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Posts Tagged ‘Tree Spirit Healing’

Pure Emptiness Tree (purification visualisation)

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on June 9, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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This is the first of a series of related meditation exercises that were created and presented in Japan last month. It can be done very quickly, or it can be made into a main practice. It will be especially useful for those who feel out of balance or struggling with aspects of their environment they find challenging and difficult.

WALKING INTO A TREE (PURE EMPTINESS TREE)

Emptiness presents no resistance, no opposition. Everything flows through freely and maximum harmony is maintained.

1. It will always be more anchoring to begin with an actual tree. One that is present, or one that you know well.

2. Form an idea or image of the tree you feel you can work with, ( one that seems appropriate, or one that comes to mind as you begin to settle down).

3. In your energy form, consciously move closer towards the tree until you find at a certain distance you begin to enter the atmosphere or awareness of the tree itself.

4. At this place, pause, and greet the tree energy, asking permission to continue with the exercise. (if there is a clear refusal, you may need to work with a different tree energy or centre and ground yourself some more).

5. Move towards the tree until you pass through and into the trunk. Stay still and integrate with the feelings.

6. Become aware of the edge of the tree trunk, where the living cells are. Be aware of the quiet central spaces of the trunk of the tree. Visualise these as a large, hollow space. Allow your own body boundaries and aura and those of the tree to become the same, so you are just aware of an inner space with edges at the outer boundary.

7. Now imagine from above the top of the tree, open to the universe, that the energy of space, the element of akasha, flows down into your energy tube, swirling and flowing with indigo and starlight. Feel the expansive,opening energy sweep through your whole being from top to bottom, from head to foot, from branches to roots. When it has filled your inner space allow it to concentrate at the outermost boundary, as if forming a new layer of tree bark. See it as a layer of intense indigo, or midnight blue.

8. Now return your attention back up to the top of the tree, open to the universe. See a refreshing flow of air, of wind, of breezes, with a vibrant green colour, sweep down filling and cleansing all the inner space, sweeping away all imbalances. Fill your inner space completely and the see the green energy of air concentrate at the outer boundary, on the inside of the indigo layer of akasha.

9. Return your attention to the upper end of your hollow awareness tree and see a forceful white flow of water rush downwards bringing clarity and openness. See that energy sweep round and cleanse every part of your inner space. Then see it concentrate in a layer of white energy on the inside of the green layer of air.

10. Return your attention to the upper end of your hollow awareness tree and now see a downward rush of fire, a tumble and roar of flames, red in colour, fierce and powerful. See it purifying, transforming, consuming all imbalances. See the red flames fill the whole of your inner space, then let it concentrate as a layer of vibrant red colour on the inside of the white layer of water.

11. Return your awareness to the upper end of your hollow tree awareness and see it fill with a deep, rich yellow of the element of earth. See that clean, nurturing energy fill all your inner spaces, settling and repairing, reestablishing order and harmony. Finally, let the energy of the earth element flow out to form and concentrate as a layer of vibrant yellow on the inside of the red layer of fire.

12. Focus for a moment on the five protective layers that form the boundary of your hollow tree awareness. Then relax and let the imagery fade. You are now just standing within the tree again.

13. Imagine leaving the tree, walk out into the world. Turn and thank the tree for its kindness and support. Return to normal awareness.

—–

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Wayfaring Tree

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on May 17, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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Wayfaring Tree

Far memory, similarities, echoes, resemblance, personal boundaries and independant protection, echoing times, reminiscence, stuck in tracks, retracing paths, following one’s own footprints, familiar reverberation, resonant spaces, familiar signs, repeating patterns, mazed, enchanted, entranced, enraptured, unfolded, entrapped, bewitched.

Old paths
Echoes
New song to sing.

Old signs
Fading echoes
New song, new path.

Recapitulation
Mazed
Dream echoes
Habitual paths.

Circular paths
Old songs
Falling awake.

Old path
Echoes
Old songs
Fading echoes
Old paths
Dream singing
Old songs.

