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The hawk calls, the breeze blows words of love, traveling with these words to land on you and me; collecting them as it goes, lifting, uplifting, caressing,  gifting the words to us as it passes: the trees dance these words in a love dance.

To travel this path requires courage, belief in hope and change.  Accepting the love's outpouring is a potent potion without explanation.

The wind blows in change, laughter, scent, hope, fertility for future dreams.  Currents of air moving through me and with me.

Thus the season of summer moves gently, almost imperceptibly to Autumn.

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IMG_7460Walking as I do at night, my senses notice changes in sound and light more keenly. I notice, for example, the stages of the moon, its waxing and waning, its ascent and descent in the sky. Descending the hill prior to the new moon, as I will and did a few nights ago, requires a different kind of negotiation as the dark appears deeper in the apparent absence of the moon.  It requires more frequent stops to check overhead, to see variations in light patterns as it filters through the branches. It requires use of peripheral vision.  I also notice that my hearing increases. I hear the jumping of a frog off the trail as easily as the deer loping away - both can startle me equally. I hear the treetops gathering the wind in for conversation.

If I am too tired, or simply not trusting in my negotiating skills that night, I use my headlamp to avoid "losing my way." Actually, "losing" oneself is usually a gift of discovery.  But I have gotten off-trail un-announced often enough leading me to surprising turns that I don't assume I will always "know" the way, or greet it happily late at night.  Especially, in the dark of the moon, when the Way can feel unclear, un-illuminated; when my belief in my senses is dampened. Best to check often for other signs and patterns.

It was just such an occasion when I began to notice the patterns of the branches overhead. I glanced up while continuing to walk forward, and was awed by the beauty of the moving branches. It was me, of course, who was moving my feet, but it felt, in the growing dark, that the branches were the ones moving-traversing above me in a dance of light and dark, making new patterns in my brain as the black and white high contrast cards held up for infants.

While noticing these patterns one evening, it suddenly dawned on me that the branch designs could be, and probably were purposeful. They were purposeful in design and objective.  And being such they were effecting a new pattern of energy beneath their creation. These patterns were expressing a change of energy.  An example of this would be in the study of feng shui or bagua.  Well, the feng shui of the forest is a work in progress- with endless subtle adjustments during the period of growth and death.  It is Life and focused energy in motion, increasing our experience of Life in a forest. We might not intellectually know what is changed, or how we are effected.  But we leave the forest different than when we entered.

This past week, I witnessed another example of focused energy in motion, when, at the water's edge, 3 bald eagles circled overhead in an unseen air current. They circled higher and higher in their dance of wind, interweaving and moving to a choreography I did not know. I felt wonder. And like the open mind of the baby, received gifts, my conscious awareness changed. What formulas did that dance instill in my mind, so deeply opened by wonder?  Or for that matter, did the clouds above the eagle, as they shifted and changed, open in me? I don't know, nor do we need to.  We respond, listening to our inner dance and feel a shift.  It could be a shift of energy and consciousness, or a inner inspiration from Spirit,  Understood by the heart and soul.

There have been studies performed on the effects of intention on water as it froze into ice crystals showing beautiful designs effected by various intentions.  The questions above feel like a quest for the effects on consciousness in reverse.  What are the effects of focused attention on we humans from precise creative streams of attention? I choose to receive them with open heart like water particles.  I walk today attentive to the patterns surrounding me, opening to their blessings.  Yes, please let me hear your intentioned creations this day.

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A note on the above writing:  This writing is a collaboration of many conversations and writings and to them I give credit and thanks, as well as to the forest and spirit that inspires it.

 

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Liquid Consciousness

The trees, they are quiet on a day like today.  The wind, not hardly breathing, flutters oh so gently through their leaves.  As I write this very sentence down, a breath, a touch, a caress of wind reaches my face, reminding me of its presence. It interacts with my being as one with a consciousness.

It is my impression and observation that the trees and the wind consciously engage in a dance of movement and response, a symbiosis of mutual respect, a creation akin to music and dance. There are times, for example, that the leaves of the trees wave in response to wind that one can feel; there are times that the wind appears to move only after the leaves have lifted and fluttered.  Which came first?

I like to imagine that the forests create this wind. I have seen where they create their own micro-weather. The greater the forest, the larger the effect. One can see this effect in an area as large as the Amazon forests, an area that is vital to the health of earth's weather.  Also, on a much small microcosm, the weather can be shifted and changed under the aegis of the trees of even a small forest.  Often when a road passes between an area of forests, the weather changes.  During the winter, this could mean more Snow. In Summer, here, in my beech forest, it means more gentle breezes for us to enjoy, play in and listen to.

At this moment, I gaze at a Grandmother Beech whose leaves gently flutter on unseen wind. Soon I feel the touch of this breath on me. It is so unimaginably gentle.  As I look around to see if any other trees are responding to that wave of motion, but nothing appears to move.  Then, in a few moments, the large Maple up the hill with its sister Birches, jostle around visibly, waving forcefully, as if to say, "look here, notice me."

