THE TREE OF LOVE
When I felt called to write about my relationship with the Apple Tree I reflected on the myriad of lessons she has taught me. When I stepped back to observe the lessons they were all interwoven with love. In ancient times the Apple Tree is said to be the “Tree of Love” and is one of the most sacred trees, symbolizing good health and future happiness.
I connected with the Apple Tree immediately. Her beauty and presence were unique. She was grounded with large roots and an incredible strong trunk. Her branches were expansive reaching far and wide in all directions. There was nothing she did not touch energetically from the belly of Mother Earth with her roots to the Cosmos with her branches, she encompassed all. She wore two large scars where substantial branches had been removed with what appeared to be a lack of kindness or knowledge for her well being. Every intricate piece of her was full of stories, teachings and wisdom. She taught me beauty of a different magnitude. She struck me as imperfectly perfect. To be able to accept her imperfections and see them as beautiful gave me permission to see all this way, including myself.
She taught me to sit still. To sit in my home, on my deck, in meditation or next to her I learned to sit quiet and still. In a busy world where we live in a culture that requires us to be as productive as one can be she taught me the importance of sitting and appreciating everything and nothing. When I could sit anywhere on my property or in my house I often gravitated under the canopy of her branches. She would shield me from the sun and she would protect me from the rain. She provided a safe space, shelter and protection.
She taught me how to feel. She brought me joy by climbing her, hiding Easter Eggs in her trunk, and blowing bubbles through her branches with my children. She held space as I was married underneath her branches. She held even more space as the marriage crumbled, my life fell to shambles, I started my healing journey, and I began to return to myself. All emotions have always been welcomed.
She taught me to connect to myself, nature, Heaven and Earth. I started on a journey to return to myself in 2020. I started to study Shamanism and in one of my first guided meditations called the “Shamans Breath” I was asked to visualize a tree to connect with. I have struggled with visualizing as long as I can remember but as soon as I closed my eyes I could see her perfect outline. I could visualize sitting on top of the Earth that covered her roots which would ground me to Gaia. My back against her trunk offered support and strength. My arms spread wide mimicking her vast branches weaving a beautiful tapestry of all elements through the ethers and far beyond the cosmos. The “Shamans Breath” asks us to inhale our breath from Earth through the roots of the tree. From the roots of the tree into the body. Continuing to travel from the body through our branches into the cosmos all the way to the Heavens. Then allowing the exhale to travel back down from the Heavens into the branches. From the branches through our body. Continuing to travel from our body into the roots and releasing back into the Earth. The connection between Heaven and Earth was my first Kundalini experience. She taught me a deeper feeling of one.
She taught me awareness and to pay attention by being front and center to my kitchen window. She changed her seasonal outfits subtly most days and on occasion a shocking difference. I would enjoy seeing the changes of each season paying close attention to details that brought my focus to the present and would let all other busyness drift away. I became more aware of the details she wore but also to the surroundings. What wildlife would visit during what time of year. The shades of green the ground would grow and the hues of blue, gray and white the sky and clouds would frame her in. The sunrises and the sunsets displayed beautiful works of art that she stood in the center of and highlighted the beauty that surrounded her. She taught me the beauty in blooming as I watched her spring buds slowly take form calling attention to my impatience to see the breakthrough. I would quickly remind myself that each stage is as beautiful as the one before and the one to follow and to embrace the power of the present. I observed the beauty of letting go each fall as her leaves would drop one by one leaving her refreshed and renewed but always wiser and more beautiful each transformation. The Apple Tree encompassed endless changing beauty every season.
She taught me to live while dying. Recently I have noticed that she did not have as many leaves and blossoms this spring. A few of her branches remained bare through the seasons. As she is slowly shedding this Fall I see that the exposed branches are covered with a fair amount of moss. At the base of her trunk a shelf mushroom has taken up residence and I continue to see fungus pop up in small sprinkles in a few spots. My heart sank at the sight of the fungus and moss moving in, indicating she is nearing the end of her life cycle. I wept. I wept at the thought of losing her but of course she had another lesson to bestow upon me. She is teaching me that even through her life cycle of life to death she is giving back to the Earth by giving to new life. She is alive while dying. She is letting go while continually changing. She is returning to the Earth. There is no losing her as she is me, she is all, she embodies the one.
She taught me about love beyond my comprehension. The beautiful tapestry of the lessons all interwoven with love for the tree, for me, for all of thee. I am forever changed and incredibly grateful.
All Photos Taken By Naga Foto Arts