Planetary Yin-Yang

Besides being a lot of fun, perusing Southern hemisphere blogs is an excellent reminder of how northern hemispherically centric I am. There's more to earth than the northern hemisphere! More than the U.S. More than DC! Hello!!

For instance, until recently, I imagined most of the yearly cycle as absolutely unbalanced, because of the disparity between night and day, and also because of the extremes of the seasons. In spring, it's hard to imagine fall, and vice versa. How small my imagination can sometimes be!

Anytime I'm willing to think whole planet, instead of my little corner of the planet, it's easier to understand that the ebb and flow of daylight and seasons is actually in perfect balance.

Summer is winding down for Pod and Vanilla, while here it's winter that's fading. The energy is gathering and dropping down into the earth in S. Africa and Australia, while here, the rising energy of spring is pushing up and out.

The cycle of seasons is a classic yin-yang rhythm when looked at in a holistic way. Right now the earth is inhaling summer down under and exhaling spring up here. Hmm. That's not quite right, is it? Even circular breathing requires that in and out take turns. Maybe the heart is a better metaphor. By virtue of its four chambers and special relationship with the lungs, the hardest working muscle in the body can simultaneously pump in and out. Wow. A salute to the human heart as well as to this complicated and beautiful planet!

Of course the equninoxes are special moments of even more perfect balance, because day and night are equal partners on those two days no matter where you are on the planet. That kind of balance is sublime. It passes quickly, especially if you think in terms of earth time. Twenty four hours is as nothing to this gorgeous, living, breathing planet.

Even as old as I'm getting, 24 hours is still a nice long time to contemplate the rhythm of the seasons. These meditations open my mind and heart, bringing joy and wonder. The world is spectacular, isn't it? And, too, I'm so grateful to my southern hemisphere blog kin and friends for reminding me there's more to this planet than meets my eyes, oh yeah. Thanks, ya'all!!