The great cycle of Motion and Repose
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The great cycle of Motion and Repose
The most fundamental rhythm of all things in the universe is a twofold cycle. This is the great cycle of Motion and Repose, the in-breath and out-breath of all life, of all form.
The entire universe has this rhythm at its core and this is replicated throughout the universe in every aspect, and it could be said is also found in all universes within the multidimensionality of all that is. This is a huge concept to grasp – that absolutely everything, known and unknown, physical and non-physical, in three-dimensions and beyond, is following a grand law integral to all. And that great universal law or cycle is found within each of us as human beings. We experience this with every breath, we live it in night and day, in sleep and wakening, and we walk it left and right with every step. It is the great cycle of Motion and Repose, and we know it inside and out.
We cannot begin to comprehend this cycle without first connecting with the circle. The circle is perhaps the most beautiful and simple of all geometric shapes. In three dimensions this becomes the sphere, in one dimension it is the point. In nature and throughout the universe we find circles and spheres and in their imperfection we term them ellipses and orbs. The planets of the solar system are orbs orbiting the sun, and their orbits are elliptical.
When we breathe a breath, in and out, we complete a cycle. Our lungs are empty of air (so to speak) and we breathe in, filling them with air. We pause (perhaps) and then breathe out, and our lungs return to being empty. To return to the same state is to return to the same place within the circle. The first half of the circle is the breathing in; the second half of the circle is the breathing out. This is simple, yet powerful to feel and know. Our planet rotates on its axis giving us night and day, a flower opens and then closes, an animal is awake and then is asleep. Our planet rotates around the sun giving us winter and summer, a bear hibernates and then roams the earth, a tree loses its leaves and then grows a whole new canopy. We see here how a single circular cycle impulses forth corresponding cycles in other life forms.
To appreciate cycles, to feel their power and know their expanse, is to know life in all its complexity: to grasp this fundamental truth of the universe brings it all to simplicity. The circle in its absoluteness has no beginning and no end, and it has no directionality – it just is.
As soon as there is movement then the circle has rotation and objectivity, it exists in relation to another, or another exists in relation to it. As a result of these phenomena a two-fold cycle comes into being. As one object moves in relation to another, a cycle is born. We have a very obvious example of this on Earth when we observe the Moon: we clearly see its phases as it completes its monthly cycle around the Earth.
The power of the full moon is obvious as it lights up the night, as it pulls on the tides and as it allows us to feel a deepening inside. Yet there is more to the full moon than this for it marks a time of transition. The two weeks prior to full moon is a period of building, as the moon appears to increase in size each night. This is equivalent to the in-breath, going from empty to full. From the moment of full moon, the cycle moves or wanes towards new moon (the term ‘new moon’ actually refers to the time when the moon is completely not visible, being overshadowed by the Sun’s light. This two week period between full moon and the following new moon corresponds to the out-breath.
Returning to the in-breath and the out-breath, to breathe in is to to come to one’s self. The very act of taking a breath of air into your body brings your awareness to yourself. The air is coming to you. You are receiving the gift of life: this is gorgeous to feel, the pure blessing of receiving, of accepting and being filled with the essence of the universe that we are part of. In this we can feel why the in-breath relates to the principle of femaleness, and hence also relates to the quality of repose. There is a divinity in this, in the breathing in of life, in the receiving of that which comes towards us, and this is present within both men and women, as it is in all creatures, all life-forms.
The out-breath is to give the breath that we have back out to the universe – this relates to maleness, the principle of giving, of offering. And this we all do with every outward breath. To feel the responsibility of the out-breath is to realise that everything we give, and how we give it, affects the world around us. And so this part of the cycle relates to the quality of Motion. The circle in its divine wisdom shows us how that which flows in one direction returns to itself, and so the cycle of birth and rebirth illustrates this.
When we connect with our body, stop and sit with ourselves, we generally feel one of two things.
We may feel the tenderness of ourselves, asking us to go deeper, feel more fully, and allow ourselves to drop into the stillness. This stillness is a surrender to the femaleness within; it is reposeful. We are then feeling the body’s need for confirmation, a respect for the natural quality of repose. We can easily judge this as laziness, as a waste of time or as unproductive. Yet it is simply a natural part of the rhythm of life, of all life. We see this in nature, in all animals and plants and in the movements of the planet itself.
Of course, we do not always feel like dropping into a state of repose. Equally, we may find that what our body is asking of us is encompassed by what is termed ‘motion’. Motion does not just mean ‘doing’. The quality of Motion describes how we move in our day-to-day lives. To be in motion does not mean to be rushing and pushing, absorbed in outcomes and trying to be as productive as possible. Rather, motion is the quality of expanding ourselves in relation to where we find ourselves. This could mean taking on new work, new study or projects. It could equally mean making changes to our diet or exercise regime, developing relationships or changing our wardrobes. Motion moves our evolution on, perhaps changing our direction or altering our course. Motion involves change, stepping forward or stepping up, and it always brings greater awareness and opens our eyes.
Where repose is confirming where we are and who we are, motion expands our experience of ourselves and takes us to a fuller, broader sense of ourselves. Repose deepens where we got to while in motion, and motion expands what was confirmed and solidified in repose.
Motion and Repose are the balance of the universe; they are the natural qualities that support the process of our evolution.
Again we can sense from this the quality of the circle, the completeness of the endless cycling from one state to another, from waxing to waning, from night and day, from inward to outward. We feel this in our bodies when we connect and allow what is spoken to be heard. And there are many levels to this also. There are cycles changing daily, and indeed throughout the day, as well as those associated with the year and the month. The lunation cycle for example, with its two-fold rhythm, can be used to support our own connection with whatever cycles we are working with. And so the building towards full moon could be towards one’s expanding possibilities (motion) or the deepening and confirmation of all that is (repose).
To be in touch with the cycle of Motion and Repose is to be both with ourselves and with the entire universe. It is an honouring of ourselves and of the grand harmonious balance that is the universe. The rhythm of Motion and Repose is as applicable to the Moon as it is to ourselves, and far grander cycles found within the universe.
If fact, as we find ourselves within the era of Aquarius – a period of time lasting possibly longer than two thousand years – we are presented with an era under the impress of Repose. The previous cycle of Pisces, which we have been living with for the past two thousand years, was also an era of Repose. It is perhaps a challenge for us as individuals to comprehend these vast cycles, yet they are indeed offering us many great lessons. It could be said that we are truly learning as a species to receive our destiny during this time, to allow ourselves to fully embrace our evolution, to be with ourselves, as the gods that we truly are.
Filed under
Universe, Body awareness, Breath, Cycles, Constellations
