rebirth: the dance of life and death

They say that letting go often feels like part of you is dying, and that is because it is. It's the shedding of old ways, patterns, and conditioning of a familiar life that once served you in your becoming.

They say that letting go often feels like part of you is dying, and that is because it is. It’s the shedding of old ways, patterns, and conditioning of a familiar life that once served you in your becoming.

You see this mirrored in nature as the lower leaves of plants turn yellow and wilt away, ushering spurts of new growth.

lower leaves of my tetrasperma yellowing to push out new growth

Lately, I’ve been trying to understand this process in my own body.

There is a cyclical rhythm of our inner lives. There are seasons for when we flourish, and there are also seasons when leaves fall from us, revealing our bare bones. Like plants, we must also give ourselves permission to release what no longer serves us. Can we find the courage to detach ourselves from our conditioning and experiences to create the space to emerge into Spring: the ancient tale of rebirth, resurrection, and reincarnation.

Growth can only happen through change, and we have to accept that who we are is also constantly changing. The more we live in resistance to change, the more we feel stuck and stagnant in our being.

your rebirth is part of nature’s cycle

Many observe life as a linear process, but it is in fact, cyclical. Our entire Universe is a cycle of patterns repeating. We can see this not only in human behavior but in the motions of planets, galaxies, weather, ocean waves patterns etc. Day falls into night, which then falls into day. The same goes with our practice and progress though we step on our mat everyday, each time it is slightly different, and eventually, everything is wholly different.


A tree faces winter every year, and rarely is it the same winter; the way temperature falls, humidity levels change, snowfall fluctuates. It’s also rarely the same tree: it is growing and maturing with every winter cycle.

Is this not also true with ourselves? Are we resisting, or are we flowing with the life current that is always encouraging growth and expansion?

prompt: your ritual of rebirth

Rebirth is the dance of life and death that is always happening within us. Something in us must “die” for us to keep living, rising, expanding the same way as plants grow and extend, always reaching towards the light and heavens.

As life unfolds for you, it will require that you re-evaluate what is good for you now. Remember that what was good for you then may not be good for you now. In this journey, you will lose friends, and you will also gain new ones. All of life’s encounters are work of the spiritual, constantly paving the way for the expansion of our spirit.

Who are you rebirthing into? A mother? A wife? A creator?
What are you holding onto that is also holding you back from moving forward?
What are you letting go, to let live?

love, emyli.