*My apologies for the late post. Family and holiday craziness has kept me from my computer. This post is a slight alteration of a post I made for Here Be Magic.*
January is named for the Roman god Janus (said yon-us). My introdution to Janus came from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when the evil Ethan Rayne called on him as a god of chaos and magically turned all the protagonists into their Halloween costumes. It was a hilarious episode, and Janus’ appearance as a god with two faces pointing opposite directions was a perfet metaphor for Ethan’s two-faced nature and the chicanery in the episode.
Turns out that *gasp* the Janus of Buffy has practically nothing in common with the god worshipped by the Romans. The Janus of ancient Rome indeed has two faces, but that’s due to his nature as a god of transitions–one face looks back at where you’ve been, and the other forward toward where you are going. He was placed in doorways and on bridges as a god of the portal, a reminder that every exit is also an entrance. Every ending is also a beginning. In this role he is also the god of the New Year.
Personally, I’m a happy camper about transitioning to 2014. In 2013, my husband and I had to return our foster daughters to their bio mother, a medical condition has caused me to reinvent the way I eat and my publisher and I have parted ways for my current series. It’s been a rough year. Next year will see us rebuilding from the destruction of 2013. Instead of Janus’ calm moving forward while reflecting back, I feel like Kali’s wild destruction and creation might be more symbolic of this year.
People have started asking me about New Year’s Resolutions, but I mostly don’t feel ready to do that yet. Too much is still winding down from last year. How about you? What’s your Janus-uary status? What are you reflecting back on or looking forward to as we transition from 2013 to 2014?
4 comments
cgirl says:
Jan 2, 2014
Personally, I think January is a stupid time to make resolutions, it’s the coldest, dark time of the year. Just dealing with my own seasonal depression and the cold weather is resolution enough for me. I’m considering making a resolution at Imbolc, or maybe spring equinox when that’s more growing energy to help me push forward.
Jax says:
Jan 7, 2014
That makes sense! I make my “letting go” resolutions around the fall equinox in preparation for winter. Imbolc would have a much better energy for additive resolutions, things you’re going to do. I typically make some kind of resolution or goal during January at sumbel, but you’re right about it being an odd time to do so!
Aj says:
Jan 3, 2014
Hugs. I typically don’t make resolutions either…the dark, cold days after the holidays is a lousy time to promise anything, IMO.
Jax says:
Jan 7, 2014
That sounds like what CGirl was saying. I never thought about it that way, with the dark and cold. But it makes sense. My sumbel oath this year was to just let everything be broken for awhile and learn to be okay with that. Which is kind of a weird resolution, but maybe more appropriate for dark and cold days!