a rowdy pack of dogs goads a herd of cows through the rugged woods, where the cows take asylum in the fallow corn field by our house. during the weeks they are here they graze the field clear & they open a pathway down to shelter valley by the creek. here the cows rest safely beneath the great hemlock tree whom i call mother because of her broad, thick & wide-stretched open arms that guard & secure the cool protected cave-like chamber beneath this sentinel tree.
it is a sanctuary for the cows & later, for me, my haven where i meditate, self-review & become absorbed in the ancient energies of the mountain, valley & free-flowing streams of water bordering toward the east & the west of this secluded nature preserve & branch-cloistered nurturing retreat.
i call the auspicious spacious chamber beneath mother hemlock the temple of the green sun. sunlight filters through the green hemlock needles, casting an undersea glow because the branches sweep the earth around the tree & the feeling is of a sanctified place. my chair leans against her trunk as sunlight streams in long shifting bands of swirling dusty light all around & arching high overhead. for years we commune daily, the mother hemlock & i, in all kinds of weather, both inside my head & touching on the outer.
then it happens: the plague of wooly adelgids arrives at the blue ridge mountains & the mother hemlock falls a victim to it. the invasive insects slowly vampirize the tree, drinking her juices. her needles fall, branches becoming bare in a few years, her power & glory sucked away, her dark bones starkly showing. i am watching a loved one slowly die during these years, for there's no cure or help for the mother hemlock. we are all powerless in the face of this fierce invading pestilence that ravages.
the temple of the green sun is gone. it's now a somber graveyard, a tomb marking the death of a local goddess, & i am but memorializing her & the peaceful shelter she furnished. now she is a skeleton, bare & dark against the empty sky. goodbye, mother hemlock, farewell & my gratitude goes with you. i also no longer flourish & thrive, though it's better for me than for you, yet you are always in my memory: teacher, friend & dear companion for long, wonderful country-time years down the curvy backroads of the blue ridge mountains of north carolina.
ah Shiva! growing as a tree, You show me blessings & teach me patience, acceptance & detachment. I thank You for giving this insight, for showing me You can change form yet ever reappear as the consummate teacher & companion. You are woven like a heartening red thread patterned throughout my whole life, revealing Yourself to be the heart & soul of every blessing & every challenge, connecting the varied myriad parts as one, having a single intent. You make of me a better person so that my personality may serve the world. You show me that i also, in essence, extend far beyond form, merging myself into You at deepest core & fundament, eluding words altogether.
You are the dogs, the cows, the hemlock tree, wooly adelgids too. just because i cannot comprehend the whole pattern does not mean a thing & i know that fact well! i have taken refuge in You, Shiva, so let the drama play out; it's beyond my concern now. all i need is You, my Beloved, & You know that very well: You have been lighting the way ceaselessly since time & space burst forth. OM NAMAH SHIVAYA
i am 82, living in a nursing home and deepening my spiritual life as is appropriate as one ages. i am a student of the Sanatana Dharma and a devotee of Lord Shiva.
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11 thoughts on “the temple of the green sun”
Such heartfelt emotions and feelings! Swayambhu Shiva is the ultimate sanctuary for the seekers. Om Namah Shivaya.
All I can say, is please keep on sharing. Your words are magical, they open up another world. Thank you so very much.
It made me wonder that since the insects too, are part of creation, by ‘vampirizing’ the tree, are they fulfilling their part in the divine order, too?
indeed, it’s all Shiva in the final accounting! sadhana helps to get to that inclusive heart-space eventually, thankfully!🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼every event is a conversation between Shiva & the best that can i can express at that moment: certainly the journey of a lifetime!🥰🤗🙏🏼all of these poems are an expression of that ongoing adventure, an exchange between Shiva & jiva via sakshi🙏🏼😘🌹
it is sadhana given by Shiva as my contribution to the group outpouring🙏🏼thank you for your witnessing of it too! we are blessed to inspire one another🙏🏼
Such heartfelt emotions and feelings! Swayambhu Shiva is the ultimate sanctuary for the seekers. Om Namah Shivaya.
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sanctuary🙏🏼yes, so true!❤️thank you🙏🏼
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It’s my pleasure. My regards to you.🙏💖
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Absolutely love the wonderful title of this piece and the words that come to life!
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thank you for your heartening words!🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼
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Beautifully written! Thanks for sharing 🤗💓🎉
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thank you so much!🙏🏼
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All I can say, is please keep on sharing. Your words are magical, they open up another world. Thank you so very much.
It made me wonder that since the insects too, are part of creation, by ‘vampirizing’ the tree, are they fulfilling their part in the divine order, too?
LikeLiked by 1 person
indeed, it’s all Shiva in the final accounting! sadhana helps to get to that inclusive heart-space eventually, thankfully!🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼every event is a conversation between Shiva & the best that can i can express at that moment: certainly the journey of a lifetime!🥰🤗🙏🏼all of these poems are an expression of that ongoing adventure, an exchange between Shiva & jiva via sakshi🙏🏼😘🌹
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Thank you for sharing them and allowing us to be witnesses to the journey, too. 🙏
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it is sadhana given by Shiva as my contribution to the group outpouring🙏🏼thank you for your witnessing of it too! we are blessed to inspire one another🙏🏼
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