72 Seasons?

Colourful leaves
Meewasin Park, Saskatoon, September 2020

When I began this blog in spring there were not yet buds on the trees; now, colourful hues carpet pathways. It is a reminder of the impermanence of things --  constant changes in our natural world. For me, two seasons have swiftly passed. Curiously, in ancient Japanese tradition, there are 72 micro-seasons. That's one every five days! How could that be? I was intrigued to discover that these micro-seasons beautifully describe visual and auditory environmental recurrences such as: warblers sing in the mountains, fish emerge from ice, first cherry blossoms, caterpillars become butterflies, and so on. 

It got me wondering about the many signals of change in our region throughout the year. Snow melts, ice-covered water breaks, first crocus appears, spring winds blow, grasses awaken, snow birds return, plantings sprout, fragrant lilacs bloom, thunder and lightning stirs, mosquitoes hum, berries ripen, dusty harvest begins, leaves become painted, geese flock for flight, frosts chill early darkness, northern lights dance, bears hibernate... my attempt to name a few. For wherever you live, I invite you to add more micro-seasons, or rename mine more poetically, in the comments below... Embrace the seasons and the magic in change.

See Japan's 72 Microseasons 

 


Comments

  1. AileenSeptember 27, 2020 at 5:26 PM

    Love those 72 seasons. For fall here I’d add the call of sandhill cranes as they pass overhead, October beetles appear on windows and my Christmas cactus blooms!

    ReplyDelete

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