Sunrise In the San Luis Valley
Each day is born with a sunrise
and ends in a sunset, the same way we
open our eyes to see the light,
and close them to hear the dark.
Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem
Another cool, still morning. Cloudless dawn. Quiet after a band of raucous pinon jays noisily flitted through the woods. The soothing sound of Cottonwood Creek in the distance. Hummingbirds waking, making their way to the feeder. Zadie Byrd sleeping soundly nearby.
Another cycle begins within the myriad cycles of life. Cycles of Gaia. Moon cycles (a full super moon coming tomorrow). Planetary cycles and cycles of the stars. Cycles of our bodies and each cell within. Cycles of time, of Nature, of Self. Bicycles and tricycles to carry us on our cyclic journey.
Mystically speaking (at least as I understand – and Muse doesn’t seem argumentative on the point) there are no beginnings or endings. ALL is energy and flow of that energy in cycles. Rising sun brings light of day. Setting sun leads the way to the darkness of light.
We ebb and flow likewise navigating events of these cycles in cycles of our own and cycles of the collective. We experience times of clarity, focus, and action as well as times of confusion, questioning, and the stillness of inaction. These fallow times may cause angst in our culture that places so much value on getting ‘things’ done. Muse smiles, reminding me of the ‘should’ word: our culture’s quick path to inducing guilt.
We experience times of receiving and times of giving, neither more blessed than the other, as each is integral to thriving in communities of life. Just ask a tree.
Summer, the season we in the northern hemisphere are currently experiencing, calls us to the outdoors to experience the longer light of day. In this cycle of heightened activity aligned with other cycles – growing and harvesting food, preparing for winter, enjoying the bounty of local produce – I appreciate simply sitting, being with the beauty of Nature that surrounds me.
Muse nods in agreement and adds that awareness of these cycles supports our sense of the legions of cycles operating in our world and of their intensity. Economic cycles. Climate cycles. Cycles of war and peace, division and unity. Cycles of civilizations rising and falling. Cycles. Cycles of life.
Awareness of the cyclical nature of life from the micro to the macro (and back) somehow strengthens my belief that life in this vehicle now is but a tiny part of the sojourn of infinite life. Important? Yes – each point in time, each life is. Yet this life is by no means the whole story. I notice that being with life from this cyclical perspective calls forth curiosity, compassion, love, gratitude, care. It deepens my understanding and acceptance of what is while calling forth new ways of walking in our world.
Amidst gratitude for the experience of this life and compassion for the suffering of humanity and our planet home, I wonder ‘What cycles are rising?’. What cycles are waning? What is emerging? What new cycles have yet to surface?
I carry those wonderings into the beginning of year 10 of these weekly musings. Today’s post marks the cycling of nine years (468 weeks!) since ‘The Zone’ (which pivoted to ‘The Pivot’ in 2020) began. It’s been quite a ride and I am grateful to all who journey with Muse and me each week. I’m cycling into the next nine years with that gratitude, along with curiosity about life’s ongoing evolution and a commitment to this weekly date with you, with Muse, and with creation.
Sunset