This small member of the viburnum family gets its name from the observation that it was frequently found along ancient roads. Its other, more ancient name, is hoarwithy, because it bears unbels of white flowers and produces very flexible stems that can be woven together. It is commonest on light, chalky downland soils -the same uplands that were favoured by Neolithic peoples because of the lighter tree cover that was easier to farm and to move upon, less frequented by wild animals and less prone to flooding.
There is a great attraction in following pathways that are already established. It is easy to presume that they are going in a useful direction for us. But it takes very little to get diverted or for someone to lay down a new track that may simply go back on itself or become a dead end. Habits are pathways established over time by cultures, groups, families and individuals.over time, useful, well-worn paths may become obscured by more fashionable directions to move in. Sometimes, old paths are the best yet are still forgotten. Sometimes, they are forgotten because they have been improved upon.
When patterns are repeating in an individual’s life it can be like becoming lost in an unfamiliar place where we simply find ourselves travelling in circles. Once we recognise this we must make sure that we consciously make changes so we can move off somewhere else.
To get lost in a dream of the future is as futile as getting lost in a dream of the past. Sometimes steps need to be retraced a long way to find out where we have ended up and why. Wayfaring Tree Spirit brings to our attention the deep past and how it has echoes through the ages and through repetitious habits in our lives, allowing us to discover what needs to be retained, re-examined or remembered, and what needs to be left behind. Following footsteps over a cliff edge, or following footsteps to safety.

****

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Larch: Golden Dancer

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on May 5, 2013| 2 Comments »

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Larch Breath

Breathe in: through both soles of the feet, up the body to the very centre of the head.

Breathe out: down the outside of the head, along the outside edge of the arms, to the fingers.

“ Delicate touch
senses opening
warp and weft”

Few trees show such a surprising range of aspects as the larch. One of the primary mountain-side trees of Europe, it has become a common forestry tree as well. In winter few other trees look as scraggy, as unkempt as the larch does. It is a deciduous conifer and so loses its needle-like leaves so that rough bare branches thick with small cones disguise the often, graceful lines of the downswept boughs. In early spring, however, new tufts of bright green needles revitalise its appearance, and if one looks carefully, amazingly sculptural little flowers can be seen just as the green appears. Male flowers are domes of bright yellow-orange, female flowers to become the cones, are deep crimson crowns spaced along each branch. In autumn, the whole tree turns copper-orange and in the late autumnal sunlight, a burnished brass. Scruffy, bohemian, surprising to see, but perfectly adapted to shed winter snows. The energy of larch is the expression of creativity, the richness of experience, the enjoyment of contrast, a contrast of the practical and the rarified. Exploration of experiences, enjoyment of contrast, flexibility to get the best from the surroundings, relaxing into places and events. Sturdy but delicately sensitive. The wood is light, fibrous and heavily impregnated with aromatic resins that make it ideal for long-lasting telegraph poles. In the same way as those poles support and enable humans to communicate with each other, larch itself opens our consciousness to the possibilities of exploration, play and creativity. The understanding of existence is the experience of the warp and weft, the interweaving of communication and understanding/empathy, shared senses between beings. When things seem untidy, dull, lack-lustre, the spirit of larch will re-infuse experience with enlivened senses, optimism and a brightened mind bringing fresh vision.

The taste of time
Weaving through cellular senses.
Opening out, uncurling,
Delicately sensing,
Deeply feeling,
Letting go and dancing
Dancing for joy of movement,
Joy of stillness.
Mountain air
Serious and sharp
Aromatic elegance
Mind weaver;
Will spinner;
Cat’s cradle;
Ingenious genius;
Careless creator;
Weaving sensation –
Golden dancer.

*****
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Hawthorn, Whitethorn, May (a little bit of Beltane)

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 28, 2013| 1 Comment »

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HAWTHORN

“warm breath
dark cave
summer stars.”

