Resolution or Refusal to resolve?
I feel like I have been on a long journey of understanding Peace - it all began just after I completed my Plant Spirit Healing Apprenticeship in 2017 and I was called to Vermont, USA to a Plant Spirit Initiation with the Eastern White Pine Tree - also known as the Tree of Peace. When I say called, I mean the Tree of Peace sent me a message through the ether and made it clear I was to attend. The call was undeniable so I travelled to the States in a few short weeks. During the White Pine Tree Plant Spirit Initiation, I began to pray for peace for myself and my family (a prayer I have returned to many times over the years). And now writing this nine years later I find myself reflecting on the journey I have walked with the Tree of Peace.
The truth is, the last nine months I have been deepening my relationship with the White Pine Tree and what it means to have Peace, and part of that journey has meant I have been spending time reflecting on the North American First Nations teachings of how the Eastern White Pine Tree even became the Tree of Peace. This tree was chosen by The Peacemaker, an enlightened being who was born on earth to bring peace between warring nations. The Peacemaker traveled across the territories in a white stone canoe, carrying a message from the Creator known as the The Great Law of Peace. He spoke to the Chiefs of the five warring nations and was eventually able to bring peace to the land. To solidify this new union, the Peacemaker uprooted a majestic Eastern White Pine Tree, instructing the warriors of all five nations to cast their weapons of war into the deep cavern beneath its roots. He replanted the Tree of Peace over the buried hatchets, its white roots extending in the four directions to invite all people who sought peace to follow them to the source.
This is a short version of the story of the Peacemaker, I chose to share this part as from my direct communication with the Eastern White Pine Tree this has been my understanding - it stands as a beacon of Peace - this is the message White Pine gave me during that ceremony:
“Hear our call, Hear our prayer, Peace be With You. Standing tall for us all, Peace brings Harmony.”
So how do we achieve Peace? The first step that has been guided to me by White Pine is that Peace needs to take root inside ourselves regardless of our circumstances. It reminds me of the Ten Guru’s of Sikhism (and countless Sikhs) before Sikhism became a religion, who faced persecution for their spiritual beliefs and practices, and standing their ground meant that they had to know how to remain within their own Peace. Free inside even if not free outside.
Here we can refer back to the Peacemaker’s story, which teaches that for a society to be truly stable, it must master three principles of the Great Law of Peace. The first law refers to the ’The Good Mind’ which is not just the absence of war, but a state of mind. It is the active practice, where individuals align their thoughts with the welfare of the community and the natural world.
So how do we keep a Good Mind to ensure we act from a place of considered response rather than unbalanced reaction? To ensure we are fair in our words and actions?
For me the qualities of The Good Mind are rooted in:
courageous honesty
kind communication
open listening
With these three qualities our hearts and minds align to move from responding that is about the avoidance of unresolved pain or covering hurt with anger, so that our actions are not born out of our inability to process our feelings.
It is easy to walk away and refuse to resolve, to throw in the grenade, or burn the bridge.
It takes commitment and strength to find resolution within ourselves and with others. To live up to these qualities of The Good Mind so the journey can lead you to a greater feeling of Peace.
For more information about the Peacemaker & The Tree of Peace visit the Haudenosaunee Confederacy’s website.