Quite soon, the New Year of 5781, according to the Jewish Calendar, will be with us.

And, with it comes a wonderful tradition of letting go. I would like to share as it relates to building your confidence in welcoming of the new. This is a tradition that has served me well as one method of saluting the unseen before it wanders into my life.

During the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur those who choose to, are provided, by the Divine an opportunity to:

·     Give oneself marks on the past year’s achievements / good deeds

·     Make amends for any lack of kindness and shortcomings

·     Humbly request that best outcomes be granted and then written in the Book of Life, made manifest, over the next year.

Once the prayers are complete on Yom Kippur, a day of atonement, (or as a dear spiritual; buddy says, day of At Onement), the ram’s horn bellows, the fasting ends and the celebration of life feels renewed. I always felt, through participating in this ritual that I got a redo.

Those ten days of making amends while conducting a self-directed integrity tune-up, before requesting Goodness acts on your behalf, always struck me as quite an ingenious and loving way to take responsibility for my choices as I commit to doing better. This is perhaps why this time is called the High Holy Days.

None of us truly knows what the New Year will bring and so this method offers up a subtle mode of confidence in handling the Newness embedded in the uncertainty provoked.

Many beloved traditions celebrate Newness.

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Paul’s epistle states in Romans 6:4 that "just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.".

Zuni legend speaks of the Great Father who created the Newness. Thirteenth century theologian and Sufi Mystic, Rumi said, “Be like a tree and let the dead leaves drop”. These encouraging pronouncements makes way for the mystery of what is yet to unfold.

People are taught and trained by their beloved traditions to expect and welcome the newness of uncertainty because it is steeped in Goodness. A belief in the possibility of Goodness within the change, allows for the human spirit to remain buoyant. In this assumption of Goodness there resides a deeper layer of discovery, optimism, and healing.

It is a practical life skill to embrace forms of newness; yet there are those who do not relish the changes life offers up. There is even a medical term for this condition:

Cainotophobia is the fear of newness, novelty, anything new, change, innovations, unfamiliar things. The origin of the word caino is Greek (meaning new) and phobia is Greek (meaning fear). This is seen as a phobia by the medical community. A phobia, by definition, is an irrational fear of a specific thing or situation and can compromise our Joy.

One suggested way out of the mistrust of Newness is through a practice called anchoring. When you are fearful of the new for no apparent reason, sing yourself a song that warms your heart and reminds you of the infinite patience and presence of LOVE in your life or world. Or, pick up the ingredients for chef level recipe and cook and feed the people you love or, find that childhood play activity that absorbs you fully. These activities allow time in your life to reset your cortisol levels and step with confidence into the newness of the day, the week, the love and the year. Anchor your thoughts in a pleasant memory, activity or idea. This is a great opportunity to practice the emotional states of awe, appreciation, and joy we speak of at VAST.

Pick a few anchors and practice them in advance so you will have them in your pocket when needed. Seeing a gifted therapist or hypnotherapist to address your phobia is also a wonderful option.

Albert Einstein, one of my thought heroes, would have been 141 this 5781.

He would have liked our choosing to step into the Newness with Confidence for once he said, “He who can no longer pause to wonder and , as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”

Open your eyes to the Good mixed in with the crazy around you.

To recapture the awe and wonder with Newness in your life, Contact Us to learn more about VAST Leadership and Quality of Life tune-ups.