Earth into Gold

O You who change earth into gold.
And out of other earth made the father of humankind,
Change my mistakes and forgetfulness into knowledge
Jalil al-Din Rumi (1207-1273, Persia)

It is easy it is to find fault with others, to focus on their imperfections rather than our own. Especially, when under duress whether at work or at home, we may be tempted to project our stress, vulnerabilities or feelings of inadequacy by shifting a critical eye on others.

Our perceptions are carved into the landscape of our minds. Conditioned responses become ingrained and color our reality in distorted patterns. Yet, as we gain increasing self-awareness about how the mind works, we can choose a new response.

Personally, this past week I was on a wave of high intensity days amid some difficult moments, as well as a few deeply meaningful ones. In an encounter,  I perceived a few comments someone made as insensitive, mistrustful and attacking. I felt my defenses rise. Afterwards, I felt frustrated with a strong desire to express disparaging remarks about that person but I resisted the urge.
  
Foremost, I wanted to avoid feeding the beast of negativity to take on a life of its own  or slip into victimhood. Instead, I chose to tend to my own garden and let the other person take care of their own.

How easy our motivations can change in a heated moment from collaborative to defensive, to my way, not yours, or the struggle of I’m right and your wrong. That’s when I know the ego is at play.

When I forget myself and let an unkind remark slip, I find myself immediately regretting my transgression no matter how small. Like a boomerang my words come back to strike me too.

Nature is a great teacher. In stillness, we can return home to the wind song rustling trees, to the quiet blessing of a simple invisible presence that is just beyond the incessant chatter that can flood our minds.

Tress are ancient beings that stand firmly rooted in earth and branch out in solidarity with all of life. Trees communicate in streaming pathways underground and up into the biosphere, sending helpful encoded messages of life giving support that travels far and wide in the vast web of life.  

 We can choose to let go of reactivity, to become still, to be in solidarity with life and look beyond imperfections to see the good & the best in others and in ourselves, turning our time on earth into gold.

Liz Sorensen Wessel
Tree photos by ~liz, taken  in the rain forest of WA, 2019