The Ten of Wands 

From the Tarot of Trees by Dana O’Driscoll

Original Writing by Kathryn Ravenwood

Sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees.  We have focused so long and diligently on whatever it is we want to accomplish, whether it is our career, the “to do” list, or following a routine of goals that we lose sight of the changed conditions all the focus and work has brought about. We wonder why we feel stuck, why things are not moving forward anymore or why we seem to be met with resistance rather than success. What was rewarding and challenging has become hard, and now feels like a burden. We start saying things like, “I can’t” or “why is this so hard?” or “things will never get done.” We are on overwhelm, burned-out.

It is not that we are no longer accomplishing what we want; it is more that we have achieved so much that it is now time to let go of some of the older ways we don’t need anymore. The above picture shows a little seedling sprouting up from the forest floor trying to get to the light, struggling to make a place for itself through the forest canopy. Will it find room to grow or will it become stunted and held back by the massive growth above it?

Our very fast paced way of living encourages - no expects - us to achieve in a measurable way. Many of us work hard just to “make ends meet” or are so engrained in survival mode that we don’t take a breath long enough to evaluate just why we are working so hard. The burdens we carry might have been with us so long we don’t remember why we took them on in the first place. The burdens become our identity. We define ourselves by them.

Our accomplishments are more than the businesses we launched and made successful, the books we wrote and published, or the people we pleased along the way.  Releasing burdens also includes things like recognizing and changing a destructive habit into productive, positive action. It is seeing that we have some kind of prejudice and change our mind and heart set. A huge burden to let go of is finding a way to forgive the hurts and resentments we carry with us and go on. What if we could clear away the need to be validated by others and instead recognize and  deeply cherish our own self? 

What are you hauling around with you that is wearing you out? Is your mindset so deeply rutted in a certain routine that you are missing new opportunities? What new sprout of creativity or opportunity is being held back by the burdens of your heart, your mind, your actions? Maybe it is time to clear out some dead wood - to trim back the overgrowth. Not only to make space for new growth but to just give yourself a break and let in a little more light. Take a leap of faith. Lay  down some burdens - even one. Remember to rest and check in with your higher wisdom to help you discern the value of what you carry - the talents and the baggage! Keep what is good and send the rest off to cosmic recycling. Welcome the new adventures, embrace change. Growth is good - even when in might seem easier to stay in the darkness. Rise up to the light. 

…Kathryn Ravenwood  8/16/19

               Nurse Logs in the Hoh Rain Forest, The Olympic Peninsula, Washington State

The Ten of Pentacles, Emily Lubanko

This beautiful image of nurse logs in the Hoh Rain Forest on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State has layers on layers of meanings and inspiration. I love the Hoh. Some very old and large members of the Standing People - the Trees live there. Visiting them is like stepping back in time away from cities and people. It is a sacred place and offers great sanctuary to those who are fortunate enough to visit.

Nurse logs are easily found at the Hoh and in other forests left to function on their own time. They offer a unique perspective on life. At the end of its magnificent time standing between the Earth and Sky, for whatever reason, be it old age, disease, wind fall or some other damage, a tree falls and lies on the forest floor. It is not dead. Life continues to thrive for a very long time. Insects live in its bark, animals burrow under and in it for a home, mushrooms, ferns, and lichens are all happy to move in to this available habitat. Tiny seedlings of the forest trees land on its back by being dropped by other trees. They piggy back on the strength of this great fallen being. Nourished by the wealth of nutrients in the fallen tree, protected by the tall trees around them, they take root and grow. Trees get water from their roots. As the baby trees are too short to reach the ground they can access water collected in the crevices of the bark provided by the drippings of the large trees around them who collect the rains and fogs and filter them down to the forest below. Gradually, they grow stronger and bigger, always attached to their nurse log, their home. Some of these baby trees get very large indeed, their roots entwined around the nurse log and even each other, forming an inseparable bond while the nurse log continues to support them. After a long time, the nurse log might decay enough to leave visible spaces where the now very large tree’s roots, firmly anchored in the ground, are still holding the space of the fallen tree.

Trees carry recordings - memories - of their surroundings in their tree rings like a library of information. They record growth patterns, when fire threatened their existence, wet or dry years, and whatever memory the water they absorb carried with it. We don’t even know what else is locked in those precious rings of memory. All this is all held within their bodies, even after they have “died” and fallen. I wonder if the baby trees on the nurse logs receive those memories from their fallen host even as they begin to record their own rings of information. We know the root system of the forest is connected. We know the Standing People communicate as one giant organism. Why not share their memories as well?

I like to think of our ancestors as the nurse logs. We are dependent on them for our home, nourishment, and safety. We carry their memories in our shared stories and culture. As we grow we continue to express not just our own individuality but traits from the ancestors as well. Even after they are gone, there is still a space within us that holds their memory. The human family is like the forest family; we are all interconnected in the great Web of Life. There really is no separation. Not every tree in the forest reproduces itself but they all interconnect to make the forest and support each other. Family, friends, neighbors. We are all one.

Perhaps this is a good time to honor the “nurse logs” of your life and give thanks for all the shared memories. And, be sure to share your precious memories with others. We each hold a unique story that is meant to be told.

 

...Kathryn Ravenwood 8.2.19