Like water artfully filling its vessel, the soul, too, adopts the contours of its container — the human body. It flows into each limb and organ, interfacing with the biological machinery appropriately, allowing the body to express the life force within. The soul animates the big toe no less than it does the brain, but the spiritual energy of the big toe is limited to the function of this part of the body, while the energy transmitted via the brain is of greater intensity and amplitude. Through the brain, the life force of the soul spreads to the other component parts of the body.

On a cosmic level, the cosmic "breath of creation" also fills and expresses through its galactic parts, be these the physical phenomena of the solar systems and space in general, or through the spiritual flora and fauna of the higher realms.

A more subtle expression of the soul of creation is that of the dimension of time. Time, like space, is punctuated by differences of shape, form, and substance. But the shapes of time are not visible to the eye. These are sensed by the aptitude of wisdom and insight.

Time too possesses a metaphorical head and body. The Hebrew month of Tishrei is the "brain" through which the soul of time flows before spreading its life force to the rest of the time-body.

Each of the Hebrew months is punctuated by a character — a spiritual shape. For example, the month of Nissan reveals the spiritual thrust of national strength — hence it is also the month of the exodus from Egypt. Sivan is the month for acceptance of insight — hence the Torah was given during this month on Mt. Sinai. Tishrei is the head to the body of the other months of the year. In the same way that we appreciate the wisdom of a great master and look forward to sitting at the master’s feet, drinking from the fountain of insight, so we sit at the feet of the month of Tishrei, seeking the creative flow of time that this month brings.

But even a student sitting at the feet of a master must prepare first to be worthy of absorbing the wisdom. So do we spend the month before, Elul, preparing spiritually for the moment when the soul of creation flows anew, embracing creation with the new garment of a new age.

Most potent in Tishrei is the beginning of this foremost of the months. Just as the most creative moment of any thought is its beginning — the moment of consciousness when the spark of illumination becomes apparent for the first time — in like manner, the first two days of the first month are the most creative days of the year.

These formative days of Tishrei are called Rosh HaShanah — "the head of the year." And you and I spend the remainder of the year accepting the new bounty of this "new-time" and work at becoming a worthy co-creator of the yet unfinished symphony of creation.

May the flow of "new time" bring all of us the wisdom and insight to carry out the processes of spiritual construction, the Mitzvot, and bring about the realization of a new song of spiritual beauty that the world will sing when our eyes are truly opened.

Exercises:

MASTERY: All events take place in the "vessel of time." They may seem simply a string of meaningless unrelated occurrences. Yet you have the capacity, through consciousness, to elevate these by drawing insight from them, and raising them to a plane of meaning. Living consciously and deeply means taking the moments of time and connecting them to your deepest awareness. Then not only are the events elevated, but the time of "here and now" becomes sacred as well.

MEDITATION: Sit quietly and observe the changes happening constantly around you. These may be movement in the street, a fly buzzing at the window, or the gentle motion of your chest and abdomen as you breathe. What do these random events tell you? How do they speak to you? Find meaning in the way they might inter-connect. Nothing occurs for no reason at all. The Baal Shem Tov taught that even the seemingly random is filled with meaning for the observer. When you really see, not just look, then the waves of uncertainty collapse into a moment of true reality. Make your year truly real. Be conscious of ongoing creation.

Follow-up resources: Angels, Souls, and Dreams (audio); Awakening To A New Dawn (audio); available at Rabbi Wolf's Website (see link below)