OUR CYCLES
Living in tune with the cycles of our life is simply observing and responding to the rhythm and cycles of nature; the seasons, the moon and its phases, our tidal system, the constellations of the stars, our own personal cycles and our bodies in respect to the whole.
We cannot escape the fact that:
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We live on a planet that continually circles around the sun in a 365 day cycle we call a year.
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The moon moves around the earth in a 28-day cycle (approx) and its cycle influences the cycle of the tides.
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The 24-hour rotation of the earth around its own axis gives us the cycle of night and day.
It is well known and documented, that throughout our history people have lived in relationship with the cycles and rhythms of nature. A cycle is simply a return, always coming back to the point from which we started, be that a birthday, a weekend or a tax year. For example, we might see our year stretched out in front of us like a road, starting on January 1st and ending on December 31, but the truth is we live in a cycle and that means each 365 days (or thereabouts) we have come full circle, i.e. in this example, January 1st once again. But are we the same person as this time 365 days ago? Has our life changed in any way?
LIVING IN TUNE WITH THE CYCLES OF LIFE
The Role of Cycles in our Life
The end of any cycle, which is also the beginning of a new cycle, whether it be a day, a week, a month, a year gives us an opportunity to stop and to look back over the cycle and reflect, to honestly observe what happened and the choices we made.
This is a stop moment, a moment to consider the choices we will make going into the next cycle, to deepen our commitment to what is needed in our life and discard what is not needed.
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is there is anything we would have done differently or not at all?
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are there some choices we wish we hadn’t made?
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do we feel we have evolved since the beginning of the cycle or,
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do we feel we are still in the same place doing the same things and having the same outcomes?
So what cycles can we easily identify in our own life? There also may be some we have not yet recognised.
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daily cycles – sleep, school, work, meals, tides
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weekly cycles – working week, weekends, shopping, cleaning
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monthly cycles – moon, menstruation,
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annual cycles – birthday, Christmas, tax return
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seasonal cycles – spring clean, planting, food, sports, clothing
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emotional cycles – do you notice yourself getting angry at the same people, the same situation over and over again
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And there may be more which are personal to just us
Our relationship with these cycles affects our daily lives more than we choose to be aware of. In fact, by ignoring these cycles we are missing out on our connection to the wisdom of our bodies and the universe. For example the moon affects our tides but do we actually consider it may be affecting us as well? We’ve all heard the stories about what happens at a full moon but could there more to this? The following blog explores what the full moon is reflecting to us.
Our Cycles and our Health
Everyone can relate to the cycle of New Year and the resolutions we choose to make, but do we give the same focus to the daily cycle of sleep, where on waking each morning we are offered a reflection as to the quality of our previous night’s sleep? Or do we head straight for the coffee or check Instagram? Taking time to reflect offers us the opportunity to make a different choice as to what time we go to bed, how we prepare our self for sleep or what time we feel to set our alarm.
With the rise in current ill health conditions, is our body actually calling out for us to honour and work with its natural cycles, its wisdom and flow? To do so it is important to understand that we cannot escape the fact that our body has cycles and that they are there to support us as we live in every moment of our day. If we make the choice to work with them this support is always there but if we fight or try to change them we will inevitably feel the consequences in our bodies and in our lives in some way, possibly through illness, disease, injury and exhaustion to name but a few.
So how aware are we of our everyday cycles such as:
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Our day and night
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Our work day, the school day
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Our breathing
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Our digestive cycle
Do we honour, respect and live within these cycles or are we always trying to change them? Our day and night cycle is a good example of this, as with daylight saving we have more daylight in our waking hours over spring and summer, as well as bright lighting so we can stay up later, whereas in the past we would have gone to bed when it was dark. And with the advent of 24-hour television, all night gyms and supermarkets there is definitely so much available to help us avoid the sleep we need.
But why is it we fight the natural cycle of a body that is ready to go to sleep and rest?
Is it possible that we simply have not been taught, from a very early age, about our cycles and their importance in supporting our health and well-being, how the cycles of our lives affect our body and what happens if we try to go against them?
Ways we Fight our Natural Cycles
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We stay up late to watch TV or do something else when our body is exhausted from our day and is ready for bed
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Women want to control their natural monthly cycle and then fight the onset of menopause, another natural and normal cycle.
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As parents we often can’t wait for our baby to sit up, walk, talk etc, often forcing instead of allowing them to unfold in their own rhythm, their own cycle of development
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Kids want to grow up fast and adults want to slow life down.
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As adults age we often try many ways to slow down the ageing process. Some continue to fight it to the extreme - Botox, surgery, endless exercise.
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We try to put off dying or if terminally ill, sometimes want to speed up the process.
Our cycles are always offering support and the opportunity for change but our resistance to live with respect for this natural way of living creates a tension and sense of disconnection in our lives.
It would seem more apparent than ever, that from the current state of the world and the constantly rising statistics of illness and disease, both nationally and globally, we are being asked to return to this known and natural way. And the more we tune in to what is taking place around us and what is taking place within us, the more we will naturally return to this way of living.