Cycles of life

The manifested universe relies upon cyclic actions, like the spinning of atoms to galaxies, but also cycles of manifestation.

A simple example of this is the sleep (pralaya) and wake (manvantara) states which we go through on a daily basis, and where the sleep recharges us so that we come to wake up renewed. We do not seem to change much in appearance by this cycle, whereas the changes a caterpillar makes when it goes into a pupal phase (pralaya) is dramatic when it emerges (manvantara) as a butterfly, which is quite a transformation .

Every being must comply with these phases otherwise it suffers because it is delaying the transformation that the cycle brings. We know that if we do not get sleep when needed, we are not as effective when we are awake. We are in need of the seemingly invisible transformation that occurs while we sleep.

When we are faced with challenges, we often have to take a step back and ponder upon what our options are. At a time of loss, we need a pralaya of grief to find where we now stand in response to the loss. If we do not take that time out (pralaya), we will not make good decisions and possibly adversely affect what subsequently happens. While we do not lose consciousness during that time out, we are withdrawing to some extent from the actions we have been routinely engaging in. We needed the break to transform some of our thinking.

These cycles, even though some may be irregular, are times where we need to withdraw so that some part of us can be transformed. Renewal and change cannot happen without those withdrawals. If we do not heed their beckoning, we sabotage our wellbeing. Periodically touching base with our inner can help to make sure we are on the right track with our lives and mitigate against future challenges by helping us see what we may need to change before reaching the point of being overwhelmed. Contemplation and meditation are pralayic ways to facilitate that as a conscious preemptive transformation.