We Are One
CC: Aspen Trees
Aspen trees. White trunks with heart shaped leaves that are green in the summer and yellow/orange in the fall. Not much to them. They all look pretty much the same.
Exactly the Same?
Did you know that Aspen trees grow in groves and from a genetic point of view each tree is equal to the next? Each tree is standing next to it’s identical twin.
They are exactly the same.
Well, not really.
Tattooed Subjects
Try meandering through a grove of aspens. Slow down and really take a good hard look. Each aspen tree is distinctive. Each tree bares the scars of it’s own individual history, like body art.
Spending Time in the Forest
Getting out to enjoy the beauty aspen trees (or any other species of trees) offer can be a calming and spiritually inviting pursuit. We all intuitively know this to be true, whether you call it shinrin-yoku (forest bathing), getting back to nature, friluftsliv (open-air living), a walkabout, or by some other name or phrase. Maybe you’re more likely to recognize it in your vernacular as something yelled at you at the end of an argument, for example, “Take a hike!” or in Swedish “Dra åt skogen!” (Go to the forest!) However, on second thought, that might be taking it a bit too far. Your adversary probably isn’t worried about your emotional state or wish for you to feel better, although wouldn’t that be nice if that was the intent.
Side note: The above paragraph is a perfect example of how your mind might gallop from one thought to the next the first time you thoughtfully wander among the trees. Don’t worry. It’s natural. And just like they tell you in yoga or meditation when this happens, just notice the thoughts and let them naturally blow away as if on a wind.
Start at the Beginning
- Sit or stand.
- Stay still.
- Breathe. In and out.
- Breathe in the aroma of the grove.
- Listen to the soft quaking of the leaves as the wind blows through them.
- Rub your fingers over the scars from branches broken off, romantic love notes left by deer, avian sapsuckers, graffiti, lightning strikes, insect infestations, skier mishaps, bear scratching, etc.
Go Inward
Notice the colors in the leaves, the earth, the tree, the sky. Which colors most resonate with you today?
Observe the flickering shadows from the sun’s rays. Do you feel more sunny or more shadowy today?
Be aware of any feelings or sensations that crop up.
Breathe some more, stay longer.
Newfound Appreciation of Aspen Trees
Each is unique. Each is uniquely beautiful. Each stands on it’s own.
When you are ready to head home and you take one look back at all those uniquely imperfect trees in a grove together with the leaves dancing in the wind . . . what you see is glorious!
