The Massacred Wisteria Broke My Heart

But taught me something I’ll never forget.

Mounds of leaves and slender branches shrouded the ground. Painfully I took in the horrific sight. Half the wisteria stood with only old, bare branches.

Granted its fronds twisted and tendrilled their way around the windows every year. But cut everything? In the middle of the hottest, driest summer on record?!

I love this wisteria. Its ancient trunk appears gnarled and dry, but every spring it sends forth masses of hanging flowers and thousands of birght leaves. It’s on my way to almost everywhere so we’ve become friends.

Now someone was hacking my friend to pieces, perhaps condemning it to death. I went home shaking with upset. People don’t like to be told anything here. I’d be setting myself up to be blasted.

My agitation only heightened. I had to try. I pulled my courage from under my sneakers and headed out.

It looked to be a young woman. Could be OK. Deep breath. Be clear. Open your heart. Stay non-accusatory. There may be something you don’t know. (This is my traditional downfall.)

OK. Show time.

“Hello. Sorry but it’s not a good idea to cut all the leaves off a plant during the summer especially one of this size.“

The person looked down at me from their laddered perch. It was a young man. Rather sweetly. good looking. Somehow that helped.

“I didn’t know. I’m not a gardener, just a student. The owner hired me to do this. She supposed to be back at 5 o’clock.”

5 o’clock would be too late and we both knew it. We stood for a moment.

“I understand,” I said. finally.

“I’m sorry,” he replied.

That did my heart a bit of good. But the instant I got home I whipped out the computer. The words pounded themselves out in no time.

Unbelievable.

Who strips all the leaves of anything in the middle of summer?!! And during a heat wave and drought!? It’s like putting a plastic bag over someone’s head!!! Without leaves a plant can’t breathe or pull moisture up from the earth. How is it going to survive?

Or was that the point?

This beautiful wisteria, who’s flowered for decades will certainly struggle, and may die.

Because of you.

With the sun beating on it all day, your house will now be blazing hot. That’s some comfort.

Emptied of vitriol, I deflated. My message would not change what happened, probably not stop it from happening again.

Wait a minute. (Light bulb moment!) I could lay my hands on it whenever I walked by, meditate and hold it in my heart.

Within a week the wisteria had new sprouts and flowers. Feeling mighty fine whether or not I had anything to do with it.

The hidden lesson.

The letter, however, sat on my table, saying,” and me?” I could slip it under the door to their courtyard. But I wanted to know someone had seen it.

I decided to tape it to the window. Best to do that by night. There was a video camera so I need to obscure myself. Hey, I love a little cloak and dagger.

But night after night passed and the letter remained untaped and unread.

Suddenly, I knew why. Sometimes when I visualized the energy gently gliding up into the buds and leaves, my anger at the owner would flare up. The healing energy not only stopped, it recoiled with a very strong, physically palpable NO.

Why? Love and anger can’t exist together. We cannot act from both at the same time. I had to decide. Which was more important?

My anger did nothing for the situation. It would probably push her in to similar acts. Like creates like. I was fueling the rage.

If I focused on helping the wisteria, I was creating an opening in the situation. She took it or she didn’t. I could not control that. It was up to her.

So chose opening heart over opening fire.

It’s not easy. And it does not always bring what we want.

But, it does allow us to live more and more in the expanded version of ourselves. This changes what happens around us if only because people respond to us differently.

Who knows? Eventually, I may never whip out my NYC anger bazooka blast. I live in hope.

Addendum

Shearing the wisteria was quickly done. What were the chances I’d happen by at that exact moment? Knowing big emotional reactions hold a deeper message, I looked up the meaning of wisteria and found Ted Andrews’ take.

Time for clarity: illumination and new learning is at hand.

Wisteria awakens a realization of the good that is already present within one’s life; it clears the fog within the aura. It stimulates creative expression and the “power of the word”.

It is a rare spiritual influence that can be a passport to higher consciousness. It opens the doors between the realm of humanity and the realm of the Divine. It assists us in contacting other planes of life and higher forms of illumination.

Well, that fits the bill.

Shall we meet again? Click for an email when I publish. No danger of being buried in notices, I’m a slow writer. ;)