The Cycle and
Mankind
Everything in the universe moves in cycles. Mankind’s evolution from beasts to human beings plays out this Universal cycle, as does the human lifespan from infant to child to adult, into old age and death.
Instinct is where we begin in both our evolution as a species as well as individuals.
As infants everything we do is directed by instinct. Both children and animals are endowed with an undeniable wisdom that comes from being connected to that instinctual system. A system that has an unfathomable depth we see embodied in the natural world around us.
The problem with instinct, however, is that it compels behavior without the capacity for reflection. For example, a jaguar kills a baby zebra. It simply does what instinct has directed it to do without compassion or moral judgment.
It was only when we evolved as a species or mature from children to adults that disconnecting from this collective ‘will’ allows us to develop a will of our own, a separate perspective.
As separate from it, we become able to judge behavior as good or bad, or to relate with empathy to another, in this case the poor baby zebra.
The energy of the Universe flows in a cycle. All manifestation is the playing out that cycle; night, morning, day, evening, winter, spring, summer, fall. Round and round our physical universe goes.
The human lifespan runs through the cycle as well.
We come into being knowing nothing but our body’s instinctual wisdom. As adults we disconnect and establish ourselves in the mind.
As we move towards the end of our life spans, our bodies once again call the shots; call us back with physical deterioration, to return our attention back to an earlier level of connection. And of course it’s our bodies that in the end tell us in inescapable terms: “Game Over”. Death heals our division, bringing the separation between body and mind to an end.
Viewing mankind’s evolution in the same light, I think it’s reasonable to say that our species has reached the stage of adulthood. Clearly we are disconnected from our bodies and our instincts. We abuse our bodies with unhealthy habits and over work, unable to be guided its wisdom.
We devastate the planet we inhabit as though our behavior will have no impact on us. At this point, if we continue in a linear direction, we will bring about our own destruction in the none-too-distant future. Social and economic conditions clearly illustrate this point
It is only through reconnecting to our instinctual knowing that we can once again be in harmony with ourselves and with the rest of the Universe. Obviously there is no way to ‘undo’ evolution. We can’t go back to being apes.
The truth hidden in the spiral is that returning to where we began IS the next level of existence because WE have been evolved. The instinctual wisdom we seek is the very thing we had to move away from to become capable of finding it again.
We’re no longer compelled by instinctual functioning. Now we are capable of choice and have developed the capacity to appreciate the beauty and mystery of this incredible Universe. Through reconnecting, we can once again gain access to the depth of nature's wisdom. The wisdom that will guide us and teach us how to heal ourselves and our planet. The wisdom that has been within us and all around us, and yet for so long out of our reach.
