Looking Both Ways Before Entering & Exiting

Reflection > Resolution

Look, whether or not you have made a New Year’s Resolution doesn’t really matter. It’s true– what matters most is your ability to reflect. Taking time for reflection is key to moving toward our dreams and our goals. So, don’t worry if you haven’t set a resolution; instead, read on to discover why it’s an even more important time to devote some attention toward reflection, instead. 

January as a New Beginning 

So here we are at the start of a new calendric year. This time marks a threshold on the Gregorian calendar, one that has been recognized for centuries of humanity’s history. Whether or not you’re religious, there are certain aspects of mythological and mystical narratives that can help to inspire ways of being that are in our highest light. At this time of year, we can look to Janus; the Roman god of motion, of change, and of transitions and passageways. Also known as the guardian of doors and the gatekeeper, Janus has been known to preside over all entrances and exits, doorways and thresholds of change. All of which look in both directions. 

Looking Both Ways

Janus is depicted with two faces, one looking back into the past and the other looking forward into the future. This ‘double nature’ of Janus’ symbolism helps to point to the interconnectivity between before and after, change and movement, between time and patterns. Essentially, we’re invited at this time of year to invoke the spirit of Janus in order to recognize patterns, reflect on causation, and move forward with more empowered and conscious choice. The more consistent we can become with linking the past and present through invoking the spirit of Janus, the more we can navigate into the future with clarity and direction. 

Correspondence with Da’ath 

There is a correspondence worth noting here, between the Roman God Janus and Da’ath within Kabbalistic Teachings on the Tree of Life. Da’ath is the Hebrew word for knowledge, or gnosis, and is the 4th letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Throughout many numerology traditions and perspectives, this number and word represents a symbol of a doorway, a foundational threshold. Creation can move through this threshold; Da’ath is akin to the gateway to spirit, it is where there is an intersection between divinity and humanity. We are both eternal and temporal beings; when our creative fire gets sparked through this doorway, understanding unites with knowledge to empower us into conscious creation. 

And so, as we exit one Gregorian year and enter into the next one, may the spirit of Janus live through and within us; may we remember to look back sufficient enough to make sense of what has been, in order to consciously create what is yet to come. Our story of the last year has been written in a language that can evolve as we step through this gateway. 

We can bridge the chasm that lays between the ‘before’ and ‘after’, honoring the portal by invoking Janus to be present at the close of this year. We can reflect, rejoice, and bring a devotional attitude into our perspective as we move into the New Year. 

Perhaps you even feel inspired to mark a doorway in your home or office, signifying your attention toward this threshold we stand in; this could look like a token, a photograph, a bouquet of flowers, a prayer, anything that inspires your inner flame of encouragement and your eternal grace.