[Looking at history and our area’s unique political and religious attitudes.]

January. Few other words give as clear an idea of a new beginning. January is derived from the Roman god, Janus, who was the deity of beginnings, transitions, and passageways. He is shown with two faces, one looking back at the past and one looking forward to the future. He had his only set of feet pointing forward. The philosophical implications are huge. Even if we are made to look forward and backward, the design is to move ahead, with the experience of the past.

Intriguingly, no one gives a second thought that January is a foreign god derivative, but say genesis and some less erudite get in a pickle about using religious words. Genesis derives from the Greek word meaning origin. The root is the same as gene, generation, genealogy and hydrogen.

English is largely a cross-cultural derivative language. Consider the remainder of the months which are based on the Roman calendar. Februa was a festival to spring cleaning. Mars was the god of war. Aprilis means to open like buds of spring. Maia and Juno were goddesses. Julius was the emperor Caesar. Augustus (Octavian) was his great nephew. The remaining four months are from the Latin numbers for septem, octem, novem, and decem, seven through ten respectively. Those were the numbers of the months, before the Caesars were inserted.

What is the etymology of the days of the week? These are primarily from gods also. Sun was from Sol’s day, a Roman god. Moon was the lunar celestial feature, Tiwes was Anglo god of war, Woden was Anglo king of gods, Thors was Norse god of thunder. Frige was Norse goddess of fertility, Saturn was Roman god of fun.

Not only does the calendar show ancient derivatives, it also recognizes their deities. Is it not interesting that so much of history is steeped in ancient religions? The same people who routinely use these heritage, are adamant against use of Jewish origins and subsequent Western derivatives found in the Tanakh.

Should scrubbing the ancient Tanakh references necessitate redoing the calendar and all the Greek and Roman influence? It is a heritage and history, whether you invoke it as a religion to you. The discussion directly relates to the use of the Jewish derived Bible in classrooms as a historical record. Parts of it have been around 3500 years. The youngest parts have survived two thousand years. Does any other history book  match that?

Back to January. Many start the month with resolutions to do something better. Every four years in January, we change the Federal government leaders. Like no quadrennial change that I can recall, the incoming cabinet and department leaders are being vetted in the public forum.

Compared to most government transitions, there is more optimism than I can recall. Historically, things have gone on pretty much as the past, regardless of leadership. A hope and guarded expectation of a major correction bringing a ‘golden era’ persists even among much of the opposition. That in itself is a new beginning.

New beginnings cannot be discussed without reference to the dramatic weather of a few days ago. Near record snowfall covered our part of the state with 7.5-inches. Snow blankets the terrain like nothing else. From the new yellow-green of spring to the dry-green of summer, the golden red colors of fall comes the barren browns of winter. But a blanket of snow changes that. The gnarly limbs become arms lifted in white. The barren rocks become bodies enshrined in snow. The frozen ponds become a perfect plane of pristine white.

From religious analogies to commercial comparison, perfection is ensconced in a simple phrase ‘white as snow.’

Few things can match the majesty of snowfall and the first morning after, when evidence of human activity is covered. But wait three days. The sloggy, piled-up, dirty snow reminds us to keep looking forward as Janius.

I recently read two epitaphs. These reminded me there is an ending for everyone. The time after the dash is fulfilled. Regardless of station, a transition awaits us all. But that is the opening to another new beginning on the other side.

Think about it. Periodically we need the reset of new beginnings. The seasons force the process. The weather can make it beautiful. The government change brings new hope. Then consider the ultimate new beginning.