ArlenJ.com
September 16, 2020
December 31 is traditionally a day of excess indulgence in the Western world. Kids love staying up late, while adults try their best to make it to midnight after long days of drinking. January 1 marks the New Year, the time for renewal, resetting and reflection.
The first New Year’s Eve celebration is said to have taken place circa 2000 BCE in Ancient Mesopotamia. It was an 11-day festival during the March (vernal) equinox, the last half of the month. It makes perfect sense as spring, in the Northern Hemisphere, is a time of renewal. Bears wake up from hibernation, flowers are blooming and animals are mating. Thus the Mesopotamian New Year coincided with natural phenomena that happened every year.
The January New Year
The Ancient Roman calendar also celebrated the New Year in March, in accordance with the lunar cycle. Sosigenes of Alexandria was an astronomer from Egypt who claimed Greek nationality. Details of his life are scant. What is generally agreed upon by historians is that Sosigenes consulted Julius Caesar in designing the Julian Calendar. It followed the solar year instead of the lunar year. The new calendar took effect on January 1 in 709 anno urbis conditae (AUC), the equivalent of 45 BCE. There was no astrological or otherwise significance for choosing the date as the New Year. It was simply mandated by Caesar and remains to this day.
A December 2019 survey by YouGov found that a good majority of New Year’s resolutions have something to do with losing weight and being healthier overall. Saving money is also a common resolution. January represents winter, cold and inactivity. It’s impractical on its face for January to facilitate renewal and revival. That’s why a 2018 survey published by Statista found that only 4% of Americans fulfilled their resolutions.
Mesopotamia, other cultures got it right
The Mars Retrograde commenced on September 9 and spans through November 13. It coincides with the theory of an energetic New Year beginning in October. This retrograde is about warriors sharpening their blades and practicing restraint. It is a time for discipline. Many cultures tend to agree that September is the time to plan for New Year’s for execution in October and the remainder of the Gregorian year.
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. It is always celebrated sometime in September or the first few days of October. Enkutatash is the New Year holiday in Eritrea and Ethiopia. It takes place on September 11 or 12 every year. Anne Marie Chaker published an article for the Wall Street Journal in 2016. She pointed out how September is back-to-school time. But she also cited studies showing that September is when people join gyms most often and the month people decide to change careers.
Conscious command pre-New Year
The United States is not changing its New Year’s traditions anytime soon. But men can control the way it’s utilized and how it impacts their lives. Those who begin planning their New Year in September have 90 days of momentum by the time January 1 rolls around. While others are just starting out, you’ll have been in full sprint mode for over 12 weeks. Men are then able to let up and move into a marathon pace in January when the energy is lower in frequency. Further, 90-days is plenty of time to form new habits or cease bad ones.
Conscious command is the goal to close 2020 strong. The ALPHA by Prodigy Mindset™ Gym connects men to their Internal Monologue System (IMS) that manifests ideas and thoughts into tangible accomplishments in life. Mid-frequency alpha brainwaves represent in-the-moment mindsets necessary to both procure and execute actions, emotions and reflections. Conscious command is crucial in these times of uncertainty and political unrest across the country.
Learn more about the ALPHA by Prodigy Mindset™ Gym today.