Trust the Pattern

Trust the pattern. These words have been echoing in my ears and my heart for many days now. Trust the pattern. Trust the pattern of Creation: the cyclical pattern of the Seasons, the ebb and flow of the moon, the pattern of all life on Earth, the pattern of death and birth seen in the Universe.

We experience this pattern with our bodies as we travel around the Sun in our yearly pilgrimage through the seasons. As the Sun begins to warm the air, we see Spring with our very eyes as new shoots spring forth from what appeared to be barren ground, we smell Spring as the scents of blossoms are released into the air, we taste Spring in the clear run off as melted snow becomes a mountain spring, we hear Spring in the excitement of the birds. Likewise, we experience the heat of Summer, the bounty of Fall, and the quiet of Winter. Each Season offers its own qualities, its own beauty, and its own lessons. We can trust this pattern. This pattern of the Seasons is repeated, not only yearly, but daily as well. The Sun rises in the East. The Sun travels through the day from East to West and disappears allowing the quiet of the night to reveal the glory of the moon and stars. The Sun rises again. We can trust this pattern. We see the universal pattern of death and birth in the natural world: A seed is planted, it germinates, a new plant grows into maturity, there is harvest, the plant fades, dies, and becomes part of the Earth where it nourishes new life--the cycle repeats. We can trust this pattern.

Reflecting on the Natural Cycle of the 8 Directions, something I am practicing in my Nature Connected Coaching program through Earth Based Institute, I created a Natural Cycle Mandala in my outdoor sit spot. The Natural Cycle reminds us that the pattern of the day mirrors the pattern of the Seasons, and the pattern of our life. Spring is like the morning, when the East brings the excitement of the morning Sun. It is a time of birth, new life, and inspiration. As the sun moves through the Southeast, we prepare and set intention for the day. Summer is like the middle of the day when the Sun is at its zennith in the South and we are busy with our daily tasks, focused on learning with the zeal of a child. Moving through the Southwest, we rest after a long day's work, our time of adolescence before adulthood. Fall is like the late afternoon or early evening. As the Sun sets in the West, we are reminded of the Autumn harvest, we gather in community to share a meal and tell the stories of the day. Facing Northwest, we prepare to let go, to surrender, to regenerate. The North of Winter is like the night, a time of quiet resting in the dark, when the Sun disappears--and we know it will rise again. In the Northeast, in the darkness of the in-between, life begins, conception, germination. The cycle starts anew. We can trust this pattern.

Each moment is etched into the Bigger Wheel, the Bigger Mystery we call Life--like spiraling rings expanding into eternity. Our own lives flow through these concentric rings.... in our own times of crisis, we face the North, a time of Winter, a time of darkness. And we know..... this is the time when life begins.... in the quiet darkness of dawn before the Sun's rise in the East.... in the invisible in-between time.

I find myself in this mysterious in-between time right now as we face this confusing global crisis--the time of COVID 19. I am facing North, surrendering, open and raw, feeling the great sadness and suffering of our global community and my own frustrated fallowness. And yet, I know that new life is coming. I know that North leads to the East. To get to New Life, I must go through the North as difficult and dark as it seems. It is in the invisible darkness where we are held, supported, and protected--like a seed hidden in the deep recesses of the Earth, extending its filaments of roots into the soil, being nourished, as in the womb of the Mother--letting new life begin. And even though our collective experience is out of sync with the Seasons and what we "should" be experiencing, I can trust the Pattern....