What if it’s simpler than I first imagined?
The Tree as Mankind.
The roots of her wisdom,
The branches her deeds,
Reaching out into leaves,
Her actions once shared are not her possessions.
Flowers of desire,
Fertilized by each choice,
Ripening into fruits of habit.
Falling one way or the other,
Her traits.
She uses inedible lies and anger as peels,
To protect her thoughts, feelings and round flesh.
But when for whom she chooses,
She notices, and decides to let go,
Her hardened layers of shell are willingly cast away as she opens and finally reveals,
This sweet fragrance and liquid taste.
And in this energy in fleshly matter,
Lay these pits or seeds,
Of Darkness or Light.
Not for now,
But with the entire future hidden within.
Ignorantly tempted away and discarded,
Or with practice and foresight,
Forever safeguarded.
Because they are her and another,
The best part of themselves,
To each other,
And to the World and Time,
Given away completely…
(Source)
To help make a connection to the Tree of Life, and a correction to the first mistake, made at the other tree, eat some fruit of the type with a peel and seeds that we don’t eat. As we peel it and discard the protective covering, meditate on ridding ourselves of our egotistical, selfish character traits which hide our true, generous, good selves from Creator, other people and the World. Eat the fruit with this or similar intentions and find the seeds/pits, the best parts of ourselves, to lovingly plant and nurture, or if necessary, to nicely discard.
Here is a quote/source for this Kabbalah concept:
http://dailyzohar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Tu-Bshvat-Seder.pdf
"Reb. Moshe Chaim Luzzatto teaches that the higher spiritual realms are roots that ultimately manifest their influence through branches and leaves in the lower realms. The Kabbalists of Tz’fat compiled a Tu B'Shvat seder, somewhat similar to the seder for Passover. It involves enjoying the fruits of the tree… Among other things, the seder is a great way to appreciate the bounty that we so often take for granted, and to develop a good and generous eye for the world around us.
The Kabbalists carried Tu B'Shvat a step further. For them, trees were a symbol of humans, as it says: "For a human is like a tree of the field" (Deut. 20:19). In line with their general concern with Tikun Olam, spiritually repairing the world, the Kabbalists regarded eating a variety of fruits on Tu B'Shvat as a way of improving our spiritual selves. They believed that the ritual consumption of the fruits and the nuts, if done with the proper intention (kavanah), would cause the sparks of holy light hidden in the fruit to be liberated from their shells and rise up the heavenly ladder to return to their divine source, thereby contributing to the renewal of life for the coming year. For the Kabbalists, trees were symbolic also of the Tree of Life, which carries divine goodness and blessing into the world. To encourage this flow and effect Tikun Olam, the Kabbalists of Tz’fat created this Tu B’Shvat practice. On this night we express our joy and thankfulness for the mystery and grandeur of nature, and renew our commitment to be responsible custodians of Creator’s world.
Now, we will crack open some shells of nuts, or peel fruits, and like the Kabbalists, release some sparks of trapped holy light."
Plant trees on multiple continents: http://onetreeplanted.org
Plant trees in Israel: http://www.jnf.org/jnf-tree-planting-center/
Plant trees by searching the internet: https://www.ecosia.org
Plant trees just by clicking: http://therainforestsite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/trs/home
Chag Tu B’Shvat Sameach!
Happy New Year of the Trees!
Other Original Poems;
- Still Afloat
- The Honey in the Pain
- Little Reminders, Big...
- The Other Side
- Wet Soil
- Glitches in the Blueprint of Our Universe
- Triggers Triggered
- What Was It All For?
- Marshalled Mentality
- To The Corrupt...
- Elevation Mutation
- Alliteration Analysis
- Weight of Words
