Stand Firm, Grip Hard, Thrust Upward

BE LIKE A TREE IN
PURSUIT OF YOUR CAUSE.
STAND FIRM, GRIP HARD,
THRUST UPWARD,
BEND TO THE WINDS OF HEAVEN,
AND LEARN TRANQUILITY.

~ Richard St. Barbe Baker

Of Note: People have always been attracted to trees. They are mysterious in their growth and majestic in their beauty. A single "popple" tree, which is common in northern Wisconsin, can cover acres--the part we identify as a tree is simply the upwardly mobile part of a vast root system. In all likelihood that vast subterranean system is the "brains" of the tree, and the trunk and leaf parts are like arms and legs, taking in the rays. Our own bodies are similar--the visible parts of an invisible Self, the real mind of the operation. The Soul is the one, which stands firm and grips hard in pursuit of the evolution of consciousness, its divine destiny. All the while, its sun-drenched vehicle bends to the winds of heaven and through many lifetimes eventually learns tranquility through compassion. By then the lower self knows that the Real is the invisible part and is not taken in by the illusory visible domain. The tree, though, is in the early stages of evolution and has eons to go. In between, it acts as a symbol to us in standing firm and gripping hard until we are able to do it on our own.