Grandma Ponderosa Speaks on behalf of All Ponderosa-kind (Meditation)

April 26, 2003

I am a being of acceptance and perseverance. I can usually accept my situation wherever I find myself. I will grow where it is very wet or very dry. If the soil is rich, I will grow fast, big and strong. If the soil is poor, I will make do with what is there. I will even grow out of the bare rock if I have to, although very slowly. I can be happy and accept almost any circumstances I find myself in, and I adjust my life according to my circumstances, to live a long, happy and fulfilling life. I do not compete. I live for my own joy and fulfillment. Where other trees feel a need to compete for space, soil and water… I do not live in those places.

If I find myself growing out of bare rock, I will persevere. I will adjust my life and development according to my limited resources, and will persevere until my roots can find a richer source of nourishment, or until the rock I stand on crumbles, or some other traumatic event ends my days. And really, I have no need to grow large and tall. Life to me is very joyful and fulfilling, whether I am a giant old Ponderosa Pine, or a stunted 300-year-old midget growing out of the rock. For I live my life for my own purpose, and do not compare myself to those around me. Thus, remedies made from me can help you humans to attain self-acceptance, self-fulfillment, and patience.

I am also a being of fire and air. I do not require much water to sustain my life, nor do I need much earth. But I do need a certain amount of air around my branches. I do not like crowded places. I also need an ample amount of the fire element (the sun) to beam down on me. Thus I am a being of fire and air, and my remedies will increase those qualities in you. They will feel uplifting, liberating, and invigorating, because those are the qualities of the environments in which I most prefer to grow, environments that resonate with my essence. As you know, I often grow at high altitudes with magnificent, breathtaking views, where the air is crisp and easy to breathe, and where there is a sense of freedom of the spirit. The eagle carries a similar resonance, and it is very much an animal kindred of mine, and in fact, the older members of my kind will often bond with the eagles and house their nests.

Now, something about my feminine and masculine qualities. We conifers in general are more masculine than deciduous trees. We are rather rigid and inflexible, a rigid structure being a masculine quality. If you cut us down, we don’t regrow, the way many deciduous trees would. The power of regeneration and regrowth is a feminine quality, which we unfortunately lack. So remedies made from us conifers are best used to strengthen tissue that is only slightly diseased or, more often, for the upliftment of the spirit and the emotions. Our remedies are not very effective in healing tissues that are severely diseased or injured.
As for me, the Ponderosa Pine, I have a little bit more feminine qualities than some of the other pine species. My orange bark and longer, softer needles give me a bit of a softer, more feminine look and feel than many other pines. What was said before about conifers in general is still true about me, but I do convey more of a balance of feminine and masculine energies than many other pine species.

I do not allow much to grow under my boughs, for as I said earlier, I need my space. I have one involuntary companion that often with me. It is a kind of mistletoe. This is a parasite that I would rather be without. But if it is there, I will accept it and I will still grow vigorously and enjoy my existence for many years. If you want to make a remedy from me, find one of my kind without the mistletoe. When there is mistletoe upon my branches, its root system permeates so much of me that its essence becomes difficult to separate from mine. Of course, the mistletoe has its own healing properties, although it must be used with caution because it is a poisonous plant. If you want my essence in its purest form, you need to seek a healthy individual of my kind without the mistletoe, and preferably one that looks as if it is free from other parasitic or fungal infections as well.

My bark reflects my elemental qualities of fire and air, and so does my crown. My bark often has the orange color of a flame of fire, and it is structured in many, many layers with lots of air in between the layers. My crown lets through a lot of sun, and I like to spread my branches wide with lots of air in between them. Unlike spruces and firs where the branches grow more dense. And indeed, one of the few things threatening my existence, besides humans, is that I might go up in flames in a forest fire. That’s a bit too much of the element of fire, if you ask me.

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