Autumn comes and the air turns cold․ Nature begins to assume the color of the passing seasons․ The mulberry tree shows a shade of color extending from its green leaves into the autumn woods‚ from green into yellow․ The transition from green to yellow leaves on the fruitless mulberry tree may appear to be simple‚ but it speaks volumes․ When there is no fruit to reap from the tree‚ this cycle teaches us about growth‚ loss‚ and renewal‚ no matter what the season․ Even when the fruit has faded‚ beauty remains with the transition of yellow leaves․ The mulberry tree -like the person- learns about seasons of change and prepares itself for a long winter‚ only to again grow in the summer․
Yellow Leafage
Yellow leaves are the comfort that comes with sadness‚ the melancholy beauty of a leaf that drops softly to the ground‚ an ending which defines a beginning‚ giving you pause to reflect․ This deepening of the yellow often heralds something else: these are the stories of the lives that transpired under the mulberry tree's shadow‚ layer after layer‚ leaf after leaf․ The yellowing‚ though‚ is often but an outward signal that all is beginning to give way to a new course․ In the transitions of our own lives‚ we‚ too‚ must at times be willing to let go of one endeavor to make way for a new opportunity‚ just as the mulberry tree sheds its old leaves․ Every leaf must fall․ In its falling‚ it teaches us to inhale the beauty of what has been‚ and to make space for that which has not yet bloomed․
Throughout the Seasons
The mulberry tree loses its leaves and shoots in winter‚ and yet throughout the seasons every end is also a beginning․ That which disappears is reborn‚ and that which can be lost is also capable of being found․ We move in and out of these cycles of dormancy․ At times‚ it can feel like there is no growth‚ only decay․ Yet there is life even then․ Molko‚ the mulberry's roots have not stopped drinking from the earth‚ as it waits for the rebirth that will come in spring․ Such is the nature of growth‚ and all the vitality associated with it‚ that it often happens in secret‚ as it were․ Hence‚ even when it appears as though life is at a standstill‚ we are simply awaiting our time to arise․
This idea of shedding one's skin becoming a fuller person‚ being more complete‚ is encapsulated in the yellow leaves of the mulberry tree․ They're a symbolic shedding of one's skin towards continual transformation and growth․ They act as a powerful reminder that sometimes‚ to be of greater service to ourselves and others‚ we must let go and conserve our energy and resources‚ focusing instead on nurturing our roots․ So in much the same way‚ we too must change․ Both the blessings and the bitterness of the past must be our force for the future․ It is true that our leaves will fall and wither‚ leaving us one less thing to keep us enrapt‚ yet shedding that which we have already grown is necessary to making way for more․ So too must we in the world change‚ and change‚ in order to grow towards the fullness of ourselves․
Loss and Renewal
Loss and renewal are the themes of the mulberry story․ The shining yellow leaves of the mulberry symbolize how life is born out of despair‚ and how every part of it has to be earned through suffering․ The dried leaves nourish the cycle and pass away‚ like life․ Out of our current decay comes new life; out of our own personal decay comes the strength for whatever is next in our lives․ When we meet with loss and grief‚ we become the wiser and tougher for it․ We nurture the seeds of hope deep within us․ Nature sheds the old to make way for the new; this is our journey‚ discovering new parts of ourselves‚ becoming stronger as we go through our cycles of life․
Now there is a somewhat unusual story here‚ for we know that the mulberry‚ which bears fruit and leaves upon the same tree‚ is indicative of what is expected from a tree‚ although we must not forget that the life force is beyond the fruit․ The yellow leaves that cover the tree's boughs‚ bare of the fruit that the tree keeps for itself‚ still have their uses․ They provide shelter and protection‚ they feed through photosynthesis‚ they serve the lives of other plants and animals and they themselves find their meaning․ In other words‚ our true worth is not only in what we present‚ but also in the quiet contributions we make in the lives of those around us․ Sometimes it is in the silence‚ in the stillness of life‚ that our personalities have the most meaningful impact․ It is a reminder that every season of life has its own special value․
At long last‚ the yellow foliage of a fruitless mulberry are a reminder that nothing ever stays the same‚ that change‚ growth‚ decay‚ and renewal are always next to the other‚ and point the way to considering the cycles of one's own lives as they untangle as well․ In the glowing embrace of the bright leaves of autumn‚ find a beauty in the journeys to be undertaken‚ for every ending is a new beginning․ We don't always see the results of our work‚ but it is in those unseen roots that the path of growth signals our ability to rise again and again from the ashes․ To celebrate yellow leaves is not to celebrate decay and loss alone‚ but also the richness‚ the possibilities that life has to offer․
