The ritual phrasing of the Unetaneh Tohkef prayer reads: "On Rosh HaShanah it is written, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed, how many will leave this world and how many will be born into it, who will live and who will die... But penitence, prayer and good deeds can annul the severity of the decree."
Teshuvah, above translated as penitence, is also about returning to the center, and aligning with the Center. In the world of 12-step, teshuvah and t'filah are a daily practice, reflected in the 9th, 10th and 11th step: making amends, reflecting and admitting our shortcomings and seeking to return to connection with the universal Higher Power through prayer and meditation. I like to think of the 10 day period of the days of awe as an experience of going thru all 12 steps in 10 days. And it's intense.
I am not much of one for the mythology of the holiday: a hairy thunderer up above with a book of accounts. But as a metaphor it serves to remind me that no matter how much I might try to deny it, I am aware of every person I have harmed in some way, every way in which I have fallen short of the mark of living my values. And that denial only turns up physically in my body, or as a repeated pattern in the world with stronger consequences so that I get the lesson through my thick skull.
This is in fact the true meaning of karma, the fruit of sankhara.
May we all return to that universal Center. May our hearts be open in gratitude and may we all share our blessings so that that all beings are liberated.
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