Spiritual enlightenment is about releasing old ideas and embracing new perspectives that allow us to live more authentic and loving lives. But, what about when the old is good and still viable and we are asked to release it? Many times grief occurs.
I have decorated our beautiful weeping peach tree every spring for the past few years and enjoyed sitting in the swing by the pond, watching the colorful, tinkling ornaments catch the breeze. This year, I made houses from clay and built a sweet little fairy village underneath the tree. Then, a storm came with a lesson in letting go of old things and embracing new beginnings.
The light codes and interpreted messages I posted on Facebook on March 25th had to do with letting go of the old and making room for the new. I had a chance to practice that concept the Friday before Easter when a storm blew through our area. As I watched from my kitchen window, horizontal winds were driving sheets of rain sideways across our yard and porch.
The next morning my husband and I went outside to inspect the damage. Our beloved fairy tree had twisted, and the tap root was severed from the trunk and uprooted. But, not one ceramic fairy house or handmade ornament was broken! The paths I had outlined with glass beads were not even scattered.
Saddened to have to say goodbye, I picked up my drum and rattles and released the spirit of the tree with gratitude for all the beauty and life it had shared with us and the wee ones. We sawed the larger limbs into manageable pieces to use for Goddess fires this season. We saved portions of the branches to make drumsticks and wands.
I wanted to keep the fallen trunk in place and use it as part of the fairy scene. I envisioned a little swing hanging underneath the higher end and a door on the stump. My husband wanted to dig the rest of the stump out of the ground. My guidance reminded me about the light code message I had shared about letting go. So, we removed the rest of the stump. I wondered if I should reuse the ornaments. Since they were not damaged and were already new (I had made them during the winter months), I decided to put them in a box until we could get a new tree.
It is important to let emotional energy flow through without getting stuck in the cells or creating a “freeze frame” in the brain. Therefore, when my grief came up at the site of the fallen tree, I allowed myself to cry, and to be comforted by the outpouring of love and compassion from friends on FB.
My husband located the metal framework he had saved from a canopy we used to create a shade before we built our back porch. We hung the fairy decorations on the frame and stepped back to enjoy our handiwork. It looked light we were running a gift shop in our back yard! I am excited about getting a new tree soon—perhaps a pink dogwood.
What have you experienced in letting go of old things and moving into new ventures? What emotions came up for you? How did you handle them?
Suggested Reading:
Feelings Buried Alive Never Die by Karol Truman
Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
