“I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a tree” Joyce Kilmer

When some people see a tree all they observe or notice is what is before them. There is a way to understand things with a different way of looking. It does not necessarily involve our eyes, but it does require our insight. As we move into the future we need this type of insight to understand how we are creating our own future. This type of inner vision is the basis of design. What we envision and how well we can develope the details of that vision is what makes a better blueprint for making our desires a reality. Those visions are fundamental whether we are writing a story, directing a movie, building a skyscraper or planning our future.
A tree can be a great source of inspiration when we we start to describe what it does and then compare it with an aspect of ourselves. We notice that it has an obvious outward appearance. And, with our understanding, we know that it has a hidden side that can be buried deep within. We know that the tree’s average day is spent turning light into a source of food for its own growth. It points out, in this parallel, that we likewise take our everyday experiences and shape our lives whether we are aware of it, consciously or not. On the one hand it is the outward environment, on the other hidden side, it is the nourishment or wisdom that we can derive from our inner hidden observations. A combination of the light and the soil is full of material that can provide us with a very fruitful life just as with a tree. The catch is, do we recognize the wisdom placed before us, its usefulness or it’s power to enrich our lives or does that nourishment remain untapped and unseen. Hopefully you will notice that it is a healthy balance of the side that is seen and the hidden deeper side. For a person, and a tree, we need sunlight, or our everyday experiences. We need a way to be grounded, a place to stand strong and to transform those experiences into an understanding and wisdom that is our true power. Power that, in due season, can hopefully bare fruit for us to enjoy. This “fruit” is understanding that is turned to wisdom and strength that makes our existence joyful and a blessing to those around us. When sharing that wisdom with others, without judgement, it makes that fruit much more sweeter and easier to digest.
As you can see, the direction of our focus has a very profound effect on how we grow. The down side of that is if we do not observe consciously the mental visions that we are having we may be creating blueprints for something undesirable. We are creators! What we are focusing on will eventually show up in our future. Now… how to direct those visions and keep them from creating the things we don’t want.

Understanding Focus
The branches or the roots? Or, the branches and the roots?

For us to grasp a universal truth sometimes we need to relax our focus and use our periphery vision so we can see the forest instead of just the trees. To stand back and take a wider look at a particular thing is a simple direction but often it can give us the most difficulty. The simple meaning is different than what we expect sometimes and is easily passed off as a cliche’. It may be expressed better by stating, that in order to not be bias in our observations we should not be emotionally tied to (being too close to) what we are observing. If you have “feelings” for or against something you should understand that you ARE being bias (Not seeing the whole picture). This is how we sometimes “justify” our thinking and ignore the other side of an argument. We want something usually for its goodness or we judge it wrong and express our disapproval and/or dissatisfaction. When we are neutral and feelings are not a part of our observations we can see a bigger picture because we are not drawn to one side or the other. We see both sides, the branches and the roots. The good and the bad, the right or wrong, or whether you are being manipulated, becomes much easier to observe and be conscious of. This is our peripheral vision. We get the big picture and are more universally minded.

Zooming In
Going Within… The “Root” of things.

Once we get the bigger picture it’s time to get to the bottom of it all. Here we get to focus, but that does not mean that you’re shrinking the the field of view that you are observing. That is how our eyes work on the outside but our inner vision is just the opposite. Here is where the details and the miracles happen. We get to use our feelings and our imagination. We can imagine how intricate a root system can be. We can imagine a mere bean sprouts roots or a redwood forest and how each of its trees is connected to the whole forest as one gigantic living system. We can go as deep as we wish and feel when we’ve gone far enough. The best vision that you can see in your minds eye is what you are aiming for. The closer your vision is to what you believe your future will be, the more likely you will see that very future. One needs to guard their thinking to not be envisioning the things they do not want, such as your own fears as those are charged with emotion and are more likely to manifest. The emotion is part of the process much like the flow of energy inside a tree, so it is best to think about how you will feel as though your vision is already a truth in your present moment. The deeper consciousness, energy… call it what you like, takes this as a blueprint just like a specific seed forms the tree or plant of its kind.

