Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life. ― Hermann Hesse, Bäume. Betrachtungen und Gedichte
Trees give an aura of wisdom, of great age, and immense
strength. If we stop to think about it, each one of us has a special tree in
our lives. An immovable object that has marked a place in our memory.
Grandmother always
told me to be like a coconut tree. She had this chorus that she used to recite
every time. It told me to be useful and make every part of me useful. It said
live in co-existence to find harmony. Every
coconut tree comes with the message – Serve your purpose wholly.
There are trees that
have a mighty base, its truck growing to reaching heights, its boughs branching
out as far as it can. Like a human soul with ambitions, his hands stretched towards
the sky, his fingers wanting to touch the dreams. When the winds blow hard,
even this grand tree bends to the wind. The trees are saying – look at me, how strong
and lone I stand, yet I bend to this wind. I do so lest it breaks me. There are
certain happenings in life we cannot ascertain. It comes as a sudden tidal
wave, trying hard to carry us away. At times like this, instead of holding your
feet and letting the wave break us we must lean in a bit to let the waters pass
us without leaving much damage behind.
A tree leaves its marks behind. Each ring on the inside
tells a tale of its existence, the meaning of those years it has stood tall –
sapling to this. Our lives must be of some significance. Mankind loses much in
this race of life that he doesn’t pause to see if his years, his life, is
leaving behind a mark to tell his story.
Trees teach us calm. There are times when I hug a tree
tight, my ears pressed against its bark, my fingers against its texture, my
eyes shut but feeling on my closed lids the light patterns it creates through
its leaves. When I hold a tree close, I feel all anxiety leave me. The force
inside the tree is telling me to keep going on. It holds a certain silence inside its form,
telling us that we must find the silence within us too.
A tree’s leaves never stop rustling as long as the wind
continues to do its job. Maybe the tree is telling us that as long as the world
continues to do its job we must do ours.
But the greatest lesson perhaps is this. More magnificent a
tree is the more sure you can be that its roots stretch far below the earth. We
must have our roots sunk deep into Mother Earth. She, the preserver of life,
the If we
intend to grow, we need to breathe in Mother Earth. We need to earn Nature’s
love. Just as how a tree no matter how old and weak it is continues to live on
with just the support of the mud below it, Earth promises to take care of us if
we are in close association with her.
Trees are like spirits. They talk, teach, and open up a
magical world. They are speakers of Nature’s life lessons. To have a tress as a mentor, parent, friend guarantees
that you have a divine strength leading you on.
Do you have a special tree?
Note: images are copyright to me.
