In September 2014, whilst holidaying in Southern Ireland, something happened to me…

I was walking through an ancient woodland and suddenly experienced a kind of…well it is hard to explain… a kind of internal shift. It is tricky for me to articulate.

For the duration of my walk, I felt a deep sense that everything is okay. A feeling of safety whilst absorbing deep nourishment.  Something changed within me and has been unfolding ever since…

Most of my adult life, I have been on some sort of evolutionary self-improvement journey. I made the assumption that I already had a good grasp of the key ingredients for living well. On reflection, perhaps more of an intellectual grasp than an experiential one. I did not expect more subtle developmental layers to reveal themselves so clearly. It is as if I am wearing a better pair of glasses.

I now have a fresh understanding of how my past experiences in life have shaped who I am today. It is humbling. It is reassuring. It is my unique journey. I have a greater awareness of the ways my behaviour and being in the world are influencing my experiences. The stories I tell myself in the present are heavily based on my past and affect my future. I see that we are all doing what we can with what we have. I see what I cannot change or control. I see what I can change. I feel strong enough to look at my life through a magnifying glass of awareness of body and mind.

These are not all pink and fluffy revelations of spiritual enlightenment with eternal blissful happy endings. No, it has been ugly and highly unpleasant at times…sometimes shocking! But, I have a broader perspective that is now safe to lean in to, feel in to and learn from. I endeavour to let go of what no longer serves me…until the next layer…then the next… Rinse and repeat…Rinse and repeat. The internal struggle goes on. That’s okay now…I get it. The internal struggle goes on and plants a seed for the next stage of healing.

I am learning to roll with my stealth-like ego punches that sling me a left hook when I least expect it.

I have finer powers of discernment with more space to allow things to soak in before I act. When I think I have the measure of something I can sometimes find myself back down on the ground and having to pick myself up again. That’s okay.

I am picking through the litter of my life experiences and finding the rubies. With open curiosity and oodles of kindness for self and others, I am finding  more joy and contentment. I can feel my self-worth developing strength, instead of remaining withered from years of cultural conditioning and ‘shoulding’ all over myself..

I am uncertain of how things are going to go in my life and business. Somehow, I am okay with that. I feel hopeful for us all.

I am writing a new story… My wisdom tree cards are part of the story.

The wisdom of trees card deck

Trees are our strongest allies. They stand as sentinels in a symbiotic relationship with humankind. They are wise, with a quiet centre of being and patiently respond to the seasons whilst the world reacts and changes around them. They have a lot to teach us.

Whenever I am amongst trees, I feel calmer. I am a much better person whilst I weave through the woods, in awe looking up, down, through and around. My playful innocence comes alive as I gaze open-mouthed in wonder. I notice the numerous gradations of green, the textures the smells: my senses delighted. I notice the faces within the tree bark which adds to their personality and energy.

 

I had an idea to create a deck of tree cards that could encompass some of the childlike innocence I experience amongst trees and to act as evocative invitations to help with Wholehearted living. I asked my social media community for feedback and proposed a few ideas. I was amazed by the interest and also how many people love trees. So a new deck has been created. A deck of 55 trees combining tree essence qualities, the seven Chakras, faces observed in the tree trunks and my own creative expression. They are inspirational words from our wise friends to empower our own ability to thrive and flourish mixed with my creative interpretation of the intuitive nudges I have paid attention to. They compliment Plant Ally cards or stand alone as their own deck. I will write more about my developmental process in my next blog post.

 

Below is a 15 second video of me sketching a tree. It may not play in all browsers…

A gift for you

As a little gesture of appreciation, I have created a playlist of tunes that incorporate trees in their title and words. They are quirky easygoing tunes that you may like to listen to.

Over to you

If you love the idea of my Wisdom Tree cards then do share this blogpost amongst your social media choice. If you would like to be informed about how and when my tree cards are going to be launched then do sign up here for a notification email. I do not intend to send updates often and it is easy to unsubscribe.