The stillness of the day is a contrast to recent weeks during which the wind moved in masses of trees like undulating waves of water,  making the trees look like underwater sea creatures, or forests of seaweed.  And these trees have responded with graceful dances.  It is a flowing watery movement. It appears that the trees are dancing on the hilltops with the wind as their partner. Bending and twisting before returning to center, as seaweed does in response to the tidal motion of the sea.  There is an ebb and flow in the movement like the inhale and exhale, or the rhythmic motion of master qigong hands initiating and responding.  The sounds made in the rustling leaves sounds watery.  It is a laughing joy of aliveness.

But today is different.  Those same dances are only memories or secrets hidden in the trees today.  The trees appear, in the stillness to be listening, to be in rapt attention. Perhaps there is a conversation going on to which I am not yet attuned.  Who is speaking? And how very quiet is the audience on this still day.

The Beech branches under which I sit, feel curious, gentle and attentive.  Is the conversation going on between this tree and that nearby Maple? The one that jostled earlier by the stronger wind?  What is the topic? Wave, toss moves/speaks the maple; flutter, lift responds the Beech branches- buoyed by unfelt breeze.

Master tree, what would you say to me?  I listen carefully now, to feel your touch and truth on my skin and my soul.  Mourning Doves land as I listen.

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The Black Locusts are blooming.

This statement cannot adequately describe the transcendent beauty that is on display at this time of year. It is a tribute to the gift of Beauty.  It is a tribute to the Eternal Universal Presence.

The pendulous blooms of the Black Locust tree appear toward the end of Spring.  Initially, their arrival is quiet.  One may notice their presence by a gentle whiff of an incredible sweetness unparalleled. In a few days, the sweetness of the blossoms is traveling everywhere, filling acres of land with its intensity.  Its very scent blankets the region.

The blooming also brings a visual splendor for the mass of blooms cover the entire tree, transforming it into a vision of white incandescence.  Locusts grow in clusters and family groupings since they can sprout from their roots. Therefore, when you see one bedazzled tree you are likely to see an entire group of them - standing together in a procession of beauty, transforming the roadside, the hillside, the corner store, or the turn in the road.

Growing as such, their inner biological clock is intimately synchronized. On cue, every Locust tree in a localized area turns white overnight, declaring out loud their beauty and presence. They celebrate their bond visibly with extraordinary splendor.   It's like an overnight flashmob of color and scent announcing the most important event, the most important experience of the Universe:  We are here.  We have a truth to share and we are beautiful to Behold.

locust 2In turn, we humans find ourselves wandering with wonder - gazing more frequently at the hillsides, seeking the locusts to find their beauty and prevalence. We remember once more how deeply grateful we are to the trees; we remember that they have a great deal to teach us about the value of life and living in creation of beauty.  "Let my scent infuse you with visions of hope, dreams, and possibilities."

More metaphors come to mind.  For most of the year, the invisible ties which hold them together are underground, and even unconscious.  Their inner beauty is only a dream. Then, on cue, their intrinsic connection creates a visible flow of profundity.  

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They are teaching us an awareness of creation that is always present within even if it feels hidden.  The inner and outer design of magnanimous bounty is reciprocal.  The scent that weaves between each one of us, holding us together in a single consciousness, is reflected in the Locusts that are blooming. They are teaching us intuitively about the gift of connection and the network that holds us all together. Teaching us again to live in a flow within that invisible network of support.

Their message is : transcendence.  The beauty that you behold without is within.  The conscious creation of life is accessible and within us all. The song of your soul is transforming you and me.  As my beauty transforms your day, yours transforms mine.

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While visiting the forest, I stop to listen for songs.  I want to hear the songs from different individual tree communities.  I do this meditative walking during my favorite hour when the light is soft and sun is close to setting.  During this twilight hour my senses are sharper and clearer.  In the bright of day, distractions overwhelm my senses: bird songs, light playing with shadow and squirrels scampering. But at twilight, I can hone in to the sensations around a grouping in the forest.  My senses become keen.

Within the ecosystem of a forest,  there are many various groupings and homes for the energies of the forest beings.  A home may be trees encircling a wet spot, or the trees at the bottom of a slope. Or it may be defined more subtly as simply a natural stopping spot on the path.

As I walk at dusk, I stop now and then,  wait to listen to what is presented. Sometimes, I imagine I am "hearing/feeling" something new.  These new sounds are sometimes quite faint or dim.  As I pause, many questions arise: Will the sounds become brighter, louder, clearer over time? For example, I do notice that the trees that are noticed, attended to, and loved in a forest seem to grow brighter, fuller, stronger.  They Glow.

Further questions: Is the song I hear a function of the observer who is listening?  Does the quality of sound say more about my listening skills or the level of my quotient of receptivity to that vibration? Or does the level of sound reflect an actual vibration strength of the emission? Or is the answer both?

