Reflect And Release (Rosh Hashanah Preparation)

As the Jewish new year of Rosh Hashanah approaches, take a quiet journey through the year’s changing seasons. Begin in autumn, when the world turns inward and the leaves let go. Remember what you began, what you carried, and what you were ready to release. Move through winter’s stillness, spring’s awakening, and summer’s fullness.

Along the way, reflect on the people, places, choices, and moments that shaped you. What brought you joy? What asked more of you than you expected? What remains unfinished, and what can you finally set down? Let each season offer its own wisdom, without judgment. As the year turns, make room for gratitude, forgiveness, and possibility. You do not need to carry everything forward.

Some things can be released, so that you can enter the new year with greater clarity, openness, and hope.

Transcript

We begin with a bell. Gathering and settling, Gathering and settling. Enjoying this time to give ourselves? Giving moments to yourself. To enjoy your own company. To support your body, Mind, And spirit, Which are really one thing. In its journey through life, Giving it a pause and a respite. Time to reflect. Time to be. And not tackle a to-do list. Nothing to do right now, Just moving from the cognitive to the sensory. Into feelings from thoughts. The sensations of the body. Noticing how you are and where you are. Breathing in deeply, Out slowly, Just slowing down your breath. Using that as a cue to slow down more generally. To fall in. Nothing needs to press in on you from the outside. No external demands at this moment. You are blocking off this time to meditate, Just to sit, To lie down, To close your eyes and just be. To enjoy your own company. Get a little bored, A little woozy. A little distance, Just drifting. Breathing deeply, Maybe you exhale with the word cella. Ancient breath word Allah Going slow and then listen. Birds. Heating, Air conditioning, Vents. Pets moving around. Water boiling. Cars whooshing by outside. Just listening, That's a good cue to slow down and to be. And when you get distracted or anxious or regretful, Thinking about what needs to be done, The future, The past. OK, See you come back. And then you come back again and we always get distracted as our brain is functioning. Neurons fire, Thoughts come up, It's all a system that can't be stopped without death. And we just return. Use my voice as a cue. Listen to the world around you. Maybe a deep breath will slow you down and bring you back. Whenever you need it, As many times as you need it. There's no contest, There's no race, There's no winning meditation. Just enjoying it. How much can you enjoy meditating? And it make you smile. Take a deeper breath in, A slower breath out. Maybe you want to use the breath to guide it to any sore spots, Tense places, Tight corners in your body. Breathing in deeply helps to expand the chest. Stretch the back. And he cleared the mind. But you honestly don't have to do anything I'm saying. Just sitting quietly with a little boredom is a great way to begin. It's enough. I'm uh. . . Maybe you want to stretch a little or yawn. Or giggle. Or give yourself a compliment. In recognition of the coming Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, The Jewish New Year, We will meditate on the seasons of the past year. Recognizing the good and bad and putting both aside. As you breathe and as we reflect, Difficult sentences might come up and you can just let them go or ignore them or not use that. Do your own thing. Meditation doesn't have to be enjoyable, But it. . . Doesn't need to be stressful. So if there's a part of this work that is Tension Making Turn back to autumn of last year. Where were you? What were you doing in that season? Particular benefits or distress. Gifts or losses just Reflect. Season roughly September, October, November of last year. What was going on for you? Maybe images come up. Feelings, Even. Drifting by on a screen. Floating like clouds, Not dwelling or holding onto any particular experience, But just acknowledging what was good, Bad, Neutral. Fascinating, All of them. Enjoying the experience of reflecting and slowly putting each aspect, Each memory, Each history down. Just letting go, Setting it aside. It has space within you but doesn't need to control you. Last autumn. Take a few breaths in transition, Breathing in deeply, Out slowly. Stretching, Maybe you exhale. Salah. Just pausing after you've reflected on last autumn. The Past Winter As the days got their shortest. Maybe that's December, January, February, Depending on where you live. In that cold and darker season. The season of sweaters and thick socks and warm coats. Where were you, What were you engaged with? What was taking up your mind and spirit? What, Physical activities, Perhaps? Where were you marching? Did you get enough rest? Too much rich food, Perhaps? Joy and sadness. Steps forward and retreats. Still allow it in. Allow those images and experiences to flow. Come up and revisit them. Not holding on to any particular one, Just acknowledging what was, And with each image, Story, You just set it aside. So that you can be ready for renewal in a new year. But enjoying the reflection. Enjoying the letting go. Good for you. And it's good for you. Take a few breaths to move on, Deeply in, Slowly out. Stretch, Relax, Return, Listen. Come back in to this very moment without distraction. Without lingering on the past. As your body. How's your digestion? Where are you? The past spring. What was that like? What was going on for you? March, April, May, Perhaps. Where were you? What were you doing? Enjoying? Risking? Playing with. Perhaps disappointed by. Frustrations and contentments all. Life has all of it, Sometimes all at once. How was spring? What did you learn? Just let it come up. If it's painful, Let it go. If it's joyful, Let it go. Don't hold on, Just notice. The goal is to eventually move forward by letting go. Just breathing. Join your company. In deeply, Out slowly. Settling in, A few breaths to transition. Summertime Hot and sweaty, Perhaps. Cold in the air conditioning. Perhaps vacations or just more work. Whatever came up. Whatever was happening, Just notice. See the stories, Sense the feelings. What do you need to let go of from this recent error? What do you need to learn from? Can you absorb the value and let go of the rest? Setting aside the summer. Just breathing. What's there for you? What are you noticing? Accept and absorb. Breathe in deeply, Out slowly. As we enter this new period, Rosh Hashanah, The Jewish New Year, And any transition or inflection in a year. There'll be things to carry forward, Things to learn from, And things to set aside. And before you can get excited about what's to come, You often need to let go of what was. And you decide what to pack for the new year. Letting go and gathering in. Breathing in, Breathing out, Letting go, Gathering in.