“All conditioned things are impermanent. When one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering.” – Siddhartha Gautama
The Cycle of Transience is a Jiayan allegory for anicca and eudaimonia, linking the phenological cycle of nature to one’s moral and spiritual life. The Cycle serves to remind us of our inseparable bond to the great web of existence. Each member of the Areteioi Canon is associated with a particular phase of the Cycle of Transience, highlighting particular contributions they made on humanity’s path toward complete alignment with the cosmic standard of Ji.
Phases
Emergence
- Corresponding time of year: mid to late spring
- Associated symbols: cherry blossom, budding plant
- Associated planet: Mercury
- Core virtues: wisdom, equanimity
- Associated Areteioi archetypes: philosophical teachers, trailblazers of progress, renowned polymaths, life-changing teachers and mentors
Growth
- Corresponding time of year: early summer
- Associated symbols: sage, wheat
- Associated planet: Earth
- Core virtues: right action, right speech
- Associated Areteioi archetypes: renowned social workers, diplomats, just rulers with steady, grounded service, inventors and ethical engineers, life-changing teachers and mentors, environmental stewards
Radiance
- Corresponding time of year: mid summer, summer solstice
- Associated symbols: sun, sunflower
- Associated planet: Jupiter
- Core virtues: courage, justice
- Associated Areteioi archetypes: just rulers who promoted equality, people who brought disparate groups together, performers of moral emotion (poets, dramatists, orators), institutional reformers
Yielding
- Corresponding time of year: late summer, early autumn
- Associated symbols: cornstalk, acorn
- Associated planet: Saturn
- Core virtues: moderation, wisdom
- Associated Areteioi archetypes: academics/philosophers who refined systems, pious figures who inspired harmony, renowned polymaths, historians and moral chroniclers, institutional reformers
Descent
- Corresponding time of year: mid to late autumn
- Associated symbols: autumn leaf, empty shell
- Associated planet: Mars
- Core virtues: right intention, right action
- Associated Areteioi archetypes: sacrificial figures, individuals who stood up to oppression, seekers of truth under adversity
Stillness
- Corresponding time of year: early winter, winter solstice
- Associated symbols: moon, snowflake
- Associated planet: Uranus
- Core virtues: equanimity, right livelihood
- Associated Areteioi archetypes: spiritual teachers, pious figures, truth-seekers withdrawn from society
Return
- Corresponding time of year: late winter
- Associated symbols: cloud, raindrop
- Associated planet: Venus
- Core virtues: right effort, justice
- Associated Areteioi archetypes: artists whose work conveyed virtue, performers of moral emotion, people who brought disparate groups together, inventors and ethical engineers, historians and moral chroniclers
Renewal
- Corresponding time of year: early spring, vernal equinox
- Associated symbols: bird nest, dandelion puff
- Associated planet: Neptune
- Core virtues: right livelihood, right intention
- Associated Areteioi archetypes: transformative or salvific spiritual teachers, people who brought disparate groups together, environmental stewards
Jiaya 
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