New Year's Day

Today is the first day of a new year in my part of the world. I celebrate many beginnings throughout my year, but January 1 has emotional importance because it’s the New Year of my childhood. 

January gets its name from Janus, the two-faced Roman God of gates and doorways; it's a month to look back with reflection and forward with hope. I stand at the doorway of this coming year with my mind open and curious, without fear or judgment, and with hope for the gifts that the year will deliver.

As I stand here, I remember that not all gifts are rosy. I thank the Creator for the shadows and mysteries, and potent gifts of sadness. When I live in the reality of the moment more than in my hopes and expectations, I can receive the riches that are hidden within my most challenging experiences - the gifts of compassion, self-awareness, creativity, wisdom, patience, love, strength of character, and integrity.

Agenda for today:

1. Christmas retreat

2. Kwanzaa principles

3. Set the tone for the New Year

4. Comfortable with Uncertainty

5. Zen pause

6. Make Seed Charms

7. Eat Hoppin' John

1. Christmas retreat:

I'm celebrating the last of the 12 Days of Christmas, and we are visiting with family, but I will continue to start each day with a time of reflection on themes and values to support the new year.

January is the first full month of winter, a time when everything is shrouded in mystery - the sky is gray, trees hold their buds tightly closed, and hidden seeds germinate secretly in the ground. In winter I sit inside the darkness (a cloak of comfort, or frosty blanket of snow), in a place where thoughts have no words, and the child is desired but not yet conceived.

January is when I consider the Greek injunction Gnothi Seauton - Know Thyself:

• How can I know myself better? What particular aspect of myself do I want to give attention to?
• And how can I create a comfortable level of Light in the dark?

2. Kwanza principle:

The seventh and final day of Kwanzaa is dedicated to the principle of Imani (ee-MAH-nee), which is faith. On this first day of the New Year, we have faith in our ability to find unity and peace, and live with love and integrity.

3. Set the Tone for the New Year:

New Year’s Day is a chance to start fresh, with a clean slate: How I act and what I do today sets the tone for all the days that follow.

Tradition says, on New Year’s Day be nice to each other and never punish children; wear your best clothing, and don’t work too hard. Many cultures also have a custom of visiting friends and relatives early in the New Year to share food and strengthen their bonds.

Setting the tone for the year:

• I'll start the day by reading from "Comfortable with Uncertainty," by Pema Chodron, to mark my intention to study equanimity and loving kindness skills.
• I'll practice my zen pause several times, to honor my resolution to practice patience.
• I will take a long walk, to honor my resolution to move.
• When I get home from my walk, I'm going to play games with my family to model a year that is restful and fun.
• I'm also going to work on my Seed Charm project, in order to start the year with creativity and depth.

4. Comfortable with uncertainty

One of my New Year's resolutions is to practice patience: I intend to study equanimity and loving kindness skills, and practice them diligently, because learning how to tolerate my uncomfortable feelings will allow me to transcend the anxiety, impatience, and indignation that sabotages my witness to the world.

One of my favorite books on this topic is Pema Chodron's book,"Comfortable with Uncertainty" (2002). She talks about being a warrior-bodhisattva, a warrior for love. She says the path of a bodhisattva goes downward, rather than upward - as if the mountain we are climbing points to the earth, not the sky. We are not trying to avoid suffering, but rather move towards it, towards turbulence and doubt, insecurity and pain.

Pema says, "At our own pace, without speed or aggression, we move down and down and down. ... At the bottom we discover water, the healing water of bodhichitta. Bodhichitta is our heart - our wounded, softened heart. Right down there in the thick of things, we discover the love that will not die."

5. Zen Pause:

Rituals are a patterned way to enact moral emotions, such as compassion, awe, empathy, gratitude, joy (and so on). I developed this little equanimity ritual several years ago, which I try to remember to use when I'm waiting, or my patience is challenged by someone:

1. Plant feet firmly on the earth (picture a mountain - be a mountain); name how I am feeling.

2. Touch heart, and soften (relax shoulders, slow breathing); hold my feelings in love and light. 

3. Touch head, open mind, and expand thinking. Embrace the paradox of chaos and the still center.

 

6. Make seed charms: 

I've been creating some New Year seed charms, small fabric tokens that contain actual seeds, images, and words. I've finished one for my sister, and I started two more. My intention is to create these beautiful pieces of art that gives us each a New Year blessing, and connects us to nature and to each other, because being rooted in earth and family will make us invincible.

I've printed this tag to go with the charm:

Seed Charm

A charm is a token worn or carried to bring good fortune. I made this charm by hand, with love and intent, especially for you, which ensures it will be strong medicine.
This charm contains 5 apple seeds. Seeds are a source of growth, and a gift of Creation, and the apple is a symbol of Love and Health.

 
I hope this charm brings you love, health, and a strong connection to the earth and all Creation.

I have a vision for the next two charms: Sunflowers, which have tons of symbolism: Happiness, Truth, Peace, and "Turn to the Light".

I've gathered floss and fabric, and I'm going to start to stitch today.

7. Eat Hoppin' John: 

In many places legumes (beans, peas, lentils) and cooked greens (cabbage, collards, kale, or chard) are consumed at New Year's because they are symbolic of money; legumes resemble coins, and greens look like folded money. This delicious recipe comes from the American south.

We make this recipe every year from the leftover Christmas ham bone; but I'll make it in a few days, when I'm home from traveling.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 c. dried black-eyed peas
• 1 ham bone
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1 onion
• 1 green pepper
• 1 large carrot 
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1-2 c. cooked ham, cubed
• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp. fresh or dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red chili pepper flakes
• salt to taste
• 6-10 leaves of kale, collards, or beet greens

Yield: Serves 6 to 8-

1- Place black-eyed peas in a large soup pot over medium-high heat with the ham bone; cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until peas are tender, about 45 minutes.

2- Meanwhile, dice the celery, onion, green pepper, carrot and jalapeno. Mince the garlic. Stem and chop the greens. Cube the ham.

3- Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add ham, diced vegetables (but not the greens), red chilies, thyme, and bay leaf and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 minutes.

4- Add black-eyed peas along with 2 c. of the cooking liquid (add more or less as desired), and the greens. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until greens are tender, about 1 hour.

5- Remove the bay leaf. Add salt to taste. Serve with cornbread or biscuits. The more you eat the larger your fortune in the coming year!