“Are you starting anew in the new year?” said the rabbi as he unwrapped the torah for the Rosh Hashanah service and invited the community to share in the opening and closing prayers each time the torah was read.
He invited all who wanted to “start something anew in the new year” to join him on the bima. He invited those who are students, those who are teachers, those who are in need of healing, and he even had a silent prayer for those who are no longer with us. (I thought of my late husband M and knew that his spirit was part of the community too.)
I stood up tall and walked to the bima along with others who plan to start something anew in the new year. Yes, I smiled and grinned because during this year of 5773 I will be be retiring from my full-time corporate job where I have spent the last 29 years and I will be starting anew.
What will my life be like as 5773 unfolds? I’m scared, but excited to see what’s next. I’m exhausted, but renewed at the prospect of change. I’m anxious, but feel a sense of calmness that I can and will manage just fine.
The shofar sounded and I felt like my crown chakra was opening up, like it was telling me that I am indeed truly ready to start anew. According to Dr. Souzan Carroll: “The crown chakra is located at the top of the head and when it is clear and open, it is our own personal Stargate, or vortex, into the higher dimensions. The crown chakra represents the stage in our life when we are SELF-realized, it is time to fulfill our Mission.” (Do you know that the signs of Capricorn and Pisces rule this chakra. OMG, I am a Capricorn!)
The Rosh Hashanah guide book says that “when the shofar is blown its sound is calling us to awaken and take a good, hard look at ourselves, to examine our deeds, look well into our souls, to mend our ways and to improve ourselves this coming year. We are reminded that we are not destined to remain the same as we have been. We can break free from our enslaving habits and transform our future. The shofar’s sound can empower us to take control of our lives and direct ourselves towards a better path.”
I will be starting on a new life path this spring. I’m not sure exactly what that path will be just yet, but I am definitely becoming more courageous during my life after 50. I have been working on balancing all my chakras for the past five years since losing my late husband M in 2007. Now I’ve reached the top.
Violet is the color of the crown chakra. Purple is my favorite color and amethysts are my favorite gem. And to top it off, my African Violets are in full bloom – they are actually multiplying before my eyes the flowerpot is overflowing with blossoms. (Ooh, ooh, ooh, I think my purple violets are a very positive sign of the fullness to come during this next phase of my life after 50.)
Yes, I think 5773 is going to be a good year. I think I will sing the crown chakra mantra this week as I atone my sins of 5772 and get ready to start anew. The mantra is “ee” as in bee. Ooh, ooh, ooh, it rhymes with Judi.
EE, EE, EE, JUDI, JUDI, JUDI!
Happy new year to all who celebrate this week.
Judi
P.S. – Congrats to Trish, who won the random raffle prize of a collectible copy of “The Late Show: A Semiwild but Practical Survival Plan for Women Over 50” by the late Helen Gurley Brown. Watch for a new raffle coming in October.
