on this day. Feel that you are too, a robe woven through with all of your many blessings. Focus on your breath now, and feel all of your blessings, in the energy field around you, in your skin, your bones, your inner organs, going all the way down into all of your cells. Feel the shining light of soul-deep gratitude shining through and out of you, as you get lighter and lighter, more and more luminous.

When you’re ready and feel that you are filled with blessings and garbed in them, step out of the holy of holies and back into the front chamber of the temple of your imagination, as you rejoice in your lightness and renewal.

Give yourself time to write about what just happened to you, and now go walking, and as you move, feel all of you blessings and feel how much lighter you are, feel how much space you’ve created inside for newness to enter.

Sukkot

In ancient times our people had three pilgrimage festivals a year, when they went to the temple in to make offerings. For us the major one is , but in ancient times the major was Sukkot, the harvest festival. You’ve stepped out of the holy of holies, stepped back into the temple itself, and on Sukkot I invite you to imagine yourself back in the outer courtyard of your temple, where you can continue to walk and talk and meditate and journal, as you care to do so. Allow yourself to feel that you’re now in a place of joy and celebration for all that you’ve done so far in your long journey.

Rejoice in who you are, even in this strange time. Feel gratitude for everything that you have been able to release and count your blessings and everything that you’ve harvested in this journey so far. Give yourself time to write them down, go over them, and even if you’ve been doing this by yourself – please share your blessings with others, for that’s what a harvest is – a time to gather and to share and rejoice in the blessings you’ve harvested, in the outer open courtyard of the temple of who you are.

During Sukkot we wave a with its three branches, and an . During your walk, if you are going out in the world, or on your inside, inward walk, perhaps you’ll find four things on the ground that you can gather – a pine cone, an acorn, a twig, a maple leaf, that will remind you of what you’re harvesting, We spend time in a during this festival, which commemorate both the temporary lodgings our ancestors lived in during harvest season, and call to mind the temporary shelters they lived in as they wandered in the wilderness after . Each day we invite into our sukkah our ancestors, our and ushpizot, and you may want to do the same, inviting ancestors from our Jewish past and from your own life and family to gather with you and share your blessings. In your reflections this week, ask yourself what temporary constructs you find yourself living in at this time in your life and in this strange and different season, write about your ancestors if you care to, and write about your holiday blessings.

In ancient times the middle days of Sukkot were called “Simchat Beit HaShoeveh

– The Rejoicing of the Water-Drawing House,” because of a nighttime ritual of dance and celebration which was part of the temple service, during which fresh water was poured over the , cleansing it for the new year. As part of your holiday celebration, you may want to take a relaxing night bath, or simply imagine one. Because we’re mostly water ourselves, as you rest in the tub, go over what you’ve harvested and allow the warm water to cleanse and bless all that you’ve brought forth as it nourishes the seeds of newness getting ready to spout within you. And when you get out of the tub, consider dancing as well.

The seven days of Sukkot end with an eighth day, Atzeret, and with

Simchat Torah. After this long journey of walking and talking and personal reflection, and after a time of release and blessing and celebration, it’s a time for even more joy, as we spiral back to the beginning of our reading of the Torah again. As a final step on this inward journey, take another long walk, inside or out, inner or outer, and then give yourself time to review everything you’ve written and then write about this question –

“What has this journey of more than a month been like for me, and what is my own personal Torah?” Consider writing some version of your own new creation, re-creation story, one that you can read throughout the coming year, till next we come to Elul, when you can review it and ready yourself for writing a whole new self-creation story all over again. Shanah tovah!