When a tree takes over🌳💕

Heres a message from a tree....

My friend and i were out on a picnic again...it was a bright day and we packed some home cooked food for lunch and drove to the park where our favourite old raintree by the pond is. The moment we got there...we placed  the bag containing our lunch on the large roots growing on the surface of the ground, spread the shawls we brought on the grass and simply lied down looking up to catch the glimpses of clear blue sky filling the spaces in between the branches of lush green canopy. Despite the sunny day, it was shady and cool under the tree as always and we just had to take sometime to soak it all in before we had lunch. 

The first thing we noticed was a big  bird perched on one of the branches right above us which was busy preening itself. We didn't know the name of this bird which looked like a stork and we have seen them during our previous picnic outings..and were amazed at their very loud calls, almost as loud as peacocks..and to our delight in just a few minutes another one flew in calling loudly and settled in another branch. As we were looking a those beautifully calm birds we also spotted squirrels  and Robins hopping about the tree with no particular purpose...(just like us :) seemed like all of us were in it together...the big birds, Robins ...squirrels and other blue birds and  water birds taking a bath in the pond hidden by the water plants covering almost the entire surface.. 

hmmm...such moments gently draws you a little deeper into the realms where  the connections are formed with the roots running wild and free below the ground where we were lying  on....the collective memory held by a tree as old as a hundred years who has seen thousands of birds...ants and insects dwelling silently, sharing the sun and the rain...with its energy so subtle yet  strong  that it takes  you over so very quietly...and as you glide into its world..you are no longer in control of what you think or say...for it is them speaking through you...

Thats how our conversation about the birds...and squirrels and trees led to the image I've shared above...here's how it happened...

After having lunch...and as we continued chatting...my friend collected a few twigs and sticks from the ground where we were sitting and said ..."these are like fingers" and she started arranging them on the shawl creating an image of a hand. I was just watching her and when it was done i said...hey ya it does look like a skeleton of a hand....then she picked up one of the fallen tiny flowers we found on the path we walked earlier..and placed it in the middle of the skeleton hand she created...again with no purpose but when I looked at it...I got an idea to take a picture with my hand placed beside it with a flower in the center too...with no purpose or meaning of course...

She snapped the picture and we both exclaimed...."hey that looks kind of interesting!" She said "you can write about the picture in your blog" And I wondered.." Yeah it sure looks interesting but then what can I say about it?" 

So I kept the picture saved in my mobile to be looked at later and we went on chatting about other stuff which led to a conversation about the flat earth theory...

After the beautiful day out we left the park and drove home. And later that night as I was looking through some of the pictures we snapped at the park...I took a few seconds extra to look at the picture of the hands with the flower in the center...and suddenly it came alive with a message...

The twigs...the flower and the shape of the hand now made sense..

This is what it revealed....

Beneath the flesh and blood...is the skeleton which will one day be exposed just like these twigs... it will be so brittle and incapable of moving or doing anything it had done while it had the flesh and blood sticking to it...but the flower...  remains just as fresh and vibrant in both stages. Unmoved and untouched by the changes, firmly rooted right at the center ...as the universal soul ....

So...shift your attention from the changeable to the unchangeable element of life...keep moving towards the center even if its just an inch each time...instead of just hovering over the surface for it is at the center where the magic of life begins...why fuss over helpless skeletons when you are an everlasting magical being...why go round and round on those unstable plains of life and tire yourself when you could stay as fresh and vibrant...bright and breathtakingly beautiful eternally ..? 

So...that's how the picture and the message was revealed...there was no process of thinking or imagining involved...but simply a moment of surrender to the roots...with no purpose....for that's how trees talk...in a language of its own...beyond what you could hear or read or write yet conveying messages as clear as Crystal... :) 

Tree Time Stories

What happens when 2 sitar students and a yogini go on a picnic? :) 

As we sat on one of the wooden picnic tables at the park by the lake, laid the table with the pretty tea set made in Japan (which i borrowed from mum) a basket of scones, cheese breads and some delicious rambutans, a book about history of amazing Asian gardens, a flask of hot ginger infused tea which we were just about to pour into the lovely cups when we spotted a guy nearby staring right into one of the palm trees behind us...we were wondering what he was doing standing there all alone. So we kept an eye on him while having our tea and buns. After a while we noticed that the guy was chatting away, still facing the tree and looking up at the sky and spreading his arms as though he was absorbing the energies around him...that's when my friend said "looks like he is talking to the tree...nothing to worry then, he is just one of us" And all three of us burst out laughing and said..oh yes, that's so true! 

