No tree becomes rooted and sturdy unless many a wind assails it. For by its very tossing it tightens its grip and plants its roots more securely; the fragile trees are those that have grown in a sunny valley. – Seneca the Younger
ROOTS: Are you feeling a bit assailed or tossed around? There is so much happening in our world right now. Between the fear mongrels, the Facebook rants and the fierce divisiveness in our country, it could leave one feeling a bit weary, even unsteady. It may seem that we are lost to our inner sense of equanimity.
e·qua·nim·i·ty mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.
In my Emotional Energetic Repatterning work, I use the clearing statement, “I have a strong sense of equanimity” to help clients understand that nothing can shake the inner state of being that is core to each of us and connects us all. I use the trees in my front yard as the metaphor for equanimity. They are so firmly rooted in the ground and spread all over my neighborhood that nothing can move them. In my work with leaders we are constantly looking at what is below the surface, the roots. As it is the seed and the root that create the beauty of what is above the surface. One of my fellow Leadership Circle practitioners posed this poem, that feels relevant to me now.
“I start out beneath the ground. The seed starts the roots. It pushes up while still reaching down and spreading out. Holding on, I’m grounded. How not to be root-bound? To balance between my roots and my leaves. Without my roots, though, I might fall over. ” – Susan Symington, TLC Practitioner Reflections on The Leadership Circle Tree
Experiencing the unexpected in life has a way of shaking a foundation. An election, a loss of employment, and illness, or a death may create uncertainty. In an ever changing world where nothing stays the same, it is important to have deep roots to be able to maintain our equanimity.
UNEXPECTED THINGS: I have just returned from Wichita, KS where I had planned to go to support my mother in having shoulder surgery. What happened instead, was my big brother, my only sibling, had become significantly ill and was hospitalized. Mike, my brother, and I spent 4 days together side by side fighting a battle for living. We were warriors. However, in the end, it was too much and his body had had enough. I stayed with him until he took his very last breath. As children growing up we were not very close. we were as different as different could be. My Mom shared with me that the teachers would say, “They don’t always get along, but if someone messes with one of them, the other has their back.”
It is said that families are like branches on a tree – we all grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one. I felt the oneness with my brother. In my experience with him and in my awareness of the world right now, I am also aware of the inherent oneness of all, of all of us. May we together fight the battle of living. Living our dreams and desires and with determination and hope.
WINGS: Even in the unexpected, “we must give our children two things; roots and wings” – Dr. Jonas Salk. May we find our equanimity in the midst of great change and my we have the courage to use our wings to fly to the highest place possible for the inherent good of all.
