‘I Am The Tree’ The power of nature-based metaphors
By Megha Modi
Practising expressive arts has been a practice of remembering for me: remembering how to come home to myself and remembering what I already know deep within myself.
As I’ve immersed in the richness of my imagination, intuition and creative response, I’ve found that nature-based metaphors have become one of my greatest resources. One metaphor that sustains within me is that of the tree.
The phrase ‘I am the tree’ first showed up during a meeting with my supervisor, when we explored an appropriate response to what a client was bringing to therapy. It has since emerged as a reliable resource while working with clients.
When I get caught up in trying to respond and focus on what I’m doing in the session, I’ve learned to relax into being the tree. Embodying the tree means dropping into becoming present, into being with the other, allowing their turbulent waters to flow next to me or witnessing their entangled branches without needing to get entangled in response. I can be more rooted in my being, allowing for a natural response of strengthening my roots to steady the waters or being a safe witnessing presence with which the chaos can relax and untangle slowly. ‘I am the tree’ has become one of my meditation and embodiment practices before meeting with clients, especially on days when I need to remember and come back home to myself quickly. It has allowed me to rest my fears and doubts, and simply show up in my essence.
The metaphor of the tree has continued to inform how I make meaning of life and how to live it. I was recently asked: ‘What is faith to you? How do you connect with faith?
As I sat with this question, what spontaneously emerged was the image of being a tree and that faith was like trusting in the unseen waters that nourish my roots. When it feels parched and barren, faith is sensing the nourishment that is always there. When it feels alone and isolated, faith is sensing the connection that is always there. When it feels shaky and stormy, faith is sensing the anchoring and holding that is always there. As I embody my sense as a living, connected, rooted tree, I begin to understand and become clear about what is already there, rather than trying to believe or have faith.
While this metaphor has continued to nourish me, I have learnt to nourish it in return. In my previous home, there was an expansive Gulmohar tree right outside my window, across the desk from where I worked. Every day, I found myself resting my eyes on it and observing it: its vibrancy in the monsoons, its parched quality in the summer, the different birds that visited its branches, and its sustaining presence through it all. It became a constant companion as I worked. As I spent more time paying attention to it, I could resonate with its essence – its quiet, enduring presence was also in me. This practice has strengthened my remembrance of the tree as a resource and my embodiment of it whenever needed.
In this way, nature-based metaphors have enriched my capacity to return to my essence and my capacity to respond to life and its challenges. They have informed my work and become resources I can easily share with others, evoking the imagination of the other. Living a life full of metaphor adds a dimension of meaning and vivid experience to it. My imagination becomes my resource and partners with my body through the embodiment and felt sense of these metaphors. It connects me with a truth that is beyond what I can physically sense in the ‘real’ world.
In closing, I share this poem that crystallises what I have been remembering through the metaphor of a tree.
Remember, my love
When the winds of fear blow deep
Dig deep into your roots
Listen to the gurgling water from the earth
Let it wash you with love
Remember, my love
When you are flooded by the river of grief
Sense your roots growing stronger
Let them contain and steady these waters
Let them anchor you in love
Remember, my love
When you are set alight with rage
Witness your light quietly
Let yourself burn brightly and clearly
Coming back to rest, in love
Remember, my love
When a sense of isolation and lostness takes over
Dig into your roots again and spread wide
Dance with the roots of others, which are always there
Let them nourish you with love
Remember, my love
You are always held
You are always nourished
You are always connected
And you are here, safe and loved.
What do you resonate with in nature?
What images and metaphors from the natural world accompany you in your navigation of life?
Megha Modi is a therapist, coach and facilitator, trained in Expressive Arts, Internal Family Systems, Nonviolent Communication, Somatics, and Body Trust. She completed her MA in Expressive Arts Therapy from EGS in 2023. Megha is committed to seeing clearly, loving fiercely and navigating through life being rooted, rested and connected. You can find her on instagram @thesunshinescalling
Hi Megha! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this! So deeply & beautifully written! It brought tears to my eyes! It articulates exactly how I feel about myself. I found myself telling myself one day, "I am a tree person"! I also have a tattoo of a tree on my back and the word "santulan" written underneath, which means balance in Hindi. Such deep resonance! Thank you, thank you, thank you! 🙏🏼😊❤️
Lovely article. I so appreciate how you utilize the tree metaphor to ground you in your work.
I also find that the use of nature-based metaphors are powerful conduits to understanding and framing the complexities of personal experience.