Janus – The Romans had some nifty ideas ya’know
“In his role as the Guardian of Exits and Entrances, Janus was also believed to represent beginnings. The explanation for this belief being that one must emerge through a door or gate in order to enter into a new place.” #1
The Ancients had a stack of gods (and I’m not here to discuss their existence or not!), each had a roll, or Aspect (Or Ministerial Portfolio if you’re a politician and enjoy thinking like that). They were called upon, or prayed to when something was undertaken or began, ending or threatened.
Janus is a keen example:
“He was frequently used to symbolize change and transitions such as the progression of past to future, of one condition to another, of one vision to another, the growing up of young people, and of one universe to another. He was also known as the figure representing time because he could see into the past with one face and into the future with the other… He was representative of the middle ground between barbarity and civilization, rural country and urban cities, and youth and adulthood.” #2
January takes its name from Janus, and at this time of year when the old one leaves taking everything we did (or didn’t do) with it, many still use this time to look at where they are going in life. What direction to take, how to make their dreams reality, how to Live well.
January is a good time of year; we are given a socially structured tool to pry apart those things we’ve been doing that get us no where. To shake things up, to focus on new goals, new growth, beginnings.
So, lets all start right now to do those things that brings us and those we share our lives with the greatest happiness, the best chances for a healthy and promising future, and really promise to ourselves that when we say “This year will be better”, we actually believe it.
Green