Dr. Terry Segal’s Rosh Hashanah Message for 2025

Beginning on October 7, 2023, like most of us, I poured out love to all the souls in the wake of unspeakable evil. I screamed my rage to Hamas. I prayed for Israeli leaders to govern wisely, and for families to find the strength to keep taking their next breaths.

I watched the cancerous spread of hatred. I witnessed regular citizens glazing over in trance-like acceptance of lies, chanting slogans of evildoers.

My stream of tears would dry and flood again with each new piece of tragic news. The helplessness needed to become action. Grief, redirected into service, is healing. I created art whose proceeds went directly to aid wherever it was needed.

When Jews and non-Jews asked what they could do, I encouraged them to use their gifts and to also direct their energies toward telepathically sending out love and setting the intention of peace.

Telepathy, a term coined in 1882 by scholar Frederic W. H. Myers, may still not receive scientific relevance, but there’s much suggestive evidence of its powerful effect. It’s a vicarious transmission of information from one person’s mind to another’s without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction.

Many of us have closed our eyes and sent love to the hostages, the families and to leaders. Who among us didn’t beam our heart lights to Yarden Bibas when the tragic news had been confirmed?

It’s not an empty activity to make us feel useful. It has power and connections. As does setting an intention of peace. We can all make it our daily practice to be grounded and steep our thoughts and actions in a vision of peace. We don’t have to know how or when it will happen, just that when we joined together, it will happen. We can see it and breathe into it in detail, as if it has already occurred. We can take actions aligned with peace and pray to Hashem. What begins on the etheric plane, through our intention, repetition, and peace-seeking actions, can manifest on the most dense, physical plane, until our vision matches our reality.

Like a single candle can light a room, each person lighting a candle, can illuminate the world. Please join me in this New Year in lighting the path to peace.

Shana Tovah.

Dr. Terry Segal is a licensed psychotherapist with a Ph.D. in Energy Medicine, author, and mixed media Judaic artist.