“No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell.”
—Carl Jung
Consider the tree. What began its life as a small seed, full of potential, has become a gargantuan giant, rooted deeply as it towers tall over the rest of the forest.
But the tree did not grow to its great height in an hour, a day, a week, or even a year. It grew to be strong and tall by dedicatedly pushing its canopy upward and its roots downward, little by little, each and every day.
The tree understands what balanced and natural growth looks like, and over the course of its life it quietly leads by example, showing the rest of us how to best use our resources to accomplish the same.
Mother Nature shows us the naturally slow building progress of life everywhere we look. She has an uncanny ability to nonchalantly veil one of life’s greatest secrets right before our eyes. The secret of how to thrive.
The river slowly and deliberately cuts the land into a canyon. The grand blooming Spring unfurls as Winter recedes unconcerned by the evolution. The puppy sheds its needle-like baby teeth one by one as it grows into a dog. The tree takes only the nutrients that it needs while sharing the rest with its neighbors via the mushroom network that connects them underground.
Why would we believe that as hue-man be-ings we are any different from the Natural systems that created our bodies in the first place? Why would we think we are different from the natural perfection that thrives outside of our cities? And why do we work so hard to wall ourselves off from it?
Are we the only species on this planet that actively works to separate ourselves mentally and physically from the infinitely intelligent systems of Nature, and from the secrets she shares through her intentful being?
Wild wolves do not eat and sleep in houses made of glass. They do not look outwardly at the world as if they are separate from it. Geese do not drive steel cages southward for the Winter. Mother Nature does not serve highly preserved fast food.
Seeing a coyote washing a hot pocket down with a soda pop for dinner would be the most unnatural phenomena you have ever seen. But what makes you any different from that animal from Mother Nature’s perspective? Why do hue-mans think that our current way of life is normal?
That wild canine does not have the choice to enjoy an effortless meal, but because of the way we have come to live in modern times, you and I certainly do. Yet, the range of dis-ease that stems from easy eating affects humans much more prominently than coyotes.
Being a member of the modern Hue-Man Society seems to program unnatural separatist beliefs directly into our subconscious minds via the way of life that we buy in to living. Does it not?
We are born as eight pound babies and take years to develop into the full-sized adults that we become, yet as adults many of us continuously forget to consider the natural cycles of life that meticulously arranged our molecules from stardust into conscious beings of action.
Society has made staying alive much easier than it would be if we lived in true alignment with nature, but what good is a longer lifespan if it is full of stress, anxiety, and dis-ease that stems from living unnaturally? What purpose does being alive serve if we are not truly living as Nature shows us how to?
Society has programmed us well and it is our job to re-write our own programming on an individual level as we see fit if we want to truly thrive. Those who actively program their minds continue to prosper, and those who tightly grasp to pre-programmed instructions tend to suffer.
One person goes to the gym and expects a flat waistline and bulging veiny muscles after only one week of workouts and finds their disappointment so great that they quit going altogether.
Another person begins taking piano lessons and then abandons them a month later when they still can not play Beethoven’s “Piano Sonata No. 8” without missing a single note.
Yet some other person sacrifices sugary treats, eats enough protein, and sculpts their body as desired through sweaty daily effort. And years later that person looks and feels amazing because they continue to embrace doing the work.
Another person breathes deeply as their fingers fumble across the keys each day until finally they have built enough muscle memory to play naturally. Then, after years of practice, with precision they perfectly strike each note, producing flowery tears in the eyes and hearts of their audience.
Which type of person do you align more deeply with? And in the words of The Grouch, “are you who you say you are, or a sliver of who you know you are supposed to be"?
How many times have you become frustrated with one of your goals and quit before you achieved the rewarding results that take time and continued effort to develop? Like the tree teaches us, we too must practice slow and balanced growth, but we do not grow from the seed to the sky overnight.
The average mindset within our current society is programmed to gravitate toward convenient short-term dopamine hits supplied by easy foods, easy attention on social media, easily binge-watched entertainment, and so many other things that do not require much conscious effort to attain.
We must each ask ourself how our constant seeking of temporary pleasures robs us of our long-term well being. No one is coming to do our individual work for us, and our feelings guide us directly to where to begin. But only some will do the daily work needed to get everything they want from their lives. And each of us gets to decide what type of person we will be.
Just make sure that your roots are developing properly as you reach for the sky. Make sure your foundation is solid, because even trees topple over sometimes when the wind blows hard enough.
🌟🌟🌟
During this week’s practice we will focus in on one of our personal goals, we will patiently do the work that is needed each day, and we will let go of any animosity or judgement we inwardly feel about our current progress.
This week we will take time to observe when we are asking for immediate results to goals that require steady daily effort to achieve, and we will release ourselves from that mental trap with several deep nasal breaths every time the observation is made. We recognize that we need to breathe to re-focus the swirling mind, and to let go of the thoughts that do not serve our natural growth.
Whether you are learning to play the piano, shedding some unwanted belly fat, or teaching yourself how to build a table in the wood shop, take a few big breaths and give yourself some credit for the progress you have made thus far, and be at peace with the time it will take to become exactly what you want to be.
🌟🌟🌟
If you are asking yourself, “Who the f&#@ is this guy and why am I sitting here reading what he has to say”, then start here at #1.
Nature reveals the secrets of how to thrive as we live