My friend, the golden age hath passed away,
Only the good have power to bring it back....

—Goethe

In Nature's calendar, 21st September is marked as the day of the Autumnal Equinox, when day and night are of equal length. It is the day on which the sun, on its southward journey, crosses the equator. Once again on its northward journey when the sun returns from the Tropic of Capricorn, it will cross the equator on 21st March. The Autumnal Equinox is a point or a stage in the cyclic movement of the sun, between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. This is one of the many cycles operating in the universe.

One of the fundamental propositions of Theosophy is that the law of cycles prevails in all departments of life, in all the kingdoms below man as well as in those above man. Cycle means return of that which was before. A cycle is a period of time marked by sequence of stages. In a cycle there is orderly synchronization of quality and quantity. For instance, a cycle of 24 hours—of day and night—includes forenoon, afternoon, dusk, night, etc. After one day and one night is completed, there would start another cycle of 24 hours which also would have all these four stages, but the morning of this day is not exactly like the morning of yesterday. The word cycle is derived from the Greek word Kuklos, or a ring. But a cycle is not a circle, so that we come back from where we started. It is more like a spring or spiral so that we come back to the same point, but at a higher level.

A universe comes into existence and goes out of existence, periodically, and within the universe there are major and minor cycles—cycle of the seasons, cycle of the four yugas, cycle of birth and death, etc. In U.L.T. Pamphlet No. 24, Mr. Judge writes:

Your having a quarrel last week and denouncing a man, or with a woman and getting very angry, creates an impression in you, and that impression is as much subject to cyclic law as the moon, and the stars, and the world, and is far more important in respect to your development—your personal development or evolution—than all these other great things, for they affect you in mass, whereas these little ones affect you in detail. (p. 7)

Research has been done in the field of bio-rhythmic cycles. Studies with plants, animals and men have indicated that all forms of life have special cycles of behaviour linked to outside forces, viz., fluctuations in barometric pressure, gravitational field, phases of the moon, the electromagnetic field of the earth, cosmic rays, etc. It is believed that human beings have a rhythmic cycle that governs their lives, which begins at the moment of their birth. Research done by collecting data on thousands of people revealed that there are three basic cycles in human nature. A 23-day physical cycle of vitality, strength, resistance; a 28-day emotional cycle of moods, sensitivity and feelings; and a 33-day intellectual cycle of memory, alertness and reasoning power. Each of these cycles can be divided into positive, negative and neutral phases. It has been observed that our bleakest moments are not in the negative phase, but when the cycle crosses the base line from positive to negative phase. Research in this direction has shown that industrial accidents occurred when workers were not emotionally or physically at their best. All these cycles are of different duration, hence they seldom coincide at exactly the same time. That is the reason why we very seldom coincide at exactly the same time. That is the reason why we very seldom have absolutely wonderful days or really terrible ones.

Our "blues" or depression comes in cycles. In U.L.T. Pamphlet No. 24, Mr. Judge mentions that if we maintained a diary we would observe that depression occurs at regular intervals of time. When the depressive cycle returns, we must compel ourselves to feel joyous, even against our will—or at least try to feel the joy of others. We may do this next day or even two days later. We would then have implanted joyous impressions, so that when the depression returns, it brings along with it the impressions of joy and they would counteract each other's momentum. Soon we would succeed in establishing a joyous cycle.

By paying attention to cyclic return of impressions, we can save time and effort in training of mind and body. If we eat at regular times, our digestive system is ready and active so that the food is digested well. If we study at a fixed time every day, then the mind comes ready for work so that more work gets done.

But why stop at moods and feelings? Day-to-day events and circumstances come to us under the great cycles of Karma and Reincarnation. The law of Karma postulates that an impulse, action or thought returns to the sender in the course of time. The law of Reincarnation lays down that man comes into this world, lives a life and then dies to come back in a new body and personality. Is it mere mechanical repetition of birth-death-rebirth stages? In the state between death and rebirth, the soul goes to heaven or Devachan and assimilates the good garnered during earth life so as to come back enriched in the next life. Average stay in Devachan is said to be 1000 to 1500 years.

