While this issue of OALM (Of A Like Mind) is devoted to the dynamic and sacred rhythms of drumming and percussion, there are many other rhythms at work within us and all of life: Breath. Heartbeat. Waking-Sleeping. Doing-Being. Working-Playing. Day-Night. We are familiar with these, yet our daily lives are filled with many more subtle rhythms that, when attended to, awaken us to limitless options and possibilities.

In her book, Point of Power: A Relationship With Your Soul, the late Kay Snow-Davis shares her perception of four natural life rhythms that we all embody: Root, Trunk, Branch and Leaf. Using this metaphor of the Tree of Life, she explains how each of us is a complete tree, yet one or a combination of the parts of the tree represent our most natural rhythm or life essence.

"I'm a tree?" you ask. Well, in a way, yes! A tree is always expressing its innate perfection. When you manifest your natural essence, you experience a sense of being "in the flow" and you are expressing your innate perfection. This is your Point of Power. And it exists whether or not you ever heard of this book. It isn't something you learn about and adopt, although you may "rediscover" it buried within if it's been ignored and set aside to meet the expectations of others.

Here's an introduction to the four rhythms:

ROOT is the Sustainer, the foundation from which your life grows and expands. This part of you is quiet, introspective, observant. It is grounded, strongly connected to the Earth and nature, and loves to be outdoors touching, smelling and being part of life.

If you are a Root Point of Power you experience the richness of life through the senses - you are highly kinesthetic, sensitive, and attuned to your surroundings. If the Root part of you is out of balance you may be rigid and withdrawn, constricted, disconnected from the inherent joy of life. The Root is intimately acquainted with FORM at a very deep level and relates to life in a straightforward manner.

TRUNK is the Maintainer: reliable, consistent, orderly and persevering. If this is your Point of Power you support action and have a gift for maintaining order and systems. When you are given an assignment, you want a clear goal and all the information up front. Changes or interruptions are aggravating and can make you feel as if you have failed because your primary motivation is to complete your assignment.

If your Trunk rhythm is out of balance you may be critical, demanding and resistant, and you may allow self-righteousness to block your own easiest path. The Trunk understands FORM in its day-to-day applications such as tracking information, keeping a closet or file cabinet in order, making sure all the ducks are in the right row at the right time. The Trunk rhythm is linear in it's approach to life and likes to follow rules and understand boundaries.

BRANCH is the Translator, the only part of the tree that easily accesses both FORM and FORMLESS, with the gift of bringing Formless ideas and concepts into Form. Branch embodies the power of manifestation. If you are a Branch, you are versatile, diverse and flexible, and you love new beginnings and creating order and systems out of chaos.

You can be interrupted and return to your focus easily and you may have several projects in motion at the same time, easily switching your focus from place to place. The give and take of brainstorming is welcomed as long as you can use the suggestions in your own way. You do not like to be told what to do! When out of balance, you can be inconsistent and manipulative, indecisive, controlling and disruptive.

LEAF is the Visionary, the part that lives in the world of FORMLESS, moving rapidly from one idea to the next. Every thought and idea that comes to mind immediately bursts into a shower of more ideas which burst into more ideas, and there is no way you can create all of them in form. As a Visionary you initiate a project or idea and watch in your mind's eye as it unfolds from concept through completion. When this "inner movie" is over (which is often immediately), you move on to the next idea.

Because the sense of "whew! that's done!" is so real for you, the fact that the final outcome exists only in your imagination is of minor concern. The other rhythms may become frustrated because the Visionary "never DOES anything!" If Leaf is out of balance you can be unrealistic, evasive, judgmental, and impatient, and you may disassociate from people, projects and what some people call "reality."

You are a 'whole tree," if you will, and all of these rhythms are natural to you, interweaving throughout your life and supporting you as needed. When your POP is in full bloom, you will experience a sense of rightness that is unbeatable and unmistakable.

In the best-case scenario, your Point of Power (POP), the one or two rhythms (occasionally there may be three) that best express your natural essence, are at the forefront of your life about 80% of the time. Often, however, you may find that your natural rhythm has been stifled due to early training and societal patterning. When this happens, your entire being suffers, restrained from expressing your full creative potential.

The POP that most often experiences this type of denial is the Leaf. Many of our best known inventors were (and are) Visionaries, seeing beyond the limitations and restrictions of their time and barreling into the future in their vivid imaginations and experiments.

We are expected to "sit still, be quiet and pay attention," as if we are destined to comply with some mysterious rules of order that disallow unique thoughts and encourage sheep-like adherence to silly rules. I once read a list of "symptoms" of Attention Deficit Disorder in a magazine article and it was one of the most clear and concise descriptions of the Visionary mind I've ever come across!

When denied, the Leaf can become stuffed into the Trunk part of herself, and, unable to participate from her joy and freedom, may become rigid and unyielding, obsessed with rules and limitations. To rediscover her natural rhythm can be an arduous journey, but it is well worth the effort.

I feel very blessed to be a Branch/Leaf, a combination that melds beautifully with my Gemini twin-ness. As I look around me right now I see pages and pages of potential web links to the featherhawk site, I see an empty healing room ready to be painted and reorganized when I return from a workshop out of town (and, believe me, it is already painted and back together in my mind's eye!), I see pieces of wood leaning against a wall ready to be made into new shelves for the newly-painted healing room and, of course, evidence of essences everywhere.

I thrive on variety and like to have lots of activities going on at the same time, although the chaos can be overwhelming from time to time! Remembering my Point of Power was a huge turning point in my life, opening me up to accepting many life patterns that other people had told me were unacceptable, and I am so grateful for the compassion that has come from understanding these rhythms in myself and my family, friends and coworkers. It is a real blessing!

Nanci Wesling produces featherhawk nature and flower essences and offers workshops exploring essence therapy, holistic healing and personal potential.

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