Cottonwood by the river
When Katie and Francisco, the characters in If I Were a Tree, What Would I Be?, talk about what they have learned from trees, they discover that trees are really good at staying grounded. That means they focus on what is happening right now. Often, we try to stay focused, but we end up rehashing what happened in the past or worrying about what is going to happen in the future.
Trees have roots that spread way out into the ground to help them stay firmly attached to the earth and gain nourishment from what the soil and water have to offer. Those roots don’t always protect them from very high winds or severe flooding, but under normal circumstances trees remain well rooted in the ground. They love the ground. That’s one reason why it’s easy for them to focus on what’s happening in the moment.
A good exercise to help us stay better grounded so we are focused on this instant right now is to imagine a golden or white light flowing through the top of our head, down through our body and out of our feet deep into the ground. Staying connected with both the sky and the earth in this way makes it easier for us to be aware of what’s happening now so we don’t daydream or think about other things. It’s a really quick exercise we can do when we’re sitting in class or wherever we are so we stay tuned in to this moment. I call it the Father Sky/Mother Earth Exercise.
A way to expand this grounding exercise, is to imagine the light flowing back up from deep in the earth, through your body until it flows out the top of your head and into the sky. You can imagine it connecting with God’s unconditional love, the Universe, the Source of all energy, or whatever words make you feel most comfortable. Keep imagining that flow of light passing through the top of your head, through your body, deep into the earth, and then taking the same path up from the earth through your body and out the top of your head. In this way, you feel a continuous healthy loop of light flowing through your body from the sky to the earth and back up to the sky.
If your family holds family meetings once in a while to discuss important topics, you can do this exercise to help you stay alert and focused on what is happening. Then your parents won’t have to remind you to pay attention. If you do the exercise when you’re sitting in your school classroom, your teacher might notice that you are more focused than you used to be. You’re hearing instructions better and remembering in more detail what was taught.
If you’re walking outside and come to a tree, do the exercise in front of the tree. Imagine helping the tree do the exercise for itself so that energy flows from the sky down through the top of the tree and into its roots, anchoring it deep in the ground. Then imagine the energy flowing from the earth back up through the tree and into the sky. It’s a cool way to feel connected with trees.
Have fun practicing the Father Sky/Mother Earth Exercise!