Shanah Tovah! Yesterday – at sundown – was the start of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. The sun dawned this morning in the new year of 5778 according to the Jewish Calendar.
My middle name is Dawn.
5777 signified – to me – a blessed year. Five symbolizes God’s grace. The number five shows up in the bible repeatedly, and is extended to our bodies with five fingers and toes and five senses. Seven is the number of completeness and perfection. There are seven days in a week and the Sabbath is the 7th day.
The number eight signifies a new beginning … new creation, and born again. I am eager and excited to see what this year brings. The digit 8 has always intrigued me as it represents infinity if flipped on it’s side. It is the only number other than zero that flows continuously forward, and it is part of the Fibonacci sequence, which is the mathematical elegance of nature.
There is a special relationship between the Golden Ratio and Fibonacci Numbers (0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, … etc) each number is the sum of the two numbers before it).
This beautiful sequence shows up everywhere in nature … the shape of a shell, the spirals of seeds in the middle of a sunflower, the crest of a wave, the spin of a hurricane, the pattern of a pinecone or pineapple. Even our ears and the geometry of our faces. It is consistent in the ratio of the length of our fingers. The branching of a tree.
The number of petals on a flower more often than not grow within the Fibonacci Sequence. Daisies have 34 petals. Buttercups have 5 petals. The Trillium has 3 … and the beautiful Calla Lily has 1.
Such superb perfection.
But Mother nature is kind and forgiving enough to allow deviations. We see six toed cats and six petal flowers.
While I was not born Jewish, at least in this lifetime, I have always had an affinity for Judaism. Growing up in Montreal, Quebec, I had lots of Jewish friends (and Greek, Jamaican, Chinese, Indian, Hungarian …)
“Why can’t I go to Hebrew school?!” I cried. My friends did. I loved Jewish culture and food. My childhood was steeped in it. My Jewish friends visited on Christmas – thank God we all had liberal parents – and I was invited to light the Menorah during Hanukkah. Those experiences added to the richness of my existence.
When I went through my Agnostic and Atheist phases, I used to say that if I had to pick a monotheist religion, it would be Judaism. Since then, I have also studied Buddhism, Hinduism and the Kabbalah. I am intrigued by the similarities in religions and have sifted through many looking for the core message.
God exists.
Last year on October 2nd my body was screaming at me to fast. I didn’t realize that it was also the start of the Jewish New Year 5777 until Dr. D my psychologist pointed out the corelation. I believe my body knew something was wrong and was trying to midigate the threat – my cancer – and fasting reboots your immune system.
I don’t know what this year brings … but I will embrace it. Lift my face up to the dawning sun, the rising moon and the setting stars.
Today I start a new chapter.
Happy New Year!
Lisa
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