Be The Tree
and an invitation to smash clay!
A meditation for Stormy Times
The leaves high up on the tallest branches feel it first.
The winds blow…
sometimes the wind is gentle,
sometimes the wind is strong and fierce.
And when the storms come,
the leaves are tossed and pummeled this way and that;
they must cling tenaciously to the branches.
I imagine it’s scary up there
being whipped around by the swirling winds.
That’s how I feel when I spend too much time listening
to voices of fear,
to external voices of alarm.
Do you ever feel that way, too?
I invite you to come in from the edge
come down to the center,
to the center of the tree.
The trunk in the center of the tree
doesn’t sway so much,
doesn’t get whipped around by external forces.
Come into the center of the tree
where the sap runs strong.
Center yourself.
Now, come down even deeper...
Come into the roots of the tree,
roots are held tight by the ground around them,
roots penetrate deep into the solidness of the ground,
ground embraces roots.
Ground yourself.
Be grounded in the solidness of the earth
Mother Earth holds you,
embraces you,
wraps her solid strength around you.
Come back
and cling tenaciously
to this present moment,
to this centered moment,
to this grounded moment,
and rest in that embrace
whenever you feel the storms again.
How was that?
Do you feel grounded now? What do you do to feel grounded, to come back to your center? We need to do more of that!
Let me know in the comments!
Still need more? Join us for our next CREATIVE RESISTANCE session on Saturday, April 26th from 11:00-12:30 eastern! We’ll be smashing and twisting and scratching clay as a cathartic release in these stormy times. Clay is a great medium for exploring visceral reactions.
Click the button below for more details and registration!
We had a good turn out for last month’s CREATIVE RESISTANCE session on Recreating the Headlines. As one participant exclaimed: “It worked!” Many of us felt a release of angst and an alleviation of the helplessness that follows us around like storm clouds. I hope you can join us next time on April 26th! There are a handful of spaces left.
Ahhhh..... beautiful! Thank you!
Thank you for this. My anxiety is beyond my ability to cope during these times. This tree meditation is helpful. I need more info on how to be grounded and bring myself into balance because when I become enveloped high level of stress, I forget how to care for myself. This meditation made me stop and remember that I need to be proactive about self-care. I am finding it more and more difficult to maintain feeling grounded. Journaling and free-flowing creative expression with art materials, especially watercolors, help me feel more grounded and in balance. Movement and dance too. When weather permits I like to go outside and connect with the natural world: listening and observing birds, wildlife, plants, trees, and barefoot connection with the Earth. But it is still too cold to do that daily. What I also do to feel grounded is sing, chant, meditate, pray in tongues, and notice my breath. I've discovered the Green Tara Buddhist mantra of protection and have been saying it over and over. I do need to do more ideas, and prompts like your email today, to help me come back to my center. And ways of knowing that I am connected to others who share my values and concerns. Thank you, Mary, for reminding me to take a moment. I need more moments to help counter the evil, hatred, lies, and destruction that seem to be taking over the world, taking over my life. My heart breaks every day these days...