copyright Bela Johnson, published by The Maine Eagle, November 2001

As we enter into Winter, we can observe Nature releasing what She will not require in the cold months ahead. Energy in plants moves inward, growth slows and finally stops. Leaves shed from deciduous trees and even some evergreens' needles turn yellow. Frogs aestivate and other animals hibernate, mimicking something as close to death as to be mistaken by the uninformed as death, itself. And indeed, many life forms will and do die with the bitter cold. Ecclesiastes III says, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven," including, "a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to cast away ... a time to gather." Nature seems well informed and accepting of how and when to let go. It is a necessary step in the process of renewal, regrowth and rebirth. We in Western culture are less accepting of this inevitable cycle of death, in fact physical death is something we fear, reject, and forestall at almost any cost.

Buddhism teaches the practice of NONATTACHMENT, or the ability to release what one no longer needs, so that a person may differentiate between perceived needs and real ones. All of us need a roof over our heads, food to eat, and clothes to wear. Yet knowing how and when to let go is difficult in a culture based on consumerism, a process whereby we are conditioned to endlessly gather and strive. Consumerism fuels the economy we have created to the degree that many of us do not know where to stop in the gathering. Much of this gathering is focused on the material and monetary. Paradoxically, our currency is labeled with the epithet "In God We Trust," suggesting a kind of surrender to the Divine and faith in its ability to provide for us, even as we are spending this currency to assure self provision. According to Webster's, trust is synonymous with faith, the "unquestioning belief that does not require proof or evidence." Yet even those of us who practice faith do not always trust. We pray, ask, look for signs that our prayers have been answered and, failing this, we attempt to figure out and control the outcome of events and circumstances. I'm not saying this makes us good or bad as people. It's simply the way we've been conditioned to operate in a stressful, competitive society.

We compete with others in the workplace, we compete with Creator in providing what we perceive we need, and need NOW. Even though we have been assured, time and again through scripture and sacred texts of all persuasions that our prayers are absolutely answered and that Creator provides for all our needs, few of us have engendered the patience of Bear or the trust of Birch that food sources will be renewed and that leaves will bud again in the Spring. Nature can be a great teacher and healer, if we observe Her long enough. As the sun rises, it also sets. Electric lights have broken our natural circadian rhythms where we sleep and arise with the light provided by Creator. More often than not, we fall into bed exhausted, sometimes requiring medication to do so. We crank our eyes open with sleep-shattering alarms, busy minds and caffeine. After years of this kind of abuse, we then wonder why our bodies start betraying us.

Real healing, as opposed to crisis intervention, begins with getting back to basics. We are blessed in this area of the country to live close to Nature. Many of our dwellings hug the forest or overlook a vast green ocean. We can learn to let go by observing Nature's cycles, the tides coming in, going out. We can sit, breathe, and visualize ourselves as part of the cycle of death as Winter approaches, letting our stressful thoughts and worries flow out on that same breath. We can embrace change rather than fight against it. Especially this time of year when Fall projects seem endless, we can realize we might not finish everything, but what we complete will be enough. We, like Chipmunk and Frog, will survive. Like Pine, part of us will continue greening, while like Maple, part will fall away. It is all in Creator's plan. And we human beings play an important part.

As more of us become engaged in a reflective process whereby we allow ourselves time to simply observe Nature and let go of busyness and distractions, we honor the circle of life on which wholeness depends. Petty annoyances may evaporate on the out-breath, and eventually we may find larger aggravations hold less power over us. As we attune our hearing to Loon's last cries, knowing we will not be graced by her beauty again until Spring, we become more trusting of the ebb and flow of inevitable changes in our own daily living. We become more open, more accepting of the cycle of life. When we embrace life's cyclical nature, we honor the valuable process of death, as well. We know that after dying to false hopes and expectations, we receive new life, fresh energy with which to regenerate and renew. One cannot exist without the other.