The Way of Innocence and the Greening of Soul
“The traveler knows nothing but the road, the guide knows nothing but the stars: The world tree stands between them, marking the center of the world.”1
Like a seed shattering to become itself, some part of us knows that in order to evolve the structures we know must give way to allow the emergence of a deeper authenticity. Our roots grow down into the dark, dreaming earth for nourishment and strength, yet we cannot stay there forever. There are risks to be taken.
The evolution of soul happens along a vertical axis between heaven and earth each informing the other. Within each of us is an axis mundi—a Tree of Life uniting and centering all realms of existence.
In Chinese Medicine trees represent the wood element, the color green, the liver and gall bladder, direction east, the season spring, the weather pattern of wind, the emotions anger and frustration which become compassion when touched by the heart.
The spirit of wood is the hun who mediates between spirit and soul, what is and what wants to be, traveling with the wind delivering messages from the heavens down to the roots of embodied life to commingle with the wisdom of the ancestors. The hun carry light from the stars into our watery depths to catalyze and feed the continuity of our own unique evolutionary process. They help us rise like sprouts with courage and imagination to carry our vision forth into the world.
Wood and spring bear the gifts of daring, hope, and communion.
“We cannot lose what really belongs to us, even if we throw it away.”
Hexagram 25. Wu Wang/Innocence (The Unexpected)2
To be human is to travel through uncharted territory along a pathless path that unfolds as we walk it. There are no guarantees, only our sincerity. This is no small thing. Sincerity is where innocence lives—the essence of our wholeness. Innocence guides us forward in ways that we could never plan or contrive. When we sincerely offer ourselves to what is most authentic and true, we enliven the source of all life. As destiny calls from beyond, sincerity answers from within.
The spirit of spring meets you at the edge of yourself. She hears the heartbeat of change coming from the Just Before. She is the one you both fear and welcome. She carries your prayers through darkened woods, vast deserts and melting tundra. She dares to go where no other will. Pathways unfold where she walks. Sometimes she carries a lantern, sometimes she can only be found by shining your own inner light.
She attunes with her antlers and hears with her heart, her womb holds the source of all life. Her eyes are portals to infinity. Her claws pierce the veil of what is known until it breaks open and spills like milk, streams of possibility filling the hungry bellies of a humanity on the verge, until we, too, overflow and become rivers of nourishment. She sprouts like leaves through our pores. She is the Green Woman. She waits for you inside the discomfort of not knowing. Her hand lives in yours. Her feet walk in yours. Her eyes see though your heart.
How might life be different if you were to offer the secret wish inside your heart your sincere caring and consistent presence? What if the innocence you feel you have lost hasn’t gone anywhere? What would happen if not knowing and knowing could walk hand-in-hand? What if your deepest joy and world’s deep hunger could meet?
1 Horden, William Douglas, The Alchemical I Ching p 45
2 Wilhelm/Baynes, The I Ching or Book of Changes p 102
About the Author: Monique Gaboury is a licensed acupuncturist, in Freeland, WA, specializing in Alchemical Acupuncture. She loves sharing her passion for natural healing at her clinic and through writing her blog ‘Re-membering Wholeness, Belonging and Kinship Through Changing Times’.
Juniper Medicine Alchemical Acupuncture serving the greater Seattle area on Whidbey Island. To schedule an appointment call 360-672-1506 or EMAIL.
