There are at least two ways of looking at the warm weather of December 2023, and it depends upon your belief system as an optimist or a pessimist. For the pessimist the nice travel weather and brown Christmas (at least in Moose Jaw) mean that we are in for some terrible weather and major snowstorms in the New Year. On the other hand, an optimist believes it indicates an auspicious start to the new year for those travelling and wishing to have a short winter.
Auspicious means suggesting that future success is likely. It implies a prosperous time to come. Auspicious was first used in English in the late 16th century coming from the Latin word auspicium, derived from auspex, which means ‘bird seer.’ Auspex combines the Latin words avis (bird) with specere (to look at).
Here is the story of auspicious. In ancient Rome, the auspex were priests who studied the flight and feeding patterns of birds, then delivered prophecies based on their observations. The right combination of bird behaviour indicated favourable conditions, but the wrong patterns predicted trouble. The flight of birds was thought to be an omen from the gods. If a bird swooped down or soared up, it might mean good or bad luck for a person. But only unique individuals were able to read these signs correctly. The art of predicting the future in this way came to be called auspicium. A reading of bird actions was taken each time a person or the state was about to take an important step, such as marriage, a new business, or war. Although auspicium could mean either good news or bad news, when auspicious came to be used in English, it was always used of something positive.
Favourable, auspicious, and propitious all imply pointing toward a happy outcome. Favourable means that the circumstances are advantageous. There are favourable weather conditions for those travelling to and fro this New Year’s Eve. People who are approving or helpful can be described as favourable. She has a favourable view of her co-workers on the project. Auspicious applies to something taken as a sign or omen of promising success, in connection with its Latin roots. My golf scores at the end of last year foretell an auspicious start to the Spring season, at least in my view. Propitious implies a continuing positive condition. With interest rates poised to drop it seems a propitious time to move funds from interest paying cash accounts into the stock market.
As we move through this Christmas season into the new year, I pray your family relations, spiritual feelings, and loving friendships bode an auspicious beginning to 2024.
On Christmas night all Christians sing to hear the news the angels bring,
On Christmas night all Christians sing to hear the news the angels bring,
News of great joy, news of great mirth, News of our merciful King's birth.
Then why should men on earth be so sad, since our Redeemer made us glad,
Then why should men on earth be so sad, since our Redeemer made us glad,
When from our sin He set us free, all for to gain our liberty?
When sin departs before His grace, then life and health come in its place,
When sin departs before His grace, then life and health come in its place;
Angels and men with joy may sing, all for to see the newborn King.
All out of darkness we have light, which made the angels sing this night,
All out of darkness we have light, which made the angels sing this night:
"Glory to God and peace to men now and forevermore. Amen."
Glory to God in highest heaven, who unto us His Son has given!
While angels sing with pious mirth a glad new year to all the earth.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
