Janus, known as the god of doorways, whch makes sense—the door to the past, the door to the future—is usually shown as an image with 2 faces looking in opposite directions (past and future).
In addition to doorways, he presided over passages, gates, change, and time. All of which are symbolic of the past and the future.
In the past, it was not uncommon to see a two-faced image on gateposts.
JANUS TRIVIA
The word Janus is the origin of other words like janitor, meaning keeper of the door. To be Janus-faced is to be two-faced.
A Janus words are contronyms, words that have contradictory meanings, such as dust—to remove dust or to sprinkle with dust, sanction meaning to permit or to prohibit.
The Temple of Janus was a structure in the Roman Forum where the doors were ceremoniously opened for war or closed for peace
Most Roman Gods had direct Greek counterparts, but not Janus. He was unique to the Roman pantheon.
The surname Janus can point to either ancient Roman ancestry or a more recent Central/Eastern European lineage, usually connected to the popular name John.
The name as a masculine given name entered the English language during the Renaissance when interest in ancient cultures and classical texts surged in Europe.
TAKEAWAY TRUTH
January is all about new beginnings and change so start a new project and change a bad habit for a good one.
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