We so love the trees that we go lie on the grass under the oldest raintrees for hours till it gets dark...just having some homemade snacks and drinks, sharing random stories and somehow, the things we chat about turns out to be the most interesting ones compared to stuff we talk  about when we meet elsewhere like restaurants or even our homes. No matter where it starts, the conversations somehow gets diverted into talking  about the universe and its magical realms, light, life, aliens, music, dance, colours, books, travelling, crystals, and so on..we usually do not realise the hours that passes till the security guards at the park come shining their torch lights on us prompting us to leave... and we would reluctantly pack our stuff only then realising how long we have been sitting there.

These picnics have reminded us of how life is as it is, before we thought everything needed to be captured in photographs or published on social media. Times when we had a meal simply by sharing the moment with a friend or family and not necessarily with the whole world to see. We wrote our experiences on our personal diaries (i mean the real ones) to be kept in a secret compartment of a drawer so our brothers will not read and make fun it! But now, we snap EVERY moment to be shared..and then forget to look at it again coz everyone is too busy snapping new pictures. To me pictures are precious...i love looking at old pictures because it contains so much stories and  those imperfect shots before digital cameras came, held the most interesting stories...one picture was enough to bring the whole atmosphere back, remembering everything we said or did on that particular day and how the chain of events led to that moment captured in the picture. One shot was enough to say it all. But now, we take hundreds of pictures and yet have no stories to tell coz everything is missed while we are staring at ourselves through those tiny lenses. The vastness of life can never be captured in a shot...it will always remain a tiny part of  the whole and yet we are deceived into believing that these glimpses could reflect the real experiences.

When you choose to arrange a pretty picnic basket and wear a lovely dress and your favourite accessory , do you do it so the pictures will look good or because you yourself should feel good. How about the friends who sit with you chatting and having tea, sharing the moment for real? Isn't that more important then to simply show the pictures to another person who wasn't even there? No matter how many pictures you shared, only you heard the bird cooing and scanned through the old cluster of bamboos to find where the sound was coming from. Only you felt the warmth in your heart when your friend brought a little card with a handwritten message which included a few lines of Irish Blessings especially for you, not because it was your birthday or any other celebration but simply coz it was a beautiful day out... only  you sat there looking at the ants crawling over blades of grass and said to your friend "These ants...will never be able to see the whole world with those tiny eyes..in fact they won't even see the whole person sitting above them coz we are too huge in its vision...if we were to explain the vastness of the universe and the planets humans have come to know ...wouldn't it be way beyond their capacity to imagine it even...would they believe you?? Isn't that how it is with human beings? We believe as much as we can see and deny that which we don't...but how small are we compared to this reality? We will never know" Now, how could a picture show this moment of truth you felt while sitting at the park? If we cant give the whole truth to another person who wasn't there...what is the point of pictures? 

I am not saying we should not take pictures...for i LOVE photography and how some shots bring the magic through it. I am only saying, we shouldn't miss the reality while trying to capture it. Enjoy the moments with all your heart and soul and you will never need photographs to keep the memories...take one picture that tells the story rather then a hundred random shots that says nothing. So that was our first picnic of the year 2019...more to come...more to share...soon :) 

ALL GREEN?

Leaves i found during jungle trekking 

Are tropical jungles all green?

When you see pictures of the mountains or even when you walk through the trails yourself, do you see all green? Not if you refocus....and look a little closer ...coz then, slowly the colours will reveal itself. These colours reflect the different stages of the living forests....from the lightest shades of green to the reds, browns and yellows and finally the transparent colourless remains of the leaves...together they make the illusion of all green tropical jungles...the colours are for those who dare walk through it risking the snakes, mosquitoes...spiders or the fallen trees and slippery muddy paths, intertwined roots...the steep climbs and dangerously descending paths... risk it all and you will see these colours...or stay out safe and see only green....choice is always ours! 

Just like that, life is about living it all...dangerous or painful...rough or smooth...being alive with every moment of it is the only way we can find the colours. If we stay safe and live on the edge of it ...we may survive by experiencing a dull one dimension view of the multi layered realms! What a miss that will be!

So this new year...begin walking into your life...into your self...bear with the darkness for a while...stay focused...listen to the throbbing life calling from within...say fewer words so you can hear more...trust the path you are on.....do not be engrossed in looking for the colours....just keep walking ...till the colours come alive...in the most unexpected moments...and be mesmerized...at your SELF!

Happy new year all!! 

Becoming You

"So, where would You hide, if i became You"

We keep searching for something that which we can't name. We long for it knowing we had it once...Can't say we have forgotten or lost it ..maybe just distracted. We go on with life pretending that everything is in order, checking every now and then if we are living a "normal" life and yet having this constant urge to divert. But to where? How? we have absolutely no idea...so again we go on pretending that we are OK with the routine..school..family..work...vacations and so on....

