The Willow tree and the Roots of Love
"Grief is love!"
Please note this voiceover contains singing bowls and chimes. Do not operate any vehicles while listening. Thank you!
She welcomes me with an open, warm “Nice to see you back. I've been waiting for you.”
“Ah, thank you!” I reply. “Yes, I wanted to see you too. But how did you know I was coming?”
She says, “Simply because I've been feeling your pain for the last few days and I know deep in my roots that I want to help you so much to let go of everything you're holding and transform it into new energy. Come closer, be with me, lean on my trunk. I want to be with you and hold you in your grief.”
The closer I walk towards her, the smaller I feel in the light and shadow of the Willow.
I am amazed, but somehow I am not, the Willow knows how I am feeling, even though I am smiling. I wonder if she can feel the grief of everyone around her, even if they can't or don't want to feel it themselves.
My intuition tells me that the Willow may even know more about the depth of my sorrow than I do. This uncertainty of depth scares me a little. I am intimidated because I have no idea what is arising from within me and how intense these feelings are.
Grief is an emotion that I find tricky to deal with because it is a topic that is silenced in the culture I grew up in. We have a very complicated relationship with grief. We acknowledge the feeling somehow but find it difficult to talk about.
A story I tell myself is that we like to bury grief as deeply as possible. Out of sight, out of mind, because that makes it easier to ignore the feeling—after all, we have to function. To function. What does that even mean? Not showing weakness, being strong, not letting grief beat us down. Yes, pretending that everything is alright.
“Don't be afraid,” the Willow suddenly says. She snaps me out of my thoughts and continues, “Grief is love!”
Somewhere deep in my heart, these three words of wisdom resonate, and everything in me, my whole body, softens and soothes. With all my senses, I listen to her ...
I invite you to bring your grief into flow because grief wants to flow.
Just like water brings life, grief transforms the pain of loss into a purity of love. And it is this purity of love that will always be with you.
Grief flows at her own rhythm that you cannot control. When she invites you, go painfully deep with her. Surrender to the pain of love. Trust that her energy is healing. That it is love, even if it doesn't feel like it.
Her river drowns your heart in the swamp of pain, only to break your heart open as wide as possible to give breathing space to the pain within you. Grief keeps us honest. Yes, you and I and all life. She keeps us honest because we all mourn.
No matter how hard you try, you cannot bury grief. When she takes you down into the reeking mud, it is your task to be in the dark brew with everything she shows you. Like my roots find the water in the swamp, you will find solace, tenderness, and mercy in yourself.
Give yourself time to let the grief wash through you. Seemingly invisible in the deep darkness of yourself, she cleanses you. Only then can you understand with your heart that we grieve because we love. With this understanding, an innate strength arises within you that keeps you in balance between the light and shadow of your emotions. In this equilibrium, you can give enough space to the pain of letting go to make room for the new. This is where light and shadow can nourish each other.
Only now do I see how the Willow embodies this harmony between life and death.
I feel her soft wood on my skin. I look around and see how she has already lost many branches in her softness. Some of these branches have taken root in the water of the swampy moor and have grown into new willows. Not all the branches she loses take root. But even those without roots are life, perhaps not for themselves, but as a basis for other life.
Finally, the Willow asks me, “Why are you grieving? Do you want to tell me about your pain?”
The words pour out of me: “I harbor Weltschmerz because I don't want to live in a world based on hate, oppression, and separation. It is an illusion that does not reflect my nature. This loud illusion sometimes makes me believe I am all alone with my love and my longing for freedom and connection. But I know I am not alone. I am never alone.”
“I grieve because the gap between my lived experience and the vision of life that I hold dear in my heart seems so unimaginably vast. I grow with my grief. I am also growing in bridging this gap. Just a few years ago, the Weltschmerz within me was overwhelming. I felt hopeless and without direction. Today, I stand here and consciously free myself from oppression.”
“It is a farewell to limiting stories and beliefs of my old self, a narrative that no longer serves me. Saying goodbye always hurts, no matter how liberating it is.”
The Willow responds with compassion and gentleness in her voice: “Sometimes only grief can show us how much we love.”
Hearted on the lands I was born to, called Märkisch-Oderland. The beauty of the audio story immersion comes to you thanks to the gifts and magic of my dear friend Sabine and her husband Fabian. Learn more about Sabine and her passion for lifelong learning on her German website: Lernen Macht Spass
I love how she speaks with you and how her voice comes through. So beautiful!