When the fires burn, bush poppies will grow.

When circumstances are tough and you’ve done all you can, surrender. Really surrender and release it to something greater than yourself – the Divine, God, Spirit, Krishna…something. Let the fires burn because the bush poppies are about to bloom.

In the summer of 2009, an arsonist started a fire behind the US Forest Service ranger station in the Angeles National Forest. This fire took out 251 square miles of land. There was charred wood and devastation everywhere. It wasn’t conceivable to the naked eye that anything would grow again, but nature had a plan. Fire followers. Fire followers are plants that have seeds that only germinate in response to fire. In the case of bush poppies (pictured below), seed germination is triggered by charred wood or smoke.

Bush poppies in bloom after massive Station Fire.

As for the yellow-throated phacelia, these seeds need the chemicals found in charred wood in order to grow and produce these pretty little flowers you see below. They’re only found during the first couple years after a fire. It’s amazing to imagine. We don’t usually think of something growing from seeming nothingness and devastation. Usually we assume plants need water, sun, or some other nourishment to grow. Sometimes, things bloom not only in spite of the fire, but because of the fire.

Yellow-throated phacelia in bloom after fire.

About 6 weeks ago, I experienced my own “fire”.  I suffered a very bad fall in dance class after doing a leap that I had done many times and for many years previously. The result was a terrible ankle sprain and lots of bruising. I remember the doctor saying, “It would have been better if you broke your ankle because a break would heal much faster. Unfortunately, with this type of sprain – it’s going to be a long and painful recovery.” And it has been. The first few weeks I had excruciating pain – every day, all day. The fire burned strong. Needless to say, I had a few “angels” take care of me, look in on me and simply call, to just say, ‘How are you?’ There’s nothing like a supportive call or visit from a friend. It speaks to true humanity. Notwithstanding my few angels and incredibly supportive boyfriend, I still found myself in a state of isolation. It was as if the fire of this injury took out so much of my vitality – the ability to run, walk, dance, drive, work, feel joy… I sat in silence many days, meditated, cried, prayed and thanked God for my life. I embraced every moment and every lesson. I found a deeper love for the friends that called, dropped by with food, helped me run errands, and of course, my dear David who not only did those things, but everything else with a great attitude. Yes indeed, I still counted the many blessings and kept things in perspective, yet, I still felt distress on many levels. As time wore on, even though there was still injury, wonderful things started to happen. I was shown the deepest love from a select few, gained a greater sense of compassion for others and experienced many random acts of generosity and kindness… from seemingly out of nowhere. Similar to flowers that bloom from fire, our growth, our transformation and change – can come out of seeming nothingness. Plants don’t always need water, sun and sweet words to grow, sometimes it’s just about the fire and complete eradication of a thing… and from that – greatness happens in our lives.

An elder once told me, when bad things happen, the first thing you should do is thank God. Be grateful in all things – good or bad – because there are always lessons to be learned. Furthermore, the greatest lessons are learned through the “bad”, devastation and… fire.

Daydree is a Reiki Master/Teacher who lives and works in Los Angeles. She is a registered member of International Association of Reiki Professionals (IARP).  For more appts and info, click here- MyOshun.com

Filed under: HEALING, INSPIRATION, SPIRITUALITY by myoshun