If I were an ancient Celt, this would be the dawn of a new year. Well, I’m not, though some of my ancestors were. I’m not sure I understand the logic of beginning the year as so many things in nature die or fall into a long, deep slumber. I do understand the longing for a long, deep slumber… but that’s another a blog-entry for another day!For some time now, I’ve thought of the start of each month as a “Mini New Year.” It is so hard to keep a resolution all through the year, but taking something on for just one month is not nearly as intimidating. I have to be honest, aside from thinking that phrase “Mini New Year’ on the first of each month, I have not done much with that concept.
Now that I think about it, in our modern society there are a few good reasons to make November the start of a new year. This is the month of Thanksgiving. An outlook of appreciate and gratitude is certainly a good approach to living at any time of the year. This is also the onset of a season filled with gatherings of family and friends, traditions and storytelling, and bountiful feasts. Those are all things I want my life to be filled with every day.
Note to self:
Begin a new year, right now. My resolution: Live every moment instead of rushing through, hurrying from one thing on the to-do list to the next. Remember this quote from James Thurber: "Let us not look not back in anger, or forward with fear, but around in awareness."
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Photo by Haiku, October 2006
10 comments:
Kaa-san, I was reading this book, and it gave an explanation as to why the Celts started the year now. They start it after the harvest, at the worst part of the year, because then things get progressively better. By the end of the year, they've seen things go from cold and dead, to waking up, starting to live. From just beginning to live, to Living, maturing in summer. From maturing, to ripening into their fullest potential. I read that, and I can't help but think of it as somewhat uplifting. Our year both ends and begins in the cold dead. How utterly depressing! I think the Celts much more intelligent, in this respect, for all that they were violent, angsty people. Lol. Oh, wait... *looks back at her own writing* Apparently, I'm a throw-back. Oops...? *grins*
Senryu, Thank you! I understand it a little better now. I think if I were deciding when to begin a new year, I would begin with the vernal equinox, as things are just beginning to spring into life. But that's just me...
I guess I can see a new year beginning almost any month. Though it is cold in January, the light is much stronger and the days get longer and longer as the month procedes.
And I do like November. The astrological sign of Scorpio is all about delving deep, looking at the things we need to change, not just going through the days mindlessly.
It is a time to read, to bake, to stay inside next to (hopefully) a lovely wood fire. It is a relief from all the running around during the summer, all the activity, and even all the people. If it is sometimes painful for people, it is still necessary for our growth and our sense of self.
I really love each month and what it brings in terms of weather and light. There is a wonderful author, named Gladys Taber, whose many books go month by month. I find them a great inspiration in living my own life.
Nan
Nan,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Though I have read Gladys Taber, I do not own any of her books. I really should. It would be nice to go through a year, reading what is appropriate to each season.
Which of her books is your favorite?
"Which of her books is your favorite?" I can't really say because they all sort of run together in my head. She has many that are divided into months. I do love books like that.
Nan
Nan,
Is Gladys Taber the author of the Stillmeadow books? I love books with a seasonal, or month by month, awareness as well. I look for her books at my used book resource, but have not chanced upon one as of yet. I guess folks that have her books hold on to them!
Yes, Gladys Taber's Connecticut home was called Stillmeadow. The two libraries I frequent have most of her books. I own only one.
Nan
Yes, Gladys Taber's Connecticut home was called Stillmeadow. The two libraries I frequent have most of her books. I own only one.
Nan
Just returning the favor of leaving a comment. Thank you for yours on my own! I enjoy reading your thoughts too. I really liked this one. Often I watch people rush through each day and take no notice of what is around them. The sun through the falling leaves.. the sound of rain on the roof.. it goes by without a thought. Being aware is being alive with passion, strength, inspiration and fullness of spirit. May we always be of this.
Vickie
P.S. I found most of my Gladys Taber books on ebay. Also found one in a dusty secondhand shop in a small rural town in Kansas. If your local library doesn't have them, it seems like church libraries carry her books, especially the ones which haven't built new additions and modernized their libraries.
Vickie,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Just your quick little comment was a breath of fresh air in this hectic, fast-paced world!
Thanks, also, for the suggestions on looking for Gladys Taber's books! I think it will happy by serendipity some time, just when I most need to read them. (Although ebay sounds like a good plan too! *grin*)
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