How to Pay Attention This Week

The time to turn our eyes to the trees is beginning

This last week in my courses, I spent a TON of time learning about patterns. I never knew the depths of patterns in our lives, even as someone who studied art in college and then used design systems and patterns to create visual designs for years. Moving the study of patterns to be connected to nature, human movement, and how we live was a whole new level of understanding the things we live amongst. I cannot stop thinking about ALL the patterns that exist in our lives now.

The thing that stuck out to me most was the tree. When we learned about the tree, I was a little overwhelmed by the details and beliefs on the pattern and growth rhythms that develop it all. Not to mention how the pattern plays into the way it moves energy from leaf to root and onto the soil and other trees. I have always LOVED trees, but reading and learning about growth patterns and systems has really just grown this love even more.

As we head into the end of Winter in the coming weeks, I want us to turn our eyes to the trees. A recent warm-up has brought the maple trees to running sap, and the energy is shifting even if we head back into more winter-like weather now. This process begins the inevitable movement into leafing and budding that will happen sometime between April and May. This is when we really notice trees because, for the first time, the shifts they begin making now will be more evident.

The thing is, though, we lose the chance to observe and enjoy their current shapes and patterns. In my course this week, this quote from Da Vinci came up in the teaching, and it reminded me both how incredible nature is and how much we may miss when we aren’t paying attention:

“All the branches of the tree at every stage of its height when put together are equal in thickness to the trunk.” - Leonardo Da Vinci

I haven’t stopped thinking about this quote and looking at the trees around me, trying to measure it all together. What I learn the longer I watch the trees, particularly this time of year, is that this is true and that there is much to learn about living, moving energy in ourselves, and more from this one statement alone.

This is what will guide us this week in our paying attention.

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