plant roots in the earth
extend your reach far and wide
giving life to all
Yesterday’s full moon coincided with Tu B’Shevat, the Jewish New Year for trees, and Martin Luther King, Jr. day.
You might think that these events have nothing in common. And maybe they don’t.
But what if they do?
I love nothing more than to weave a thread through seemingly disparate events and show how they relate to each other.
It doesn’t always work out that these events fall on the same day. But this year they did, and it’s like a real-life tarot spread: a collection of symbols and archetypes that invite us to uncover whatever deeper universal wisdom might be waiting below the surface.
Yes, I’m revealing my mystical side here.
Full Moon in Cancer
Yesterday’s full moon was in the astrological sign of Cancer. Cancer is a water sign that represents our origin, home, foundation, family lineage, ancestral roots, and values. Cancer’s waters are the “stock” from which we emerged. This sign speaks to the ways we were nurtured as children, how we were patented. It is the sign of our emotions, and where we learn to hold space for them.
Cancer is generally known as the sign of care; the moon’s monthly transit through Cancer is always a good time to engage in self-care, tend to our nourishment, and practice the spiritual reparenting that most of us need.
Tu B’Shevat
Tu B’Shevat is the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat. This is literally what it means.
It is known as the New Year for Trees, one of four “New Years” in the Hebrew calendar. Falling around the midway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, the time when the sap in the trees begins to thaw. It therefore marks the first signs of rebirth after the death and stillness of winter.
A tree has roots in the soil yet reaches to the sky. It tells us that in order to aspire we need to be grounded and that no matter how high we go it is from our roots that we draw sustenance.
Wangari Maathai
When we are grounded, we can offer space and comfort to others, like a tree that offers us its shade and fruit on a hot day.
In Israel, the day is celebrated in part by literal tree planting rituals and eating fruits from trees native to the land. Specific fruits for this holiday include almonds, dates, figs, and pomegranates.
More symbolically, Tu B’Shevat is a time to focus on our spiritual roots and growth, to reflect on obstacles we have overcome, and to examine our roots — our values — and how we are living in alignment with them.
We are like the trees. Through cultivating strong roots — our values, ethics, foundations, faith — we are able to grow and reach higher and farther in our pursuits.
The connection between the full moon in Cancer and Tu B’Shevat is readily apparent. Examining and cultivating our roots, exploring our lineage, and themes of rebirth. Cancer is a cardinal sign – it initiates. Planting a tree is an initiation for new life and future generations.
This brings us to Dr. King.
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy
In the United States, MLK Day honors the legacy of the late civil rights leader. In many communities it is a day for engaging in acts of service.
It is also a day when we rededicate to King’s mission of equality and social justice, a journey that is still very much in progress.
Dr. King’s mission was a tree, not a flower.
A tree is a long-term commitment whose fruits we might not receive for decades, if we receive them at all in our lifetime.
When we plant a tree, we are doing what we can to make our planet a more wholesome and happier dwelling-place for those who come after us if not for ourselves.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
When we plant a tree, we do so with the knowledge that we are taking action today that will benefit those in future generations. It is an act of service for those not even in existence at this time.
The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.
Nelson Henderson
There is much work still to be done in the realm of equality and social justice, but this is the nature of growing trees. The timeline is long. Patience and perseverance is required to endure for the long haul.
As we remember Dr. King’s legacy, we are invited to examine the roots of the movement, to ensure they are still firmly entrenched so that this tree of social justice can continue to grow.
Self-care is a crucial component here. Unless we nourish the soil in which we are planted, we have no base from which to grow and reach.
Service requires grounding in a stable foundation, a solid root system.
When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and the seeds of hope. We also secure the future for our children.
Wangari Maathai
A Practical Lens
My sun in Taurus wouldn’t feel complete without sharing the practical and tangible lens on this.
In a culture that worships at the altar of instant gratification, the metaphor of planting trees reminds us that there is no such thing as instant results. To build something that will be both sustainable and sustaining, that will bear fruit for years to come, requires dedication, patience, and persistence.
It begins with establishing firm roots — examining our values and building in alignment with those values. If we don’t properly nourish our soil and tend to our roots, the tree will weaken, whither, and die. It won’t bear fruit.
You can’t have the fruits without the roots.
Stephen Covey
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