As I’ve already discussed in an earlier post (Welcome To 2014) 2014 is a very special year.
Following on from the challenges of 2013 it’s bringing in a breath of fresh air and people are already talking about how much better this year feels when compared with the beginning of last year.
In addition to 2014 being a special year this week is of major importance.
As we know the Chinese New Year began on January 31. That is the first day of the new Chinese month and the New Year is celebrated until the 15th day of the month, which this year will be February 14th.
You’ll easily recognise that date as another very special one – Valentine’s Day.
But it’s not over yet.
The Hebrew calendar commenced a new month on Friday night the 31st January. This is the month of Adar.
According to Jewish tradition “In the month of Adar we increase in joy.” The Jewish calendar is a solar-lunar calendar ie it combines the movement of the Sun and the Moon, unlike the secular, or Gregorian calendar, which is based on the Sun only.
The effect of this is that a Jewish leap year adds a whole month, not just an extra day. The additional Month is Adar.
This year is a Jewish leap year and so we have two months of Adar ie two months in which “we increase in joy”.
Now you might say, “How can I add more joy? Surely, how I feel is outside my control and if I’m not feeling joyous then what difference does it make what the month is.”
The point is, we do have control of how we feel. It may be that’s one of the few things we really do have control over. We can’t control events around us but we can decide how we’ll respond to those events.
Neuroscience and the studies of brain behaviour have consistently shown that by smiling and laughing, even if we don’t feel happy, our brain chemistry changes and we start to feel better. Years ago Charles Schulz illustrated this principle in his comic strip Peanuts.
In the West, Valentine’s Day is about celebrating romance and the soft, feminine parts of our nature. For the Chinese it’s the celebration of the horse – a year of energy, vibrancy and excitement. And for the Jews it’s a year with a double dose of joy.
The point is, the cosmos is vibrating with lots of joy and celebration at the moment.
We can join this and ride the wave of excitement or we can ignore it and continue in our own negative, depressed state – it’s our choice.
I’m hoping you decide to choose joy and we all have an awesome and fun 2014.