So, I decided to do a small experiment. I found a pipal tree beginning to grow in the yard downstairs, so I uprooted it, fixed a pot and planted the little chappy. It had 3 stems and a few leaves. I watched it every day...many times every day, actually. Imagine, then, my dismay when one by one the leaves fell off and the branches started becoming a dark brown. Still, my heart wouldn't accept that the plant may have died, so I kept watering it. Finally, when I didn't see any sign of life, I stopped watering it, but couldn't bring myself to take the pot downstairs and discard it. So there it sat, along with the others.
Finally, a couple of days back I decided to take it down. When I picked up the pot, I almost fainted....there were teeny-weeny little green leaves very prettily growing out of those seemingly dead twigs!!!!!!! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry...the little leaves were looking so sweetly out at the world! Now, except for one of the 3 original stems, the other two have the little leaves happily growing.
Looking at the plant this morning, I thought, see our lives are so much like this plant. Something happens - I had yanked it out of the place where it had sent down roots and planted it in a completely new environment - and the plant finds itself in a new situation. It seemingly dies - just like we do when something unpleasant happens to us. And then, after some time has lapsed, one morning, 2 stems that didn't give up on life, sprouted leaves - a sign of life. 1 stem, however, couldn't do it and it stands along with the others as a reminder that if we allow change (any kind of change) to get the better of us, we actually kill ourselves. The other two stems teach us that change can be handled, survived, and indeed become an environment for growth.
Have to stay close to Nature....she has all the answers, consolations, blessings and she wants us to draw these lessons from her...
As if listening to my heart, here is today's meditation from the White Bison:
"We need to save those Elders who cannot speak for themselves -- the trees."
-- Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders
The trees are the Elders of the Earth. Go to the forest or to the mountains and find a young tree.
Then find an old tree. Spend time with each. Sit by the young tree and listen to your thoughts.
Then move to an old tree and listen to your thoughts again. Just being in the presence of an old tree, you will feel more calm. Your thoughts will contain wisdom and your answers will be deeper. Why is this so? These old trees know more, have heard more, and are the Elders of the Earth. We must ensure these trees live so we can learn from them.