Go observe a tree. She teaches us how to pray. There is nothing you need to say or do. Just be. Move with the wind. Absorb the sun, the rain, the moonlight. Her prayers extend downward into deeper and deeper roots. It is because she prays in this way that she still stands.

When I think about renewal amid the unending cycles of racial violence, pandemics, deportations, wars… I know that renewal will not come from outside myself. Renewal must be a movement within. 

My ancestors, too, taught us the spirituality of wu wei, non-action. This does not mean doing nothing. Instead, wu wei is the opposite of conquest. Non-action releases us from greed and perpetual dissatisfaction. We are to adapt and move with the cyclical nature of change. Just like a tree. As she adapts and transforms with the seasons of change, it is her inner strength formed through decades of prayer that allows her to withstand the storms.

Cindy S. Lee

Cindy Lee is an urban explorer, spiritual director, and aspiring mystic. She writes in the area of de-westernizing Christian spirituality. You can follow her work on Instagram @findingeden.