The Garden of the New Year

[Guest guest]

The Garden of the New Year<br>Inner Culture,

January 1939 <br><br>The echo of the sorrow and laughter

of last year<br>Has died away.<br>Now the

encouraging, hope-imparting song-voice of the New Year,<br>Is

resounding through us.<br>To remodel our life in a new

way<br>As we enter the portal of the New Year.<br>All weeds

of worries of the past year must be left

behind<br>And never brought back.<br>The seeds of all joys and

achievements, all hopes,<br>All good habits and thoughts, all

noble desires,<br>We must garner from the forsaken

garden of the past year<br>And sow them on the soil of

new effort<br>Of every day in the New

Year,<br>Watering those good seeds of last year's

experiences<br>Until our life becomes a fragrant garden<br>Of rare

flowering qualities.<br>Each New Year comes<br>To awaken

our habit-driven Spirit<br>To make new

effort<br>Until the Eternal Freedom<br>Is usurped from the

hands<br>Of ever-pursuing Karma.<br>Let us all,

hand-in-hand,<br>With ever-enlivened, unending, united mind,<br>Walk

and dance forward<br>Until we reach the Home of

complete fulfillment<br>From whence we return no

more.<br><br><br>by Yogananda