We are now in the midst of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, a time when the days begin to get shorter, the temperatures cool, and the leaves on the trees begin to change from green to bright yellows, oranges, and reds.

And after this magnificent change the leaves then fall off of the tree onto the ground where they will die and then decay.

When one looks at the trees in the winter, bare of leaves, it seems as if the tree is “dead”.

But, in the spring the tree regrows its’ leaves, springing back to life and reminding us that the tree was not dead, it was only in a deep slumber.

Autumn is a season whose arrival reminds us that change is constant as we witness the cycles that occur in nature.

In the fall, we watch all of nature experience transformation.

And it reminds us how beautiful and awe-inspiring the process of transformation can be.

We are a part of nature, and therefore the cycles that occur in nature occur within us as well.

We are born, we grow, mature, bear fruit, and then we reach the pinnacle of our wisdom and beauty before we begin our descent into death.

Only to be reborn again into a new body.

Looking at nature, I find that it would be much more difficult to not believe in reincarnation given how this process plays out in front of us every year without exception.

I believe that many important lessons for us about life lie in nature, and that nature is truly our greatest teacher.

What we perceive as death is only transformation.

And these cycles of life, death, and rebirth are never ending.