The Eternal dance of Spirit and Matter, and how planting trees matters

For thousands of years, our ancestors were guided by Spirit, and the belief in a Spiritual power and God was the thriving force behind our actions.

In the 17th century, an intellectual movement in Europe that was called enlightenment began to rise. In an attempt to find truth and go beyond the dogmas of the church, the human intellect began to replace the kingdom of God, and God was thrown out of the window. We started to see the world as a machine that could be understood through rational thinking and objective observation. The foundation of materialistic thinking still prevails much of our society. If we could just find a better pill against disease, we could overcome death. By finding the perfect GMO, hunger could be eradicated. Or not....? Regardless of all our human advancements, death and suffering are still forces that cannot be tamed.

On the other hand, there is Spiritualism, with its very distinct way to find truth. It claims that Divine consciousness is the foundation of existence, and matter is merely an illusion. One of the Purest expressions of Spiritualism can be found back in the Indian tradition of Advaita Vedanta. The world is seen as Maya (illusion), and only Brahman (Universal Consciousness) is real. Clearly, whatever we perceive through our senses and intellect is merely a modified form of existence, and thus can never be the universal Truth. Only consciousness, the beam of inner light that shines on every perception and thought, is constant and real. But as soon as we try to label, name, or objectify consciousness, our human mind modifies it and places it in a human made box. Therefore, consciousness can never be grasped by the mind, but only felt as an intuition in the heart, or a spark of Pure Being. But how do we integrate this vision in our 3D (or 5G) reality?

What if Materialism and Spiritualism are not 2 different paths, and that we can rise by what makes us fall? What if the world is not only a trap of illusion, but a Divine playground that calls us back home?

Although ecological Urbanism may sound like a great solution as a response to tackle problems like overpopulation, CO2-emission, limited natural resources, and is often praised by so called ‘green and socialist parties’, it is still rooted in the same materialistic and technocratic vision, and doesn’t reconnect us to our Essence.

There are moments when the sacred patterns that are usually concealed start to illuminate. It can be seen when we look in awe at the stars, or feel intuitively the network of interconnection between plants, between heaven and earth. For me, it often becomes more obvious and natural after a meditation or yoga session in nature. And this force calls me, and tells me to plant trees, to reactivate the fertility of the land, and to reconnect with its ancient wisdom in all simplicity. This is the medicine that drives me to work and manifests the vision of Ananda Forest. Planting a tree can look from the outside like an external action. But on the inside, it is planting a tree in our soul. Trees are not only the lungs of our planet, and vital to our physical existence, they are also mystical symbols that connect us to Spirit. Planting trees reactivates this inner wisdom. And on a material plane, it is the only way I can see us as humans survive on this planet. The rate by which soils are degenerating is more than alarming. A desire for wealth, or desperation driven by a materialistic vision is pushing agriculture to drain all life force out of the soil for short term gains. If soils are becoming lifeless, our vitality becomes lifeless. And when matter becomes death, Spirit has no playground.

If our inner experience becomes one with the Earth, and we no longer live in a separation between Matter and Spirit, we naturally will begin to start to take care of our body, the soil and planet and will see that the Divine creative energy is expressing itself through the Earth and body. What would happen when we can see again Spirit and Matter dancing together, weaving the tapestry of Divine creation?