We have to regard each life as a rare cyclic opportunity, which is going to come again only after 1000 to 1500 years. It is only proper to question every action and every aspiration: "Is this the thing I will take with me to Devachan?" In The Friendly Philosopher, Mr. Crosbie writes: "Opportunity to understand and apply Theosophy comes under Karma to the very few....This comes from neglect or misuse of opportunities in former lives, in many cases" (p. 379). Those of us fortunate enough to contact Theosophy in this life may ask: "How do I use this opportunity?" We may have an atmosphere conducive to study Theosophy, i.e., no opposition from home, office, etc. To spend our leisure time in watching television and reading trash books is misuse of the opportunity. As Mr. Crosbie says: "It is the height of unwisdom to neglect the opportunity again, most especially in those cases where it is brought home without effort." (Ibid.)

Spiritual knowledge is given out cyclically. The spiritually wise beings use the knowledge of the law of cycles to decide the appropriate time to give or withdraw knowledge. The Theosophical Movement was launched in 1875 in accordance with the cyclic law. It was launched when many major cycles were in confluence. Many important cycles were ending, indicating the need of the hour.

Depending on the Karmic causes set up by human beings, we have the cycle of four Yugas. Golden Age is the period when humanity was in its childhood, still innocent and guided by great teachers. Silver Age was like youth or adolescence, when the spiritual teachers withdrew, but left behind Initiate kings to guide humanity. Bronze Age was like manhood, when humanity was left to itself, but free to seek the help of the adepts. Kali Yuga is marked by predominance of materialism, selfishness and spiritual darkness. It is the shortest of the Yugas in which the rate of cause and effect is much faster. But this does not mean that a few results are skipped or a few stages in the cycles are missed. For instance, winter days are shorter than summer. But each day includes all the four stages—dawn, afternoon, evening and night—which are hurried over in winter. But not missed. In the same way, we can do more, learn more and can make more progress in Kali Yuga. Every effort made to stem the tide of selfishness in the world or within us, will have fourfold effect. Mr. Judge observes:

A sincere lover of the race can accomplish more in three incarnations under Kali Yuga's reign than he could in much greater number in any other age. Thus by bearing all the manifold troubles of this Age and steadily triumphing, the object of his efforts will be more quickly realized, for, while the obstacles seem great, the powers to be invoked can be reached more quickly. (Vernal Blooms, p. 132)

Kali Yuga also indicates that we are at the lowest point in the descending cycle of evolution, when matter is at its densest and nature's forces are powerful. In the yearly cycle, the astral life of the earth is young and strong in the time between Christmas and Easter, so that we get added impetus from nature in keeping the resolutions made during this period. When the cycle is ascending, it is easier to make progress. In Kali Yuga, when there is moral darkness everywhere, doing good and being good is difficult, as compared to the Golden Age, when everyone arounde is moral. We cannot do much against Kali Yuga, but we can do much in it. For instance, it is tiresome to walk a long distance in the hot sun, and if we did, it would call for more effort. However, the same is accomplished with much less effort in the winter.

But even when the cycle is descending—cycle of civilization, race or yuga—an individual can still rise superior. A candle lighted in a dark valley can be seen from the mountain top, so also in the darkness of the present age, one who shows concern for others and aspires for truth, displays the Tathagata light, and such a person is noticed and helped by the Great Ones.

A Cycle indicates return of something embodied in new form. Cycles imply that forms die. It is good to remember that even the most wonderful form to which we have got attached will die and be replaced by another form. It is unimaginable to be stuck with the same bodies, ideas or feelings forever. In order to become a mature, intelligent person, the innocent, lovable child must grow up. It is a folly to want to retain one's childhood and repeat and intensify the pleasures of childhood. In fact, the cycle of pleasure shows that the "law of diminishing return" sets in when we try to repeat and intensify the pleasures. As Through the Gates of Gold suggests: "When a man drinks his first cup of pleasure, his soul is filled with the unutterable joy that comes with a first, a fresh sensation" (p. 23). But with every attempt to repeat and intensify this pleasure, we seem to add a drop of poison, till at last the whole cup is filled with poison. This is the ignorant desire for repetition and intensification.

It is important that we recognize and seize the cyclic opportunities presented by life. As Kahlil Gibran says: "He who tries to seize an opportunity after it has passed him by is like one who sees it approach but will not go to meet it."