Starting Anything in January is a Setup (Especially if You Live in the Northern Hemisphere)
White European men really fucked things up. I dont know who exactly decided that January 1, the new year according to the Gregorian calendar, is the day to start new things, but they got it ALL the way wrong. Actually, I blame Pope Gregory XIII and Julius Caesar….it’s their fault.
Beginning, implementing, to starting anything in January, the dead of winter is one of the biggest setup and means for capitalistic propaganda that I have ever seen.
For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, January falls smack dab in the middle of the time of stillness, slowness, rest, regeneration, hibernation, & coldness.
There is NOTHING about this time that suggests that newness, fresh starts, or implementation should be the primary focus. January should be a time of nourishment and restoration, of planning and thinking.
Starting a new resolution, habit, or major life change in January is NOT in alignment with natural cycles and guess what? WE ARE NATURE. Western society has done a great job at making folks forget, but that’s where people like me come in to remind the collective. Although we have been caught up in the machine that is our culture, we ARE NOT machines and we live our best lives when we align with cycles of nature.
When thinking or talking about starting new things in your life, there are natural cycles to sync up with:
The seasons: the best time to start something new is SPRING TIME! As winter would be a better time for prepping, meditating, planning, mapping. Spring time is a wonderful time to hatch your ideas, birth your visions. Summer time is a GREAT time to put fire underneath something you have been working on. The sun is high in the sky: so energy is high! Capitalize on the sunlight & solar plexus energy.
Ayurveda: Vata – late fall to early winter/2-6pm and 2-6am. Pitta- late spring to summer/10am-2pm and 10pm-2am. Kapha- winter to early spring/6-10am and 6-10pm. Vata [air + ether] is characterized as light (re:weight), fast moving/mobile, subtle, dry, and cold. Vata is in charge of movement. Pitta [fire + water] is characterized as hot, sharp, liquid, and light. Pitta is uncharge of transformation. Kapha [water + earth] is characterized as heavy, slow, cold, dense, soft. Kapha is in charge of stability/structure.
Astrology: Astrology is a great cyclical system to sync up to in regard to what you’re hoping to achieve. The signs go from fire, to earth, to air, to water and each sign holds its own vibrations and characteristics. Leo season is great for getting bold and big. Virgo season is great for getting grounded and for planning…so on and so forth.
Moon cycles: New moon. Waxing moon. Full moon. Waning moon. Again, each have their own characteristics. Time to go be with the self. Time to emerge. Time to get fired up & plant seeds. Time to retreat back to the self.
Personal moon cycle for the humans with a uterus aka menstrual cycle: Folicular stage, Ovulation, Luteal, Bleeding time. These stages actually align with the stages of the moon cycle, but not everyone is in alignment with the moon (and that is perfectly fine!). You can use your own rhythm of your own cycle to navigate what you choose to do.
Personal new year (aka birthdays): I personally find that releasing or starting something around my birthday works really well for me. My birthday also happens to be right in the middle of April aka peak spring time. If your birth day happens to fall in winter months, you might have the energy of your sun sign to assist you. I would also suggest centering your changes around the characteristics of your sun sign.
I think that the best time is NOW to change your life for the better. All of this is NOT to say that starting something in January will automatically fail, I’m suggesting that it’s not the OPTIMAL time. If you are set on starting something in January (or anything between fall-winter), I would say to align with astrology & or moon cycles. Look to the skies!
I say all of this to say please be gentle with yourself especially if you suck at committing to new year’s resolutions. As humans, and especially as melanated humans, starting new fiery things things that require a lot of energy at the time of the year when the sun is barely out is not the best of ideas. We are a part of nature. WE ARE NATURE. So please give yourself grace and find another system of time or cycles to sync up with.
What are your favorite cycles to link up with? What cycle seemed most interesting to you?