Newsletter: Days of Awe

Hi Friend,

We are within the Days of Awe, the period of time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, where within the Jewish tradition we are called to step outside the norm of our year. This season of the Hebrew calendar is marked by a wide spectrum of emotions, from intense shame to great joy, all while being challenged to self-reflect and spiritually deepen.

What does “awe” mean at this time, in the midst of the High Holy Days and at the cusp of autumn? Awe breaks our predictive patterning; otherwise speaking, when faced with such wonder and reverence, we stop seeing what we expect to see and can once again see the reality of what is in front of us, in all its horror and beauty. Awe can mean losing our daily cynicism in the face of something much greater than ourselves.

Sometimes this emotional arc is exhausting, but perhaps it demonstrates the way in which our minds and hearts are more flexible and resilient than we may expect. The Days of Awe push back against rigidity and delicateness by asking us to feel the depth of our emotions and to see the world anew.

The Days of Awe ask us to turn away from ourselves towards something more universal. But once we enter into a new season, what can we bring with us? When we walk the same sidewalks or talk to the same people as we did before, can we keep up a sense of this curiosity, this reawakening to the novel and profound?

I look forward to hearing from you about your High Holy Days and how awe has manifested in your life this month. As always, don’t hesitate to reach out.