Roman Devotion · Devoción romana
Every beginning has a threshold: the first morning in a new home, the first page of a venture, the first step toward a hoped-for opportunity. Janus, called Jano in Spanish, stands at such openings in Roman religion. His two faces invite us to imagine a doorway with a view in both directions.
The god with the key
In the first book of Ovid's Fasti, Janus appears to the poet holding a staff and a key. He explains his double face through the image of a door with two fronts. His charge includes openings and closings, entrances and departures. This is Ovid's literary presentation of a Roman god, not a universal description of all threshold spirits.[1]
The poem also connects beginnings with auspicious speech and New Year gifts. Dates, figs, and honey stand for a sweet beginning; coins enter the conversation about prosperous wishes. Our practice uses a drawn coin and spoken blessing, leaving historical food and incense offerings within their source context.[1]
Recognizing Janus
York Museums Trust discusses a Roman silver coin dated 225–212 BCE with the two-faced figure identified as Janus on its front. Such objects let us meet religious imagery in everyday material life, alongside poetry. Two faces are an identifying motif here; they do not mean that Janus is deceitful or “two-faced” in the modern insult.[2]
Our original opening spell is for a fresh venture: a new shop project, course, craft, or application. It can be offered devotionally to Janus if that fits your practice. Keep him in his Roman setting; this blessing is not an Eleguá, Legba, or Hoodoo road-opening ritual.
Documented motifs & shop choices
| Key and staff | Attributes in Ovid, Fasti 1, beginning at line 89. |
|---|---|
| Two faces and a doorway | Ovid’s explanation of watching both ways; also present in Roman coin imagery. |
| Good words at a beginning | A New Year theme in Fasti 1.171–188, adapted here to an ordinary new venture. |
| Gold mark and an opening fold | Original shop symbols for opportunity and a willing first step; no fixed planetary or chakra claim. |
Original shop spell: open the first gate
Gather: one sheet of paper, a pencil, and a small envelope. An unlit candle or flameless candle is optional, purely as a focal point.
- Make two doors. Lay the paper horizontally. Fold the left and right edges inward until they meet in the middle, making two flaps that open like a gate.
- Name the opening. Open the flaps. In the center write the venture you are beginning. Below it, draw a small coin and write one fair opportunity you welcome: a useful introduction, a willing customer, or a chance to show your work.
- Set the terms. On the inside of one flap write, “I enter with care.” On the other write, “Others choose freely.” Close the paper gate.
- Offer your words. Say, “Janus of the opening way, receive my greeting at this beginning.” If you prefer a nondevotional working, say, “I greet this beginning with care.”
- Open the gate. Unfold both flaps slowly and speak this original charm: “Good words spoken, gate made wide, welcome fair chances to my side. With willing hands and honest art, let this be a fortunate start.”
- Cross into action. Complete one prepared first step, then place the folded gate in its envelope beside your work supplies. When the venture changes or ends, thank the working and recycle the paper.
No burning, offerings outdoors, or access to anyone else's property is needed. Keep paper away from heat and candles unlit. The spell welcomes possibility without guaranteeing income or another person's agreement; ordinary planning and consent remain part of the work.
Journal prompt
What would a fortunate beginning look like in one small, recognizable event?
Sources & further reading
- Ovid, Fasti 1.89–226, translated by James G. FrazerPrimary Roman poem: key, staff, double face, beginnings, and New Year gifts.
- York Museums Trust, “Roman Coins: Behind the Scenes Highlights,” Alec Boyd and Kerrie HoffmanMuseum discussion of the two-faced Janus image on a Roman silver coin.