Turning
The journey of teshuvah begins
like a seed dropped into welcoming earth,
the soul yearning to return to its root-source.
In this season of spiraling growth,
aspiration shoots up like a strong stalk.
Heart-leaves unroll. Desire buds, swells
and unclenching, opens:
the soul a disc-flower cradling its blossoms,
bright ray-petals its joyous beacons.
Nature’s sequential pattern appears in teshuvah, too:
like the heliocentric earth, the heliotropic sunflower,
the soul turns again, and again, orientating in the Source
reconnecting to its truest self.
Rabbi Janet Madden, Ph.D., is a writer, spiritual director, ritualist and teacher of Torah. An herbalist, hand-quilter and ordained animal chaplain, she lives in gratitude with her spouse, dog, cat and flock of backyard chickens.
105 Hudson Road, Sudbury, MA 01776
(978) 443-9622|Email Us
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An elegant, profound representation of teshuvah. Well done!
August 20, 2026 at 5:22 pmWhat a vivid and evocative way to begin Elul. Beautiful.
September 10, 2026 at 7:39 pm