Kodama

A quote from the Arnold Arboretum e-newsletter this morning:  

In Japanese folklore, kodama is the name of the spirit that dwells within old trees. I found it fascinating that Japanese culture has developed a vocabulary to describe that energy. In Western culture, such notions are often associated with spirituality or mysticism. Most everyone I know, spiritual or not, has had some experience when they were awed by the natural world. To stand with this katsura, connecting with an organism that has been present on Earth for generations, it felt possible to sense its kodama, or at least my interpretation of it. How fortunate we were to have such an experience, and to know such elder organisms are found and protected in our natural world.

This past Wednesday I worked on my 36-year old Ginkgo, getting it ready for the Bonsai Club's Mothers Day Show.  I removed all the wire (just in the nick of time) and trimmed some leggy bits.  I've put a few of the resulting cuttings in water, but I'll have to move them to a rooting medium if they are to have any chance at all.  

Before

After

I'll wait until the leaves have reached full size before I consider another light trim to get this year's growth into shape.  Going for the classic candle-flame profile.