The Wild Forest

Grandfather Oak,

When I look at your and this picture, I see many messages. There are additionally many ways in which these messages may be interrupted. Yet, One stands out, the one we may not be able to see in the image until we go deeper to see a bigger picture/reality…

Back to the Roots.

Deep roots are what enables one to grow, receive, be nourished by the Earth and those that came before, and in this way, go beyond, climb to new heights. At the time of this picture being taken, I would not have been able to receive this message, for my focus/attention was taking me to the twisted branches, the moss covering them, and even those that appeared to be broken, or the ones that seem crooked.

These are important parts as they make up a greater whole. A tree that doesn’t grow in a straight line and is true to alignment within its very nature. There are many taoist parables reflecting on the ‘useless Tree’. Without sharing too much of their stories, I would like to highlight a central message,

“A crooked tree lives its own life, but a straight tree is turned into wood.”

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When I first came to this land, it was with my then Wife and we held a particular vision and image for what things could be and what we could Do. Yet, we both missed the Mark of what things were and the nature in how they Be. There was a greater reality than what we could see or envisioned in what things could become (we may have had some of the form, but without the palette to distinguish the true flavor), and that reality is not only still Here, it has begun to take greater shape, forming a new image, and rooting into quite a winding ‘crooked’ Vision.

However, when I see this image, it is not the Vision that matters nearly as much as it is about remembering and acknowledging what is already there, has been all along, and how those roots may continue to be nourished, strengthened, preserved, and bring forth greater growth; Naturally.

Aranya Redwood Sanctuary is my Home. It is also a ‘Wild Forest’ (Sankrit meaning of Aranya) of second and third generation redwoods among oak, fir, maple, and madrone. The Mother trees, whose stumps are still here (they were cut down to rebuild San Francisco after the Earthquake) provided the foundation for these children to grow despite the original having been felled… Her stumps, standing still quite tall, are a powerful reminder,

If you have deep roots, no one can cut you down, for this is grounding within Earthen reality, and this is a part of our very Nature;

To Transform & Be Reborn.

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This is a greater part of the reality both in this Wild Forest and Nature as a whole… There are cycles, there are seasons, and they may very well go far beyond our own reasons and in what we are able to perceive. Yet, in Her time, she is always working to bring forth the greater picture and give life to all those that are connected with her roots and may come to call her ‘Home’.

For those that are currently here, all the plants, animals, birds, bees, and trees, she gives what is necessary that they can come to know this time that she inhabits and for as much as I may wish to Do, she tells me that right Now, there is: A Home, A Refuge, A Sanctuary, A Temple, A Nest, and to truly prosper within hers, I will have to listen, pay attention, fully acknowledge, and give care to what is Here;

Be Present and Rooted in the greater reality.

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Grandfather Oak brings this picture forth…

Being a Tree, of my Forefathers, an ancestral lineage, it represents the ‘Winding & Crooked Path’ that hath greater vitality, brings forth longevity, prosperity, and the Wisdom to express one’s very nature despite how others may perceive it to be; No child ever sees a ‘useless Tree’. It may not build a great house or boat, but the elders know that any fallen branches or “dead trees” hold within them great warmth, nourishment and care for the Home in the cold winter/rainy season.. Grandfather Oak is a testament to endurance and being rooted in the HeArt of the Forest and to Be aware that this is a Home that together we share…

It is wise to give good care and thanks for the roots as to keep the fire hot and burning steady.

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I look at this image and I see a bigger picture than I had perceived before. There is still a part of me that wonders, ‘What might I see in another 6 years?’…

And if I am True to my very Nature…I remember: give care, listen deeply, Be and Do perceive…

What has been there all along, and with honesty, can bring me back to that which will endure and grow beyond a shallow lens.

Within; Strong Roots and a Foresting Growth, seeds of greater potential, carried and supported by winding “crooked” branches.

Grandfather Oak,

Mother Redwood,

Spirit of Aranya,

Mother Earth,

Great Spirit,

Gratidão 🙏❤️‍🔥