This week's ToL task was to think about the branches.
Stephan suggested that the branch carries the values (from the trunk) through into every aspect of life (being an employee, being a daughter, being a volunteer, being a strange person who feeds crows in the local park).
Per Ingvar talked about how the tree reaches out with the branches (as do we). He sees the branches as consequences in your life - how the values and visions (of the trunk) are made manifest. He described it also as an ongoing process of inquiry – what hinders you living according to your values and what helps?
I wanted to sit with this oak because the branches show how it has changed direction, adapted to circumstances, left space for others.
So, I laid out my mandala and sat under the tree looking up.
Stephan had talked about meditating on the metals, not just the processes, so I tried that.
LEAD: this is related to conservatism, but for me it was about acknowledging where and when you are. It would be challenging for me to deny the existence of property or the 'reality' of money, even though I think that a lot of our problems arise from property and the reification of money.
TIN: this is a soft metal. To me this is about two things. One is the willingness to change course if information or circumstances change. So, if I discovered that trees felt pain, I would refuse to cut them. If I discovered that all lambs actually want to die, I would not have a problem with them being killed for food. Maybe I'm being silly. OK. But I can't think of anything sensible... maybe if air travel did not cause ecological harmI would go to see Yellowstone... except for I'm too mean and I am happy visiting the copse and Devon. Oh, I know, Leo told me that a certain book I had thought might be annoying contains a lot of valuable information so now I have put it on my Amazon wish-list. The second thing I am better at: it's about compromise, nuance, avoiding black and white thinking.
IRON: strength of purpose in living to your values.
GOLD: to recognise the value of integrity. It is attractive, it is precious.
COPPER: watching to see how the actions play out in the world. This made me think of the way copper's colour changes to verdigris. By the way, there are chemical ways to induce verdigris - the natural effect takes time and is unpredictable. With your values, you must let the atmosphere do the work. If the effect is horrible, that means the values or the ways you have manifested them may be faulty. You can't fake it! It may, though, be that the atmosphere is unwholesome. It takes wisdom to discriminate.
MERCURY: you might think of speed, flowing, but I think of messages. You must heed messages and respond to them. It's similar to the above, but whereas the atmospheric changes are objective in that that IS how your actions play out, while this is how others respond. They may be unwilling due to prejudice; or critical due to better knowledge than you have.
SILVER: this is the ultimate - when you mirror your pure, well-thought, unselfinterested values with your actions.
That does seem to be helpful as a way to think through something complicated.
In trees, I see all this in the unique shape of their branches.
But this intrigues me.
So many trees have dead branches.
I saw three today where the dead branches rose well above the crown. They are where the crows, kites, buzzards and kestrels perch. I think it's like... you live your values as a teacher and you retire, but your reputation and example live on. That branch still has value in the world, though you may have given it up.
To end, branches in the breeze. A reminder that there is no stasis. All changes, moves, grows, dies.
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