Welcome to the last day of 2023! As we move toward a new year, it's worth reflecting, at least momentarily, how you personally view the shift. Does the ending of 2023 bring relief, enthusiasm for a beginning, or melancholy at the passing of time, or perhaps simply indifference? I often feel it is important to recognize New Year's celebrations as cultural constructs; a new year expresses our human attempt to manage and track time, the idea of 'aging' over time, and cycles of life that parallel cycles of nature's seasons. Around these ideas, we weave the concept of not just starting over, but the idea that as we begin anew, we have the opportunity and space to also shift our behavior, our experiences, ideas and relationships. We can chose to change as we participate in the collective change to a new year. Even though the various religions of the world have different dates for New Years, different mythologies and teachings that surround their celebrations, they all have this element of opportunity for change, and the expectation of renewal and growth that reflects the natural world.
But to have the new, something is released; to have renewal, something must be activated when some aspect of life has reached its stasis. Life is movement, to stand still too long is to stagnate. There are many cultural rituals that surround the world's New Year celebrations, but on the deepest spiritual level, forgiveness cuts through stagnation to release the life forces blocked by our emotions, wounds, and mistakes. Today, I encourage you to reserve a bit of meditation time for forgiveness. Forgiveness can seem like a very complex and difficult thing to achieve, but really that is just our own fear of it. We are afraid that forgiveness will backfire; the problem (insult, wound, pain, infraction, betrayal, disappointment, failure, weakness, etc.) will only continue or worsen. There is little in our current divisive culture that supports forgiveness. Yet, there are multiple psychological research studies which show the positive effects that forgiveness brings to mental and physical health. Forgiveness is freedom. Ignoring the power of forgiveness is to withhold freedom.
Forgiveness work often happens over time, but New Year's Eve forgiveness has an added kick of the collective intent to release the old year and receive the new, with optimism and expectation of positive change. When we forgive on New Year's Eve we link our intent with collective intent, adding a new momentum. In a quiet turning inward, forgive 2023, forgive yourself for any mistakes you feel you have made, real or imagined, forgive those who have trespassed against you, and accept (in faith) their forgiveness. Let it be a release. Of course, people and situations may come to you that you simply are not ready to forgive. Give yourself more time. You cannot do it wrong, just start. On New Year's Day, begin again. Happy New Year! (Susan Nettleton)
For poetry: https://hillsidesource.com/coming-and-going-larry-poem
https://www.oocities.org/tokyo/pagoda/1964/hsuchunchien.html
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44316/on-quitting
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/54327/to-the-new-year