by Rabbi Joyce Reinitz
God sprouted from the earth every tree that is pleasant to see and good to eat.
The tree of life was in the midst of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
This visualization can be read aloud to a group during a Tu Bi-Shevat seder for the fourth dimension of the seder experience, reaching into Atzilut, the realm of Essence.
To see this tree, close your eyes. Like the mystics, you enter here by going within yourself. This is a realm of the invisible....there is no form....there is no substance....only Essence.....only being.
With feet flat on the ground, gently exhale through your mouth and then breathe easily and effortlessly.
See yourself at the Gate of the Garden of Eden.
Slowly open the gate and enter the Garden.
You are greeted by a sweet fragrance....it surrounds you, gently lifting you and carrying you to the center of the Garden.
In the center are two trees....the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Choose the Eitz Chaim, choose life...as you do so, the other tree disappears.
Stand now before the Tree of Life. Its branches are shimmering with brilliant fruits of light.
Reach out for one of the fruits...as you do, the tree bends toward you.
Carefully take one of the luminescent fruits into your hands.
Your hands vibrate with energy.
Now, lift the fruit to your face....inhale its fragrance. Sense how your body expands with light.
Breathe out.
If you wish, taste of the tree....savor its essence....sense how it fills your being and nurtures your soul.
Feel this eitz chaim taking root within you...know how she is truly the tree of Your Life.
Stay in the Garden a long moment.
When you are ready, find your way back to the gate...
Leave the Garden for now, knowing that it is yours to keep and cultivate here on earth.
Slowly breathe out and open your eyes.