Getting Grounded

The Wise Tree Intertwined sensed the ripple of the presence of the new guests. Its life-force disturbed, its branches at first recoiled in cautious expectation reminiscent of an earlier fear. In the early days as a sapling it saw fierce winds through the hills with the smell of a tree’s greatest fear: Fire. In that instinctual place the tree people try to bring all of their branches inward as if to protect itself from the heat and flame, protecting its main ring of memory from the intensity of combustible change. In that instinct a young tree does not know that the fire entity feeds not only on the tree, but on the air itself, and that it would be spared a slow death if it would just extend its branches as far as it could so it could to immolate into the fire and pass into the life cycle of the eco-system. 

Within View of the Tree, away from the bed of leaves that were the home of the squirrels, the Wise tree had an elder tree to talk to. The elder tree had nurtured and blessed it in its sapling days, telling it stories of the forest, and explaining that their intertwining was a gift from the spirits. The older tree had a large wound on its side that had long since healed. The Elder tree recounted a story of fire from personal experience. It had survived this change long before the sapling was born. It was from this elder tree that the sapling learned that all things had a purpose, and that the trees that die in the ashes of that were part of the rich ground that nourishes them. It taught the sapling to feel and to use the older spirit trees that came before it as guides and nurturers. The elder tree said that the sapling would need them someday. The saplings intertwined did not yet understand.

The Special Council of Animals met days before the larger body of animals to set what they called the AGENDA. There seemed to be a tense peacefulness about them, as if they had fought a long and hard détente to get the clarity they need to work in this setting.  The picked a spot high on the hill, in view of the main tree, yet a little ways away.  They wanted to be alone in their planning.

The Wise Tree, not yet elder but no longer saplings judged its fear against its curiosity and decided to lovingly extend its branches over to the far side of the site to where the guests had convened. With slow intention it stretched and stretched and stretched in service to the circle of travelers.  While it acknowledged love and service as its primary function, its incessant curiosity felt the calling to sense their energy as well. It could already feel an electricity of expectation from the group, connected yet divided. The tree wanted to know more.  The branches stretched slowly, seemingly inaudibly, but in an instant Existential Coyote looked up from what it was doing, sensed the area, and almost immediately looked to the tree as if knowing that the tree’s branches were encroaching upon the energy field he was creating. The tree instinctively stood absolutely still, gauging the energy as the coyote did the same.

In this moment, Wannabe Fox left the circle for a moment, walked from the circle towards the Wise Tree.  As the wise tree lovingly watched this stranger approach it, expecting the love it had received from the squirrels, the six-leggeds, the moss people, the rain, the Fox merely walked up the tree and began urinating.  The trees system went into temporary shock. The entire forest knows instinctually the smell of the predator marking its territory. The squirrels gathered in the periphery, sensed the disunity and communed amongst themselves in anger and in fear.  Why has this predator defiled the wise tree?  A frenzied murmur of squirrel-speak energy reached out across to Coyote’s energy field. He sensed an issue, forgot about the tress’ curiosity, and reached out to the squirrel circle with his senses.  He looked around, saw Wannabe Fox re-enter the circle, and looked back to the squirrels, who were watching the Fox with anger and contempt.  He asked the Fox what just happened.

The Wise Tree Intertwined was still in shock, holding still, and feeling the energy from both groups. As protector of the space it accessed the all the loving energy it had, and held the space in the midst of this chaos.  The squirrels were protecting the Tree, the Coyote was assessing the situation, and the Fox seemed confused.  The Tree searched the energy fields for an answer.

The Coyote began a conversation with the rest of his Special Council.  Something was wrong with the squirrel community hosting their meeting. Medicinal Lion volunteered to go over to the squirrels and ask what the issue was.

Lion crossed the bed underneath the tree to the squirrels, but then he smelled a territory marker, and felt the instinctive urge to mark his territory. He moved closer, recognizing Fox’s scent, and began to… 

Suddenly the squirrels’ screamed in protest.

And the Special Council’s awareness suddenly understood what had happened.

The tree was impressed that the two bodies of animals were called to act against its instincts, in community with each other. The Lion stopped himself, walked over and apologized, but the squirrels’ wanted something more to happen to codify and accentuate what had happened here in the moment.

Dancing Snake, sensing what needed to happen offered up one of the Animal Council’s newest technologies, the Peer Review, to clean up the misunderstanding.  The squirrels were curious and hopeful, as were the Trees’ convergent energies. The squirrels sensed the trees’ support, and it was agreed. The two groups separated and prayed for guidance…