Sometimes, we panic as the underlying truth ignites our heart and in its light, for a brief moment we see that this is not what it is all about....its not about jobs, ambitions, relationships, wealth, politics, education, hobbies, sports or religion...it has got nothing to with any of what we have been calling "LIFE" We panic not because the truth is intimidating but because we see how far we have gone astray. How entangled we are with everything the society has built in the name of civilization. Irreversible! We panic because we see HOW simple it actually is while we have made it so complicated. Is it even possible to get out unhurt! Good news is, we can!....bad news is we can do it only one person at a time...never mind how many billions the population of the world is today..we  can only make it one person by one person. Each person has to find their way out by following their own paths. You cant help another to get out...for you are lost yourself and your way out will not be the same for another person. So never drag another person with you for you will only delay them. If you found your way...get on with it as quietly as possible so you don't distract another person from theirs. 

The search goes round and round..takes several turns, ups and downs, falls and rises and eventually ends abruptly where you started...YOURSELF! Then you realise, you are the way out, you are the love you seek, you are the light in your eyes, you are the search, you are the answer, you are LIFE itself. A center of the center which connects to EVERYTHING around you. Then, what is there left to do, you reflect on every leaf, every ray of the sun, every drop of rain, every grain of sand...you feel everything contained in you. You will not pluck a leaf or flower for it is a part of you. You will not kill an ant for it is a part of you. You will not hurt another person for they are all a part of you. You become YOU and it goes on infinitely...you see no end to it. Its overwhelming, mind boggling and beyond what your little heart can handle...yet it is joyous...not the kind of joy where you would scream and jump and hug people...no, but the kind of joy that is so subtle that you will not react in anyway, a smile maybe all you can manage with the calmness settling in your heart, you breathe the universe in and exhale the love in return. That's when you will realise..what you have been searching for is what you are made of ....LOVE!     

Look beyond the illusion of colours and dimensions
and step into the infinite oneness

Love descends upon hearts as light descends upon earth,
if only we learn how to be as receptive and still as a tree

Rainforest World Music Festival 18

As promised, I will now share my experience at the Rainforest World Music Festival but I am not going to describe what the event is about or what happens there during the three days because you can read all about it in their websites and other hundreds of posts uploaded and shared online. What I wish to share here is about how such events make you feel when experienced live.

What I loved most about it is that the 20k people who attended this event coming from all over the world are ALL music and nature lovers!! The vibes you feel when standing among hearts tuned in to the forest and Music is quite overwhelming.  One of those rare times when people are not thinking or talking about wars, politics, floods, terrorists, poverty or business and so on. For a brief moment, people are just being people...loving life and living every moment in amusement for they all know that the 3 precious days will end so soon and they will have to go back to the"reality" they are trapped in.

We now live in an era of seeing everything through  palm sized screens. Music too has been contained in these miniature world where you are in control of when it should begin, end or how loud or soft it should be...with all the distractions that comes through a mobile phone people hardly hear the music uninterrupted. Even if they do...no vibes of an instrument gets pass the speakers of a mobile phone ...all its magic lost in the process of recording and downloading...what you hear through it just plain notes...nothing more then that. You may not believe what i am saying unless and until you have heard these musicians performing live before a cheering, screaming and dancing crowd facing a stage with a 130 million years old rainforest as the backdrop!! It's surreal ...you can feel the soul of the forest in tune with the music, the musicians and the audience. It's an unbelievable connection...and i am not exaggerating!! You have got to be there to know it...no videos or audios will ever be able to capture the experience in its true sense.

While listening to the most amazingly talented musicians...I remembered Micheal Jackson and thought...no wonder his audiences screamed , cried and even fainted during his performances! I cried even when I watched his Smooth Criminal movie which was played in the cinemas those days!! So watching him live would have sure been overwhelming. Now I see the effects of live performances especially to watch it with people who have made the effort to travel from all over the world like from the US all the way here just for the 3 days coz they sure know how precious these experiences are...otherwise it might all seem like a waste of time and energy to those who think why not just download the music n listen at the comfort of their homes.  Believe me...music is not meant to be heard through mobile phones! These traditional instruments have a soul that connects to nature and that can only happen when it is LIVE!!

Ok I can go on and on about this cos probably I don't even know how to explain it...but I do have a little more to share about the festival in my next post.  See you soon🙂💕

The Meeting Point

The earth...in search of a tree....

The tree in search of light...

and We...in search of ourselves...

