Come and sit a little closer, I’d like to share with you a story that a wise tree once told me...
“We trees are as old as time,” the tall slender sage whispered as I leaned my heart in nearer to listen. “We have witnessed the passage of time, the comings and goings of life and death, the impermanence of all things, and have touched the truth of what binds it all together. The rising and falling of the changing tides, the waxing and waning of the moon reborn and the landscapes that transform endlessly into the horizon.”
“You see, we hold a secret. Not the kind of secret that is meant to be kept hidden, however. In fact, this secret is held in plain sight; it’s all around, waiting, patiently for those brave enough to listen, to see and to step into the mystery of the unknown. Perhaps you haven’t noticed that humanity is sick. With all your fancy technology and gadgets that distract and divert, the foods and drugs that desensitize have rotted away the roots meant to nourish you. Indeed, the world has gone mad, drunk on the poisons that slay you and jeopardize the very existence of our kind. But we green bloods are a patient nation. We see through the veils of ignorance that blind you.”
Our nature is compassion, as the springs that feed us come from the cosmos. We stand as conduits that bridge the material and spiritual realms and alchemize these forces into medicine. Each plant family has adapted to the flow and flux of the turning seasons and have grown ever more resilient as a result. Although we green nations are very different from you humans, we are infinitely woven together through our breath. We know what you have yet to learn. We can unlock the prison walls that hold you captive. We can free you from the chains that drag you down under the swell of your sorrow.
Indeed, it is no small task. For the branches of this poison have grown far and wide and are choking out the sun of a new dawn. We assure you though, there is a way through this enchanted forest of traps and trickery, dragons and devilry. But we caution you. The journey through this labyrinth will strip you nude, right down to your barest of bones. Your wits will be sharpened, your mind tested at every turn, and you’ll have to dig deep to find the reserves of strength you thought you never had.
If you wish to reach the golden gates beyond the glare of gloom, you must give yourself fully into our care and let go of all the things you thought you knew. And for this reason, very few step forth into the kingdom of the plant realm where your wildest dreams are laid out vastly. But the map and the compass are in our DNA. We promise, we will not lead you astray. As you cut away at the barbed vines of your insecurities, fears, anger and ignorance, your true nature begins to shine forth. Slowly and surely, you will inherit the crystalline qualities of virtue with which we wish to endow you with.
The slabs of cement that seek to contain your wild and glorious spirits are no match for our strength and persistence to break through even the hardest of stone. If only you would welcome us into your abode, sip our nectar and let the truth be told. We have many a story to tell, you see. Gifts to fill your basket of plenty and medicines to heal all that ails you.
Come and sit a little closer, tell us all about what pains you. Let your tears become the dew that glistens in the morning light upon our feathery fronds. We long to hold you in our bassinet of bounty and wash away the worries from your worn, weathered soul. And when the gallows of your grief run dry and your heart is parched, let us quench your thirst with the waters of our wisdom and the elixirs of our love.
The world as you know it is built of bricks of belief and stones of stories sold to you by magicians who demand to dominate this domain. You’ve been fed falsities as food and the comfort you crave so dearly, has become the jaws that ensnare you. If only you could see that the dream within which you dwell is born from your past. Your world is made up of words whispered long ago and the countless deeds you’ve done to others. Bury the brittle bones you carry upon your back and sing them sweetly back to life. They too have a story to tell.
And when the final frost has kissed the earth and the garden of your heart has thawed, forever flowers will begin to bloom. The nascent nectars of your merits will ripen resplendently upon the boughs of your everbearing tree. So, give of yourself to others as a mother gives tirelessly to her young, and watch the fabric of your future be strewn together with pearls of perfect generosity.
Do not be fooled by the way things appear. The Ancient Ones spoke long ago that all things come from within. Can you see my child, the luminous threads of reciprocity that weave us all together? Without you, there is no me. Plant only the seeds you wish to see sprout in the fertile soil of your mind. Tend to these seedlings with the sweet rains of your devotion and care for them fiercely. They are the key to your salvation.
And so you see, we are not so different, you and I. That which you aspire to be is our mastery. Although we old trees have weathered the test of time and have endured the endangering of our kind, there is but one jewel we have yet to find. Perhaps it is true that the odds are against you. But do not fear the task at hand, together we will always stand.
Ignite the blazing fires of your determination and step into the palace of purification. For even the coldest of carbon cannot evade the furious flames of your persistence.
Spread your wings wide and let your spirit dance free. And when the moon has yet to be reborn and the pitch black of night pervades, let us pierce through the darkness with our swords of song, forged by the fires of your discipline and the purity of your practice. Let the medicine pour through you from the inexhaustible fountain of our hearts and let the clear light of your diamond mind lead you home.
Would you come a little closer and share your gifts with me?
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