November 2026 Newsletter
The Lemon Tree: Living in the Spiritual Ecosystem of Being
Consider a lemon tree growing in a garden. Its roots reach into the soil, its leaves absorb sunlight, and its branches extend into the surrounding air. Water and nutrients nourish it, while the natural processes of life enable it to grow, blossom, and eventually produce fruit: lemons. Everything the tree needs to express its nature comes from the ecosystem in which it lives.
I often think of myself, as a soul, in much the same way. Just as the lemon tree participates in the ecosystem of life through the soil, water, air, and sunlight, I too exist within a living spiritual ecosystem that sustains me and makes my participation in life possible. Through this relationship, I receive and express the Goodness of Being according to my own unique nature. I call this spiritual ecosystem “Source”, or “Being”:
The infinite ground of existence from which all life arises and through which it finds expression.
The lemon tree offers an insight into the relationship between soul identity and soul expression. Lemons are the produce of its nature, the natural outcome of being a lemon tree. Whether it produces a hundred lemons, only a handful, or none at all during a particular season, its essential nature remains unchanged. Its fruitfulness may vary according to the conditions in which it grows, but it always remains a lemon tree.
The same principle applies to us as human beings, souls in expression. Our work, achievements, and contributions are expressions of our participation in the ecosystem of life. They are the fruits of what we do, arising through the unique nature of who we are. We are defined by our spiritual nature, but when we begin defining ourselves by our produce, our sense of identity becomes dependent upon what we achieve, how much we accomplish, or what others think of our efforts.
There is something else noteworthy in this analogy:
The lemon tree belongs to the ecosystem before it produces a single lemon.
The lemon tree is never outside the ecosystem seeking entry into it. Its very existence is an expression of the ecosystem to which it already belongs. Likewise, the soul does not have to establish a relationship with Being; its existence is already an expression of that relationship. Its belonging, identity, and capacity to receive the Goodness of Being are inherent in its existence, rather than rewards for its productivity.
The soil does not withhold its nutrients until the lemon tree bears fruit, nor does the sun demand a harvest before offering its light. Receiving nourishment is what makes the tree's participation and eventual expression possible.
This reverses much of what society teaches us: that we must first produce something of value before we can receive something in return, whether money, possessions, recognition, or even a sense of worthiness and happiness. The lemon tree reveals a different natural order to life: receiving, participating, and expressing.
In other words, the tree receives what the ecosystem provides, participates through its own living processes, and expresses its nature through its growth, blossoms, and fruit. Each stage arises from its relationship with the whole ecosystem.
Receiving the Goodness of Life comes first. That is Grace. Grace gives us what we need prior to anything we produce. In fact, Grace is the spiritual ecosystem in action—the soil, water, air, and sunlight—given unconditionally to us so that we can participate in life and express our true nature. Our part is to recognise and become receptive to the Goodness already available to us.
Receiving, therefore, is a form of participation in the spiritual ecosystem of life.
That’s why, for me, it’s important to recognise our essential nature within Being, our soul identity. Like the lemon tree, we participate in the one spiritual ecosystem of Source. Love, wisdom, creativity, peace, and freedom are qualities of Being that we can receive, experience, and express through the way we live. These qualities then become embedded in our produce, our lemons.
Furthermore, when we recognise that our belonging is already established within Being, we can begin to approach life differently. Our actions become expressions of our nature rather than attempts to establish our worth through what we produce. Just as a lemon tree naturally produces lemons rather than apples or avocados, we express our own unique nature when we remain true to who we are. Our authentic expression arises from what Life seeks to express through us.
The lemon tree reminds me that our life is an unfolding expression of what we already are, nourished by the Source in which we live and participate. Recognising this relationship changes how we understand our purpose, our worth, and the fruits of our efforts.
Our fruit is what we produce. Our nature is who we are. Being is the Source through which our nature finds expression.
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