April 2022 is a powerful month this year. For the first time in 31 years, the sacred holidays of Passover, Easter & Ramadan all overlap in the same month. These holidays respectively celebrate themes of liberation and expansion, rebirth and renewal, and forgiveness and self-restraint.

It is as if the universe is responding with the reminder of what we most need and what is most sacred…

In the last episode, Rhizomatic Meditation, I created and shared this term - ‘Rhizomatic Meditation’ which is really just another way to describe the process of becoming a meditator, in my opinion.

Join me for today’s mini meditation and let’s feel for ourselves how we grow.

I recently attended a forum titled ‘Democracy Under Siege: Authoritarianism and the Psyche’. It was fascinating; just in case you were wondering exactly how nerdy I am…

During the panel discussion a comment was made that democracy asks us to embrace rhizomatic thinking or rhizomatic imagination. This phrase immediately jumped out at me because I had just taught the last ‘Way of Roots’ meditation class and I knew this was tied to that topic, but how?

In physics, entanglement refers to particles that “have correlated attributes such that they act not as individual particles but as an inseparable whole.”

Within our meditation practice, I think we see entanglement on two levels:

First, our practice becomes entangled with our lived experience. Initially perhaps, our practice feels like this thing we do on our meditation cushion and then we go live our lives the other 23 hours and 50 minutes of the day. But slowly, slowly this practice tangles with our waking, walking moments and we feel more and more consciousness throughout our days.

Second, our meditation practice is entangled with other meditators across place and time. When we connect with other meditators, our practice becomes more enlivened. We receive the same support, warnings, and care as the mother trees share with the younger members of the forest.

Join me for today’s mini meditation as we explore our own sense of entanglement.

In physics, entanglement refers to particles that “have correlated attributes such that they act not as individual particles but as an inseparable whole.”

In forests, tree roots entangled with the mycorrhizae of the soil create an inseparable community that rely on one another for well-being.

Within our meditation practice, I think we see entanglement on two levels -

If we look at ancient meditation teachings as roots, they allow us to understand the path that has been carved by practitioners of the past. And then crucially, the teachings always invite us to explore for ourselves. To question. To advance. We don’t have to accept without experiencing for ourselves.

We use wisdom teachings - through books, through teachers or classes or podcasts - to help guide us. To give us the lay of the land and the sense of what’s possible. And then we return to our practice.

Join me for today’s mini meditation practice as we explore the path carved.

The tree root doesn’t heed to suburban ideas of lawn. Roots don’t heed to where development has said ‘stop’. In fact, re-wilding has shown that even in the face of huge infrastructure and development - if left alone, roots move back in and take back the territory that was once theirs.

This makes me think of the wisdom teachings from great meditators of the past. These ancient teachings don’t heed to modernity. They don’t become obsolete because now iPhones and social media exist. In fact, these teachings of meditation become MORE potent in the face of these modern evolutions.

Roots, in botany, are the part of a vascular plant normally underground. Its primary functions are

To anchor of the plant

To aid in the absorption of water and minerals

To store a reserve of food.

Our practice serves much the same purpose. It anchors us to the present moment, it allows us to absorb the benefits of being present, non-judgmental and compassionate, and it prepares us to face difficult times with equanimity.

Join me for today’s mini meditation as we practice accessing our roots.