Evolution

Photo: By the Banyan tree, Honolulu, Hawaii

The highest form of evolution are the Trees. They stand all day long in meditation, while we run around like crazy. They have developed the science of transforming water and minerals from the Earth, together with light from the Sun, into pure energy; those that live for many centuries are the record keepers of Nature. They have mastered the power of the circle and that of the vertical line. Rightly, the Chinese call their meditation art: “standing like a tree”. In their wisdom, they attune to the flow of the seasons: in winter they rest; their leaves paint the colour symphonies of autumn and as they fall to the ground, turn into fertile soil; in summer, they bear fruit; they bring the joy of flowers in spring; and all throughout, they are the lungs of the planet; they gift us their fruit, seed and nuts; and once they die, they are still of great use as wood for fire; they have been shaped into homes and furniture, bridges and ships. They exist for being of service; they have created the living environment for all the Earthly creatures. There is no other being more humble, yet no greater magician and alchemist, than the Tree. The Buddha has learned the art of meditation from a Tree.

Photo: Ficus trees, Adelaide, South Australia

Tree Hand Shake

The eucalypt tree next to my house has grown a pair of hands… Four-fingered hands, sturdy hands, hard-working hands, yet graceful, with curved fingers, like the hands of a dancing Hindu god.

I am reaching out to the tree, for a hand shake… the tree reaches out to me… the hand shake feels rough, yet warm… I lose myself in the hand shake and feel the energy of the earth, mixed with the energy of the heavens, transferred to me.

The next day, the Council truck is loading logs.

Tree Eyes

The trees on the Main Road have opened wide eyes. It is their way of letting us know that they watch us everyday, as we expend a lot of energy fooling around without purpose, appearing to be busy as we carry plastic bags full of non-sense shopping… The trees grow out of concrete and suffer the offence of cars, the noise of the tram, the whip of the power lines, the whole spectacle of a busy road… They would like to be somewhere else, part of a quiet forest, but cannot leave. They have resigned to open wide eyes, to let us know that they keep watch. A zany Romanian artist named Tzuculescu, spent years of his life painting mysterious wide-eyed trees. From the afterlife, he is still watching through the eyes of his trees.

Photo above: Egyptian tree goddess
Photo below: Black Forest Teutonic tree god

Tree Hug

Gan-ma in her last year on this planet

Gan-ma was an insatiable Tai Chi learner; she had the enthusiasm of a fresh student on her first day of discovering Tai Chi; she had the wisdom of a child and the playfulness of a sage

Gan-ma lived in a paradise garden on the island of Oahu

On her holidays, she would travel the world, searching for rare trees to hug

I was lucky enough to meet Gan-ma for two times in my life; on our first meeting, Gan-ma told me she did not hug people

I and the old pine tree of Manly remember Gan-ma’s embrace.

Eucalyptus Flower

There is no beauty more concealed, than that of the eucalyptus flowers. Like an oriental dancer hidden behind veils, the eucalyptus flowers shy away amongst the grey-green foliage, in small inconspicuous bunches… until you get near, you won’t notice the explosion of colour and the variety of shapes… every tree is different from its neighbour, the colours vary from the coral red to orange, yellow, pink, whites and all their combinations.
Tree fa-jin.

A Path in the Forest (Terra Felix)

There is nothing more vibrant and fresh than a forest in spring; the old grey bark and the fresh green of the new shoots, the call of the cuckoo and the sound of the waterfall; the early sunshine filtered by the tree tops tapestry; the drops of dew, the mist, the shrieking call of the pheasants; the deep sound of deer locking horns; however, the forest is just a frame for the path; the path is showing the way; the way walked by wise immortal ancestors; I listen to the messages they left.

Photo: Baile Felix, Romania

Blue Blood Tree

The day I met the Blue Tree, I was struck with awe… I thought this tree is not of this world… it blossoms in the Southern hemisphere in November, their spring season… while those places never see the snow of winter, they hear instead the surreal symphony in blue of the trees’ blossom. I moved from by birth place in the Northern hemisphere, to the antipode and rented a house on Jakaranda street, to live under the spell of the blue trees. However, this street is often lonely as melancholy sweeps its granite pavers.