Today was a downright magical Outside day. J. took a floating vacation day once he saw his work-load could handle the time away from it. Spent the morning composing and then headed outside with intent to rid the back of the field of several dozen Russian Olive trees. It took him three hours using his bow saw. We'd discussed Bea's recently texted all-caps reminder: NO UNNECESSARY ACCIDENTS and agreed there would be no chain saw activities until further notice. Just to be safer than sorry.
When we were heading back from our on-site review in the field we both noticed the beautiful flowers on one of the two maple trees that stand as guardians of the little path made shadowy by the hemlocks that line its southern side.
Today's essence bowl was filled with flowers from the tree on the left. Had to pull down the branch used to take flower portraits in the first image because I'd taken most of the reachable flowers for the bowl a few hours earlier. I set the bowl on a wooden folding tray relatively near the tree but closer to the center of a steady four hour light-connection in that part of the yard. As I settled the bowl into place I realized the tray was made of maple wood.
Going back to the early learning days of getting to know flower essence healing & illumination properties via simple keywords - the Maple medicine spirit is all about balance. The mid-day's sun lit these beautiful red flowers so they glowed in a beckoning way. I realized at once this was a perfect essence for this time and also a perfect choice to create a practical application addendum to the part one and part two of the flower essence Nuts & Bolts posts.
***after the mother stock was safely delivered into the house I sat down to see what Molly Sheehan had to say about this essence. Saw she'd created a wonderful blog post about it back in '06. Reading through it - I remembered seeing it soon after it was published. Also reflected we'd lived with a completely different kind of maple tree then. ***
Here's a picture to match the written description of my full working tray for essence bowl collection:
When the bowl was in place I came into the studio. Could see the tray perfectly from the back window. Hadn't been up here more than two minutes when I was felt drawn to look. Saw the little woven cloth I placed on the tray for photographic aesthetic reasons had flipped up into the bowl. So I got an opportunity to follow my own advise about hustling things along while apologizing to the flowers. Couldn't hardly say I was new at this but am definitely new to working with that cloth in this way. I put short wooden framing pieces on either end of the cloth because they were at the bottom of the studio stairs and quick to grab as I rushed to the tray.
from here on, if I stick with the cloth which I rather liked as a nestling cocoon for the bowl, I'll put sticks or small-medium stones on either end.
As I was settling everything with my back to the east I felt a sudden awareness of benevolent attention. Creeping along behind me - powerful but kind of muted in the earth. Maple trees have extraordinarily long roots that travel just below the ground and often partially above it. I became aware the roots of the tree were right there beneath my feet. It seemed they were inviting me to sit against the trunk after I'd returned the bowl flowers. To be there together as three energies: tree, mother stock and co-creative human. I silently accepted and was further invited/instructed to shake the first 5 reps of the awakening process right there with my back against the trunk of the tree. And the returned flowers nestled within a slight hollow in the adjoining section of the trunk.
And so it was.
Look at the vibrancy of the returned blossoms. Had the sense the flower medicine spirit had infused the flowers themselves as they basked in the sunlit bowl.
Maple trees are blooming all over the property and well beyond...