Midlife

Creating New Jewish Ritual for a Big Birthday

I've never been one to hold birthday parties for myself, but turning sixty felt like the time had finally arrived. I needed a way to transition my soul's balking sense of terror. Where did all of the equanimity from my meditation and other spiritual practices go in the face of all that? How to push through towards hopefully, the gift of a new decade? [video coming soon]

Creating New and Adapted Jewish Ritual

Phases in the Creation and Enactment of a New or Adapted Jewish Rite of Passage
written by Rabbi Goldie Milgram with Barry Bub, M.D.

Phase I. Preparation
The initial idea:

You have felt the need to enact or commemorate a major event in your life. A thought occurs - how about a ritual? Some questions:

·     What is the significance of the transition, what do I want the ritual to support, what do I need?

·     What metaphors, myths, or stories from Jewish and local culture come to mind as symbolizing me or my transition?