the weeping beech

this tree found its way into my heart about 4 years ago now...there is a lovely park by the bay here...she has a wonderful view...

i have gone to her when i have needed to just lean against something strong and feel that strength flow through me...sometimes i just go to her and talk to her about my day...or to simply give her a hug...my arms unable to reach even halfway around her large trunk...and trunk reminds me...she has the look of elephant skin to her limbs...amazing to see this up close...

this spring i came to see her and instantly saw a change in her looks...

...she had lost a huge limb and revealed a weak spot...she was more frail than she had appeared and now each time i see her she seems even more vulnerable...but she is still beautiful...the cascading dance of branches...she still listens...i still hug her and feel her spirit hug me back...she is still herself...and there is the lesson for humans to remember...our physical form may change...by age or by a trauma to it...yet we still are the same spirit we always were...we are still the same being born with a big spirit ready to go into the world and explore...just as this tree is fully who she was as a tiny seedling...we are exactly ourselves...infact if we cleared away the deadwood from us we would perhaps be able to experience our lives renewed...

for a moment think of your innerworld as a tree that needs to shake away all the old, tired leaves and remove branches that arent thriving...stand with your arms outstretched ,close your eyes and imagine you are a tree and you ask the wind to blow through you...clearing away all the useless decay, the things in your life that no longer serve you, the pain you still hold onto, the disappointments and hurt...the wind comes...it is shaking loose all which weighs you down...shake your arms/branches...perhaps your head...your shoulders...even pick up your legs and shake them...you are the tree and the wind is your helper...you are freeing yourself from what no longer is healthy for you...removing the deadwood...the debri is blowing away...tumbling behind you...going going gone...the sun shines brightly...you may be missing a big part of who you were...a relationship or a carreer that was long falling into decay and rot...you may have shaken free of bad feelings towards others...you are perhaps feeling vulnerable...stay with it...let yourself feel...let yourself shake free of all those old tired habits and patterns...see them break off and blow away...

and then come back to your human body when you are ready...feel the lightness as you come back...feel yourself free of debri...free of hate and resentment...free of hurt...and even if you didnt call enough wind up this time...even if you could not risk more...you will...and next time you will be even braver and more open to the change...