The Heart's Seasons: Grief's Rhythms

Mirabai's devotional seasons shifted—ecstatic union, aching separation, surrender, rebellion, bargaining—not in a line but in circles. The Heart's Seasons applies this understanding to anticipatory grief, which is not a straight path from denial to acceptance but a spiral with recurring waves. A diagnosis might trigger panic; next week, numb acceptance; then, sudden rage or desperate hope. This is not failure or psychological dysfunction; it is grief's natural rhythm. By expecting seasons rather than linear stages, we can stop pathologizing the return of longing or the resurgence of fear. Mirabai knew that Krishna's absence and presence alternated; she didn't interpret this as progress or failure but as the truth of love itself. For those grieving in advance, normalizing the seasons means: Don't judge yourself for oscillating between hope and despair. Some days will feel almost normal; others will break open. The seasons will return cyclically, especially around anniversaries, holidays, or moments of particular closeness. By honoring the rhythm—journaling through seasons, marking what each brings, creating practices for difficult seasons—we work with grief's nature rather than against it. The cycle itself becomes the teaching about impermanence and return.