Cheshvan is often called “mar cheshvan,” which means bitter Cheshvan. The month has no official holidays and also, traditionally, marks events such as the biblical flood and the death of Rachel the Matriarch. There were also other historical tragedies this month, which add to the name such as the recent assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a Jewish Israeli extremist.
The work of the Mekonenet is to make us remember, which is in direct contrast to the meaning of the Manasseh, the tribe associated with Cheshvan. Manassesh comes from the word meaning “to forget.” The Mekonenet makes us remember things we’d like to forget. She opens our eyes to pain and suffering. She is Rachel weeping for her children Israel.
Used with Permission of Artist
The month is also associated with the uncomfortable transformative power of death. The tarot card associated with the month is the Death card, which represents transformation. The letter Nun is associated both with the Death card and the month of Cheshvan. In my own explorations the letter nun has the meanings of Vibrant Faith, Confidence, Transformation – Process, Song without Words. All of these things are tools of the Mekonenet.
As Autumn begins to move into winter we watch the world around us follow this cycle of transformation through death. Here in the Mid-Atlantic United States, the leaves are turning and falling. Through them we see the working of Cheshvan, watching new life emerge from the past.
In the United States we have a huge choice to make. The choice is what kind of country do you want? That simple and that huge all at once. As this site is a spiritually focused site, I’ve stayed away from politics. But, the Speaking of Faith blog recently posted the benedictions from the DNC and RNC national conventions. While I’ve had no doubt for some time which way I’m voting, these videos presented things in a new light. As a spiritual guide, as clergy, which one of these benedictions represents what I want in a country.
As SOF Observed tells us the DNC chose “Joel Hunter, a pro-life Evangelical and a registered Republican who serves as the senior pastor to a 12,000-member congregation in Florida,” and the RNC chose “Dan Yeary, a Southern Baptist pastor of North Phoenix Baptist Church, where John McCain’s wife is a member.” The difference between the benedictions these two men (hmm..) gave is truly astonishing. One is inclusive and yet non-compromising. One acknowledges only one way to pray and one faith to following.
It’s more than about two men, it’s about the parties behind them. I don’t believe in voting on party lines. I vote for the best candidate, but there’s more than just one man to consider here. There’s an infrastructure they are a part of — no matter what they try to say. They are POLITICIANS and work within a political framework. So even if you don’t really like either of them, there is still a choice to make.
So, listen to both benedictions and then decide what kind of country you want - and then VOTE!
DNC Convention Closing Benediction
RNC Convention Closing Benediction
Thanks to SOF for their continued incredible work!
Yom Kippur worked its powerful magic on me this year. It’s just a few minutes after sundown, and I have had my first sip of water and bite of food (egg & pomegranate seeds) in 25 hours. I can say that this year the experience has profoundly affected me. I feel like I’ve been spiritually and mentally reset. I also feel a bit weak, woozy, and head-achy, but that will pass soon.
Just before Kol Nidre last night, I turned off my Blackberry. I couldn’t resist the call to glance at work email one last time. I’d say it was stupid, but the email I saw is what caused the experience I had this year. It was a client email that basically said that she and I were on radically different pages. This surprised me and made me very, very sad. It also surfaced that my “shadow side” or ego, if you prefer, had clearly gotten control of late. I suddenly realized that I had been wanting praise simply for doing the job I’m paid to do, because others hadn’t been doing theirs. I had been buying into my own reputation instead of just being myself.
The words of the Al Chet hit like a rock. I suddenly was aware of how cloudy my spirit has become in the last few months, and I didn’t like it. I threw myself into the experience of Yom Kippur to try and purge myself of this shadow, or at least return it to its proper place.
I feel empty and whole, all at once. Tomorrow I return to the challenge of living truly and honestly to myself in an environment that prizes many things that I do not. I open my heart to this challenge, and know that as I have done the work of tikkun nefesh (reparing the soul) I am better prepared to do the work of tikkun olam (repairing the world).
Explore the Jewish Wheel of the Year with the Peeling a Pomegranate Rosh Chodesh Guides.
Subscribe and each month you will be emailed a guide to the Jewish month, from an Earth-based Magickal perspective, which includes key dates, themes, Torah readings, rituals and activities, and more.
