This not only helps us master our environment but also helps us to place our feet in a way that respects the earth and the creatures who share this journey with us. Understanding the Flowering Tree and the concepts behind connections will enable you to manifest the desires of your heart!

THE FLOWERING TREE
Nature has shown us an inherent duality, an appearance of opposites and unrelated things such as hot and cold, man and woman, black and white, good and bad. With a mind that naturally works to separate, dissect and compartmentalize, it is easy to see one without the other and miss the relationship and commonality that links them. From the galaxy with all of its many universes, to matter on a molecular level, nature teaches us that life is about relationships. Discovering these relationships contributes to harmony by making our understanding more complete. This, in turn, contributes to a positive mind. When you look for the connections rather than the differences and divisions you recognize that everything is related to and a part of the whole. We call this the Sacred Hoop. This is positive mind.

The Flowering Tree is a forked tree with two branches stemming from a single trunk. It is a symbol for the two things which are actually one. More specifically, this represents the dual aspects of nature and how they relate to the One. The Flowering Tree reminds us that even while we seek to understand something in and of itself, our understanding is limited if we don't look to see its connections to other things AND how they relate to each other. When these ideas, concepts or items we are seeking to understand come together, a "marriage" is formed. When the relationships and connections become clear we can have an "ah ha" moment as learning occurs. This is the moment we suddenly discover for ourselves the chain or connections within this relationship… perhaps even getting a glimpse of the wisdom of the Universe. This "ah ha" or glimpse is the "offspring" produced by the marriage of ideas or concepts. The Tree has just flowered for you! Understanding is the product of seeing these relationships and how they connect. The flower is the feeling we experience when we "get it!"

As we talked of opposites earlier, perhaps you thought… black and white are different … and you are right. They are as different as apples and oranges. At this point the marriage hasn't yet occurred and the connection hasn't been made. When you look for the relationship and connection between the two items, you will see that black and white are both color. Color is what relates them. Light is related to color and all of a sudden a chain of relationships begins to reveal itself and we say "Oh, I get it!" This is the moment the Tree flowers for you. (And by the way, apples and oranges are both fruit and hot and cold are related to temperature.) These examples may have been obvious to you but they serve as a starting point as we look for relationships and see how the Flowering Tree works. From this starting point and with an eye towards seeing connections and relationships, you will discover the link between the head and the heart and between words and actions. The offspring produced by this marriage goes beyond the flowers of learning. Understand this concept and you will produce consequences that manifest your heart's desires!

To explain the importance of relationships, think of a lock and key. You may learn all about the tensile strengths of steel or how tumblers work to disengage the catch and allow the cylinder to rotate freely. In our effort to understand the lock, we can see the relationships in action but it is not until we know the key and how it relates to the lock that we see relevance. We must know how these relate to the hasp and hinge and how they relate to the door or item we are trying to protect. These relationships go on and on and are critical to understanding the whole concept.

The Head and the Heart; Words and Actions

The head and the heart each have their own intelligence and way of "seeing". In our effort to truly understand we must not look with a divisive mind because this limits us to either/or. The wise man does not choose between food or water. He recognizes the relationship and sees the equal importance of both. With the head and heart, they are linked by their way of interpreting the One. The mind looks objectively while the hearts sees subjectively - both contribute to our knowing in a more complete way.

Words and actions are related in that they are the physical expression of the beliefs and conclusions perceived in the head and heart. As you see the relationships between our thoughts, words, feelings and actions, the Flowering Tree sings of your learning with a procession of blossoms! This will become even more beautiful as you learn how all of this relates to manifesting and creating your future! You are creating all of the time… whether you know it or not. The key is to understand how we create so that we create for ourselves more of the things we want and less of the things we don't want in our lives.

There are several steps that occur during the process of creation. The first is a determination of what is to be created. We do this through INTENTION. Intention is our determination to act, do or bring about that which we seek through ATTENTION. Attention is the act of attending to through selective and intense focus. Discover how intention and attention relate and work together and you are on your way to having the Tree flower for you. A question I hear often is "Since we always create what we intend and focus our attention on, why is it that I produce less than desirable results?"

Harmony with "good" is needed for good results

Four things must be in harmony with "good" if you want good results:

* Thoughts
* Words
* Feelings
* Actions

THOUGHTS:
If you think "I want abundance" and keep this thought in the front of your mind while in the back of your mind you think "this can't happen for me", then guess what? You send out a request to the Source for abundance - and then promptly hit "cancel" with negative thinking, thereby negating your order.

WORDS:
Your words reflect your thoughts and feelings. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Are your words in harmony with the good you are trying to produce? I've heard people say "I want abundance" and follow it with "I am so broke I can't afford to pay attention!" What is that confirming?! This is not in harmony with abundant thinking.

FEELINGS:
In explaining feelings, let's use an example from the heart and say your thoughts and words are "I want to find that one person who is my dream come true. The perfect mate is on their way to me" but… knowing the standards for "perfect", your heart says "I don't deserve this because I am so far from perfect myself" or "I don't believe that there is anyone perfect for me out there." Guess what? You just hit the cancel button again. Fear and doubt are negative and you have just negated your order!

ACTIONS:
Our actions are connected to, and an outward expression of, all that we think and believe. If we don't act in harmony with what we are seeking, what do you think happens? If you are seeking abundance yet you hoard things, what are you sending out? What is your attention on? Your perception of lack is forefront and this is what you create.

Connections, not differences

I hope you are starting to see connections, not differences. The Flowering Tree will reveal the beauty of its flowers as the petals unfold for you and you discover these truths. The one flower I really want you to see is the one that is revealed when you discover the relationships between what you want for yourself and what you have been creating.

Every new day affords you the opportunity to create for yourself the life you want by connecting to the Source of all good things. See the connection and live inspired!

In Spirit,
Ralph P. Brown
(Tawennihake)

For more information on this topic, watch for the book "13 Virtues to a New Life: A Journey Around the Medicine Wheel" by Ralph P. Brown, available for purchase from Amazon.com in January, 2009.

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