New Year celebrations have many social, cultural, and religious observances around the world. Such festivals are among the oldest and the most universally observed throughout our existence.
Many of the customs of New Years note the passing of time with both regret and anticipation. The baby as a symbol of the new year dates to the ancient Greeks, with an old man representing the year that has passed. The Romans derived the name for the month of January from their god Janus, who had two faces, one looking backward and the other forward. The practice of making resolutions to rid oneself of bad habits and to adopt better ones also dates to ancient times. Some believe the Babylonians began the custom more than 4,000 years ago. In the West, particularly in English-speaking countries, the nostalgic Scottish ballad “Auld Lang Syne,” revised by the poet Robert Burns, is often sung on New Year’s Eve.
For many, New Years marks a time of transition. For those of us who look at life as an unfolding of our inner being and beauty, it is a mark in time to acknowledge transformation. In our life, transition it is a time of reflection to embrace the new and let go of the past. It is a shedding or release of what no longer serves our growth and flowering.
Releasing the Past to Embrace the Present
To embrace the new, it warrants a willingness to release the old. A form of birthing that opens us up to a renewal while releasing the old containers that once held our fears, regrets, and past pain. It is a time to embrace the expansion of new life, and the creation of a new container to come.
We can reflect on loss, grief, sadness, regrets, remorse, fears, those which burden us, those which may hold us back from life, but no longer serves us. It will, however, contain us if all we do is focus on our past. At this time, we can breathe into a new life and make room for a transformation into new growth and awakening. A life that is unknown, unpredictable, and adventuresome. A life that will encompass a full spectrum of living.
We may universally choose any point in time for this transformation, but traditionally it has been midnight on the 31st of December entering into January 1st of the new year. It gives us an excuse to look around with a glance of clarity and acknowledge our arrival into a new space in time with anticipation and celebration. We look at our setting, at where and with and whom we may be with, and we can see it is a universal celebration of a new life. We breathe and release emotions, thoughts and memories of the past, as we focus on the NOW and let go of any wandering into the future.
“We can reflect on loss, grief, sadness, regrets, remorse, fears, those which burden us, those which may hold us back from life, but no longer serves us. It will, however, contain us if all we do is focus on our past.”
The Present Moment: A New Beginning
For NOW is the beginning of a new adventure. We focus on the NOW, the present moment, as an acknowledgement of what is. In a ritual of time, the clock acknowledges the new year. We may shout, we may embrace loved ones, we may hug or kiss, but it is an acceptance of the present and the release of the past.
Yes, we have arrived in the NOW and the newness of another beginning. As the Greeks would say, the baby has been born, and what a future the baby may have. We celebrate the potential given to us by love and life.
We do this with LOVE, as LOVE IS THE ACCEPTANCE OF WHAT IS—both for ourselves and for each other. It is through this acceptance that we release anything that falls short of being truly loving.
So in this universal embrace and in anticipation of a new chapter, I want to acknowledge and celebrate with you this new beginning and wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR filled with love and growth.
Thank you always for letting me be a part of your journey.
Love Always.
