Up, up high in the Tree of Life,
my mind, it sways with fear and strife.
As the winds and rains do blow,
my emotions wobble to and fro.
To the branches, I hold on tight,
the wind blowing with all of its' might.
Sadness here, jealousy there,
my feelings blow me everywhere.
No matter how hard I do cling,
I am blown 'round with everything.
Looking down far, far below
the roots are still as the wind does blow.
I wonder why it's quiet down there,
when I'm blown 'round everywhere.
I called down to the roots, wondering why
they are not affected by the stormy skies.
“How do you stay still while the winds do blow,
as all of this change is troubling me so?”
“We know the secret of the Grounded Trees,
staying rooted when there's stormy seas,
standing tall in the middle of a squall,
then if the winds and rains do blow,
we will not be troubled so.”
“How do I stand strong and tall
when I feel so little and small?
How do I stay rooted when the winds do blow,
Please, Mr. Tree, please tell me so.”
“Find the Ground that is always there,
the Groundless Ground, if you dare,
for it's not what you might think,
not the earth itself, or a cosmic wink -
It is the present moment that you must find
in order to have peace of mind.”
“Hold on to the Branches of the Past,
and you will find that you won't last;
the Branches of the Future will only go,
to angst, worry, and lots of woe.”
“Let go of the Branches of the Times,
and you will find some peace of mind.
Thought, it's not what you might think,
not calming music or the colour pink... ”
“Peace of mind looks different every minute,
but you will know when you are in it.
Even though the winds do blow,
you won't wobble to and fro;
in the middle of stormy seas,
you can be a Grounded Tree.”
“But what do I do to be a Tree?”
“Do nothing at all, just sit and be -
silent and still as the wind arises,
creating thoughts and feelings of many sizes,
notice the body, breath, and mind,
as it changes all the time.
Sitting still will settle you down,
finding your roots in the ground.
Then you can finally be
one of us, the Grounded Trees.”
So I thought I would give it a try
as the wind blew in the stormy skies,
letting go of the Branches of the Times,
sinking into natural peace of mind.
My! - it looks so different down here,
even though strong feelings are near,
there seems to be much more space,
as the winds blow everyplace.
I now see that I'm not so small,
that I can stand tall in the middle of a squall.
Even though the winds do blow,
I don't wobble to and fro,
and they don't trouble me so.
The present moment I have found,
no longer being blown around,
rooted in the Groundless Ground.
Now, I can finally see
how to be a Grounded Tree.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Angela Dawn MacKay
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