The Shadow Of Things To Come

The more you learn you will realize that there is always ever more to learn. It’s only enough when you say it’s enough. The impossible is re-evaluated because we learned how to get past our doubts by taking courageous steps that have not been taken before, at least from our point of view. We overcame the belief that we could not run a mile in under four minutes. We dreamed that we could do something and dared to try because we thought we could actually do it. We can become as great as we believe that we can be. The universe is something more than what we have been led to believe. It is not a competition or a struggle but a co-operation because it agrees with our beliefs, regardless of what they are. The universal field congeals what you focus on and feel strongly about. Again, it is imperative to use this wisely to not be creating something that will not benefit your ideal visions.

A Shadow Of What Was

These ideas were what was intended by those that left us clues in the sacred writings of our past from all different religions. However the simple ideas just given here have been substituted or just confounded to hide controlling agendas. The power to control your own life is ultimately your own responsibility. We live a cursed life if we give that power to others to have them rule over us. The power given to those others is abused and turned against the very ones that conceded. Cursed because in giving that power away it only causes problems and then more rules are made to try to correct something that did not work in the first place. We keep throwing our time and energy into this broken system. The nay sayers will say “it’s not true” or “it is true, but we don’t have anything better”. We justify the old way of doing things because we cannot agree on something better. People will continue to do what is easy because we have been given this idea that you have to work hard or be intellegent to have a good life. What is hard about envisioning something better than what we have. It takes time for change but our dreams need to be actively acted upon for them to become real. I don’t think I have yet met someone in this life that is content with the way things are. We dream of a better life. Meaning that we all want the best for family, friends and for ourselves. To dream IS easy. Acting upon those dreams takes the courage to dare. Dare to stand against the bullies of “authority” at the risk of violence or incarceration. Is it “Easier” to go on paying f.i.n.e.s and t.a.x.e.s. Do not rock the boat. Do not cause trouble. Stay in line. Be good little sheep. Continue to be fodder for w.a.r.s. Remain calm and do not rant, you will only be making a scene. They’ll say “Look at the crazy person”. We live in a crazy world because we keep doing the same things and expecting different results.
The easy way is to start using our imagination to picture our ideals before we start using our resources and time. Yes we need to do research to understand how things work and this helps us imagine the practical side of making it a reality and what actions need to take place. However, Our greatest blind spot is within our own spiritual side, the hidden treasures of our inner capabilities. We have not sought to understand what we are capable of, or who we can be. All this does not mean we will be stuck in the past.

Waving A Magic Wand

To speak the universal language of symbols we need to get past a few mistaken concepts that are clouding our understanding and not letting us see the true sunlight. It would be nice to wave a magic wand to obliterate these misconceptions, but alas being muggles or mere mortals, we will need to do things the non magical way. Trees, in the past, were believed to have magical powers and were worshipped by some and they were known as Druids. Trees being able to direct energy towards the heavens, as their growth defies gravity, shooting up into the skies could be the basis for their worshippers beliefs. Could this be why the branches were made into wands to focus energy. It is merely a substitution for an idea of focus. Pay no attention to the actual thing itself or what it is made of, but only the idea behind it. Directing focus and/or our powers of action! Remember it is merely the idea that a symbol conveys and not the thing itself that we are interested in. We easily get caught up into the substitution of the symbol for the idea and draw the wrong conclusions because we are directing our focus on the shadow of things. It is no wonder we feel it’s wrong but the feeling is interpreted incorrectly when we associate the shadow as the idea. It would be like looking at a map and saying that now you’ve been there cause you’ve seen the map. We should be careful of the symbols we see and not mistake them for the ideas that they are supposed to represent. Knowing how to interpret the symbols correctly is not always found in a dream dictionary. Things can change meaning when in different contexts. Most puns and humor involves this subtlety. We shift our focus to a wider perspective easily in these circumstances and draw a deeper understanding if the joke is not lost on us. As they say, ‘reality has a sense of humor and is not without a sense of irony’. Enjoy it’s magic and wonder that has expression through you and everything there is.

The Straight And Narrow Path

Life is a vision that you dare to make real. It is in your head and within your reach. You steer the course and do not be afraid to drive a different path. If you see a ‘tree’ in the road it has a very different meaning than what we were just sharing. Your thinking is a very subtle force but it can change the world in which you live. I hope that you let that force serve you and not be it’s slave. Do not fall for the substitutions this present moment portrays for you. Make your own substitutions to create the life that you want in your visions first. Feel as though it’s true. Take actions as though it is already yours. Take care of those seeds and refresh them often to see them sprout and before long your life will be as lovely as… well, what you envisioned!