Cycles

Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)

This old Black Cherry resides on the land at MorningStar Retreat Center somewhat near the Chartres labyrinth.  It has lost its top and two great branches. It reveals a deep wound at its center after its long life.

Yet, in the wound, the womb, of this fabulous, ancient tree lies new growth. A Chicken Mushroom!

Chicken Mushroom (Laetiporus sulphureus)

These beautiful fungi are actually edible and quite good, I've been told.
More info?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laetiporus_sulphureus

Out of death comes new life; a pattern true by its constant repetition across many realms.  Surely here in the physical realm:  plants go to seed and die to sprout new the next spring; fungus grows on rotting trees, bacteria thrive on rotting fungus, and dead bacteria, fungus, and trees become the soil for new trees.

And surely in my inner life, too.  Not until I "die" to my old, hardened, or no longer helpful ways of thinking, believing, or acting, can I open to new ways of being.

It's a mystery, yet perfectly clear, that this pattern of death leading to new life holds true on many levels.