THE LAP OF MOTHER CEDAR
Come sit a spell
under a big old Mother Cedar tree
In the gentle warmth of sunlight dappled through graceful boughs,
caressed by cool breezes;
tell her your troubles, your worries, and your dreams.
Snuggle in, as a child sitting on the lap of your Mother,
and listen to her stories.
This place, the base of the tree, where she stands, rooted, for the whole of her long life.
Where tall trunk disappears into nether world below, with its interwoven endless connections of wood and mycelium, intermingling fungi that span the globe.
This place, where the first miracle happens, where seed and soil first meet and bond giving rise to the majesty of the great Mother Tree.
This place, where the singular beauty of the cedar boles rise rooted; where the soft strong curves of graceful fluted columns connect Earth and Sky.
This place, designed perfection for you
to sit grounded, sheltered, supported; in her welcoming embrace.
In motherly fashion she tends to you, with clean air and healing
attentions;
even as she nurtures and nourishes the vast network of the forest surrounding her.
Come sit a spell.
You will never receive wiser counsel.
You won’t ever find a better listener.
Mother Cedar
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This painting is a miniature oil on canvas, 5″ x 5″, of a Western Red Cedar growing on unceded Sinixt land in the Slocan Valley, British Columbia, Canada.
These trees grow to 130 feet tall and 1,000 years old. First Nations used the bark to weave baskets, bedding, and clothing; the wood to make buildings, canoes and utensils; and the oil for sweet-smelling and antiseptic elixirs.
The square embedded in the painting speaks to the tree’s solidity, stability and protective qualities —masculine attributes within her motherly nature.
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~Barbara Brown, from upcoming Volume II, SYLVAN REFLECTIONS: Wanderings, Paintings & Ponderings From the Forest
‘Under the Cedars‘, 5″ x 5″, oil on canvas, miniature original painting is available for purchase on my Etsy Shop
