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Hi Susanne, By cycle I mean the recurrence of highs and lows, although from my own experience, and from what others have said on this list, it seems to operate on an irregular basis, and very much dependent on circumstance. In that respect they're closer to a kind of weather . . . certain conditions will produce a tornado: sometimes only a tiddler which whips up the leaves, sometimes a monster which takes your house for a walk. Those cycles which are relatively predictable, as in the menstrual cycle, would bring us closer to psychosis -- as someone has mentioned already, manic-depression seems to manifest its polarities on a 6 months on, six months off basis. Sufferers will know pretty much when to expect the beginning of each, and what the warning signs are, thus enabling them to take medical precautions. If you're on a constant low then I can only sympathise, and weakly suggest that humour is one of the best antidotes. Sometimes even the smallest things will help -- like imitating an animal, for example. On odd occasions when I've been down, a quick burst of Chicken, with clucks, wing-flaps and struts, usually does the trick, as long as I'm watching myself in the mirror :-) The more *serious* the imitation is, the funnier it looks . . . just something to lift the spirit beyond human concerns, and to silence the internal voice in favour of a sound . . . something non-personal. Watching a Billy Connolly video also works wonders . . . as do feel-good movies, 'Groundhog Day' for example (in which the moral is very clear also, i.e. it's what you do for others that turns life from a curse into a blessing). Forgive me if this sounds trite -- it's the only thing I can think of at the moment. You should of course inform your GP if you haven't done so already. Best wishes. Douglas -- I have one of Coleman Barks' volumes of Rumi here. Couldn't find a great deal in the way of poetry in them, but certainly a fair few ideas to think about. Your mention of Harvey's book also brings up the relationship between fire and connectedness/ creativity. This seems to have been pervasive throughout time, in a way that seems both obvious, metaphorically, and also curious . . . . fire being both as gentle and ferocious as rain . . . perhaps because fire can be created? It seems to hold a particularly central metaphorical role with regard to these states of mind . . . And yes, the idea of the mystic talking to God as though God were the beloved . . . Andy %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%