Through the foliage of life.

"A withered maple leaf has left its branch and is falling to the ground; its movements resemble those of a butterfly in flight. Isn't it strange? The saddest and deadest of things is yet so like the gayest and most vital of creatures? "Ivan Turgenev

A fallen leaf makes us reason and reflect on life itself...it also reminds us that everything in life is temporary and that it is a constant cycle of “Life and Death.”  A leaf falls because nature wills it. Leaves are transformed into beautiful, magnificent colours just before they loosen from the tree  and fall down on the ground.  They become flush with bright colours and mesmerize us with its breathtaking display and their rustle in the wind. The changing colors of the leaf are a reminder of life, and that there is a more receptive side to life’s changes. They don’t change color on its own, it happens due to its chlorophyll in it revealing the amazing oranges, reds and yellows. Leaves don’t make it happen on its own. So are the changes in life. It happens when we are willing to simply let go of something that is dominant.

The changing foliage never fails to surprise and delight us. Fallen leaves are a reminder that each carries different experiences, colours and meanings throughout life- showing us to shed and let go of all that happens. It is a symbol of life, graceful aging and death. A leaf changes beautifully from green to orange, red, yellow which is eye catching and then finally turns brown, withered but still not giving up till one day it falls to the ground in death. A tree standing tall in all its splendor with different colored leaves, is a soothing sight to behold. It is one that holds you in awe. It is a perfect example of how to age gracefully with dignity in all its beauty.

It is really worth contemplating the journey of life, comparing it to a leaf. At one time of life all are riding high with clear roads ahead, still seeing only unseen obstacles, that can stop motion forward. The leaf in fact represents life’s changes, struggles, trials, happiness and death. Leaves are more abundant in a particular season and so are opportunities in life. It is great to take up an opportunity to bring about a positive change in the growth of someone’s life. Through the years of ageing, the experiences help to bring about the change and guide through a difficult phase of growing up. A leaf signifies truth and the evidence of passage of time in life.

Whatever we say or do is a form of our unique expressions. The beliefs, preferences, habits, fears and understanding are the leaves of our tree, which allows us to interact and commune with the rest of creation by making us unique and different. It is the consciousness that gives wings to take efforts for others. It makes our identity and our expression makes us attached to others as our own; to refine and reintegrate into an evolved understanding.

We create an intimacy on foliage that makes us think about change. Shapes alter, forms sharpen, and tones become muted. We hear the rustle that makes us look closer. We listen to the whisper of leaves and notice the allure of colours, the constant shift and diffusing of leaves into reds, oranges and yellows. It is the understanding of change that surrounds us and makes us aware of it. We learn to cherish the blaze of energy surrounding us and the captured sunlight on the foliage of life. We learn to bask in the beauty of creation, and live every thought and deed of life as unassumingly as the sunlight into the depth of endless space, introspecting that one moment of glow into the vibrant splendor of realization. The leaves in the changing seasons, make us aware of the welcome transformations of life with the passage of time, the power of beautifully maturing and acknowledging those things, the ideas and people we value the most.  It is the turning of every living moment with the light of awareness burning brighter and faster; ultimately bursting all the shackles and revealing, the unique self with dignity and beauty, before we wither away into nothingness and a no man’s world.

The fallen leaves give an insight to life.... They rustle under the feet, smell good and sometimes the wind drives them into a frenzy of dancing shapes. They are useful in many ways. They drift slowly to the ground making a carpet to walk upon. We tread upon the breathtakingly colourful textures, those leaves that beautifully grew old, those that were full of light and color in its last days, Sometimes the carpet of fallen leaves look so delicate when it covers a path or highways, that one mostly hesitate to tread upon it. The carpet of fallen leaves, act as a protection to the fallen seeds, paving way to sprout gently when the time comes. The fallen leaves are of use in different ways, as is life. The leaf and its falling down is an allegory that illustrates the delicate balance of life.  Everyone does things differently, look at life differently and deal with seasonal changes differently.  We may grow old and wither, but still stand tall and unique in our own way, being useful in every possible way. The fallen leaves, whispers words of wisdom as they rustle in the gently breeze or strong winds, as in real life too.

"Falling autumn leaves teach us of the beauty of endings, of the bright flame of passion that doesn't die but is reborn when life is transformed. The death of our bodies, relationships, dreams and hopes can all feel deeply sad, and rightly so, for suffering is as real as joy and loss is painful. But hidden within the darkness of loss lies a mystery, and although that mystery will always foil our attempts to understand it with our minds, Nature will sometimes offer us a clue as if to say: There! Can you see it in the brightness of these leaves?" Philip Carr-Gomm