Human Development
Consciousness of cyclical time
Description:
Observation that cycles of birth, growth, decay and death are universal in nature, that the year brings it circles of seasons, and that the stars move from their places and return after aeons of journeying, gives rise to the idea that time itself is cyclical. All human history, the affairs of nations and of men, have been considered to ebb and flow in predestined rhythm by the passage of time. The ancient Chinese had the Book of Changes to guide men through time's cycles. Other nations had other literature, as in Greece, with Hesiods "Works and Days"; and Rome, with Ovid's "Fasti". In India, time (kala) is also perceived as cyclical. The Vedas teach the theory of the Great Age (mahayuga) of 4.3 billion years, which is divided into four parts. The present age (Kaliyuga) is the last before cosmic dissolution (pralaya), which is followed by re-creation of the universe. The consciousness of cyclical time is embodied in ritual around the world; is a key element in mythology; and is expressed in the world's calendars. Notable secular Western cycles are the week, the year, the century and the millennium. The consciousness of cyclical time is closely connected with the concepts of reincarnation and the doctrines of astrology and occultism.Broader:
Time consciousness