Tree of Life- Gateway to the Divine
Connecting to the Tree of Life.
The unique connection we have with trees is ancient, evoking a sense of tranquility, calm and peace. The sacred tree that is honoured as a Gateway to the Divine across many cultures and civilisations, roots connected deeply in the Earth, branches and leaves reaching to the heavens, the tree being a bridge between the two. For when we have a strong foundation in our lives, grounded in our physical, we can then traverse the cosmos.
The Tree of Life symbolises physical and spiritual nourishment, stability and growth, transformation and liberation, union and fertility. Inspiring within us the ability to change and adapt, yet remain strong and unyielding.
A beautiful practice is to see your tree in your mind’s eye, this tree is unique to you personally, like an old friend, a familiar presence that comes to you when you imagine a tree. Look closely at your tree and notice its shape, is it large and strong, tall and thin, does it bare fruit? Is it soft and flowing like a willow on the bend of a river? Place your hands on it’s trunk and feel the bark on your skin. What is the texture, smooth like a gum or rough and ridged. See the colour, the texture of your tree,
Follow your gaze all the way up and see how the branches spread out and up from the trunk, how much light comes in through the canopy, what shape are the leaves. Are they all one colour? See how they flow and dance in the wind. Do your arms wrap all the way around the trunk, or is the tree so old and huge that you can only hold a part of this ancient being.
Notice the roots at your feet, and see yourself sitting at the base of this beautiful ancient being. Visualise yourself merging with the tree, becoming one with the spirit of the tree, feeling its energy flowing through you, creating a sacred connection with its wisdom and healing energy. Feeling yourself becoming the tree.
Sink down into the roots of the your tree, anchoring you into the Earth, creating your sense of stability and strength on your spiritual journey, grounding you and connecting into the mycelium network beneath the Earth. Feel into the roots and notice how you are aware of the other trees around you, in resonance with the symbiotic communication.
The roots of the tree may symbolise our past, our ancestral lines embedded in the physical world. The foundation of our growth. Reminding us to stay grounded in our beliefs and values. Feel your healing energy, flowing down your tree roots grounding you to the earth, and flowing all the way down to the golden light at the core of the earth. Tapping into the waters beneath the soil, through layers of earth and sediment, grounding you into the crystalline form of Mother Gaia.
Feel yourself fully grounded connected to the Universal Life Energy, and begin to draw up this golden energy, up through your roots and feel it entering your trunk. Here, witness your growth and transformation. Looking back over how much you have grown and evolved. How change is inevitable and necessary for spiritual development. How each moment is an opportunity to mature into your wisdom and experience. Feel how you are nurtured by all the elements around you, through your deep roots, and strong trunk. This is your inner strength, resilience, and the ability to endure through adversity
Feel now into your heart wood, the centre of your being. The energy spreading out through your whole body, your crystalline consciousness, spreading out through your branches as you reach out and connect to the divine, the transcendental. Deeply rooted in the ground yet connected to the heavens, the universe.
Finally drawing your attention out through your branches and into your leaves, like antennas, feeling the energy around you, absorbing from the ether, reaching out and connecting to one another. Weaving together our stories as one. Drawing on our insights. And as the trees shed their leaves we remember that we too are part of the cycle of transformation and renewal.
Being our sacred tree we embody balance and harmony with our surroundings. We are a healing presence, providing comfort and restoration in times of need. We provide shelter and protection, stability and safety. We nourish and are nourished by our beautiful Mother Gaia.
Feel your self as your sacred tree, feel yourself sending nourishment into the Earth to Gaia, out through your branches and leaves. Feel your strength, your patience, your wisdom. Being able to adapt, withstand the harsh weather, commune as one with all around you. Content to be, to observe, to grow..
See yourself now sitting at the roots of your tree, nourished and fulfilled, grateful to see yourself in a different way. Know this tree is always here when you need some time to replenish your energy, To feel grounded in the Earth, to be reaching out into the universe. To be stable, supported, connected. To be sheltered and protected, and in turn to shelter and protect those around you, a community of many different forms, but all the same.
Return to gratitude for being part of this wonder-ful place, filled with beauty, Then take yourself to your nearest forest and breathe in deeply. Press your hands onto the Earth, feel the bark and leaves and life that is all around you.
Welcoming you home.