Thursday, October 29, 2009

Shedding the Colors of Illusion


“Events tend to recur in cycles.” ~ W. Clement Stone



I sat on my deck, yesterday afternoon, and watched the pouring of leaves carried by a warm mid-afternoon wind. The colors were mesmerizing – bright gold, buttercup yellow, fiery red and rusty – and as the leaves continued to fall, the trees began to suddenly appear a little less full.

The steady stream of colors bunching up on the ground led me to think about the passage of seasons, and I soon got on a roll thinking how similar those seasonal changes are to the cycles we routinely go through.

Especially during this latest economic crash, it is even more evident how life works in cycles. As the leaves of materialism are steadily shedding, many find themselves vulnerable and at the mercy of unfriendly currents. Once the illusionary protection of the leaves is gone, the trees are left out in the cold and can only go dormant for the winter. During that time, they go through a process of regeneration which will gradually prepare them for renewal in the spring.

Similarly, as the blanket of security we have learned to associate with material possessions falls, we remain frightened and at the mercy of the elements even if the core of our being rests assured that the present cycle will draw to an end, and new beginnings will ensure survival. As we go within, we reconnect to our true selves, and are able to discover what our strengths and weaknesses are.

No low can last forever, just as any high would be robbed of its value if we were never reminded of it by occasional obstacles threatening to take it away.