I had a conversation with her the other day. She's becoming so overgrown.
Exquisite twists of limber fate are inching their way around her every tier. The enemy is beautiful; Spiraling vines with little spring green exclamation point fingers weave a secret hideaway which will soon cover the Camellia. I am aware anything could be underneath the living basket-city.
Who will I find underneath, enjoying the shelter of enmeshed spindly cords so intricate I hesitate to snip them and pull them from her branches? Indeed they inch their way around the narrowest limbs a little bit at a time in spiral grip to where there's hardly any difference between the invader’s arm and the saint herself . She who welcomes the humming company of bees. She who sheds her pink cloak continually to the Earth, forming a royal stage for contemplation, admiration or grief. She who offers her layered blossoms as magenta amulets to those who take pleasure in them. She must be uncovered.
The intelligence is staggering - these cords of fate coming from specific mains at several points in, around and above the tree. Umbilical cords of vine-death.
I asked her what she needed. We concurred that the other trees growing out from near her base were reaching the light on their own and unlikely to compete for space now. But the vine was moving fast and she would be happy if I relieved her of it.
First I went out front to the rose bushes as a warm up, unthreading a simpler but thorny vine. Then, working with the Camellia, I was far more energetic and swift than I expected to be. Was she helping me? I felt quite agile and coordinated in this massive project and even a little bit choreographed. There was lots to be cut and it was a surgical process executed with finesse and not one “ugh.” I knew I was likely taking away some creature’s home, but the mission was set. We had a pact.
As I chopped strategic cords with my giant shears and pulled, then snipped more, I could remove entire clumps and unveil a ten foot bush that hadn't been visible on one side. I'm not sure there's anything much more satisfying then pulling away massive amounts of enmeshed vines at one time.
I found no creatures in all of that incredible woven organic space but I did uncover one gorgeous bird nest and hesitated at first. Maybe this was the nest of a bird who would come back next year. It was clearly not being used at the moment. I just went on instinct. The whole process did not take long. When I finally removed all the surrounding cords Camellia was free entirely. Reaching for the bird's nest, I was thoughtful to make sure I wasn't disturbing anything in process and looked inside. It was evident I could allow myself to pull this treasure out.
This is exactly what it looked like when it came out of the tree. A perfect little acorn hides behind the yellow leaf where an egg once was… and two perfect Camellia blooms are preserved in the nest like a painting.
It was really lovely and touching. I set it down in a planter pot outside.
It felt so good to do this work today. Freeing up a favorite tree from the chokehold of another gorgeous plant, which certainly has its place, was just an agreement that was struck.
Today’s act of freeing my favorite blooms from their chokeholds was a ritual - welcoming the Divine into areas of my life where I have needed the same relief.
May this nest be a reminder that in doing so, we must face memories of transition and be ready for reminders of promises from the past.
The images in this post: [They are both photos by Frances. One is of a stunningly intricate pink Camellia held in my left hand, given to me by a sweet man who has now passed on after 90 plus years on earth. He wore a feather earring in his left ear and helped me most days at United Ministries. His name was Ken. He was one of my biggest supporters and “fans” which leaders always need more than anyone thinks. He never seemed old. I'll not forget him. I arranged the picture myself with a different background. It is stamped with the “non-human saints” insignia. The second picture is of the bird's nest. It is pretty much just as described in the post. ]