Dear reader of signs,
It’s only three days in and I’m finding this ‘Reading the Signs’ June challenge both helpful and surprising. In particular, having a different symbol to dwell upon everyday is beneficial, as it flexes my imagination and contemplation and steers me away from idle and obsessive thinking.
Today the card was ‘Ailim’, the Ogham symbol for ‘A’ and represents the Silver Fir.
This is a tall, slender, fast-growing tree, that prefers mountainous regions, so it’s often interpreted as representing clarity or changing perspective to get a wider view on a situation.
Of course, as an admirer of trees and forests I enjoyed bringing this image into my mind during the day. It partly prompted me to noodle away at a couple of thorny issues I’ve been attempting to understand better, and I hopped around in a couple of different journals, writing and consolidating information. When trying to learn or understand an issue I need to hand-write my thoughts. During the process an observation popped into my mind and I sent it along to a friend of mine via WhatsApp.
This prompted a conversation about planning, and via the back-and-forth specific dates came into focus, which has given me a more concrete objective for the next couple of years. I’m grateful for my friend’s advice and expertise, and for the sign this morning. It has shaken loose something that I needed to address. It’s not fully resolved but I feel I’ve taken an important practical step.
As evening brought lower temperatures I headed off to my favourite local woodlands, Coole Park. There are a lot of mature, tall trees there, and I figured I might spot a Silver Fir (or some other similar native variety, such as Scots Pine).
There were a number of giant pines, and I spotted a potential Silver Fir (the branches were not low enough for me to confirm for sure).
The trip had me looking up throughout my walk, admiring the sheer height and variety of the trees in Coole. I’m a tall person, but I am tiny compared to those towering legends.
They are rooted deep, interconnected with their neighbours, and home to so many creatures. They shape and evolve depending on their environment, yet always stretch up, striving for the sky.
I thought a lot about rooting myself in my experience and standing tall in my knowledge.
Trees trunks do not slouch (except, mysteriously, in Poland’s Krzywy Las or ‘Crooked Forest’).
From their seed they are imprinted with their optimum potential and slowly, relentlessly, pursue their ambition without reluctance or modesty.
What a terrific example to follow.