09/24/2025
Rosh Hashanah: The Spiral of Renewal
As the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, which literally means 'head of the year' is not only a time of celebration, but also an invitation to pause, reflect, and begin again. Its very name points us toward the idea of cycles. Life doesn’t move in a straight line, it moves in circles and spirals. Each year, we return to familiar places, yet arrive with new awareness, deeper compassion, and greater wisdom.
Rosh Hashanah is filled with rich symbols that remind us of this spiraling journey of life.
There are five beautiful symbols that carry the deeper meaning of Rosh Hashanah and its spiral of renewal.
The Shofar: A Call to Awaken
The raw cry of the shofar, a ram’s horn, pierces through distractions and awakens the soul. Its sound is primal, wordless, and direct , a reminder to strip away what is superficial and return to what is essential. Just as a spiral expands outward from a center point, the shofar calls us back to our center before we step forward into the new year.
Apples and Honey: The Sweetness of Beginning Again
Dipping apples into honey symbolizes the hope for sweetness in the year to come. The apple, connected to the Garden of Eden, represents wholeness and renewal. Honey, golden and abundant, reminds us of kindness and nourishment. Together, they encourage us to spiral into the new year with gratitude and trust in life’s sweetness.
The Round Challah: The Cycle of Life
On Rosh Hashanah, bread is baked not in its usual braid but in a circle. This round challah is a symbol of life’s cycles , endings leading to beginnings, seasons flowing into one another, time looping back yet carrying us forward. Like a spiral, it reflects both return and expansion, a never,ending dance of continuity and growth.
Pomegranates: A Life Full of Seeds
Bursting with hundreds of seeds, the pomegranate has long been a symbol of abundance. Tradition holds that it mirrors the 613 mitzvot, or sacred commandments, in the Jewish tradition. On a deeper level, it reminds us that each year is filled with opportunities to plant seeds of compassion, creativity, and love , to scatter them wide and watch them grow in unexpected directions.
Tashlich: Letting Go into the Flow
One of the most moving rituals of Rosh Hashanah is Tashlich, the casting of breadcrumbs into flowing water. As the crumbs drift away, they carry with them what no longer serves , regrets, mistakes, the heaviness of the past year. Like water spiraling downstream, this ritual teaches us to release, to trust the current, and to make space for renewal.
The Spiral of Reflection and Mercy
Rosh Hashanah is also known as the Day of Judgment, a time when actions are weighed and the course of the year ahead is set. Yet it is equally a day of mercy and possibility. It is not about fear, but about turning , spiraling , back toward compassion, love, and alignment with the deepest truths of who we are.
A Universal Invitation
Even if your traditions are different, Rosh Hashanah reminds us: Life is not linear. It is a spiraling path of sweetness, release, and renewal. Each cycle invites us to pause, to let go, and to begin again , returning, yet never the same.
For me, this season carries an even deeper meaning. I am preparing for surgery, which has invited me to reflect on my body, my choices, and the way I care for myself. In many ways, it feels like its own Rosh Hashanah, a turning point, a renewal not only of my physical body but of my daily rhythms. I’m reminded that caring for myself is a sacred act: nourishing my body with good food, honoring my need for restful sleep, and even committing again to the simple ritual of walking 10,000 steps each day. These small practices are my own spiral of return, ways of releasing what hasn’t served me and embracing a healthier, more intentional path forward.
This year has also brought a move, which became its own form of Tashlich. I let go of so many things I had carried with me, some simply given away, others discarded because they no longer had purpose. With each box released, I felt lighter, clearer, and more ready to step into what’s next. Just as casting crumbs into the river allows the current to carry them away, this process of decluttering became a ritual of surrender, making space for renewal.
Even my work is spiraling into a new season. I am transitioning from in-person counseling to telehealth, which gives me the flexibility to devote more energy to writing and to shaping deeper, more expansive retreat experiences. This reorganization feels like another layer of the spiral, a release of the old form so that something more aligned, creative, and nourishing can emerge.
The spiral of renewal is happening across mind, body, spirit, and purpose, weaving together the many layers of my life into a season of reflection and transformation.
Reflection Practices: Bringing the Spiral Home
Even if you don’t celebrate Rosh Hashanah in a traditional sense, you can draw on its symbols to honor your own turning of the year, or simply the turning of a season. Here are a few practices you can try:
1. Spiral Journaling Prompt
, Write about a moment from the past year that felt heavy or incomplete.
, Then write about how you can spiral forward from it , not by erasing it, but by allowing it to become part of your growth.
2. Sweet Ritual
, Slice an apple, dip it in honey (or another sweet food you love), and eat it slowly.
, With each bite, set an intention for sweetness in the months ahead.
3. Release into Water
, Take small pieces of bread or natural items (like flower petals) and release them into flowing water.
, As you watch them drift away, name aloud what you are letting go of.
4. The Circle of Gratitude
, Draw a spiral or circle on a blank page.
, In the center, write one word that reflects your deepest value.
, Around the spiral, jot down gratitudes, lessons, or seeds you want to plant for the year ahead.
May this season invite you, as it has me, to spiral into renewal — across mind, body, spirit, and purpose.
