January literally means “the month of Janus.” So who is Janus?

He was a Roman god of “beginnings, endings, gates, doorways, journeys, transitions, and time.” Easy to see, then, why this mythological being is the one who presides over the first month of the year.

Janus is traditionally depicted as having two faces, one looking forward and the other behind. Though I certainly don’t believe in Janus as a god, I can absolutely appreciate him as a representation of something crucial to the human condition.

Transition and change is a part of life. And though turning over a calendar to a new year is an artificial beginning in some ways, it’s a reminder of something we need to do–maybe not on a given day of the year, but at some point.

We must pause, sometimes, to look at where we’ve come from and where we’re going. When we go through a door, we’re both exiting a place and entering a new one. Each beginning is also an ending–and each ending a new beginning. When we set off to go to one place, we’re leaving another.

Throughout these changes and transitions, both sides of the coin are important. Look ahead, yes…but also look behind. It’s not living in the past, it’s remembering where we’ve come from and how it’s shaped us.

So as we set off into this near month and new year, swivel your head around to look in both directions. Remember the year left behind. Scout out the year ahead. And know that this ending, this beginning, is held not by a Roman god, but in the hand of the God of the universe, who can look out over all of eternity in a single glance.

Word Nerds Merch!