Some aspect of me has merged with the tree.

Rituals take many forms. In India fire ceremonies have deep cultural and spiritual meaning. Fire is the element of transformation. Here, a rose has been offered into the flames.

August 23rd, 2009

I woke at four a.m. I rose at four thirty a.m. I prepared for my practice. The ground was very cold this morning, and as usual, wet.

Something pulls me now to do the ritual and I don’t resist. You could say it’s habit of mind or routine, and yet I feel more that our ability or tendency towards habit is made by something far deeper and more subtle. Once a process is embraced and unfolding begins, the energy of the thing gradually strengthens so that you align with it and are moved by it, no longer isolated. So now some aspect of me has merged with the tree.