The cyclical nature of creation is one of my favorite teachings ever. Everything occurs in cycles - time, seasons, energy levels, inspiration, motivation.
However, the linear way in which we are raised makes us think that being on the downswing of energy or motivation is unacceptable. We are required to be “on” all the time, where going through periods of inertia and involution is frowned upon, particularly in some roles and jobs.
Often, we just push through the stuckness and the self-doubt in order to fulfill the idea of productivity. However, the more we try to push away the inertia, the more it settles into our bones. It hovers around, lurking just under the surface, ready to emerge at any given moment.
And so it is said in the Devī Sūktam:
यादेवी सर्वभूतेषू भ्रान्तिरूपेण संस्थिता
Yādevī Sarvabhūteśū Bhrāntirūpeṇa Saṃsthitā
Salutations to Devī, who resides in all beings as doubt
As soon as we accept that even inertia is Her rūpa (form), we stop fighting it. Instead, we learn to sink into it, allowing it to teach us what it will. Every single time I’ve sunk into doubt and inertia by allowing it to be, it has broken through into dazzling beauty.
Again, it’s the cyclical nature of creation - the greater you dip into your own darkness, the brighter the light when you emerge. It is through the Guru’s grace that we learn to skillfully navigate the downswings to recognize Devī donning one of her countless masks.
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