31 December 2009

Open Thread - Why do you or don't you celebrate the New Year?

I don't celebrate the New Year because it has no personal or astrological significance, except for the coincidental full moon this year.  The only New Year's Eve celebration I have enjoyed in my adult life was staying home alone last year and going to bed before midnight.  In terms cleansing rituals or resolutions, I find them far more powerful at my birthday, which I celebrate as a personal new year.  When I started looking at spiritualities outside of the Episcopal faith that I was raised in, I found that the seven year cell renewal cycle of the body oft mentioned in biology classes matched the seven year chakra cycles observed in some some eastern beliefs, and so around the time of my birthday I evaluate what I've accomplished, what I want to let go of, what that cycle tells me would be most auspicious to work on in the coming year, and create observeances and rituals around that as I see fit.

How about you?  Do you make resolutions now, at your birthday, at a different holiday or astrological event?  Do you skip them altogether?  When and how do you celebrate the beginning of a new year, if at all?

Whenever your new year, solar return, spiritual journey or other observance of a new time period begins, I wish you one of love, healing and growth.

Blessed be
xoxo
Pistol

1 comment:

  1. Definitely celebrate New Year's. It's a major holiday in Japan where my partner is from and before that I always found it significant as kind of a pure celebration. Not attached to any individual and not overtly religious. Just about celebration for celebration's sake. As it turns out, it's also now the anniversary of good friends (going on 14 years now).

    Birthday's I love. And am a big proponent of celebrating the entire week. (If not the month.) As for updating life goals. I do that on a 6 month schedule but is not tied to anything specific.

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