Trees have a certain wisdom, they adapt their sap flow according to the external conditions. Yesterday, when it is cold, their sap goes back down to the roots to hibernate in a way. This explains why the leaves fall at that time. On the other hand, from spring to the end of summer, it is the opposite process that is at work. The sap rises to the level of the branches to give birth to the first buds, the future flowers and finally the fruits.
Can we be inspired by this natural wisdom?
Man also has a sap, a vital energy. The Hindus call it kundalini. It is commonly known as the flow of energy through each of our chakras. Each of these wheels (chakra means “wheel” in Sanskrit) corresponds to an organ, an emotion, a level of consciousness. The goal of human development according to the Hindus is to transcend each of the lower chakras so that the kundalini can “emerge” at the level of the 7th chakra, place of the realization of the being in its spiritual dimension.
The sap below
Someone whose “sap” is blocked at the lower levels of his chakras would only exploit a limited part of his potential. He would enter a kind of winter of consciousness. This means that his thoughts would be obsessed by sensuality, violence or egotistical passions.
The sap on top
Conversely, a sap that would be at the top would correspond to a state of consciousness in which the individual would have overcome his false representations. He would no longer identify himself with his body, his emotions, his passions but rather with his purest dimension, his spiritual and permanent being. It is the summer of consciousness, the individual shines like a sun.
How to make the sap rise?
The tree reacts to external hostility by letting down its sap. In the same way, we also tend to react compulsively, aggressively or violently when we are placed in an oppressive context. There would be a link of interdependence between what we are and our environment. We react in a coherent way in relation to what surrounds us. We should therefore surround ourselves with harmonious, intelligent and peaceful things in order to be able to germinate these same qualities. One cannot produce peace if one has never encountered it. To find harmony and peace, one must have witnessed it at least once. Someone who has only lived in an oppressive world will never be able to create peace for himself and others.
The necessary encounter with peace
Those who are contemplating a change in their lives or deep personal development must most often leave the environment in which they find themselves. It is by seeking peace on the outside that they can take it with them and then spread it, which is why spiritual guides are important, they spread a light that they have acquired and grown.
The sap above should be the goal of everyone
The human purpose is not to lead an animal life or one focused exclusively on the pleasure of the senses. We are endowed with a much greater capital than that. We have the potential to free ourselves from the passions of the body and the mind so that it is our soul that is in charge.
The sap is down by default
Before it was a tree, it was a seed. By definition, the seed has no leaves or branches, its sap is a priori at the bottom. In a defense mechanism, the seed will preserve itself and keep the sap for itself in order to first grow roots (this is often the case for sprouts, but there are also exceptions). Then, when the seed has taken its ease, it will sprout a stem, then branches, then leaves. The same is true, so to speak, of human development. When a toddler is born, he is selfish, he thinks about his survival, if he is generous, it is often out of interest. As he grows, he can afford to be magnanimous (Magnus = great in Latin). One can only be great in character, i.e. metaphorically, if one is not already physically or organically great. The purpose of the tree is to reproduce itself, so to do so, it will have to show generosity by offering its fruits and hoping that one of them will not be devoured and that it will be able to germinate and take the form of a tree in its turn.
Taking nature as a model
A strong tree is a plant well anchored in the ground, in its roots. A strong man is a person who has had solid foundations. He will have been able to develop the assimilation of a rich cultural heritage and then project it. Without roots, there are no leaves or fruits. The fruit is the symbol of creation and transmission. Without assimilation of the Ancients, transmission cannot take place.
The problem of the creative will without a foundation
To want to create without having assimilated a heritage will be unfruitful or at most mediocre. To produce from nothing creates nothingness. To produce, one needs a material, just as the potter needs clay to shape the vase. The only creative will of the potter will be nothing without the clay that he will be able to use. Nihilistic creation often proceeds from the absence of a will to submit to the assimilation of a heritage. Because many are too presumptuous to have the humility necessary to learn, they will never be able to create anything new or worthwhile. To know where you are going, you must know where you came from.
The solitude necessary to grow
To mature or to grow up is done through a necessary conflictuality to which is added a dose of solitude. Growing up means sinking one’s roots into the ground while exposing oneself to the elements such as the wind or the rain. It is essential to vary these ingredients to avoid becoming a pale copy of the environment or, conversely, a marginal figure unable to blend in with the human group around it.
Getting the sap to rise
To raise the sap means to rise intellectually, morally and spiritually. If your sap is confined to a lower level, it means that you are probably living a life of sensual pleasures, where anger and lust dominate. Conversely, the higher you rise, the more you detach yourself from these negative emotions, the more benevolent you become toward the world around you while improving your discernment of the true nature of people.
How to rise?
To avoid being trapped in hellish circles, there are several ways to do so. To educate yourself is to be in contact with the consciousness of people who have succeeded in rising. The more your consciousness comes into contact with or is exposed to the sublime, the beautiful, the harmony, the more it will be impregnated with it. Conversely, the more your thoughts are confronted with dark, vulgar or hideous ideas, the more you will make this darkness your own.
The path to enlightenment
Knowing that there is a hierarchy of values, that good and evil are different in nature is a prerequisite. The main strength of evil is that it can pass itself off as good. Adhering to the idea that everything is equal, that all arts are equal for example, is the first step towards misguidance and possible degradation. The awakening consists in improving one’s discernment, in choosing in one’s soul and conscience the way of progress which implies to reject the evil. To do this, one must learn to detect the characteristics of evil and, conversely, to search for what constitutes good.
The sap can either rise or fall
At any moment, you have the choice of awakening or of becoming numb. It is up to you to make sure that the sap always goes towards the top of your metaphysical and grandiose tree.
To summarize:
The Fear Tree serves as a guide and inspiration for us to rise morally. The purpose of life is to raise our consciousness as the tree raises its sap. To be a strong being, whether you are a tree or a human being, you must have deep and thick roots.
