CYCLES AND SEASONS

    There is a thought in Buddhism and also in paganism, that all things have their season and cycle. If we apply this reasoning to every circumstance in our life it will surely help us to gain a new perspective. In our modern world, we often panic when change comes into our lives: If we should lose our job, a loved one passes away, or we find that we have to move to a new location. The occasions for change are many, and often we dread them more than welcoming them. And then there is the case of chronic worry of things that have not yet happened. For example, what if I lose my job? What if my husband or wife leaves me? What if I were to become ill or die. Whatever the case may be, if we apply the principle of seasons and cycles we can begin to trust in the course of nature in our lives. The seasons change, the cycles of the moon come and go. The many creatures and critters that thrive in the summer months, pass when the autumn approaches. But this does not stop them from living their lives and doing what nature has programmed them to do. And it should be so for all of us; we know that nothing will last forever. None of us will live forever, at least not in this world anyway. So why worry about loss and change? Why feel so defeated and sorrowful when people or things exit our lives. When the clouds come, we know the sun will shine again. When the winter snow covers the ground, we know that spring will eventually come. To every ending there is a new beginning. We should not fear these changing seasons in our lives, but rather trust in the cycle of nature. We do not know what lies over the next horizon. But we see, in the wisdom of the universe, that where there appears to be death, new Life emerges. Trust in this fact, and do not let the fear of change paralyze you or the cycle of time leave you in ruin.