Autumnal Legends : Prologue

by Dayran

Poets speak of autumn as a time of sleep for the earth. They also speak of cycles in the seasons and of preparing for the re-awakening. It is a time of shadows that creeps into the dreamy states of summer. For the folks of the temperate regions the earth mixes with their colors for a vibrant physiology of life. It makes for a fascinating relation to the world and creation.

 

The experience may have been viewed as the progeny of life itself … the studies first attracted the shamans whose realization of the concepts led them to their womenfolk. When the women began their involvement they were viewed as fertility symbols but later progressed into medicinal purposes as Wicca. The complete list of contributions may actually be inexhaustible.

 

As human societies began their realization on the reliance on food and shelter they started farming. But the growth of mind and the social relations of emotional support needed something more. A simple experience helped with knowing what to expect the next time. It began a practice of do's and don'ts, it erected a totem to represent authority, it cultivated aphorisms of wisdom and laid the foundation for social values and norms.

 

Man was growing … we advanced in terms of physical appearances, developed desires, music became a passionate experience … and communication grew into words. Before we knew it we realized we didn't want to lose the things we have come to know and adore. It was the beginnings of joy and happiness and it developed into love.

 

We must have sought to preserve what we had. We needed new ways to be secure in our lives and to advance it further. We found our relations with the perception of the creator and formed the basis of a relation. We encountered death, disease, failures, wars and even separation from the relations of the group.

 

In retrospect, what may have begun as a carefree, playful attitude and personality grew into an institution of governance, power, authority, law and punishment. It is observed to have caused a split and today we see the practice of liberalism and conservatism in all walks of life, in politics and in the great world divide between east and west. These are like two pillars on the gate of our vision mounted with lions. They rule us today.

 

In recent years we may have come to understand more about them … enough to know that we need both and we need to find a way to have them work better together. The autumn leaves turn yellow and leave their branches. Life renews itself at every season.