Unlike the four seasons generally acknowledged over the world, the Indian lunar calendar actually has six. As one traverses through the year, one can consciously see the full spectrum of what these six seasons manifest very subtly. If a particular season brings hardships to our lives, we are assured that it will pass, and a better season is on its way. In any case there is an acceptance that all six seasons are critical for the ecosystem, and it will be out of equilibrium if one of them goes missing.

I recently came across The Emotion & Feeling wheel as part of a training. At the centre of the wheel are six emotions – Joy, Love, Fear, Anger, Sadness, Surprise. As we move away from the centre, we can see the sub-categories of these six emotions, going up to 10 sub-categories for each emotion at the centre. It essentially is a tool for us to note down how we feel at any point in time, and take a corrective action by using an emotion right opposite to one we identified. E.g., the emotion of Love is placed against Sadness. When we have identified that we are sad using the wheel, we can decipher what corrective action (among the Love categories) will help us overcome the sadness. It is a very powerful tool if used correctly and helps us overcome a particularly difficult emotion to handle.

The reason I am drawing an analogy between the seasons and emotions is simple – just as we cannot wish away a particular season, we cannot avoid a particular emotion either. Just as a season may bring tribulations and then go away, the emotions too would do just that. We however tend to stick to an emotion for too longer than necessary. The seasons come and go as they desire, but emotions can be controlled. They are not permanent. Like seasons in a perpetual cycle, our emotions too come and go, always in flux. This impermanence challenges us to embrace the ephemerality of life’s moments, reminding us that both suffering and joy are fleeting, making them all the more precious.

So the next time you are angry, or sad, remember this – they have a life-span that we can control. This too shall pass.

PC – The Junto Institute