The Human Madness
Day 119 of my tree puja.
In which I acknowledge that humanity has created an alienating, mechanised world which is a form of madness.
Bathe me in your purity…
Puja for two trees
Day 118 of my tree puja.
In which I compare my experience at home with offering to a tree in the bush.
Yesterday I did tree puja elsewhere. We held a retreat. Everyone did tree puja at dawn…
Offer your mind
Day 116 of my tree puja.
In which I reflect on patterns of energy.
Puja is all about lifting up energy. That’s it.
The flame of her renunciation
Day 114 of my tree puja.
In which the tree’s renunciation of her leaves and their flame-like appearance, heightens my connection with her.
The shift into spiritual life
Day 113 of my tree puja.
In which the metaphor of renunciation continues as I perceive the tree’s withdrawal of energy from the external to the internal.
I went at dusk, after gardening all day. When I returned from India last summer to find the undergrowth all cleared and the ground naked, I promised the tree I would plant things, and now I have.
Spiritually I have my connection
Day 110 of my tree puja.
In which I reflect on our need for a spiritual centre to help us navigate the storms of life.
The tree felt distant, or I felt distant, unable to tune in…
Even as the waves toss us
Day 109 of my tree puja.
In which I reflect on the ability of trees, oceans, and hopefully, me, to withstand the storms of life.
Autumn is finally being felt and the tree is withdrawing herself, her energy. She is very quiet…
Difficulties keep arising
Day 108 of my tree puja.
In which I reflect on the interdependence of all things.
We think we are independent, but we are not…
At the time of a death
Day 107 of my tree puja.
In which I realise that in the aftermath of Charlotte’s death, the energies of the garden take a little time to realign.
At the time of a death there is a sudden shift/change/gap in the energy around us. The energy field has to adjust…
Energy fields
Day 106 of my tree puja.
In which I reflect on the absence of Charlotte, our cat, who has been part of the garden for 12 years.
Could it be that the tree misses Charlotte? By that I mean that the absence of Charlotte is ‘felt’ by the tree and other energy fields in our garden…
The garbage truck
Day 103 of my tree puja.
In which an intrusion from the industrial department crashes in.
The garbage truck came along in the still, silent dark…
Energy of ritual and consciousness
Day 99 of my tree puja.
In which I experience the power of the puja as yoga - unity of energy and consciousness.
I nearly didn’t go to the tree. I was wanting to save time and not go to the tree…
The tree has been my teacher
Day 92 of my tree puja.
In which the tree is understood as guru.
The tree has been my teacher this last year. All the books I have read, all the wise talks I have heard, programs attended, discussions discussed, have not taught me the profound insights the tree puja has allowed to unfold…
Not entirely a wild thing
Day 86 of my tree puja.
My tree is not a wild tree. Just as I am not a wild human. We have this domesticity in common, as we reach out to each other across the species boundary.
The morning is a time of upward flowing energy. I felt it instantly, as I stood under the tree preparing the deepak (oil lamp)…
I went also at dusk today
Day 84 of my tree puja.
For the first time, I practice twice in a day, at dawn and dusk. The experience is quite different.
I felt how her energy, and all the movement of nature was downward. The energy is moving down into the earth…
The purpose of ritual
Day 80 of my tree puja.
Realisations about ritual, about worship, about surrendering to the experience, continue. This is a state of clarity.
The regularity of ritual brings reassurance if nothing else…
I felt our secrecy, our privacy
Day 79 of my tree puja.
The puja creates a sacred space.
I was a bit late. The day was moving into rajas, action…
The tree is like an antenna
Day 74 of my tree puja.
Through the antenna, I align with Mother Earth.
I realised today that the tree is Mother Earth…
Between the sun and the earth
Day 73 of my tree puja.
Trees are our sun umbrellas, protection from the fire in the sky.
I was a bit late. The sun is already bright and hot. Even at this early hour, it shines with great force…
A sustaining force
Day 72 of my tree puja.
The principle of an energy field and caring for it becomes clear. This is a traditional idea that modernity is alienated from.
Over time the ritual creates, or perhaps connects with and opens a field of energy. This must be maintained...