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“Man must make his peace with his seasons, or the gods will laugh at him.” — Mary Renault
What sort of life cycle or season are you in right now? There is a time to get to work, a time to plant seeds, a time to harvest, a time to struggle, a time to surrender, a time to explore, a time to retreat, a time to be in community, a time to be in seclusion, a time for every purpose under heaven. It’s crucial that you know what sort of cycle or season you are in so that you can work with it, flowing with the cosmic forces. Following the Tao does not mean merely adapting to outside circumstances — it especially means following your True Will, your inner refraction of the Tao.
Turn with the cycle you are in or cosmic forces will turn against you. As Plutarch put it, “Fate leads him who follows it, and drags him who resist.”
The Byrds – “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)”
Listen to this song and see the lyrics in a video
Lyrics:
To everything – turn, turn, turn
There is a season – turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
To everything – turn, turn, turn
There is a season – turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven
A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together
To everything – turn, turn, turn
There is a season – turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven
A time of war, a time of peace
A time of love, a time of hate
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing
To everything – turn, turn, turn
There is a season – turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time to love, a time to hate
A time of peace, I swear it’s not too late!
From Wikipedia:
“Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season)”, often abbreviated to “Turn! Turn! Turn!”, is a song adapted entirely from the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible (with the exception of the last line) and composed to music by Pete Seeger in 1959. Seeger waited until 1962 to record it, releasing the song on his album The Bitter and The Sweet on Columbia Records.
The lyrics are taken almost verbatim from the book of Ecclesiastes, as found in the King James Version (1611) of the Tanach – the entire Torah or Bible[1](Ecclesiastes 3:1). Ecclesiastes is traditionally ascribed to King Solomon and for a time, the book was prohibited by the rabbis who deemed it too cynical and depressing.
1. To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5. A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6. A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7. A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8. A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
