“Everything in this world—every quark, atom, dust speck, heartbeat—quivers with the presence of God and is the presence of God…a kind of fourth dimension to all of life.”
-Thomas Keating: The Making of a Modern Christian Mystic by Cynthia Bourgeault
I find this divine quivering in the creative process of SoulCollage®, writing, planning retreats, deep listening with kindred spirits, reading good books and poetry, and in this season, beholding the beauty of springtime in the shimmering of every conceivable shade of green.
The presence of God quivers especially in the holy surprise of synchronicities, often referred to as a “thin place” by the Celts. Just minutes after creating a SoulCollage® card titled Tree of Life, I stumbled upon the most perfect poem.
Particularly tuned in to my word of the year, LIGHT, I sense a divine connection between my card and poem. We must turn towards the light in times of great sorrow and other challenges, when the road we walk seems dark. Perhaps the “halting step is more powerful than the grandest vision” because it is doable. We can muster the strength for the small step, and then another. When we fall short of our “grandest vision” or life disappoints or just feels too much, despair and overwhelm can set in. We can take comfort in the simple knowing of a leaf. To become a tree, its fullest potential, the leaf must turn towards the light. We must do the same—turning towards the light and being open to new ways of seeing.
We can learn from the tree.
“Underground, at the roots, trees are using light to produce the same amount of sugar per leaf. “When trees grow together, nutrients and water can be optimally divided among them all so that each tree can grow into the best tree it can be….a tree can be only as strong as the forest that surrounds it.” (The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate by Peter Wohlleben)
Beyond what our eyes can see or minds can understand, trees nourish each other. Deep within, at a root level, they are connected. The same is true for humans. We are deeply connected. We are nourished by each other. By gathering in community, we support each other. We keep each other standing tall and strong. In Chapter 72, The Rule of St. Benedict impresses upon its readers how important it is to learn to consider others and how to best live in community.
I am one and the many, tree and part of the forest.
Rooted deeply, standing tall, leaning towards the light.
Roots mingling with, connected to, nourished by others.
Growth is in my nature, and nature is in me.
I am the tree of life.
© Jodi Blazek Gehr
When we are stricken and cannot bear our lives any longer, then a tree has something to say to us: Be still! Be still! Look at me! Life is not easy, life is not difficult. Those are childish thoughts. . . . Home is neither here nor there. Home is within you, or home is nowhere at all.” (Hermann Hesse, Wandering: Notes and Sketches)
Read more about synchronicity, trees, and light.
Synchronicity and Holy Surprise
Thin Places ~ Sprigs of Rosemary Online Advent Retreat (Session 2)
Being Benedictine 
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