A Year in itself is a measurement of a complete cyclical process, and is a Cosmic-Cycle in miniature, a microcosm of the macrocosm, often associated with the visual symbol of the Circle or Ring, such as in the relation of the Latin words “annus” and “anus” meaning year and ring respectively. Interestingly for the etymologies of these two words, meanings such as “old crone”, “old woman”, “grandmother”, and “to go” are also found. In European mythology the cycle of cyclical existence is often watched over by the Fates or Norns, as well a cycle in itself implies movement or action forward. Additionally, the Hebrew word for year, “שָׁנָה”, means “to repeat”. By extension, the Year is also associated with the ring that is the Zodiac cycle. Its nature as a cosmic cycle in miniature too brings itself to mean more than just its simple 365 day structure.

Within the Cycle of the Year is contained its own rising and passing, ascendant and descendent, and evolutionary and involutionary phases, and by necessity due to the nature of the Ring it heralds its ultimate return of the same cycle. The phases of the seasons correspond with states of life, spiritual states, elements, world ages and so on, and the Ring that represents it can be divided between two hemispheres, one spiritual which runs from the autumnal to the vernal equinox with its ‘midpoint’ being the “gateway of the gods” that is the winter solstice, the other hemisphere corresponding to the material running from the vernal to the autumnal equinox with its midpoint being the “gateway of mankind”, the summer solstice. The Greek symbol of the Ouroboros, the serpent coiled in a ring biting its own tail, too is divided between half White and the other half Black, and itself represents the concept of cycles and ages.

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Every fourth Year arrives an extra Day in what is called the “Leap Year”, and effectively reflects the principle of transcending the cycle and “Karma”, i.e the concept of action and attachment thereto which keeps one grounded or trapped within the endless cycle of life and death. Here in the leap year is to be found a concept of oneness and also liberation from the cosmic cycle into eternity, permanence, ‘death’, stillness, between the gateways of the gods and mankind. This is reflected even in mundane life, in that people who are born on the day of the leap year jokingly can say that they ‘miss’ their birthdays and so age ‘slower’, adding a year only once when the day finally appears, a bit of a cheat to the maintenance of youth. This day in the year exists outside of the cycle, in a realm that is timeless and does not participate in what in Sanskrit is called Samsara, the “cycle of aimless drifting, wandering or mundane existence”.

The Irish myths too have their own way of expressing this metaphysical concept, for them it is within the symbol “a day and a night” which is a symbolic equivalent to the concept of “a year and a day”, in stories between The Dagda, who is one of the gods or ‘Tuatha Dé Danann’, who controls life and death, time, the seasons and who is associated with magic, Druidry and wisdom (likened to the Germanic god Odin, the Gaulish Sucellos, and the Roman Dīs Pater) and his son Aengus, a god associated with youth and poetic inspiration (much like Odin’s son Baldr). In these stories, The Dagda, in one way or another yields to Aengus or helps him receive the home of Brú na Bóinne, requesting to live there for “láa ogus oidhche“, an ambiguous term since Irish has no indefinite article, which the sentence could either mean “a day and a night” or “day and night”. Through this Aengus receives Brú na Bóinne for all time – adding further meaning to Aengus’ association with ‘youth’ for eternity.

This oneness of the “day” in the “year” or the “night” is the opening which allows escape from the cycle and exit from the endless circle.