The wind swooped down to the ground where I stood. Face to face, it playfully cajoled and invited me to ride on its tailwinds. Without hesitation, I grabbed hold of a new adventure. We blew in and out of valleys – up and around mountain peaks while we laughed & played with the trees. I held on without fear or reservation – allowing the wind to be concerned about the logistics of our adventure. In the intangible arms of my new friend, I knew my role was to sit back and ride the warm and comforting currents. As the novelty faded and boredom set in, I wondered if I could control the direction and strength of the wind. I suddenly found myself back on the ground gently coaxing the wind into a box to be harnessed and stashed away for another time – another reason.
In a state of wonder the next morning, I relayed the experience to a friend & elder. She was delighted by the news and exclaimed she would like to take the opportunity to remind me of the teachings of Tree and the Wind as she guessed it would have a different impact and meaning after this journey. She reminded me this teaching had been channeled through her by an Ancient & guide, Metekeequa. The complete teaching is relayed in the following:
Teaching of the Tree and the Wind by Metekeequa
Channeled through Jamie Paige
Right now, members of the group seek answers to many questions. I will tell a story that will help you. The tree and the wind will teach them. Tell them to pick up their writing sticks and look at the tree. Listen to the wind. Write about the tree and the wind. Many are struggling with hard decisions. It is working on your health. The tree and the wind can help.
The tree needs to be studied. It started out small. But it spread its branches as it reached for the sun. Now it stands proud. Its whole life it stayed in one place. It did its work. The birds made their homes in it. The aphids made its leaves shine. It stands before you, proud. It is proud of living its life in one place. Do you hear it? It is telling you.
The wind was a traveler. It started here and never stopped moving. Tree and Wind used to play with each other. Wind would tickle Tree’s leaves and make it laugh, until one day; Wind decided it had to leave.
Tree was sad but Wind said, “Don’t be. I will return for visits. Someday I may even stay. But for now, I must look and explore. I am not happy in one place.”
For a while Tree felt sad, mad and lonely. Sad because he missed Wind. Mad because he felt stuck here and could not move. Lonely because he had no friends.
Slowly though, Tree awakened. He noticed new birds making houses in his branches. He got to know them very well. They thanked Tree for being such a good tree. Soon Tree began to realize his importance. He felt proud and made lots of new friends. Every so often Wind would blow in. Those were good fun times. There were lots of memories. And Tree was happy to be a tree and he hugged his friend Wind and then watched him go. And Wind was also proud of himself. He had become stronger and was happy his friend Tree was happy. And life went on with both of them being happy.
Now all you have to do is decide who are you are most like. Which teacher is yours? Therein lies your answers.
Some of us are speakers. Other of us learn by watching. Listening. At the fires many of us are there. But you are not listening to us. We are not invited in. It is all you have to do. We are there to protect you. To help you learn.
Whoa – Jamie was right. Although I’d heard the message of this teaching before it was more impactful as it hammered points home and broadened my perspective on topics like grounding, centeredness and balance. I hadn’t been ready for the messaging until now – the dream was the sign. But what had changed? What shifts had occurred within me to be shown the power of the wind (and myself) in such a potent dream?
What had changed? What experiences had I recently had that I could relate to the lessons of the wind? As you’ve been informed before, I’m not generally known for my willingness to hear and comply to Spirit’s wish until it gets really loud, insistent and hurts. I had felt a shift about a month before the dream that had been so subtle I wasn’t sure it had really occurred. It felt soft & gentle – like a soft breeze brushing lightly against my skin. The change made itself known after I had attended an event with a group of friends. While standing in a circle talking, my attention was grabbed & I was made aware of a person from my past who holds no love for me. In the past, the awareness of this person would have felt like a destructive gale force wind but that day, in the gentle breeze, her presence was a mere observation. At the end of the day I thought about it, about her, and realized there was little feeling to root me – to get me stuck – it just was. I had been the tree suffering in my attachment to the situation – she had merely been the wind, the experience that brought change, pushed me to grow and broadened my awareness.