No smell so captures the atmosphere of early summer in Britain than the hawthorn blossom. It has a heavy, sweet, erotic earthiness that seems ideal for the burgeoning of life around the beginning of May when the branch-tops become laden with a layer of white, cream or pink flowers. Hawthorn is a tree long associated with earth spirits – the fairies in particular – and with the Earth Goddess. It is a small tree that never attains a great girth or height, though it suits its habitat of open scrubland, woodland margins and open moorland. It is one of the main hedging plants as it can survive heavy pruning and forms dense thorny barriers of angular branches. The wood is heavy and fine-grained, though not as hard as blackthorn or other fruit woods. It’s often contorted and expressively gnarled form gives each tree a personality and presence less easy to find in other species. Despite its rugged and wild appearance during the winter months, it has an aura of benevolence throughout springtime, summer and autumn when the branches are laden with small, dark red berries. Hawthorn somehow manages to express the epitome of the Threefold Goddess and the sequence of time marked by seasonal change. Herbally and energetically hawthorn benefits the heart by regulating any abnormal activity. Its generosity of expression in flowers and fruit and the guarded protection of its compact form and fierce thorns perfectly characterises the needs of the heart in opening to relationships with love whilst maintaining appropriate boundaries between the self and others. There are many sub-species and types of hawthorn, all of which work alongside the qualities of the heart, love, expression of emotion, personal path, universal consciousness, intimacy, relaxation, expansion, richness of the senses, relaxing into the experience of living.

*****

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HAWTHORN BREATH
Breathing in: upon a constant stream of moving breeze from the distance in a straight line into the centre of the back (at heart level).

Breathing out: upon the stream as it emerges out of the front of the centre of the chest.

TREE TEA
Hawthorn flowers soothe sore throats. The bark is a mild tranquilliser that can help with fevers and malaria. Flowers, leaves and bark all regulate heart function bringing elasticity to blood vessels, reducing palpitations and giddiness.

******

HAWTHORN GODDESS

Attraction of atoms,
Mesmeric swing of electrons,
Neutron heart –
The yearning of gravity.

The constant dance of suns and planets,
The magnetic tide of the years,
Pulling green fire
Furled from rock-bleak branch.

Lying warm in lust nest
Dreaming of you,
Shining one.

Nesting in warm lust,
Weaving dream,
Shining one.

Clasped together
Magnetic dance,
Heart sharp drop.

Star for stone
Blood for thorn
Bud for spring
Attraction, fascination.

Root to soil
Iron to Pole Star
Spiralling inwards
Spiralling outwards.

Dancing hearts
Bud to heaven.


****

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MIDLAND HAWTHORN

Expansion into heart, growth, direction, awareness, enthusiasm, fractal patterns, inward expansion, thousand-petalled

Inward expansion
Heart mother
Thousand petals.

Expansion inwards
Open fractals
Thousand petals.

Inner expanse
Heart mother
Fractal patterns.

Inner expanse
Heart mother
Fractal petals.


****
Midland Hawthorn Breath:

Breathing in: bring the breath in to the heart.
Breathing out: see the breath expanding out from the heart as a growing sphere. At its furthest, outermost edge, there is a sense of stars.

****
The Hawthorns all work with the energy of the heart. The heart is the centre, the core, of a thing, the place from which everything expands and originates. The first often gets swamped by the second, the third, the succeeding experiences that explore and elaborate in greater and greater complexity and originality. It is easy to get swept along with the new until there is so much to experience simultaneously that we grow tired of having to make choices, decisions, changes. We lose sense of control, sense of perspective and are overwhelmed by possibilities. Yet we have travelled so far away from where we started that it seems impossible to find a way back to a simple, honest, central point. Midland hawthorn helps us to experience a return to the centre, focusing energy and awareness in one place so that we can see the chaotic whole for what it is. Chaos and lack of order is simply looking at things from an inappropriate distance. Getting closer or going further away patterns will begin to emerge that we can recognise and follow.
Within infinity every possible point is the central point, and within that central point everything else is enclosed: expanding inwards, remaining in the centre, patterns unfolding endlessly. A small tree that becomes the universe. A wavy-edged leaf becomes a map directly to one’s goal. The music of the heart beating.

****

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Birch Breath

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 21, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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Birch Breath

“Bone white
birth reveals
all in beauty.”

The birch is amongst the most graceful of trees. Its white bark and long elegant boughs, often with down-swept branches, make it easy to see from a distance wherever it might be growing. Birch is a pioneer tree inhabiting the poor, rocky soils of heath land and lower mountainside. Living on the edges of the inhabited world of man it is easy to associate the tree with the spirits of the wild, particularly female lunar and fertility deities. In keeping with its character as a liminal dweller on thresholds the birch carries associations that appear contradictory but elucidate its significant role and symbolism.

