The Spiritual Teaching by Lisa Silva. Most people are familiar with the Tree of Life. I share a story about the tree that has a lot of meaning to me.
Each incarnation that we are born into is one leaf on the tree. After every season, the leaf slowly fades and falls to the ground, becoming compost for the tree. Next season, we are a different leaf on the same tree. When we have been every leaf on the tree, we become a flower. The flower then becomes a fruit; the fruit falls to the ground and has to rot to become another tree that will hold the space for new leaves.
There are many teachings in this story. We must not panic! We will be every leaf on the tree, and there is no rush. So many people are in a state of panic that they need to heal, transform and transcend their life situations and stories. There is much emphasis placed on healing in Spiritual circles, creating a state of panic. It creates a feeling of not being good enough or lacking, an emotion imprinted on us from a young age. As children, we quickly realise that we compete with our siblings and peers if we are not better than everyone else. We feel we lack or are not good enough. It continues into adulthood, where even the media manipulates us to buy more products to fill this gap.
Many spiritual teachers teach us to be at one with who we are; this means realising who and what we are, Divine (The Tree). Therefore, we must change what we can and improve ourselves to live closer to a divine path, whatever this means for us. If you don’t do it in this lifetime, don’t worry. You will be every leaf on the tree, and there will be plenty of opportunity for growth and transformation.
Unfortunately, going into a state of panic and running between workshops, retreats, shamans, and gurus feeds into this feeling of lack. Yes, we can try different modalities and take the best from them as long as we do this as part of self-discovery and proper integration. True transformation comes from mastering a discipline, one discipline.
Letting go of judgment. As we will be every leaf on the tree, we should not look at other leaves and think, why are we not that leaf? We might have been or will be that leaf in the future. To me, this brings love and compassion to others. The kindness we show them might one day return to us when we are that leaf.
The rotting fruit. When we have every leaf in the tree, we become a fruit that needs to rot for the seed to germinate. Like every leaf that deteriorates and becomes the compost for the tree, rotting is a necessary process for transformation.
We look at our lives and do so much to avoid discomfort, constantly wanting to change. What if we are trying to heal the blessings? I have come to appreciate what I thought of as trauma or negative experiences as my blessings. I am not saying they were all good, but they happened to me, and I can’t change that. Now, do I grow from the experience or not? To truly inhabit this incarnation, we must embrace our light and dark aspects.
The closer we go to the light source, the bigger the shadow behind us becomes; this is not to scare us but to bring balance between light and dark.
“Make change your friend” (Ram Das)
Like the seasons affect the tree, so do the seasons of our lives. We should not always wish for summer and use the autumn to shed what no longer serves us, making compost from the things we shed that will feed us again in spring. On the other hand, winter can be an excellent opportunity for going inwards and making the changes that will support us when spring comes. You see, we need to stay open to change and transformation. The tree sheds its leaves, trusting that spring and summer will return. On my journeys with Ayahuasca, I became one with the universe and the energy of what I perceive God to be. This energy was not the light but the space in which the light appeared. I realised that the dark or emptiness was the key. I am not trying to explain what God is as it’s not possible, but saying it’s the light means it is not the dark, and so can’t be the ultimate explanation; it makes more sense that it is the empty void where all possibilities can unfold.
Each season, the leaves fall. But we don’t give much thought to moving on from this life. The biggest blessing we will ever receive is being born and dying. We can make moving on to the next season easier by realising there are plenty of opportunities to grow and change. Relax and do the best you can, but not in a state of panic.
I share my truth here, and it might not be the same for you. So what does the tree of life mean to you? Please leave us your interpretation in the comments below, and let us see how this story grows.
