Brain inflammation is a challenging health condition. It can produce headaches and neck pain, mood changes leading to depression or anxiety, and incessant obsessive thinking.
The week before last, my brain went into overload and I wasn’t thinking straight. Fear dominated my thoughts, and my head pulsed with a low, consistent throb throughout the day. It was difficult to sleep; so, by day three I was squirming with overheated discomfort.
Then I remembered the willow tree.
In my backyard is a magnificent willow that’s perhaps over a hundred years old. With a craggy bulbous trunk, large sturdy branches and delicate leaves, it’s my favorite tree on our land. From the gazebo across the pond, I can take in the cascading wispy beauty of its leaves swaying in a summer breeze. In closer proximity, with my back propped against its trunk, I can feel myself absorb its strength.
Last year, the landscapers considered taking it down because one sizable branch had died and it looked like the rest would follow. But over the winter, a fierce storm came through that just happened to prune the part of the tree that would most allow it to regenerate. This spring, the willow stood stronger than ever.
I approached the tree and, rather than sitting down in my usual spot, I walked around to the other side. I noticed a protrusion nearly at head level if I stepped my feet out a bit and titled back to rest on the trunk. My skull fit underneath the protrusion such that the top and sides of my head nestled into the bark. I rested into the willow, inhaling the oxygen of its exhale.
Minutes later, my brain noticeably cooled down. While not an instant miracle healing, enough of the heat and fear I felt released, allowing me to regroup. If you’ve ever experienced the sacred cathedral of California redwoods or the healing scent of an Australian eucalyptus forest, you’ll know how this was possible.
There’s a spiritual law called the Law of Strength, which says that only the strong enter the kingdom of heaven or can withstand true unconditional love. When I read about how Soul becomes strong and bold by rigorous trials that try to shake It loose from the Tree of Life, I knew why I’d sought the willow’s presence.
Everywhere, in every way, support is here and now for those who choose strength. Perhaps it’s learning to be humble enough to receive.