(c) John, Rekesh 2004-2008. No part of this work may be copied or reproduced without the author's permission
9. Tree of Life (Part 2)
“Well, it’s not difficult to understand if you look at a growing branch, for instance. There you see an ongoing progression of growth. The branch keeps sprouting new buds that slowly grow into new leaves. Now this represents a progressive manifestation, an unfolding of capabilities, talents, nature, attributes and so on, funneled from the higher self into the personality. But then, some buds do not grow well, some atrophy, some are eaten by pests, some die. The same applies to various characteristics contributed from the higher self. But the ongoing growth, nevertheless, continues. This can go on for quite some time, allowing the leaves to process and store sufficient energy and food before the branch makes practically a quantum leap forward. Do you know what that is?”
“You mean that the branch flowers, don’t you?”
“Yes! Flowering often starts as an induction or signal originating from the leaves, which is then passed on to the stem of the branch. Only when the leaves are ready and able to create this floral induction can flowering happen. The stem now responds by forming a floral bud instead of a leaf bud, which now grows and opens into a beautiful bloom, a literal precipitation of the life essence within the branch into a form one can perceive. A condensation of its very spiritual nature, if you will.”
“I see, so your spiritual experiences are like the flowering of a tree or a plant?”
“Like the flowering of a branch, yes. Or even a tree, if one compares a personality to a tree rooted in the higher self, which is but another analogy. Our spiritual flowering is a manifestation of the God-spirit within, as it pours out into the consciousness of the personality. It is an indication of what the soul has made of itself, its best and purified essence, over its long period of evolution. In function and appearance a flower is vastly different from the leaves, don’t you think?”
“Mmm. Yes. Flowers are quite different from the rest of the comparatively dull and weather-beaten tree. You are saying it represents spirituality.”
“Well, it represents what one has made of one’s God-stuff within. Everyone is unique in that sense, for a huge variety of flowers exist. You see, our analogy of a tree can also be extended to an ecosystem, such as a forest. The plants, grasses, shrubs, trees, all are representations of both individuals and life-streams. And there are plants that prey on others, those that trap insects, and there are also flowers that stink. These also represent what those life-streams or souls have made of their own god-stuff within.”
“Is flowering related to your concept of enlightenment?”
“Call it a spiritual birth, for that is a better term. Each one has a unique experience of what it is like, simply because of one’s evolutionary history. There are probably as many different experiences of the spiritual birth or enlightenment as there are people. Of course, there will be a lot of similar ground as well.”
“How does one get to flower then? Is it something I can bring on by myself?”
“I must say, the matter is quite complex. The flowering process in plants and trees is still not fully understood. There are many factors affecting floral development across species. Many need to go through a long period of cold weather; some are sensitive to the length or duration of daylight, meaning specific phases during the earth’s motion around the Sun. For most trees, age and development matters a lot, and the leaves must have accumulated sufficient energy to support floral development. There are also the desert plants that bloom incredibly quickly after a life-giving shower of rain from above. I suppose the analogies to human lives are understandable from these. In any case, the decision and the resulting outpouring of spirit comes from above. It is not in my or your control. But also note that a tree is genetically destined to flower.”
“Very interesting. However, one fact conflicts with your analogy. Leaves die, fall to the ground and disintegrate, but that’s not true when you consider souls or personalities, is it?”
“Ah, but that analogy is also true! You see, the human personality is composed not only of the consciousness and attributes projected by the higher self, but also incorporates a bodily consciousness and lower mind amalgamated by the very organization of the body. Before a leaf dies, its branch extracts out most of the sugar the leaf has prepared and then withdraws its sap from the leaf. Subsequently the leaf withers and falls to the earth to decompose into the soil. Similarly the higher self completes assimilation of the personality’s learning and withdraws its life-essences. The body starts to disintegrate and the integrated bodily consciousness and its associated lower mind dissipate, back into the body of God. You can see that the analogy still holds.”
“Hmm. What about the colors of autumn before a leaf dies? Do they signify anything?”
“Yes, the seasons have their story to tell as well. Personalities, souls, life streams, even the Godhead, all go through cyclic periods of birthing, expansive growth and exploration, followed by a period of application of what has been learnt, and finally a period of rest or return. These correspond to the seasons of the spring, summer, fall and winter. Then the cycle begins again. Our own life as it progresses from birth and childhood, schooling and vocational training, the taking up of a job where one is in service to one’s nation, and then merging into the finale of death, holds a reflection of the seasons. Likewise, the human race or the life-stream as a whole also has its seasons.”
“What’s that got to do with the colors of the fall?”
“Well, let’s look at what happens across the seasons. During summer, the leaves are highly active in preparing food and contributing to the growth process of the tree. But later in autumn, a period sets in when all such activity wanes. Now instead of showing the color green, the true colors of the leaves start to manifest. The green coloring was due to the overwhelming presence of chlorophyll, a necessity for processing food. It swamped out all other pigments present in the leaves.” Aliyah paused.
“Then what happens?”
“Now this green chlorophyll is withdrawn, allowing other pigments present within the leaves to show through. Not only that, all the sugar generated by a leaf is not withdrawn into its branch; instead some amount is allowed to remain, creating new pigments or colors. The brightness of these colors depends on the amount of sunlight that falls on a leaf. Thus one can truly say that the leaves enter a period where they cease their apparently self-focused sugar production activity and simply allow the sun to reflect the glory that is within them, beautifying their environment and providing inspiration to others. It is like their spirituality shining through, placed into service. And don’t they look glorious?”
“Really! I suppose one needs to study these processes more closely.”
“Emma, there’s more. The winter season is when the tree finally rests. It withdraws its life essences from all its leaves, allowing them to fall. There is little activity within the tree except for a faint breathing, much like hibernation. But amazingly, when the tree prepares to go into its deep rest, all the leaves and flowers that are to come out next spring are already prepared, waiting within the tree as buds, ready to emerge when spring warms the earth again! Each bud is encased in a hard shell-like covering, which is but a modified form of leaf, helping to prevent the loss of moisture. Do you know what this implies?”
“You are saying that every new cycle of life is a calling forth from the experiences of a previous cycle?”
“Yes, the slumbers of the soul, that of our life-stream, and even the Godhead can be found reflected here.”
“I must say I find your analogy of the colors of the fall fascinating. But what about trees in the tropics? Or the evergreens? They do not change colors.”
“You are right. But there are many ways to point to the same thing. We were talking about flowering, which represents spiritual birthing. A tree flowers so that it might bear fruit. A flower falls and is replaced with a growing fruit, provided pollination was successful. Doesn’t the fruit offer itself to the world? There we find the next step, that of service to the whole, as is represented by the fall colors. Next the seeds from the fruit enter into the darkness of the ground, corresponding to the rest of winter, waiting for the right conditions to germinate. And when that happens, a new tree is born as a sapling, representing spring, the beginning of another cycle. We become creators in our own right, or co-creators with God, if you will.”
“Aliyah, it does make sense when you put it that way. Did you also notice another implication of this? It means that enlightenment is not the end!”