Root to Rise
Now is a good time to consider how your foundation of self care and nourishment is doing? Plants are growing in this new season and they remind us that it is essential to have good roots, and to put our roots into good soil.
If the soil you are in is not vital and secure, if it doesn’t have the richness and depth you need to fully rise and grow, perhaps it is time to consider how to enhance your root environment or maybe even go for a total change and transplant yourself into a totally new foundation.
Our roots are connected to the basics of our well being, think about food and exercise, the relationships that affect us most, our physical environment, Spring cleaning of our homes is a great way to make for healthier roots. Most importantly the inner environment of our emotions, our thoughts, our beliefs and dialogue with ourselves deserves some attention. Are you kind and nurturing to yourself or is there a need for some remediation of the ground of your mind and heart?
I love this poem by Rumi as a prayerful reminder of this rooting into our own Self, that big self of our true spirit.
The Root of the Root of Yourself
Don’t go away, come near.
Don’t be faithless, be faithful.
Find the antidote in the venom.
Come to the root of the root of yourself.
Molded of clay, yet kneaded
from the substance of certainty,
a guard at the Treasury of Holy Light —
come, return to the root of the root of your Self.
Once you get hold of selflessness,
You’ll be dragged from your ego
and freed from many traps.
Come, return to the root of the root of your Self.
You are born from the children of God’s creation,
but you have fixed your sight too low.
How can you be happy?
Come, return to the root of the root of your Self.
You were born from a ray of God’s majesty
and have the blessings of a good star.
Why suffer at the hands of things that don’t exist?
Come, return to the root of the root of your Self.
You are a ruby embedded in granite.
How long will you pretend it’s not true?
We can see it in your eyes.
Come to the root of the root of your Self.
You came here from the presence of that fine Friend,
a little drunk, but gentle, stealing our hearts
with that look so full of fire; so,
come, return to the root of the root of your Self.