An Ode to the 2,000 Year Old Puriri Tree

It’s been a busy week… not so much with clients, but with projects and planning and visualizing, keeping up with teachings, yoga and meditating, walking the dog, spending time with my honey, getting live food into the house and basically being in the flow of life. 

In the grand scheme of things its been a relatively uneventful week, but one event keeps being re-experienced and turned over from different perspectives in my mind and all it involved was a walk in the park. 

We live in a somewhat unusual and very beautiful town located right by the ocean with a huge volcanic mountain looming behind us (Mount Taranaki).

Mount Taranaki

The energy here is very strong and attracts a wide array of people with rather organic and natural, down to earth, open minded type of personalities. And I feel very at home here already, even though I’ve only been here 6 months.

It’s a town of about 45,000 people, so it’s not very large at all, but right in the middle of town is a 49 hectare park, called Pukekura Park, and it is the most beautiful, tranquil park I have ever been in. From lakes to Fernery, poets bridge to bandstand, drinking fountain to waterfall, pathed pathways to dirt tracks, tea house to native bush, it has a little bit of everything in it –  and I love going there. The oxygenated air from the plethora of trees is food for the Soul and brings joy to the heart and clarity to the mind.

Pukekura Park Lake

In there, in a very special place, is a very special 2,000 year old Puriri Tree. The energy this tree emanates is the wisdom of groundedness and BEINGness. And when ever I go to the park, I always go to the Puriri Tree, and I sit in the groove of her trunk, where the roots claim the earth as her heart, and I imagine I can merge with her, and learn from her how to just BE that GROUNDED, and that STILL, and that OK, no matter what the weather.

2,000 Year Old Puriri Tree

And she always gives me some simple snippet of WISDOM that comes in the form of a poignant thought strong enough to remind me again that all we have to do is ASK and we shall receive.

So the message today is simple, three-fold and old:

Ask and you shall receive;

Trees give us air to breathe, not only providing food for the lungs but nourishment too for the Heart and Soul;

BE, like the tree, and you can weather anything with a still sense of groundedness that is wise beyond years.

It’s only in recent years I’ve truely understood what one gets out of hugging tree’s – and now I hug trees and soak in their energy at every chance I can.

THANK YOU to the trees.

SORRY for the pain the human race is causing you. I know in the end, we are really just hurting ourselves. I hope we learn very quickly now.

Take some time to yourself to have a silent moment with a tree. You’ll help raise some appreciation and grattitude for all they provide for us that we so often take for granted.

Namaste.

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3 Responses to “An Ode to the 2,000 Year Old Puriri Tree”

1. Shannon says:

   July 31, 2009 at 9:10 am

   Thank you Carmel, what a great reminder to BE.

   You are so right that New Plymouth has this powerful energy swirling around and tapping in and out of all of us living here. Perhaps if more of us took the time (wherever we live) to enjoy it, hug more trees, and love its beauty & energy whilst it’s still here, then that powerful energy swirling around might grant us more acceptance to openness, happiness and stillness within ourselves therefore making us free-er and more open to BEing able to ask and receive, give and get, take and be taken from, BE in the moment, BE in ourselves, and BE in ours and others light.

   Sat nam Carmel x I’m off to go hug some trees

   Reply
2. connor says:

   July 31, 2009 at 9:23 am

   Thanks Carmel this is gorgeous and I have many special moments in that park and with the trees, I am so grateful to live by this park. Thanks for reminding me again!

   Reply
3. Carmel says:

   July 31, 2009 at 11:38 am

   You are very welcome. Thanks for posting back. It is one of life’s true blessings to have something of such natural beauty that envelops all that we, as humans, put it through! From International Music and Dance Festivals through to the tranquil bird watcher, this park holds its arms open to us all. Grattitude is exactly the sentiment I wanted to provoke, and not just for our park… but all the parks in the world.. and all the TREES in the world!! Ok, I’ll stop now! Thanks again for posting. Namaste

   Reply