The fruit has ripened. There is now an abundance of food to nourish and nurture new life. It has lived its life. What is left returns to the Earth in honor of all she has given. This in turn replenishes the soil with nutrients.
Death gives new life.
We all go through the process of maturation, transitioning from one life stage to the next in our journey from conception to death. These transitional stages occur whether we acknowledge them or not. It is vital that we embrace and celebrate these times in our lives so that our maturation reflects life lived fully with health, hope, happiness, harmony, and humor. The Earth and her cycles, rhythms and seasons were an everyday part of living. Each unique culture, tribe and clan translated the symbols of nature in its own way, and all honored the rhythms of Birth, Child to Adult, Maturity, Elder and Death.