Happy New Year
Note: A version of this essay was originally published in 2020.
Earlier this week we celebrated Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Jewish New Year. Although I was raised in a moderately-observant household, my grasp of religious details has faded over the years. Several of the more pagan traditions, however, have stayed with me because they are truly magical. One of these is the practice of Tashlich, a ritual for casting-away.
Tashlich does not require the presence of clergy or congregation. It traditionally takes place near a body of running water such as an ocean or a river, and involves having in your possession some breadcrumbs or other biodegradable material that can be cast into the water.
I decided to take the DIY approach to commemorating the holiday this year so I strolled through our community backyard to the Merrimack River carrying a Ziplock bag with my psychic trash. Standing at the water’s edge, I considered various things I wanted to let go of and tossed them one-by-one into the tide.
I silently read the Tashlich prayer as the crumbs headed towards the Gulf of Maine and into the Atlantic:
Here I am again
ready to let go of my mistakes
Help me release myself
from all the ways I’ve missed the mark
Help me stop carrying
the karmic baggage of my poor choices
As I cast this bread upon the waters
lift my troubles off my shoulders
Help me know that last year is over,
washed away like crumbs in the current…
As a coach, I bristle a little when I read the words “mistakes” and “poor choices.” After all, mistakes and poor choices are sometimes just learning experiences that we’ve judged a bit too harshly.
But the bigger idea, and the true power of this ritual, is the belief that we can stop carrying the karmic baggage that hinders our ability to take a more compassionate approach to our personal pursuits.
This is the reason why many of our more secular New Year’s traditions fail to produce results. We focus on making resolutions or setting goals without first considering - and then discovering ways to let go of - the thoughts, habits, or beliefs that are preventing us from losing those ten pounds or landing that new job.
The truth is, we can choose the thoughts and beliefs we carry with us. So, the real work begins when we cast away those that are no longer of service to us, making space for what’s to come.
Last year is over, washed away like crumbs in the current. The same is true for last month, last week, and last night.
What are you holding onto that you can you let go of? Get creative and design your own cast-away ritual. Writings on paper that you can tear up or shred. Food scraps that can be deposited into the compost barrel. A fogged-up bathroom mirror on which you can inscribe your thoughts before evaporation does its thing.