One source...a million expressions...all imperfectly perfect...no two trees are identical...no two leaves are identical...no standard shade of colour to identify the trunks...all growing as it pleases, as much as light allows, in its own perfect way, so, no one can say...this tree is more beautiful then the other...coz nature has given each of its creation an identity of its own..incomparable..

Only we human beings have learnt how to compare...this is pretty...that is ugly, this is the right way, that is a wrong way, this is sweet and that is bitter, this is allowed, that is not...and a thousand other distinctions made. And all we have created is chaos... 

Can we not follow our paths as it flows...why hesitate with every move...why ask a thousand questions before we take the next step.....when we ALL KNOW...the END is only ONE...back to its source. Go right if you please...go left if you wish...walk up or down the path...take a hundred turns if you must...run all the way back if possible...and still...where do you think we will end up? A confirmed destination with a thousand paths to choose from... So, why do we still believe that our choices will make a difference? You may encounter different situations, yes, but the results will be the same...we all cry at some point..we are all hurt at some points...we all laugh at some point, only how and why makes our stories different. So whats the fuss about??

Theres only one thing we can do about it, we can LOVE! No matter what the situation is, we can LOVE...that's the only route to our destination. Despite the chaos we have created, only LOVE keeps directing and redirecting us. And love is not about relationships...its about our state of being. That's the undercurrent which we are guided by unconsciously. We may be angry, upset, sad, disappointed and yet we will eventually return to this source of LOVE. And the word LOVE too is tricky...its not an effort to be made like most people see it....but simply the state of our self when all emotions are removed. Our natural state...

Is it easy to get there? of course not...life will throw you into situations and watch you come out of it...again and again...if you come out just the same as you were before...then it throws you into it again...until you learn how to shed the layers of emotions...but life is fair too...it doesn't expect you to shed all layers in one throw...it gives you chances again and again...the sooner we get to the roots the better...

So..just like how the roots are drawn to water, the leaves are drawn to light, we...are drawn to love. Only difference is, the roots and leaves do not resist...and we resist all the way, thus, making the path harder then it should be...again...i am reminded of the message from Bhagavad Gita....SURRENDER! 

The picture above was taken last week in Kuching, Sarawak during our trip to the Rainforest World Music Festival 18. Though i have SO MUCH to say about the festival, just felt like sharing this beautiful moment i had with my good friend and the amazing tree. Magical!   

SwarAsia Malaysia@Rainforest World Music Festival 2018

Ever heard the forest sing? 

Have you walked through the jungle, listening to the subtle streams continuously whispering to you? Have you stopped a moment to listen to the rustling of the hollow bamboos? Have you watched the waterfalls taking a plunge into streams? Have you felt the soft muddy paths when it rains...or reflected in the droplets resting on every leaf moments before it slips away? Have you touched the velvety moss on the tree trunks and absorbed its most beautiful shade of green? Have you tried catching the rays piercing through the branches of the trees? Have you smelled the living earth beneath your feet and sensed the throbbing life in its roots growing beyond ...? Have you felt the connection of it ALL? Have you heard them all sing the secret of life...? Have you felt your heart beat in unison with the breathing trees? 

And...what could we possibly give in return for all the magic the forests offers us? What can ever match the mystery of our tropical rainforests? Words will fail, pictures will lie, videos will only distract...then?

The only equally enchanting experience as a forest is of course..... MUSIC. And its the time of the year here in Malaysia, when we celebrate the Forests. Musicians from all over the world come to offer a part of their soul through music. Its a thanksgiving! Its the Rainforest World Music Festival in Sarawak, Malaysia!   

Its been my dream to go watch these soulful musicians coming from very interesting cultural backgrounds from all over the world such as the  Philippines, Russia, Brazil, Serbia, India, America, Solomon Islands, Indonesia, Tunisia, Poland and of course our very own Malaysia!!

And this time, the Malaysian Band "SwarAsia Malaysia" will be performing in it too. So no way i would miss it! I could hardly wait to be there and would definitely share my experience when i get back. I cant say more now as i don't want to say anything based on the videos I've watched. Both the forest and Music can only be truly experienced when its LIVE! And to have the opportunity to experience the best of both at a time is a blessing and a calling!!

So till i get back to you with my stories do click on the links below for more information and come join us in the Awakening of the Rainforest with SwarAsia Malaysia!! 

See you there!! :) 

http://rwmf.net/
https://youtu.be/aUu3kRLSmo0
swarasiamalaysiahttps://www.facebook.com/SwarasiaMalaysia/
https://www.facebook.com/rwmf.official/videos/896690360455735/