Disclaimer: As we are coming upon the New Year holiday, I suspect many of you are busy with various activities, so reading my newsletter is at the bottom of your to-do list. Therefore, this newsletter will be a quick one, without anything of substance. If you don’t read it, I understand entirely. But please be sure to read next week’s. I already have a really cool topic in mind!

Well, here we are again at the end of another year! I hope it has been a great one for you!

What does the New Year really mean anyway? Nothing actually happens when the clock turns to a new year. I believe most thoughts we have around starting a new year relate to ourselves and our perception of the world around us.

Some thoughts that pop into my mind for me:

• A figurative chance to start afresh.

• An excuse to make lifestyle changes (i.e., losing weight, spending more time with the family, etc.)

• Another year wiser.

• Another year closer to retirement.

• Another year of college bills.

• A great time to review the prior twelve months and set goals and plans for the next twelve (I will be doing my annual review and planning over the next few days.)

• Another year older!

Speaking of another year older, I just mentioned to my wife last night that it is a good thing that I don’t age an additional year every time I celebrate a new year. Otherwise, it would get really old super fast!

You see, I currently celebrate four new years during each twelve-month period!

First, in the upper left, we have the “Regular” new year celebrated on January 1st as per the Gregorian calendar. (Photo by cottonbro).

The photo on the top right represents the “Chinese” new year. I celebrate this new year out of respect for my wife and children. My wife is from Taiwan, and my children are, accordingly, half Taiwanese. Chinese New Year is celebrated for about two weeks starting sometime in January or February. In 2023, it begins on January 22nd. The upcoming new year will be the year of the rabbit. (Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash).

The bottom left photo represents the Jewish New Year which is called Rosh Hashana. As my mother’s family is Jewish, this is a holiday I also “celebrate” out of respect for my family. These days, celebrating is mainly limited to a giant e-mail chain of mutual well-wishing with extended cousins and other family members. Rosh Hashana is celebrated in September or October and lasts for two days. In 2023, it will begin at sundown on September 15th. (Photo by Joey Dean on Unsplash).

And finally, the bottom right is the most recent addition to my celebratory list, Samhain. This is the Celtic / Pagan new year. I have discussed Samhain in more detail in previous newsletters. It is typically celebrated each year on the night of October 31st through the next day. (Photo by tengyart on Unsplash).

So, as I said, it is a good thing I don’t age a year for every new year’s celebration!

Philip Carr-Gomm Interview

If you have not done so already, please check out my interview with Philip. He is really a great interviewee!

If you enjoy watching this interview, please click on the YouTube link. This will take you to YouTube, where you can like this video and subscribe to my YouTube channel.

Also, note that this interview can be listened to on all major podcast platforms. See the below links.

Don’t Forget About My Upcoming Interview…

Paraic Donoghue - January 2023 - (Interview Temporarily Postponed From December)

Paraic is a native Irish language speaker. He was raised on the Connemara Gaeltacht in County Galway, Ireland. Paraic is committed to the preservation and growth of the Irish language, along with the culture that is inextricably linked to it. He currently provides private Irish language lessons to students all over the world.

We will be discussing what it was like growing up and living on the Gaeltacht, his views on the Irish language and its importance, and the customs and traditions of his Gaeltacht that may have derived from the time of the Celts or earlier.

The interview will be published on my YouTube channel and Podcast approximately one-week post-interview.

Have a great weekend, and Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!

My name is Mike, and I am a skeptic and recovering accountant just starting to make my way through the world of the Druids, Celts, and Pagans.

Join me on my journey as I use an analytic eye to extract what I believe to be golden nuggets of truth from these fascinating topics. My goal is to find valuable ways, practices, and insights to make your life better today.

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“May the Road Rise to Meet You!”

With a skeptical mind and an analytical eye,

Mike Guarneri

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P.P.P.S. - If you enjoyed reading this piece, I’d like to ask a favor of you. For a limited time, I will be conducting 1-on-1 Zoom calls with select members of my SubStack subscribers.

Think of this call as a Discovery Call. The goal is to discover your vision, goals, and challenges as they may relate to the Celtic way of life, druidism, and pagan practices. This call will be beneficial to both of us.

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