Lora R Fisher Friday, March 18, 2011
Each year is marked with four high points and four median points in the calendar. Winter Solstice signals the turning of the 6-month cycle preceding it when the effects of the sun are waning, and the beginning on the new cycle of increasing sunlight and warmth. In the Northern Hemisphere, at least.
If science and anciet wisdom are correct, these cycles are part of larger cycles, so vast as to be barely discernible by human reckoning, although a few cultures seem to have had the capability of seeing outside the generational cycles of humans.
These have struck significant chords throughout the story of humankind and which resonate in Archaeology through symbols, writings, and architecture in every culture through the ages; from the Sumerian, Persian, Egyptian, Greek, Celtic, and Mesomerican: Olmec, Maya, Aztec, Mixtec and Zapotec; as well as the First Nations Peoples of North America, notably, the Hopi; to Taoism, the Vedas, and Zoroastrianism.
And, we are all familiar with Stonehenge (‘hinge’, as in ‘gate’), the pyramids around the world, and the Medicine Wheel. What these cultures have in common, aside from their common humanity, is a foundational belief in cycles and the interconnectedness of all life, including the planets in our solar system and beyond.
Springing from this awareness of planetary cycles, came celebration and ritual, most notably on the four cardinal seasons of the year, but also mid-cycle celebrations, giving us Groundhog Day (Imbolc), May Day (Beltane), August Eve (Harvest Festival of Lughnasadh or Lammas), and Hallowe'en (Samhain). As we all know by now, these high days of the year were usurped or borrowed by the Christian tradition, helping to make conversion to the new religion less distateful to the locals.
According to a number of calendars and cosmic precepts from a variety of religions, there will be an energy burst from the center of the galaxy coming our way, which, when it reaches Earth, will ‘reset’ Earth's systems.
A Fresh StartOpening The GateDo-OverBottle-neckThe Launch
Particle Physics posits that this is a profound, multi-dimensional reality in which we reside, and The One Constant of this reality being repetition of pattern.
What happens once, happens again ... slightly altered.
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Right around 1998, I experienced a moment of profound sadness for us as a species, which coincided with Pakistan’s detonation of an atomic bomb. The feeling in my gut and heart in that moment was that we had turned a corner, without the option to reverse direction.
I was also, at this time, connecting deeply with my Native American heritage and was experiencing a profound connection to Earth and her cycles. This was also around the same time that Hopi Elder Thomas Banyacya, came forward once again to warn the dominant culture that it was on a path that would culminate in species destruction at the end of our current age, The Fourth World.
Now, if it was just one wise man from a tradition I feel an affinity for ... we might be skeptical. But, with multiple traditions pointing to this moment in our species' history, it's not so easy to dismiss. The Vedas, Zoroastrianism, Judeo, Christian, in addition to the Maya and the Hopi, point to this time as, at the very least, a time of adjustment.
According to the Maya, we are at the end-point of a 5,125-year cycle culminating in the Galactic Alignment, when the center of our solar system is in alignment with the center of our galaxy. Whether one ascribes to a belief in the influence of cycles upon our lives, or not, this is noteworthy, even if it’s only to acknowledge a cycle that dwarfs our mere 100-year life-spans.
To my way of thinking, it is beneficial to pay our respects and to be reminded that our species is not nearly as important as we tend to give credit.
Cycles come and go. Civilizations rise and fall. The secret is to see it as a gift and an opportunity to be a part of creating a new cycle for humankind.
If it is too late to save the current world, at least we can celebrate the new.
Forest Light, Silver Falls, Oregon
©2010 LoraRFisher
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