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Posted by Jo Leath on Sunday, November 11, 2018 Under: The Miracle of Physical Life
Memories (a re-publish from November 2016)
Growth from Decay
My life is rooted at the edge of Gatineau Park, close to Canada's National Capital.  There are hundreds of hectares of trees; dozens of species. In Autumn they present an array of colours that does not translate easily to either language or digital photography.
In some human habitats autumn leaves are scooped up and transported away. I am lucky to live where the natural cycle continues, mostly uninterrupted, until snow impedes us: it is then that we feel entitled to move nature out of our way. Fallen leaves, wind-scattered and blown about retain their colours for a brief time. The rains and frosts move in, and slowly the shifting drifts of yellow ginkos; red and orange maples and browner oak leaves become still. They form multi-layered slabs of dark matter, melding into each other, so that no single leaf can be extracted. The forest floor receives this coating, and as the season progresses, with or without snow cover, the fallen foliage loses its structure.
When snow falls, or deep cold moves in, the blanket of leaves insulates the roots of the trees from which they came. They provide thermal protection for tender growing root tips which slumber through the shorter days.
What we see as 'rotting' vegetation is a vital part of the life of the tree. Molecules of leaf flow into the next part of the cycle, nourishing the ground, protecting the substrata, ultimately contributing to the next generation of leaves.
Decay is a human concept, and it is not negative. No part of nature is wasted or wasteful.
Failure to appreciate the value of decay is not limited to autumn.  Cynthia Occelli writes that “For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn't understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.”
2016 is a Nine year in Numerology. This means that systems and cycles are moving into completions and conclusions. For some this can feel like loss, for others there can be celebration as the old moves aside to make way for the new. A season has ended. It is time to look forward and identify the breakthroughs which are now available.
<Edit, 2018 is a Two year, in which relationships are at the forefront. New relationships begin, old relationships end, and all relationships adjust to the new and changing conditions of current conditions.> Re-framing our expectations will serve us well, especially if we are depressed or offended by what we perceive. As a part of a natural system, we cannot pick and choose the aspects we will honour.
When we resist change, we forget the vital importance of so-called endings. When we declare that the autumn leaf has ended, we are ignoring the truth that it transforms: the leaf and all of its component parts progress to what-comes-next.
Now is the time to clear away the detritus of the cycle as it closes, and anticipate the advantages of the learning we are taking forward.
The cycle cannot be moved in reverse. We have no option but to embrace what is here and now, and move forward, creating with intention. We, too, transform, and with every option available we can make the best and most of what comes next. .
I have  been supporting clients through change and growth since the 1980s.
For a consultation or other session, in person or by Skype click here

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