“Cheers to a gracious New Year. May we uphold the fullness of God’s grace, goodness and goodwill.” — Lailah Gifty Akita
January, at the heart of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, is one of the coldest months, yet rich in meaning, offering a powerful opportunity to stop and think about priorities, values and intentions. The stillness and quiet moves our heart and soul towards spiritual connection and reflection inspired by the natural world’s rhythms of rest and the promise of renewal.
The beginning of a new year is always worth allowing space and time to listen to and value the significance of the song of the earth, our common home.
January, named after the Roman god Janus, the deity and protector of doors, gateways and beginnings, is symbolically a spiritual doorway into the New Year, offering space in quiet moments to ponder life and review personal growth as we reflect on the beauty of starting anew. Nature in January is in a state of deep rest, a time of quiet and stillness as plants and animals conserve energy to endure cold. The natural world’s resilience, seen in evergreen trees and the hardy snowdrop flowers and shrubs blooming in the cold, serves as a reminder of inner strength and the power to start afresh, setting intentions for the future with clarity and purpose, rather than rigid resolutions. According to the Celtic Tree of Life, two trees in particular share a space in January. The Birch tree symbolizes new beginnings, achievement and resilience. The Rowan trees symbolizing courage and connection with their red berries said to represent protection. In every aspect of nature, God is conveying something. It is in the stillness of winter that we often find our truest selves.
By honouring nature’s call to slow down and go inwards, January offers a unique opportunity to shed what no longer serves us, heal our inner world and align our intentions with a deeper, more authentic purpose, ensuring we are ready to ‘rise to new life again’ with the full arrival of spring. Take time to sit in silence this January. God never wants us to lose our sense of wonder.
“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written.” — Melody Beattie
Liz Hartigan RNDM