I am very thankful for the spiritual practices that I have built and developed in my life. For me they provide a source of stability and grounding, especially when I am working with some heavy feeling and processes.
Recently I needed to have a very large tree removed from my property due to pretty heavy damage done by a passing storm. For those of you that have not been to Phoenix AZ, the shade provided by a large tree is GOLD during the summer months.
This tree not only provided shade, but I also felt that it provided protection and guardianship to my little piece of land that I live on. I knew I needed to connect with the spirit of this tree to honor it and let it know what was needing to happen. For me, my spiritual practice is part of how I live, so this was an opportunity to honor the spirit of the tree and let it know what was going to happen.
I sat with the tree and made a set of prayer ties, which are little bundles of tobacco, one for each year that I have lived on the property. I offered other libations to the tree as well. In this connection I clearly received an image to keep the stump, which originally was planned to be ground down, and use it as an outdoor altar.
This new guidance brought some peace to my heart. The sadness I felt for the loss of this tree was much stronger than I expected but having these practices and honoring its spirit in the way that I did allowed me to navigate these emotions in a way that honored the spirit and allowed the space for the spirit of the tree to be present in my life in a different way.
|