The trail of these questions leads me to the following thought: that as we humans learn to "tune in," to notice that what surrounds us, to pause and embrace it, we learn that what we sense is not Other, but a reflection of ourselves. We learn that we are one piece of this great cosmic planet. With attention and practice, we can grow in our skill to be in rhythm and harmony with this beautiful planet and our world.  It appears to me that our rising skills increase the harmony of planetary sound.  This thought brings great joy- that we can be co-participants and creators of the peace,  and beauty that belongs to this planet earth.

"As you begin to pay attention to the direction of the Conductor within, you will begin to play to the rhythm of the Planetary Symphony, harmonizing with others of your species, and with all of life."  Ken Carey

 

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I awaken early these last few days to pray with the Thrush as they sing in our woods.  Their gentle song accompanies my paintbrush with filigree and delight. I feel I am in the woods with them honoring the Spirit of the Forest.

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The other night, just past dusk (one of my favorite times of the day), I was walking through the forest.  The wind was noticeably absent, creating a deep quiet. The light was present enough to see the contrasts.  Color was almost, but not quite gone. Each trunk, outlined, tall and clear was so Very Visible to me as both individuals beings and an individual expression of something larger.  A soft muted glow existed in the surrounding space from the translucent light of the new leaves. I felt as though I was seeing the Forest of tree beings for the first time - with both their individual and interconnectedness selves present. The muting grey and shading of the growing dark contributed to this sense.  As I paused to admire this interconnectedness, I felt a sound.  It pulled on my cellular being.  The sound moved through the body up and skyward.

I felt it first in my heart chakra and then the third eye and crown.  It created movement within. This "sound" had a feel to it.  Was it an expression of that moment in time, and from those trees? Was I singing too on that level? I wondered how we might harmonize with this "song".  How might my song sing in tune to their song?

 

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I find there to be beautiful synchrony that I should be writing and creating a site in honor of trees at a time in their cycle when they themselves are blooming and emerging to increased visible beauty and productivity.  They have transitioned as I prepare this page from dormancy to swelling buds, flowers and new leafy beauty.

The wind caresses their leaves with gentleness now, as I write.  It is a gentleness that we humans forget to give to our selves and others.

That same breeze now lifts my face so soft.  The new leaves of the Beech tremulously and expressively as Aspen does.  As if the wind tickles the tree in play.

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The Pine trees wave above them like Palm trees would in warmer climates, gliding across the  skyline with ease in the rustling wind.

At the time of this writing, most trees have begun to bud in the Northern climate.  Even the oak and ash in many spots have tentatively swollen their buds.  The locust and larch are still dormant.  This welcome change in season comes after a very cold and long winter in the Northeast in which we had The Abundance of snow.  During the winter days the mere miracle of a warm day seemed untenable much less imaginable.  The Maple Sap, as dependable as Spring,  ran a month later than usual.

Nevertheless, the trees have caught up, eagerly opening in this glorious sun.  The migrating birds seemed to all return in preparation of the magic of the massive leaf blooming. Their presence adds to the magic and joy of the forest.

There is a sympatico between the trees and the birds, the wind and the sky. And to live with in this balance is heaven.

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The trees give the appearance of  dormancy this March/April as winter fluctuates from Spring to Winter and back again. But indeed they are actually feeding from their roots as we may well be. Drinking in deep from the waters of mother earth to nourish their souls, their souls' purpose and souls' loves.

These pursuits are likely one and the same.

Today I heard this Message from two pines on my walk:

Listen to the sound of our roots:
How you spend your time and What you draw from your roots, you dance into the sky.  Draw from the source that brings eternal hope and joy.  Drink from the waters that feed and nourish your dance of hope, of love. Listen to the sounds of Your roots.   Nourish your love, and your joy. Amen.

And after a pause I heard more: Drink from your own wellspring.

We would be best nourished from waters of our own wellspring to feed our soul’s purpose and soul's loves, that being one and the same thing.

and soul's loves, which is one and the same.

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It has been my devotion to visit the mountain nearby and listen to the wisdom there.  One winter-ends day, I sat on my cushion and listened.  My physical ears could hear a faint crinkle, seeping sound.  I realized I was hearing the already thin ice in the winter sun melting into the thawing earth.

I stayed still to listen.  Then I heard this counsel: I can let the water that is seeping into the earth itself, also nourish My roots.  This seems like vital news on this day when winter has made me thin in longing for growth, change, and visible fruit of my labor.

After sharing these thoughts with a fellow traveler, the insights multiplied to include further aspects of our being.  The insights are based on a 5 element understanding of our constitutions.  Here is the summary:

The water that is seeping through the earth to my roots, feeds them which in turn feed the wood of my being.  The wood grows, allowing the fire to burn stronger and safer,  revealing the true metal within me.

At the end of this long winter, with shiftings within ourselves, our communities and the Earth  I welcome rediscovering my own elements within.