This article was originally published in 2016.
There is no other month of the year where the work of transformation and introspection is as necessary and effective as in the month of Elul, or Virgo. As the kabbalists teach, what we do in this month will affect not just this month, but also every month of the year. Therefore, when we understand what’s available to us this month, we are able to plant the seed of Elul, enabling us to create a coming year filled with blessings and Light.
The Ari, Rav Isaac Luria, said that there is a secret for this month that is based on a verse in Isaiah. Literally, the verse translated says, “He creates a path in the ocean, and in the stormy waters, a path.” (Isaiah 43:16) This, the Ari says, is the secret of the month of Virgo.
But what does that mean?
We often experience life like a battle, or a storm. At times, it seems calm, and then, at others, the storm seems to awaken. The purpose of our spiritual work and connection to the Light of the Creator is to be able to navigate those storms which come in the year in a peaceful and proper way, in a way that elevates us and does not bring us down; obviously, this is what we want. But, how do we create the path in the storm? How do we create the path so that three months from now, when something challenging occurs, we have already prepared the path to get out of the storm?
How we do it is the purpose of this month. Next year's challenges can be overcome by the pathways we create in this month. And that's why the Ari says the secret of this month is in the verse which talks about creating the pathway in the ocean, creating the path through the storm. If we do not do the spiritual work and the work of transformation and connection in this month, then there might be times in this next year when we are in a storm and can't find the path in the storm we are elevated by, because we didn't create that path in the ocean.
Understanding this will hopefully awaken consciousness, inspiration, and a desire to do the work. This month, we will create, through our spiritual work, work of transformation, and work of connection, pathways so that there will not be, over the next 12 months, a challenge for which a pathway out has not been created. There will be no challenge in these next 12 months where the pathway is not created by us through our work that takes us and elevates us out of every single possible challenge.
If we do not create that pathway in this month, the kabbalists teach, it's much more challenging to find our way out, and it’s much more challenging as we go through the storms over the next 12 months. And so, no matter what spiritual work we’ve done over the last 11 months, if there's one month out of the year when we’re going to choose to really connect, this is the month; and I can't say that about the previous month. Yes, it is important to connect every month and every day, but this is the one month in which we can create the pathways for ourselves out of chaos for the next 12 months.
Therefore, if there is any month of the year when we are not going to allow ourselves to fall or allow ourselves to be lax in our connection, it is in this month of Virgo. We want to make sure that whatever challenge or storm comes our way during the next 12 months, we have already created the pathway out of it.