The ghostly white bark represents both light and life- the power of life to conquer and regenerate, to give birth and flourish – and also of the cold, lifeless bones of the dead, the dwellers of the Otherworld and the ancestors. In the Scottish Highlands the birch is sometimes seen as a benevolent female spirit, a dangerous, devouring witch or a home for the spirits of dead girls. This symbolism may well reflect an ancient association with the Great Goddess, whose aspects included the nurturing fertile Mother at the same time as the ravening destructive force of War and Destruction. She is the Mother who goes to all lengths to protect her offspring from harm.

The name ‘birch’ derives from the same Indo-European root words as ‘light’, ‘shining’, ‘bright’. But birch also shows that all beauty is balance, for the white purity of the bark splits to reveal black underneath. There is no birth without death, no light without darkness, no beginning that is not also an ending. We cannot rest our eyes on true beauty until we accept the whole interaction of life with death, until we stop favouring, stop judging, stop comparing. The oldest traditions of the Great Mother are uncompromising in their clarity. All aspects of human experience, good and bad, are manifest in Her forms and faces. There is no possibility of compromise with human frailties or wishful thinking if we want to attain a true state of clear, birch-like awareness.

Breath:
Breathing in through the solar plexus.
Breathing out, imagining the breath swirling around the inner walls of the body(as liquid swirls around a vessel).

Tea: All parts are useful, including the rising sap in early spring which can be tapped to make an excellent wine. The bark is diuretic and laxative. The leaves are high in potassium so taken together with the bark can prevent the sodium-potassium imbalance that can occur when taking other diuretics. Both the leaves and the sap are anti-inflammatory and are useful for arthritic conditions and skin irritations like psoriasis. The buds can be used in cases of cystitis (the alkalising effects of potassium helpful here as well).

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Horse Chestnut

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 14, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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Horse Chestnut (White Chestnut)

Agitation, harmonising flow, contrast, difference, clarity, intuition, peace, dissipates excess energy, steady, frictionless, super-conductor, frictionless flow, seamless, silk, candle in a cave, constant flame, smooth flame, wordless place, silk flame, windless place, seamless time.

” silk flame
Still cave
Seamless time”

Like a candle burning in a still cave, the awareness is not disturbed by any outside influences. There is a smooth, seamless flow of energies with no friction or irritation. When there is no resistance, all energies can be harmonised. When we become aware of great contrast it can be difficult to reconcile the difference. This sets up a conflict, an annoyance, an intolerance. Rather than needing to move away to find a more peaceful place, the spirit of horse chestnut resolves the differences within ourselves so that we can be at peace wherever we may be. With an easy flow of energy it becomes easier to avoid setting up repetitive patterns and other symptoms of blocked or resisted energy. One moment flows into another with no neurotic repetition. Thoughts are smooth and reflect deeper perceptions of mind. The body is less agitated and can remain at peace. Excess energy is able to drain away. What is not needed is released. What is not helpful is not absorbed.

Tree Breath Meditation:

Breathe in: as you breathe in, imagine you are pulling air up through the base of the spine in an upward moving, anticlockwise spiral that tightens inwards toward the axis of the body.
Breathe out: relax and brathe out, imagining the breath leaving the body downwards through the armpits.

Mantra:

The mantra to link to this tree spirit is:

GAASH…T’HAAASH. DAA. R. NAA. Y

repeat this to yourself out loud until familiar with the sound of it, then take it inside your mind and let it float there for a while.

The tree itself exhibits a contrast of tense and relaxed, rough and smooth. As it matures the bole of the trunk begins to spiral to the right, though the crown opens out and spreads with heavy boughs. The leaves are large, rough fingers held relaxedly downwards on long, smooth stems. The white, candle flowers appear in late spring and ripen into heavy, spiky fruits that fall in autumn to reveal shiny brown chestnuts.
Rich in tannins, these fruits are used in many cosmetic skin products as they ‘tone’ and tighten the skin. Internally, horse chestnut restores tone and flexibility to blood vessels and is used to prevent varicose veins and reduce haemorrhoids.

This tree is now a familiar and welcome sight in many parks and public spaces of the world, but before the end of the 16th century it was unknown. At this time it was found in a small mountainous area between Greece and Albania and was soon introduced to stately homes throughout Europe.

**
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the image is of the Tree Spirit Key for the Horse Chestnut.It can be used as a focus for healing or for meditative work.

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Three Triads

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 14, 2013| Leave a Comment »

THREE QUESTIONS: THREE TRIADS

What is tree spirit healing?
A reminder of wholeness.
A reminder of belonging.
A movement towards balance.

