Everything returns to its source in the seasons of nature. The outer unites with the inner at the end of its full cycle. Each seeks its essence that is buried deep within. The life force doesn’t die; it just takes a well-deserved rest, and simultaneously begins preparing for a new cycle. In your own life, you can observe these natural cycles as well. Spring begins with the conception of an idea. The idea becomes manifest into thought, and action soon follows. Summer flowers forth all that you have manifested in your life. You apply what you have brought forth in the first cycle. All the good and the bad come to the surface to be displayed in the outer world. Your daily life is filled with the fruits of your thoughts. What you have thought, so you have become. Autumn releases the fruits of your labor, and commences to shed and discard them from your life. Winter closes the cycle begun so urgently in spring and starts the inner process of contemplation and inner renewal. You turn inward and think upon what was began in spring, brought forth in summer, and harvested in the autumn phase of your life. Each phase is a necessary part of your growth cycle. Without one, the others are not possible. If you get caught up in one phase, you are never able to grow into the next stage of your learning experience. Stagnation in one phase keeps you from partaking of the full cycle of manifestation and learning. There are those who become stuck in one cycle or another. Some are forever in the "spring" cycle of life. They are constantly gathering and accumulating. Theirs is a life of independence and a self-centeredness that keeps them focused within their own private worlds. Their energy is directed around themselves and how others can please them. Then there are others who become locked in the summer cycle of life. They are enjoying their fruits of labor; savoring all that has come of their hard work. They are content in their lives; they have gathered their fruits and are now enjoying the benefits. They party today, for tomorrow may never come. Life is one big affair to be lived to the fullest without thought of what is to be in the future. The autumn phase brings a shedding of old patterns. There are those that are continually changing, never really satisfied with who they are. They are always looking for new and exciting ways and things to fill their time, yet nothing really seems to satisfy them. Each new item purchased doesn’t fill the void, the yearning for something more. Each trip to another place, an exciting new romance, the latest car, is a thrill for the first couple of days or weeks, sometimes even a few months. Then, when the newness wears off, it takes its place upon the discarded heap of material and emotional goodies piled all around it. The winter phase begins a withdrawal from the outer life, and an inner focus takes one on an internal adventure. Yet for some, the inner adventure never ends, but continues to intensify, and the search for personal one-sided satisfaction keeps them distracted, with their attention incessantly focused upon themselves. The direction tends to gather around the questions, What will bring me the greatest satisfaction? How can I fulfill all my wishes? What will please me the most? We all can find ourselves in one or another of these phases. The benefit of watching Mother Nature is that she is so wise, continuously changing her focus. She starts with the new buds, nurturing and protecting her bounty. She blossoms into the beautiful gifts she so willingly and openly shares with others, and gives most abundantly to anyone she meets. She never thinks what she will receive from those she blesses with her presence, gladly sharing with one and all. Nature teaches us that all life is one big cycle; you continue to grow through each new cycle, learning what is needed and then moving to the next cycle of existence. Nature also teaches that in order to find yourself, you must first lose yourself. You shed your fruits, your leaves, by giving selflessly of yourself to others. Your greatest gifts are those that you enjoy with those less fortunate than yourself. A superficial look may give the appearance that you have lost your mind. Why would you want to give away your hard-earned labor so that you can share yourself with others who are needy in some manner (whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually)? You will discover that when you give of yourself, you receive abundance back in a myriad of ways and are truly blessed many times over. In my life, I can identify all four stages precisely. There was the initial "spring" phase. Being an Aries, I was naturally inclined to this phase, and felt very safe and comfortable in the spring gathering process. Spring was even my favorite time of the year. I loved school, and accumulated all sorts of diplomas to prove — to myself and to others — that I was an intelligent and worthy person. Yet, being the perpetual student, forever searching for that elusive something, I was never happy. I wasn’t satisfied with what I discovered in my searches, and kept experimenting with new avenues of thought. I gradually discovered that this searching was an ego-centered approach that kept me from truly living and being what I had learned. I wasn’t living my truth, because I was too caught up in the ceaseless accumulating process. Now, there is nothing wrong with searching, yet if you keep searching, and continue gathering more and more information but never assimilating or using it, you are never quite sure who you are, because you are always looking to an outside source to validate you. You don’t feel whole, because you have not identified who you really are, and thus you turn outward in that search. In recognizing that you are a divine aspect in the panorama of life working itself out in your outer drama, you discover that you had the answers all along but didn’t have the courage to seek within and manifest that knowledge in your outer life. Once you discover that inner beauty, you turn around and deliver it forth in the summer phase of your existence. Your nature starts to blossom, and all the locked-up inner beauty starts to naturally shine out for all to enjoy. In the autumn phase of existence, you take what you have learned and shed the old patterns that are no longer useful to you. In the winter phase, you draw your strength within, and renew and regenerate yourself into the living beauty you were meant to be. We are all living beauties in the making. Let’s begin to acknowledge the beauty we discover within ourselves and flower forth this natural essence of who we are in our everyday lives, in our everyday encounters with everyday people. Why keep it locked up within? Who are we waiting for? Why wait for that special one to come along? Why be selective with our inner beauty? Let’s take a lesson from nature and shine our light to everyone we meet, wherever we may find ourselves: with family, friends, coworkers, and those we chance to meet during our daily routines. Let’s flower forth our natural beauty and enjoy the beauty we discover all around us — whether in a person, a wild or domesticated animal, or any aspect of nature. Let’s be willing to sacrifice ourselves in order to grow more beautiful, to be more than we are by merging with the life essence that we discover within all the kingdoms of nature. Celebrate all the cycles of life. Live every day to its fullest. Send gratitude to all that have blessed your path and helped you grow into who you are today, starting with your parents. Welcome change, for through change you become more tomorrow than you are today. Change forces the little bud of life to grow into a magnificent flower of beauty. Karin Pekarcik is a freelance writer living in Anaheim, California. Feel free to e-mail Karin at <karinjulia@earthlink.net>. |
We all recognize the changing seasons of nature. Spring greets us with its fresh new beginnings. Everything starts vibrating to a quickened rhythm. Nature starts awakening to its inner beauty. Summer follows, with the fruits of what was begun in spring. Autumn brings forth changes within; leaves start falling from their source. Fruits sweeten. Winter completes the cycle. The fruits of the cycles past are harvested, and nature once again turns inward.