Do You Believe in New Beginnings?
Sundown September 8, 2010 marks a new beginning. Rosh HaShanah or "Head of the Year," is the first day of Tishrei, the 7th month of the Hebrew calendar. This day is the first of the High Holy Days for the Jewish people. The ten days that follow are days of repentance, and conclude with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
If you believe in new beginnings you must believe in repentance. The only way to start anew is to acknowledge the things of the past, correct the wrongs you have committed, and own up to your state of being. To do this you must repent. I am not talking about superstition or metaphor; I'm talking about devulging the truth within you.
The truth within you is the stuff you know about yourself and some of it is stuff you don't like and you are not proud of. It's mistakes that you have made, but have never come to terms with. It's deeply embedded prejudices that you often suppress because you know they are wrong and hurtful. It's the awareness of the pain that you have caused yourself and others. It's the lies you have told to skirt responsibility for your actions. It's the everything dark within you that is slowly, but surely eating at you and will ultimately bring your demise.
So, do you really believe in new beginnings? Because if you do, you will need to face the worst things about yourself in order to overcome them. You are not alone in this endeavor. No one is exempt from pain, struggle, fear, mistakes, or failure.