On January 3, I visited my optometrist after I had "misplaced" my spectacles on the last day of 2022 and ushered in the Gregorian new year with a slight migraine and questionable vision.
In my interpretation of things, I concluded that maybe I needed to rely more on my spiritual vision or third eye to navigate this season.
I emphasise the Gregorian origin of the new year because I observe the African new year in the Gregorian month of September. This doesn’t mean that I don’t wish people compliments of the season at what is widely known as the new year. It just means that I do not necessarily make resolutions or practice any magick associated with celebrating the new year, because it is not my new year.
I’ll still go out and do the happy new year, 3-2-1 Happy New year kiss acceptable by pop-culture standards. You know, just for vibes.
My debut act of adulting this year was sorting out my vision because, well, I still need to see, right?
I went to my optometrist's rooms, at Midway Mews in Midrand, and chatted with him and about three other people who all complained about tiredness bordering on fatigue. Tellers, e-drivers, and especially fellow patrons, all complained about tiredness. They didn’t seem too jolly about the new season either.
“How anti-climactic,” I thought to myself, especially as I contextualised how compliments of the season flew around when I was a child. Suddenly people are moody and un-interested?
My mind grew increasingly plagued as I interacted with more "tired" people. I thought: "Do I have a tired energy? Is this why everyone around me is tired?"
I considered that we are transitioning from the festive season, where there is a great culture of over-indulging in food, drink and other substances.
The physical, emotional and psychological toll of over-indulging is often only contended with in the first days of the Gregorian new year. We can sometimes be very cruel to ourselves, in how we hold ourselves accountable, for not being able to control our indulgent behaviour. I ask that we be a tad kinder, hey.
The non-making of resolutions at the dawn of the Gregorian new year is not something I did intentionally at first. I didn’t always have access to indigenous knowledge. I grew up mildly anxious, so I often adopted the mindset of doing things at my own pace. Making resolutions at the same time as everyone else just seemed anxiety-provoking so I’d wait until the second or third week of January. As I grew, I acquired the language to express how overwhelming the energy is at the start of the Gregorian year. It is outrageous.
My intuition against making resolutions at the start of the new year was recently affirmed by a conversation I had with my bestie, Asande. She was babbling on about energies, as she does, and she said: “I get why people are so restless at the end of the year. It’s because Mercury is in retrograde. The first retrograde of the African new year, so we are just ready to go wild.”
She was speaking about the general indulgent and nonchalant party crazed behaviour largely displayed by South Africans in December. My initial thought was: “Ah, I knew this was a terrible time to make resolutions!” My thinking was around what the retrograde means in terms of making life altering decisions and commitments. Let me explain.
Every few months, Mercury (the planet of communication), which typically moves faster than Earth around the sun, slows down and moves slower than the earth, this is known as Mercury retrograde. Retrograde energy tends to then affect our communication skills, and unnecessarily impede progress. Issues with technology can be expected.
We are discouraged from beginning new relationships, business ventures or even taking leaps during the retrograde. Rather we are encouraged to slow our pace while we review our progress, while simultaneously healing friendships and strained relationships. Introspection and the practice of patience is prioritised. I am not altogether discounting the power of resolution which when practiced can include fun things like vision boarding and so forth.
Nor am I trying to govern when you celebrate your new year. That sounds a bit too colonial for my liking. I am simply offering a better understanding into why resolutions and positive intention turn to dust when manifested at the wrong time. I am also hoping to offer (unsolicited) advice on how to navigate the Gregorian new year energetically. I lastly hope to encourage you to be better and kinder to yourselves.
I say, use this time to reflect on the goals you set for yourself last year. Practice forgiveness towards yourself if you betrayed those goals and yourself in any shape or from. Reflect on the loves gained and lost. Reflect on who you have become spiritually. Let go of hurt feelings and unrealised love interests. Be in the moment, live in the moment. Be thankful of the moment.
Wait until the end of January to set any new goals, the retrograde only ends on January 18. I believe that retrograde energy is powerful and has the capacity to loom, that is why I lean towards the end of January.
Compliments and enjoy your 2023.
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