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Down the Rabbit Hole: Calendars

Updated: Jan 8, 2023

For the past (at least) five years I've been pretty dedicated to taking the New Year seriously. You know, setting goals, writing them down, doing a big tarot reading for myself, and meditating on them. Some years I've made "mind movies," which is like a music video vision board. And, for at least five years now, I've felt really good about that. I knew things I wanted to do and work on, and I was ready to start working toward them in January. On December 31st and/or January 1st, I'd spend as much time as I could in "ritual" (writing, meditating, dancing, etc), as I could - calling in good vibes for the year ahead.


So it was a little weird when, a week or so ago, my partner asked me, "What are you thinking about for resolutions?," and I said, a bit to my own surprise, "I'm not solidifying my intentions or resolutions until March, at the spring Equinox. I'm going to follow the astrological calendar more this year." Then I went on a little tangent, questioning the Gregorian calendar. Like, "It's so stupid for starting in December. Nobody is in a "fresh start mood' after binging food and alcohol over the holiday season. Especially when it's really cold and still super fucking dark all the time. It's almost like it's on purpose."


There it was, the slightly paranoid question at the end that lead me down the rabbit hole of calendars. Was the tradition of "new year, new me" in winter, on purpose? To make people fail? My sweet partner, I'm sure, was thinking, "Damn I only asked about resolutions," but smiled and agreed with me that it doesn't make sense to start the year in the dead of winter. By that point I was already on my phone googling.


Who created the Gregorian calendar? "Pope Gregory XIII"


When? "In 1582 as a revision and replacement to the Julian calendar"


What is the oldest calendar?

"The first fully preserved calendar is that of the Achaemenids. Throughout recorded history, Persians have been keen on the idea and importance of having a calendar. They were among the first cultures to use a solar calendar and have long favoured a solar over lunar and lunisolar approaches."


Where calendars used for political gain?

"DUH"


What was the original calendar that supports modern day astrology?

"The Babylonian."


As I read, I realized how strange it is that I know essentially nothing about the history of calendars. We use them every day and, I, am especially obsessed with my daily planner. It quickly became obvious that calendars and timekeeping have a massive cultural, religious, and political impact on society. The people and institutions that created and revised calendars did so with their own power in mind. I wasn't shocked, but my interest was peaked.


Just about every major calendar had 12 months in it, (although the first Roman calendar was written as ten, from March to December because they chose not to observe the two harshest months of winter). And, MANY of the calendars started in March. I came to figure out, as I kept reading, that the calendar I feel most aligned with is the Persian calendar, which is the original one. The Achaemenids were the first group to put an emphasis on calendar keeping and they were very aware of the twelve main constellations that we today recognize as "zodiac signs." This calendar was an observation-based calendar, rather than a rule-based one (like the Gregorian we use), meaning they observed the sky and correlated the dates to the stars (whereas we have "rules" that make the calendar more consistent year to year, but less connected to the happenings of the stars). This calendar is still used today in Iran and Afghanistan.


It's not my intention to completely disregard the Gregorian calendar. Whether I think it's "the best" or not, it is the calendar that western society uses and therefore it obviously has some merit. But what I find myself having an issue with is how out-of-sync with nature and the seasons it is. Our "New Year" starts in the dead of winter - when days are still short, and cold, and much of nature is still dead. We, as humans, are part of nature, and I believe we should flow with the seasons. Meaning: we "hibernate" or rest during winter, we bud and blossom during spring, we grow strong and tall during summer, and then we "harvest" or collect the fruits of our labor during fall. If we follow the seasons, then what we all traditionally do during the New Year in January (set goals and intentions, change our habits, and begin working toward a new self) would actually be better suited to happen at the spring equinox, in March.


All of this to say, if you're not feeling inspired to start new "resolutions" and goals: that's OK. You have time. We do not have to align our success with the calendar some Pope made 441 years ago. REST IS GOOD. It's natural and necessary, and if you need a little more time transitioning from the hibernation to the rebirth - TAKE IT. I personally am taking a hybrid approach - cutting out alcohol and making exercise more regular now that the holidays are over - however, I wouldn't call them "New Years Resolutions" by any means. And I won't be spending time in ritual and solidifying my intention setting for the year until the Equinox on March 20th - I'd love for you to join me. I'll have more updates on an event for that to come later.


If you are still curious about the history of calendars, I've linked some of the resources I used to write this down below, perhaps you'll find yourself down the rabbit hole too. Namaste, friends.




 
 
 

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