Kislev began Nov. 17

By Melinda Ribner

December 2, 2009

Many people may have a vision of what they want to do in their lives, yet they hold back, fearing rejection and failure. Because they are doubtful of their capacity to be successful, their self-esteem plummets. If this is true for you, take heart. Kislev is here. Kislev is the month of going forward actualizing one's dreams and it is also a great time for travel.

In the last month of Cheshwan, we did the hard inner work of shedding the past, letting go of what is no longer true. Now in Kislev we embrace all the possibilities before us and we are empowered to go for what we really want.

We are able to take risks in Kislev because it is actually a time of deepening faith and trust in God. Kislev is a time of clarity. Kislev is a time to receive important guidance about one's life purpose.

The whole month of Kislev is shaped by the holiday of Hanukkah, the holiday of miracles that occurs at the end of the month, the darkest time of the year. During Hanukkah, we learn the most important truth about life. At the darkest time, there is light and there will be light. Actually, the light in the darkness shines even more brightly because of the darkness that surrounds it.

Like the Maccabeans who redeemed the Holy Temple in ancient times, during this month we redeem the Holy Temple within us. The Holy Temple represents the holiest the most pure dimension within us. It is the seat of our deepest hopes and visions of life that are beyond the mind, not bound by the laws of logic and reason. The oil used for the rededication of the Temple was pure and undefiled, reminding us of the possibility of returning to a state of original purity. The miracle of the rededication was that, although there was only enough oil to burn for one day, it lasted for eight days. It was not logical, but God is beyond logic.

During this month of Kislev, we too leave the shackles of the limiting Greek mind and open to greater faith. When we are limited by the mind, we are always tied down to what is known and familiar, and we seek to understand why and how. Faith is by definition beyond the reasoning powers of the mind. Faith enables us to be present, to not dwell in the past or worry about the future, but live moment to moment fully with trust and fearlessness. It is faith, not the mind that opens us to new possibilities and new dimensions, enabling us to go forward in ways that we could not do solely on our own.

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