commitment
bon
A good start to the day; up and swimming! Getting it in before the day gets away from me - writing too. My Pomegranate Gazebo crew is assemblying their tools for today’s work; it is coming along. This is the 6th day of work spread out over 2 months: we only work on weekends, and we are nearing the finish line. The pomegranate tree is growing and so I’ve begun clipping it according to bonsai principles of pruning for a smaller version of a larger tree.
When I was powering up my NPO - Aiko Institute - I had the pleasure of putting together some Bonsai classes. There was a wheelchair bound man we came to call Dan the Bonsai man who lived in the apartments across the street from the dojo, where everything happened. We got to talking one day and he invited me to his place to see his bonsai: it was amazing! I asked if he’d be willing to teach a workshop on bonsai and we were off and running. He did some beginner classes and some more advanced classes as well. I took them all. And although I do not have any bonsai at my home anymore, I have used those lessons many times on other plants. And so my pomegranate tree will receive this kind of loving care.
It is a matter of acknowledging lines of energy inherent in a particular life form like a tree. Of course there are specific forms of trees that are meant for bonsai - ing. But the principles can be applied widely. Not wanting to damage the tree the principles of Yin and Yang are then helpful to follow. Severe pruning can kill a living tree, but pruning that is sensitive to the growth patterns of the tree can enhance the way the tree is already growing. And pruning applies to the roots as well.
I’ve heard in indian lore that a tree that is pruned will never develop crossed branches and I believe this. But once a human begins to prune a tree, the job is ongoing as the natural energy of the tree has been interfered with and so needs to be helped along in perpetuity. To create a bonsai then is to enter into a relationship with a tree; it is a kind of commitment. I thought long and hard about this before I began this project and I have made a decision accordingly.
And so I seem to be going backwards in a sense. When you teach a young one how to care for another living thing it usually starts with a plant, a goldfish, and moves on towards mammals like cats and dogs to prepare them for a human relationship: the hardest. But in my case I’ve been to the ends of that route and now I’m heading back down the line from a husband, a dog, to a tree - pruning my commitments. But on a less sad note, I am also expanding to massive commitments as I grow my relationship to the sun, the moon, and the stars!