Man o man, do I need a new, non-thinking strategy to get this intro written, I think. So, I say a teensy prayer to call in Spirit and decide to start listening instead...

 

Finally, after a cricket-filled moment of eternal proportions, I hear:

 

"Psssst. You! Yes, you over there by the beautiful banyan tree. C'mere. We need to talk. Or, actually, I need to talk and I need for you to keep listening."

 

Huh? That's odd, my thinking mind interjects. A banyan tree? And not just any banyan tree, a beautiful banyan tree? Where's this coming from? Fortunately, I know by now to pay attention to these seemingly random images that come to me when I'm listening. For the next moment, I allow my thinking mind to take over while I clickety clack on my keyboard to see if perhaps Google will shed some light on the origins of this beautiful banyan tree.

 

As it turns out, according to Wikipedia, a banyan tree "provides a multi-layered, rich, and complex symbol of the self and its journey towards enlightenment." Buddha sat under a banyan tree. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna uses the banyan tree as a symbol to describe the true meaning of life to the warrior Arjuna. It is a tree of refuge. A tree of safety. A tree of great wisdom.

I'm beginning to like banyan trees! I'm even beginning to like listening to messages under banyan trees:

 

"Worry, anxiety, pressure, control do not support your growth at this time. Embrace the uncertainty. Befriend the many ways in which you block your growth so they may be released. Trust that the many roots you have extending into the earth nourish and support you, while the leaves on the many branches you extend toward the sky also feed you. Be open to receive the gifts that come from heaven and earth.

 

"Embrace your 'complex, multi-layered self and its journey toward enlightenment.' Receive yourself under the banyan tree. Receive love, joy, wellness, healing, wholeness.

 

"Allow what you long for to make itself known. Allow the most authentic part of you to emerge without apology and with the strongest conviction that you are worthy. You matter. You deserve. Listen to your heart's desire, to your soul's calling. Be willing to surrender to them.

 

"And then rest in the safety of your beautiful banyan tree trusting that your prayers have been heard and will be answered."

 

Sigh. I love my beautiful banyan tree and sit down beneath it. I look around and realize, wow, there's plenty of room under here, and I don't mind sharing. Won't you come sit and rest with me?

 

It's your beautiful banyan tree, too.