Illustration © D. Yael Bernhard
And so the wheel turns. Another year ends, and a new one begins. The seasons cycle in accord with the forces of nature. Our demarkation of time, the calendar, also begins anew. Because nearly all people on the planet honor this calendar, I feel New Years Day is an authentic holiday. The entire world peacefully cooperates with this human construct. I find that hopeful.
Though we are in the darkest season now, and many of us are surrounded by lifeless, leafless landscapes, we know new life is hibernating beneath the earth, quietly waiting out the silence of winter. The fallen leaves of autumn are breaking down into new soil, nourishing the seeds that promise to be reborn in spring. In our minds, experiences from the year are also trickling down and forming compost for whatever will grow in the year to come. It’s a natural time to contemplate new beginnings, and the rebirth of our most cherished aspirations. What is germinating within you?
These are the ideas I strove to encapsulate in this illustration. It was originally a commissioned piece, but has been licensed several times since then for completely different purposes. [I’ve also had my illustrations stolen a number of times – thus the watermark. Many people do not understand copyright law, and are not aware that a copyrighted image may not be reproduced or printed in any way, even if not for profit.]
Why are there hands in this image, since it’s about the cycles of nature? That is up to you to interpret. They may be a reminder of the role we humans play in protecting the earth. They may suggest our own existence as a manifestation of the same forces that cause a seed to sprout from an acorn and push up toward the sun. They may express the unfolding of the life force itself, the mysterious impulse that ever reaches for the light. They may symbolize the interaction of numerous molecular forms within a single patch of earth, and inside every leaf. Above all, the hands suggest a plurality, an orchestration of events that make it possible for a tiny sapling to grow into a mighty oak.
So, too, is the unfolding of our potential a confluence of events. Many elements must come together to realize a goal, whether it concerns your health, your creative ambitions, forming a family, healing a relationship, reaching a travel destination, or building a career. Success is often built on failure, as well as education, experience, partnership, synchronicity, and support. Yet the seed is always the beginning, the initial spark that sets the process in motion.
With the coming of the New Year, I offer this image as a symbol of the rebirth of hope and new intentions, and as an invitation to align yourself with nature. It’s a time of renewal – a promise we have from the earth that sustains us. Wait for your seeds with faith and tend them with diligence and care, and when the time is right, they’ll grow.
To all my readers, every good wish in 2024!
D Yael Bernhard
http://dyaelbernhard.com
children's books • fine art • illustration
posters • cards • calendars