Summer Social (6/12/23) DT-Tree Dharma

Included in Mary Oliver’s posthumously published poetry collection Thirst, is a poem called “When I Am Among the Trees:”

When I am among the trees,

Especially the willows and the honey locust,

Equally the beech, the oaks, and the pines,

They give off such hints of gladness.

I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself,

In which I have goodness, and discernment,

And never hurry through the world

But walk slowly and bow often.

Around me the trees stir in their leaves

And call out, “Stay awhile.”

The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,

“And you too have come into the world to do this,

To go easy, to be filled with light,

And to shine.”

Now I’ll lead us in a guided meditation to help us connect with the nature of trees:

For today’s practice, I’ve adapted a guided equanimity meditation by Gil Fronsdal, the founder and lead teacher at Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA.

Sit comfortably and close your eyes.

Visualize or sense the presence of a grand tree that is deeply rooted in the earth.

Be aware of the stable base of the tree trunk and the flexibility of its branches, whenever a breeze ruffles the leaves.

As a stronger wind blows, imagine the top of the tree bending gracefully to and fro, righting and centering itself in between gusts.

Imagine the tree standing with dignity under hot sun, drenching rain, and icy storms.

Now adjust your posture to give you physical stability.

Sense the cushion or chair supporting your sitz bones and feel your legs or the soles of your feet touching the ground.

Let your weight sink down.

Sense your rootedness.

Consciously relax the trunk of your torso, softening the belly and chest.

Release the shoulders, jaw, and facial muscles. Gently tuck in the chin.

Sense the crown of the head lifting towards the sky.

Bring attention to the breath—inhaling, and extending the exhalation to let

the body’s weight settle.

Sense the body’s stability.

Once the body is sturdy, the mind can settle in the present moment.

Imagine the mind like a pool of water.

Thoughts move like waves across the surface.

Allow the waves to become calmer and slower, until fewer and fewer ripples disturb the still surface of the water.

Stay connected to the body, here and now.

Bring awareness to the experience of the body breathing in and breathing out.

At the end of each exhalation, settle into stability.

Inhale and sense the torso filling and expanding like the strong, solid, stable trunk of a tree.

Exhale, letting go of thoughts….

Connect with steady rootedness in the body.

Let stories and emotions blow by like breezes. Stay rooted in the body.

From this place of inner stability, let any preoccupations dissolve.

Sense spaciousness opening up in the heart.

Be still and gaze upon everything kindly.

Be still and gaze upon yourself kindly.

Be still and gaze upon others kindly.

Be still and gaze upon the whole world kindly.

LYRICS to PACHA MAMA chant by Alexa Sunshine Rose:

Pacha Mama coming home to the place where I belong.

I am free, so free, like a flower and a bee,

Like a bird up in a tree, like a dolphin in the sea.

I fly high, so high, like an eagle in the sky,

And when my time has come, I will lay down and die.

And when my time has come, I will lay me down and fly.

Pacha Mama coming home to the place where I belong.

I am free to be me, to be the being that I see.

Not to rise and not to fall, being one and loving all,

There is no high, no low, there is nowhere else to go,

Except inside a little star, saying be just who you are.

Inside a shining star, saying be just who you are.

Pacha Mama coming home to the place where I belong.

I am free, so free, like a flower and a bee,

Like a bird up in a tree, like a dolphin in the sea.

I fly high, so high, like an eagle in the sky,

And when my time has come, I will lay down and die.

And when my time has come, I will lay me down and fly.

Pacha Mama coming home to the place where I belong.

REPEAT TWICE.