Reflecting On Endings
There’s been a feeling of heaviness lately. I’m sure I’m not alone in waking each morning, wondering about the news—weather, elections, wars, addictions. In private sessions and amongst friends, I’ve heard stories of trauma recovery, unexpected breakups, and hardship.
The metal element is the season that brings forth our grief, a season that shows us loss. This time of year often coincides with endings—relationships, loved ones, and other closing cycles.
The sage, Yudhisthira is asked: “Of all things in life, what is the most amazing?” Yudhisthira answers: “That a man, seeing others die all around him, never thinks that he will die.” —the Mahabharata
We humans, with all our ingenuity, have managed to prolong our cycles—living longer, staying active regardless of the weather. We eat out-of-season food, living as if the cycle needn’t end. It's a gift to live in this time, but it also makes accepting endings harder. We are compelled to stretch the inevitable, surprised or grasping when faced with endings that seem out of our control. Meanwhile, the plants, unbothered, allow their leaves to turn crisp orange and brown, cycling gracefully towards an end. There’s no resistance there—just a natural, beautiful part of the process. I think about all the people who flock to New England to see the fall colors. What if the end of our own cycles could be as beautiful?
When I sit with an ending—feeling loss and allowing grief—I feel more in touch with life’s preciousness. It’s a common platitude, yet to experience it is profound. I remember once learning of a terminal diagnosis for a loved one—devastating, knowing their time was short. Yet in that grief, I felt moments of joy—motivation to connect while we still had time.
Mortality salience leads to savoring life. Pain and joy, two sides of a coin. Yin and Yang, each defining the other.
This season invites us to feel the richness of these contrasting energies. The pain of loss is also a truth that something mattered, that we loved. It was real, dense, magnetic—like rich minerals in the earth, alchemized into metal, the element of the season, resonating with the movements of autumn.
As you move through this week, take a moment to reflect:
Where in your life are you resisting the end of a cycle, and how might letting go create space for something new to emerge?
