Cheshvan Circle: Rosh Chodesh Gathering
🌙 As we entered the spacious month of Cheshvan, we held our palms together in both grief and gratitude. Gathering with the most precious and wise women, we honored the medicine of nefilah (descent) and explored the wisdom of the Fall. How do we break down? What is the story of our descent?
From the fallen Nun to the upright Nun, we rose with resilience, releasing the nachash (snake energy) from the spine (Berachos, 12b).
We also delved into hishtavut (the Jewish approach to equanimity), creating our own inner arks of spaciousness and protection amidst turbulence—just as Noah entered the ark during the Great Flood in Cheshvan.
To embrace the holy sense of the month—smell—we embarked on a sacred herbal-aromatherapy journey with @mittenswellness. We asked ourselves: “What scents make me come alive?” “What transitions am I going through now?” and “What do I wish to integrate this season?”
A guiding thread for our circle was the verse on equanimity:
“Blessed is the one who trusts in the divine, and whose trust is the eternal. For that one shall be as a tree planted by waters, sending out its roots by a river: it does not notice when heat comes, and its leaves are always fresh; it does not worry in a year of drought, and it does not cease from bearing fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7–8).
Ceremony Flow:
Participants lit candles and added oils and herbs to a shared blend.
We entered Sacred Time, grounding in the theme of equanimity.
An embodied meditation on the Hebrew letter Nun, exploring descent and resilience.
A sacred scents journey with herbalist Mitten Lowe invited presence through aroma.
Circle of sharing on cultivating trust amidst uncertainty.
Song and chant anchored the heart and wove connection.
Closing blessing for Cheshvan, followed by tea and potluck.
