I am very attracted to Shamanic means of connecting with nature. When we connect with a plant, animal, stone, landscape, etc. in a shamanic way, I believe there is a mutual exchange of healing and sharing of wisdom. Today, as I have been contemplating both who I want to be in this newest of years and what I want out of life from this moment forward, the image and wisdom of Redwood presented itself to me. Totems need not only come in the form of animals. There are totem plants as well.

    A totem may present itself to me personally in a variety of ways--I usually just have a strong gut reaction to an animal or plant or stone that presents itself to me in some way, most often through a physical encounter but also sometimes from just a sudden thought of that totem. Today as I thought about building strength from the wisdom of my years (my foundation) and creating new life and pushing forward with momentum from that foundation, the image of the Redwood tree came to me.

    The image of the Redwood is an intriguing one, and hard to capture. If you search for photos of Redwood trees, you'll never see a photo that captures an entire Redwood tree. If you have the luck to stand next to a Redwood (I have not been so lucky so far in my life, but here's hoping!) you would also not be able to take in the full view of the Redwood at once.

    Since I have never been in the presence of a real Redwood, I appreciate photographs which can help me to understand the wisdom of the Redwood. From the base of the tree looking upward into its branches (which is the perspective of most Redwood photos), you get the sense of safety that the energy of the roots provide (what a dense and deep network of support!) while also connecting strongly with the inspiring view of the branches reaching unceasingly upward, still in the slow but steady process of achieving further growth.

    One major lesson I get from the Redwood is that the new, the novel, and the adventurous can be embraced while still maintaining proper rootedness. And in fact, without the tremendous root support the tree has created for itself, it would need be able to reach so high toward the sky. On a consciousness-raisinging spiritual path, I find that I must be firmly rooted. I cannot neglect the health of my root system any more than I can neglect my eternal urge to stretch further into the sky of expanded awareness.