Sacred Stories
During break time on the last day of their meditation retreat, out for a bike ride, she stopped to take photos of some gorgeous blossoms on the side of the road.
June afternoon dharma talks under the catalpa tree… blossoms drifing down on them. Fabulous fragrance. She knew the photos would be precious to her meditation teachers, and a friend who always attended the retreats too.
She had ridden this same route the day before but had not noticed the blossoms. How could she have missed them? They were so beautiful and there so many of them!
Sharing the photos with her sister they realized it was soooo significant for her to have seen the blossoms on Father’s Day. Their dad owned and operated a bait and tackle shop, and he always gathered the worms that fed on the catalpa trees!
She shared this story with another meditation group a couple of days later. Several in the group had connections with catalpa trees, and one woman shared an amazing story. She had been told to choose a tree, put her forehead against that tree, and imagine connecting to the lead fairy of that specific tree species. Artists, they were to be able then to draw or paint the image. She chose a catalpa tree.
Her fairy image was an Aboriginal-like child with wings where the ears would be!
In the middle of the fairy’s forehead was a spout, out of which light and love and wisdom and blessing poured down upon anyone who was looking up at the tree.
After sharing her drawing, she learned that the noun ‘catalpa’ derives from the Creek katáłpa, a compound word that translates literally as “winged head.”