Recently I learned that New Years is the world’s most celebrate Holiday!
Historians date this celebration back to the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, and since then, most cultures and civilizations have carried out their own ways of honoring the beginning of a New Year. Even though the calendar date for this Holiday has often changed, the idea of celebrating the start of a New Year has remained a constant.
In the past, I had trouble appreciating the significance of this Special Day. Riding on the coattails of Christmas, I had never given much thought to the deeper meanings that might be hidden in this celebration. This year however, I looked at the start of the New Year from a different perspective and realized that the celebration of New Years is a way of honoring the great gift of Free Will! It is a way of celebrating that aspect of our humanity that allows us to forgive and forget the hurts of the past, and turn our sights towards a new and different future. Because of our Free Will we have the opportunity to change our patterns of thinking, acting and believing. In other words, we can choose to make our lives better!
With this in mind, it is no wonder that the month of January is named after the Roman deity Janus, the god of all beginnings, transitions and endings. This 2 faced image is visual reminder of taking the time to look to the past as a way of determining what we want to change in the coming year.
And so, as I finalize the changes that I wish to make in 2023,
I have a newfound appreciation for
Free Will, and celebrate the role that it plays in creating a better tomorrow.
Happy New Year!
