Birds are the Voice of Trees
Day 52 of my tree puja.
This one’s for the birds.
The tree holds arching branches over me, it reaches wide, giving shelter – to birds, to flowers, to me.
Humanness and Treeishness
Day 50 of my tree puja.
At times the business of life makes connection with the tree’s energy difficult.
Humans think and feel and make choices…
Deep In.
Water at their roots, light on their leaves
Day 48 of my tree puja.
The showiness of spring has another side to it - nature is just getting on with being alive. Flowers, leaves, roots, branches, everything working together.
…warmth above and below and nothing to fear. The rose is sending long, ambitious red arms up into the tree…
I, the human, the gardener…
Day 47 of my tree puja.
Why can’t I connect with the tree today? I suggest a few theories.
I felt separate, so I started weeding. I, the human, the gardener, the controller, the one who kills, and cuts, and pulls out by the roots…
The Emergency of Flowering
Day 46 of my tree puja.
I realised that the tree has been desperate to complete drama of flowering and finally grow new leaves. No leaves, no life.
No longer living on stored food, the tree has passed the time of hardship and the emergency of flowering. There is water in the soil and sun from the sky. The earth and air are warm; it can finally retreat and be at ease, all is taken care of.
Nature is on Tiptoes
Day 45 of my tree puja. Blossoms all but gone, lengthening days feed an abundance of light to the eager leaves.
This morning has the quality of mist – like a cat’s fur without the cat, or cherry blossom without the tree. Still, silent, and soft, nature is on tiptoes, quietly breathing, nothing else.
Leaves are the Support Team
Day 44 of my tree puja. As leaves replace the flower festival, the tree seems relieved. Now she can relax and replenish.
A glowing morning, after blessing rain.
I stood with my face in the tree, amongst the new leaves, and said hello to them, and welcome to them.
Nature is on the Alert
Day 43 of my tree puja.
As the blossoms fade and fall, other flowers have their time in the sun. The movement, the cycling of the season is ceaseless.
Spring is a time of adjustment and work. The changes come so fast and so much is to be done. We see the beauty and it looks so effortless and relaxed, but that is appearance only. Nature is on the alert. So much must happen now.
Here is Home, the Wild Home
Day 42 of my tree puja.
Spring is an energy moving through the garden, its air, soil and mind.
I went to the tree, and held her flowers to my face, burying my nose, eyes, mouth, appearance in the petals…
You have Birthed all these Babies
Day 41 of my tree puja. The rain returns, but the power of flower and leaf speaks loud and clear.
The nourishment of light is running in her veins again, the time of sleep and hunger and internalised energy is over.
Sit Quietly and Listen
Day 40 of my tree puja. The surging energy engulfs me, welcoming me into its organic totality of self.
Birds are singing and racketing all around. Lapwings call to one another, while smaller songbirds trill away in the background. I imagine the vibrations we sit amongst, the tree and me.
In the Deathliness of Space
Day 39 of my tree puja. With her spring blossom comes a fresh, enlivened energy and magic. My relationship with the ritual and the tree shifts into a deeper, more subtle and intimate place.
...bunches of petals have emerged from wood, a common miracle. She surrounds me. I squat, eyes closed, hands joined in prayer; I think towards her.
Then Zoomed Past a Car
Day 38 of my tree puja. Nestled in nature, I am disturbed by a passing car, an industrial invasion clashing with the blossom universe unfolding around me.
The flowers are very relaxed, just hanging there in mid-air, waiting for visitors on the wing...
How Arrogant are We Moderns
Day 37 of my tree puja. I reflect on the interaction of my feelings with the tree, and the importance of nature worship, which culture and modernity have rudely rejected.
how arrogant are we moderns, who have gutted nature and abused the wisdom of those who knew her, loved her, revered her and made offering to her...
Remember the Purpose of the Flower
Day 36 of my tree puja. Still raining and cold, but the tree is awakening.
She is busy with pregnancy and production. All efforts are in that direction, with serenity and perfection of purpose. Remember the purpose of the flower...
The Throb of Life
Day 35 of my tree puja. Now the tree is awakening, the festival of colour begins, and I am simply present.
I feel the rain, I hear the birds of dawn, the breeze doing its rounds, I see the lush masses of leaves and flowers all around and I crouch there, part of it, nothing more, nothing less...
The Flow of Life
Day 34 of my tree puja. I belong in the flow of life.
Underfoot – cold and wet and squishy. Air, cool and grey in the dawn. All around – sounds of life waking...
Get on with it!
Day 33 of my tree puja. Amidst the wet and leaves and petals and life, the tree gives me a message I need.
All the tree would say was, “Get on with it.”
The Wide Arms of the Tree
Day 32 of my tree puja. A storm followed by peace and flowers.
The last weeks have been hectic. This morning, I finally visited the tree, its buds full with spring but not yet revealed...