New Year, New You?

It seems like almost every other magazine or online article in January starts with this title, doesn’t it? And just what does it mean? Can there be a new you? What is it that makes the sudden change from the old to the new, when it is only a calendar day apart? What magic is this?

There are many different new year’s traditions from all over the world, celebrated at different times of the year. Here is the western part of the world however, it is the 31^st December and the 1^st January where the shift happens, where things start afresh, where we have tabla rasa, a clean slate. Or so many would like to think.

Now, I’m not going to poo poo anyone who wants to make a change. Change is great! It means we are developing into our best selves, our truest selves, into forces that make positive change and impact upon our world in whatever way we can. In our secular society we have a whole ritual set up on new year’s eve to achieve this, so why not take advantage of it? When the clock strikes midnight we begin the year anew often with resolutions to better ourselves and in doing so, better the world, for change can only start from within.

It’s wonderful to have this ritual. But can there really be a new you? Or are we working with what is already there, what lies deep within that is buried beneath the weight of years, circumstances, emotional upheavals and general life experience? We often confuse what is new with what is pure, unblemished, something that is perfect in and of itself. But that purity simply does not exist. Nature is compounded, biodiverse imperfect and just plain messy, but it is still wonderful. There is no such thing as purity in nature. We are all made up of different things, originally from star-stuff and beyond. We are all intertwined, and cannot be separated into distinct categories for the sake of purity. If you love and adhere to the cycles of nature, you know that there is no such thing as purity, and that it is a human construct.

Instead of looking for purity, perhaps we should seek out authenticity instead. Our true selves, who we are and who we are meant to be are both one and the same. It’s all there, waiting for us to discover it. When we do this it might feel new, but it really has been something that has lain within us all along.

Many resolutions in the new year relate to happiness and health. These are wonderful goals to strive for and achieve in your daily life. But they have been there all along, in some fashion. It’s not a new you that you are discovering, but rather shifting your perspective and strengthening your resolve to notice and make the changes necessary for that to happen, rather than finding terra incognita.

The magic has always been within, and is not dependent on a calendar date.

That being said, it’s good to have these rituals, for they remind us to do the thing instead of letting our lives roll past without acknowledgement or change. I’m all for rituals, I have many in my life as many of you know from my body of work. And at the beginning of each year, we are given leave by secular society to make new rituals in order to become better people, so who am I to argue this?

This year I’ve committed to two things: to get into better shape and to be more compassionate, especially to those in my inner circle. I’ve let my physical ability slide a bit in the past year, which usually occurs when I’m in a writing year cycle, and spend way too much time at my keyboard typing away. I’ve also noticed that some of this time has been spent on social media when it could have been better spent elsewhere, and so along with getting in better shape and being more compassionate, I’m spending less time on social media too. Over the winter holidays while I spent time with my family in Canada I did not do social media at all for nearly three weeks, which I found amazing and liberating. The constant barrage of other stories, not to mention advertising, was really starting to wear me down, and so I needed to create a space of silence where I could hear myself again.

This year is a “research and experience” year for me. As an author, I need to take time to recharge and try new things so that I have new things to write about. I may even take two years this time to do so, to allow the new experiences to deepen and fully integrate into my soul. Along the way, I will keep to the resolutions that I made at the beginning of the year as best I can, holding myself accountable while still listening to my needs.

Can there be a new me? No, not really. I am made up of my past experiences and the choices that I have made in my life, which have all led me to where I am now. And in all honesty, I wouldn’t want to be a new me, because then I would have to disregard all the past experiences that I have had, for good or bad. Instead, I am returning to a truer and more authentic part of my being, one that listens, pays attention, is compassionate and active. One that sees the magic in the world, and celebrates it with every moment. One that pushes forward, and not getting mired in the past. This will be a change in my current modus operandi, but it will not make me new person.

Magic is change, often in accordance with will. And so let’s make the magic happen.