I apologised briefly and left
Day 89 of my tree puja.
It would help if you understood the three gunas - tamas, rajas and sattwa. In brief: inertia/darkness, activity/ego and flow/light. They are the attributes of everything, and we are subject to them.
Yesterday I went in my socks and clogs. It is growing cold, I had them on and forgot to remove them for puja…
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…
Protective energy derives from love.
Day 70 of my tree puja.
I sense the energy exchange between us.
I stood beneath the tree, doing the things, chanting the mantras, asking that all trees may be loved, respected, and protected as she is…
The tree responded
Day 56 of my tree puja
Sunrise is at 5:40am, so even if I’m late, it’s still early!
All those months last year I would not offer a flower. Then in India I spent ten days decorating a shrine with flowers, culminating in an amazing marigold extravaganza…
It is all a language
Day 55 of my tree puja.
I realise that the offerings made in the puja are more than symbols, or gifts. They are a language.
It is all a language, for me and for the tree. I will leave it to the tree now, to begin to listen again, when she wants to…
Today I am better prepared
Day 54 of my tree puja.
Earth, water, fire, air, ether… the elements are the foundation of ritual in India, acknowledging the building blocks of life.
I squatted on the earth and my feet felt how hard it has become.
I am back from India
Day 53 of my tree puja.
I return after more than a month. It’s midsummer and the tree is coping with midsummer heat.
While I was away, all the long grasses and undergrowth were cleared from the front garden, so that there is open space through to the road. I gather that this disturbed the tree at the time and still does. I apologised. But where are the devas to live?
Here is Home, the Wild Home
Day 42 of my tree puja.
Spring is an energy moving through the garden, its air, soil and mind.
I went to the tree, and held her flowers to my face, burying my nose, eyes, mouth, appearance in the petals…
The tree ignored me completely.
Day 25 of my tree puja. Dawn is the traditional time for the spiritual practice of yoga and meditation, when we are transitioning from the unconsciousness of sleep to the activities of the day. There is a special atmosphere of peace and quiet which we become part of. Today I discover the power of that time, by missing it.
I went after sunrise when it was light; it was too late…
The ground is not so cold anymore.
Day 23 of my tree puja, in which I move from inner disturbance to inner peace.
Awoke feeling inner disturbance. Don’t know why. At such times I wonder …
For my teacher
Day 18 of my tree puja. I had news that my yoga teacher from the 1970s had died. She was a precious person, so the puja was dedicated to her.