What are the tools of tree spirit healing?
The five senses, the quiet mind,
The open heart of natural stillness.

What are the methods of tree spirit healing?
Walking towards opening doors,
Looking through other windows,
Paying attention.

(Triads are traditional mnenomic method of the British Celts (Welsh). Similar to Hindu and Buddhist sutras, they act as reminders to teachings and evoke deep unconscious responses. They can be obvious, or gnomic and obscure. Triads often come in the form of question and response.)

***

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(dawn redwood trunk)

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Tree at the Earth’s Core (visualisation exercise)

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on April 14, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Tree at the Earth’s Core.

If you have worries or concerns, particularly with things that are larger than your own influence, offer then up to the heart of the planet with this exercise. A solution or answer may surface in your mind.

Sit comfortably and relax into the weight and gravity of your physical body.

Allow your awareness to sink downwards into the ground and to extend as searching roots.

At the same time as establishing a web of roots spreading in a downwards and outwards direction, visualise and feel a vigorous taproot of your consciousness diving strong and straight, down towards the very centre of the planet.

As your root system becomes strong and established, really begin to focus on that deep thrusting taproot.

It dives through soil, subsoil and rock. It is sure and strong of the pull of the earth’s core. As you attend to this energy picture you may be aware also of many different levels of all sorts of possible scenes, landscapes and matter as your awareness dives towards the heart of the planet.

When you reach that central point of energy, allow as much as you need to flow into your body. You are of the Earth’s body, made of its energy. Be aware of this unbreakable bond with this planet. Allow your awareness to settle and take comfort from belonging.

When ready, allow the imagery to fade and return to the here and now.

***
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Complete Rootedness (an exercise)

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 4, 2013| 2 Comments »

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Complete Rootedness

This can be very useful when there is a sense of dislocation in our energy – such as too much head activity or when grounding is difficult because of strong thoughts or emotions.

Begin by taking a moment to relax body and breath.

Allow awareness to follow the gentle pull of gravity.

Allow the roots of your awareness to expand from all parts of your body.

First, feel the roots of energy grow and spread from your toes and feet. When this process is underway, move your attention up the body.

Allow the roots to descend from the base of your spine. Really feel your awareness root into the ground as if it were a continuation of your physical blood and nerves.

Feel the weight of your fingers and arms. Roots of awareness and secure, grounded energy grow from them, down and out into the earth.

Feel your chest and back expand and contract as you breathe. Roots shoot from them simultaneously and lock your energy deeply into the ground.

Now roots of energy awareness spread over your head and from all your senses. You can feel them expand outwards into the earth from your ears, from your eyes, from your tongue, from your mouth and from the very top of your head.

Awareness from the whole of your body now extends and reaches down and around to create a total rootedness and groundedness to the earth.

Take time to focus on those parts where it seems more difficult to visualise the roots extending outwards.

When you are ready, gently allow the visualisation to fade and bring yourself back to your physical body.

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Size isn’t Everything

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 4, 2013| 1 Comment »

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Size isn’t everything.

How big is a tree spirit?
Rather like a physicist looking at an elementary particle, time and space, the means we have to measure ‘things’ cannot be used.
Time and space are intimately connected to physicality. Indeed, time is only the relationship of different things in space.
As the spirit reality is outside of our experience of time and space, our measuring devices become unreliable.
Experiencing the energies of tree spirits can be a little like carefully examining an object but not knowing whether we are looking through a telescope at something very large or looking through a microscope at something very small.
Our attitudes to what we experience may well vary depending on what assumptions we make.
So qualities of size, questions of appearance, questions of relationship to others – of individuality, and so on – all ways of identifying things that we are familiar with using, become equivocal and changeable.
It will depend upon our state of awareness and our understanding of what we perceive.
It is not a matter of belief, though belief may affect our interpretation.
It is a matter of open contemplation.
Of floating upon our experiences, our sense impressions, our thoughts, without struggling to fit them into pre-existent boxes. Relax and float.
As soon as intellectual or emotional tensions creep in, like floating on the sea, we will sink beneath the surface unless we relax completely, remaining buoyed up by the silent consciousness and shared (understood) sentience of human and universe, you and tree, here and there, big and small.

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