Rosh Hashanah: A New Blueprint

Before anything comes into existence, there is a moment of perfection that precedes it. The great kabbalist Rav Ashlag used the analogy of an architect who sets out to build a beautiful house. In order to do so, he must start with a vision of that perfect house. He certainly isn’t going to begin pouring the foundation or constructing the frame of a house that he hasn’t even planned yet! He must first create a blueprint, and in those moments of inspiration, when he has only the idea of the house he’s going to build, he includes in those thoughts the entire perfection of that structure even though it doesn’t exist yet and may take two years to build.

With blueprints in hand and the perfect vision still in his mind, the architect will begin construction; seeing it through to the very end and through every step, challenge, and course-correction. Finally, the beautiful house is finished and, with almost everything in life, the final creation isn’t exactly as the architect had imagined. In his original thoughts of creation, the roof, for example, did not pitch 5 degrees too flatly and water did not pool on the laundry room floor.

The final physical creation may not be perfect, but the thought of creation that sparked the architect was a thought of perfection.

The first day of the month of Libra is the anniversary of the day the world came into existence. Not coincidentally, the first day of Libra is also the first day of Rosh Hashanah which means ‘head of the year.’ Kabbalists teach that on Rosh Hashanah everything of the physical world came into existence. The vision was made manifest.

This moment is preceded by the month of Virgo and therefore symbolically, the month of Virgo precedes creation itself, which is how we can “return” to a time before any damage or negativity occurred. Just like the architect and his house, the Creator had a thought of creation and his thoughts were perfect. His thoughts included every soul that has come or ever will come into this world, and his intention was not for us to be in the state we are now, but rather the perfect version of ourselves. Because he thought it, that version of ourselves exists. Our work in the month of Virgo is to strip away all negativity through the practice of t’shuva and emerge anew.

If you were creating a blueprint for the rest of your life, imagining it from the eyes of Creator; the eyes of perfection; what does it look like? What gets included and what does not belong? Rosh Hashanah offers us the opportunity to create this blueprint, and over the next year, we get to build it through our thoughts, words, and actions.

Just as the architect uses his years of experience when drawing up his plans, we too can use our past life experience to lay out the most successful structure. Just as the architect has learned that fanciful design is nothing without a strong foundation, we have learned throughout our lives that decisions and actions based in fear are inevitably going to fail, so we imagine a foundation of certainty.

From there, the sky is the limit. What do you want to plan into the blueprint for your next year?

What are your goals and who do you need to become to achieve them? Let the foundation of your blueprint be a vision of your perfected self, and let the structure of your life contain everything you dream of doing.

Do you dream of moving to a new city, starting a family, finishing your novel, tackling a fear, repairing a relationship, writing a screenplay, or running a marathon? All of these are beautiful goals, and all of them require that we become something more than we are now; an even more perfected version of ourselves. That version exists in the eye of the Creator and today, you can connect with it, see it in your mind’s eye, and create your blueprint from that perfect connection.

We all came into this world to grow and transform and, ultimately, to live the most fulfilled and joyous life possible. But it is up to us. Without knowing what we want, without drawing up those plans down to the last detail, how will we know what we’re building? Take the time today to get honest with yourself about what you want to create, what you want to give to the world, and who need to be in order to do it.

There is no other time in the year when we can connect so powerfully to that best version of ourselves. Today, ask to be connected to your perfect self and consciously disconnect from your imperfections. Begin to draw your plans from that place, not judging your past self for mistakes made, but also not including the things that don’t work. Build in what you have yet to try, the things that make you excited (and a little bit scared,) and when in doubt always return to what it is you hope to give through your creations.

Your perfected life and perfected self are possible. You wouldn’t be here if they weren’t. So believe in it, plan it out to the smallest detail, and then work toward it referencing your building plans as much as you need to. Before you know it, you will be living the literal life of your dreams.

 

THOUGHT INTO ACTION

Connect to the powerful energy of today, connect with the Creator, and see what vision wants to come through for your year ahead. Then plan it out the way an architect would plan a new house. Where will you be? What do you need to become? What will be required? And what needs to go?