01/01/2020
Janus
was the Roman god of doorways ,gates, passages, choices, beginnings and endings. He is usually depicted with two faces, one on each side of the head for this reason. He was one of the earliest gods of Rome, sometimes referred to as the “god of gods”.
The first month of the year is called January named after Janus, because this month is the door to the year. He represents all beginnings and possesses the ability to see all things past and future.
Julius Caesar thought it would be appropriate for January, Janus' namesake month, to be the doorway to a new year, and when he created the Julian calendar, he made January 1 the first day of the year. The celebration of the year and making resolutions go back much further than Rome, the first being recorded in Babylon about 4000 years ago. This celebration, known as the Akitu festival, which lasted 11 days, was dedicated to the rebirth of the Anunaki sun god Marduk. The Babylonians made promises in order to get on the right side of all of their gods, which is where the tradition of New Years Resolutions come from. Calendars weren’t as they are today, so they kicked things off in late March during the first new moon after the Spring Equinox.
So if you want to give your prayers/resolutions/affirmation more strength you can try using Janus and Marduk in your rituals. For those that may be opposed to that you have to think about the fact that you’re already indulging in a known pagan ritual that goes back thousands of years before the religious practices that you practice today even existed.
It’s very interesting seeing how our modern day rituals, traditions, holidays, practices etc come about. Most times we have no clue, we’re just following tradition because everyone else around us is doing the same. Learning the etymology of words is a good start, afterwards you can begin to delve into the etymology of tradition. Through this process you will find that all roads lead back to self, which is where the deepest delving should always take place. With knowledge comes responsibility. Remember to keep it Whole-listic. A Healthy & Bountiful 2020 to all. @ Whole-listic Life Village