The Bending

I am naturally drawn to the trees, as I have a strong wood element, according to Chinese medicine. I’ve always felt at home amongst the mountains and forests, roaming freely under a canopy of leaves that guide my soul. As a swordsman, I perform my meditative kata utilizing a wooden sword. While I grew up around the ocean, my bond to the water element was never that strong. I’ve listened to the waves crash against the shore countless times, but the water never called to me the way the trees do. I gravitate towards them, and listen to what they have to say.

Stepping outside the box is essential for bonding (or rebonding) with nature. Lui I-Ming had this to say:

“If people can be flexible and yielding, humble, with self-control, entirely free of agitation, cleared of all volatility, not angered by criticism, ignoring insult, docilely accepting hardships, illnesses, and natural disasters, utterly without anxiety or resentment when faced with danger or adversity, then people can be companions of the earth.”

We’re all interconnected, and by letting go of our own constructed walls, we allow our souls to hear all of the voices within the ’Verse. It wasn’t until my own ship crashed before I could hear the other energies call out to me. As I began to relearn how to live in this world, the trees would call to me several times, and before I knew it, I’d find myself in a state park strolling through them, listening with more than just my ears. I’d come away from these excursions with practical messages that I could incorporate into my life in a positive fashion.

Like the trees in the wind, this ‘bending’ of my soul allows me to move through this world with greater ease and less friction. I don’t take things personally. Events to unfold as they see fit, and I fashion myself around them, instead having them conform to my will. As I regard the trees on my daily walk, I notice how they simply waver in the breeze without breaking or falling. They are part of what is around them, and not a separate, unyielding entity.

I’ve learned much from my ongoing dialogue with the wood element, and when the trees call I answer without hesitation. I’ve spent enough time wrapped up inside my own stubborn head, enough time being isolated from the rhythm of the ‘Verse.

Listen for the voices that call to you. They are out there, waiting patiently for your soul to bend. Waiting to bring you back into the fold of all that surrounds you…