GREEN TARA: Peace and Tranquility

Green Tara is a Tibetan goddess who is the mother of the forests. She is known for her healing and soothing powers. We see Tara sitting here in a meditative posture in the forest. Each of these two things, meditation and being in the forest, can support a state of peace and tranquility. If you draw or are drawn to this card, perhaps it is time to take inner tranquility more seriously. How much are you caught up in the rat race? And does that create the state of being you prefer? In our busy, modern world sometimes it requires a strong intention to find both the time and place to move into a state of peace and tranquility. 

PRACTICE OPPORTUNITY: 

In Asia there is a practice called FOREST BATHING. In this practice one sits or strolls in the forest, soaking up the vital life-force energy surrounding you, which is very calming to the nervous system. If at all possible go to the forest. If that is not possible, find a park or even a solitary tree. Sit next to the tree, leaning up against its trunk, and spend some time letting yourself feel soothed. Even just visualizing yourself in a forest or by a tree can bring on a state of peace and tranquility. 

STORIES OF THE GODDESS:

GREEN TARA is “The Lady of the Plants” in Asian traditions. Her home is in the lush forests full of flowering and fruiting trees. She is a manifestation of Mother Nature, like Eve in the Garden of Eden, and is responsible for the life force and consciousness that dwell within the forest. In the Hindu tradition, the sap of a tree carries the vital elixir of life. The sap rising up the tree is depicted as a snake rising. This metaphor is also seen in the Eve myth.

            As time went on, Tara was absorbed into the Buddhist tradition. The generosity of nature became associated with a generous and compassionate heart; hence Tara became the goddess of compassion.

GREEN TARA is “The Lady of the Plants” in Asian traditions. Her home is in the lush forests full of flowering and fruiting trees. She is a manifestation of Mother Nature, like Eve in the Garden of Eden, and is responsible for the life force and consciousness that dwell within the forest. Green Tara, In the Hindu tradition, Was associated with the sap of a tree that carries the vital elixir of life. The sap rising up the tree is depicted as a snake rising. This metaphor is also seen in the Eve myth and in tantric practices. In  the Buddhist tradition the generosity of nature became associated with a generous and compassionate heart; hence Tara became a goddess of compassion.