The tree needs to be studied. It started out small. But it spread its branches as it reached for the sun. Now it stands proud. Its whole life it stayed in one place.
I am a tree. I started out small – young, inexperienced, sheltered from possibility, only seeing what was directly in front of me. I spread my branches as I grew, learned and awakened to new experiences and, ultimately, realized life held more than what was in front of me – more than I could see or imagine. As I tried to apply this teaching to my life, I was stuck on how I could have gone to college, spent months in West Africa, lived in the Houston-metro area for years, earned my Master’s degree, etc. without ever moving from “my spot”? I could stand proud in all I’d done because my trunk had grown wide, my branches extended and the leaves of my existence colored the world but, what had been going on under the surface? As much as my outside world changed the core of who I was remained stuck in old beliefs & thought patterns – I had refused to look within. Old and stagnant beliefs & thought patterns had created a wobbly and weak root system. One huffy-puff-puff could blow it all down…and did repeatedly.
In my baby steps onto the path of self-examination – to strengthen my roots – the most prevalent message I received was that I needed to work on getting grounded. In reflection, I see I had been a chaotic wind operating in reaction mode – a gusty, sometimes, dangerous wind without direction. Getting grounded was essential for me – thru this process I discovered who I was, who I wanted to be, my purpose, and how to shed the thoughts & beliefs that were no longer serving me. Grounding brought me focus, clarity, safety, stability, self-worth, confidence and knowingness. As I got REALLY good at grounding, I became argumentative, stubborn, cocky and unwilling to change. In this state I learned to fear the wind and any change it may bring.
Situations of the same nature have repeated themselves often in my life over the last 4 years. I misinterpreted these as challenges to the lessons in grounding when there were really opportunities to learn about centeredness. The phrase “grounded & centered” is thrown around a lot – but I had only contemplated the grounding and neglected to investigate the nature of centeredness and its benefits. I came to weakly understand & view centeredness as the next step past grounding. Grounding provided me with roots, the backbone and the place to come home to when I needed to remember my place in the world. Centeredness provided me the ability to navigate the winds of change in my life WHILE having a strong foundation and knowledge of my core being and beliefs. I came to view centeredness as the tenuous balance point that existed between the Tree and the Wind.
The dream, teaching and introspection prompted me to question myself & another mentor & elder. I broached the topic relaying my dream, telling the story of the wind & tree and, finally, asking, “Can the Tree be grounded AND centered? I think so. But, what about the Wind? Can it be grounded & centered as well?” This lead to a long discussion but ultimately ended with her asking me to think about my answer to the question, “Is it better to be grounded or centered”?
Through conversation and introspection…and more introspection, I have come to understand the question at the end of the teaching. Now all you have to do is decide who are you are most like. Which teacher is yours? Therein lies your answers. Ultimately, the question isn’t asking which you identify with or have an allegiance to – it is asking you to discover where you are out of balance. The answer points you to look in the direction of the opposite. Because I have strong tree tendencies, I have challenged myself to examine life through the eyes of the wind. I work to release, allow and accept change, chaos and disorder to sweep in, rustle my leaves and examine my growth opportunities without judgment. I challenge myself to remain caring but unattached to outcomes or relationships. My challenge has come in realizing I am the wind in the lives of others -recognizing I must hold fast to who I am, not forgetting myself to appease another while offering love-filled space so they may navigate their own lessons & growth.
Now, when I recall the details of the dream I have a different perspective. I realize what a big step it was to be consciously aware that I was separate from the wind and the trees we blew through. My thoughts were on neither – I was just along for the ride until I decided I was done & wanted to explore the possibilities regarding the malleability of the wind. I harnessed the wind not to trap it but to prove I had passed the wind’s test – that I could face it with ease, confidence and authority. I’ve entered a new phase. I will bumble, I will fail, I will make slow and steady strides but I can guarantee one thing. I will recognize when I’m off-balance & I will know which teacher I need to seek – the Wind or the Tree.
Redwing Healing Arts 