This morning’s local news announced the “first” baby born in 2024. That means the child born on December 31 in the evening was the “last” baby born in 2023. First, last – it’s like competition. The child born “first” will probably know all his or her life that he/she was “first.”

Will the child being born “last” know he/she was last?

This “new” year of the Gregorian calendar starts in Capricorn – the sign ruling structure and limits and rules and, oh, success and failure in this social world.

The child born December 31 late already knows a bit about failure while the child born a few hours later already knows about success. First counts. Last doesn’t.

Your birthdays, children, while hours apart will always be the “last” and “first” of the respective years.

Welcome, children, to the world of linear time!

Last is more festive than first

It’s quiet today in this northern hemisphere city. Folks are still waking from their end-of-year parties. While the child born December 31 is last, there is much celebration on the “last” day of the year. The energy was festive for his/her birth. He/she may even have been born hearing laughter and music!

The child born “first” this morning in this city will face a dreary, cloudy sky with a light dusting of snow covering the ground. New Year’s Day is different than New Year’s Eve as folks need to go to bed early tonight, may even now be thinking about work tomorrow and the work that needs to be done “this year.” All those goals to meet!

The child born first may be lying in his/her crib while the folks around are suffering hangovers and watching sports events. While this is the “new” year the energy is less festive as it’s the end of something – the end of the parties and cookies and fattening food and presents and lights; it’s time to get back to Capricorn routines and Capricorn discipline.

It’s Cyclical Time – Again!

As a very young child I didn’t understand how the adults around me could remember to have Christmas every year. How did they do it? I’d heard about something called “college” – is that where they learned how to do it? (Ironically, maybe so).

Our linear, material culture needs a beginning and end (and by default, a middle). Linear time creates the playing field for competition and measurement. Linear time wants continual, uninterrupted growth. But does that occur in nature?

Rites and rituals are part of cyclical time. Our modern, Western religious holidays follow the cyclical time of the seasons – the death in winter and rebirth in spring. Our flowers reincarnate. They look the same as last year’s flowers, but are they the same flower we smelled last year?

Are we different on January 1, 2024 from December 31, 2023? Will we be different on December 31, 2024?