Like an evergreen laurel tree

A short spin around the inspiration behind the name “LAUREL” and how this journal seeks to explore the many facets of our inner and outer world with a balanced, conscious and creative approach towards leading a life to love and cherish.

“ Where you invest your love, you invest your life “

- Awake my soul (Mumford & Sons)

The laurel tree and its leaves bear a great deal of symbolism and meaning across different cultures in history. From a sign of great achievement, to peace and harmony, this evergreen warrior of nature surely inspires many botanists, nature lovers and poets out there.

How I came to the idea of “Laurel”

When I first started seriously considering this name for my < journal of conscious and creative living >, every interpretation of this Mediterranean plant, old as the Scripture and strong as the Greek & Roman Empires back in history, came swirling with great force towards me.

The laurel tree, in its evergreen state of being, reminds us of the willingness of nature to remain still and strong and lively throughout seasons. Whenever Greeks and Romans would celebrate the ones who fought bravely, surpassed difficult challenges or created inspiring art, they wrapped their heads in laurel wreaths, for they had served as a model to the world around them. Their dedication, persistence, creative power and, most of all, patience to work on dreams and fight their battles were actually the things that got them there.

And I do believe that we should at least try to lead by example.

For an amateur lover of symbols as I am, choosing “ laurel “ as a name for the journal was, as it turns out, only natural. It just didn’t come to me at first. After browsing through endless versions of word play, I realized I had it with me all along.

Not only is it a version of my middle name — Laura -, but it also brings great sense to my love for nature, words and human spirit. Inspired by all the symbolic gravitas it bears, on a personal level, “Laurel” connects me to both myself and to the world around me, to the greater meanings of human life, to the gifts of nature, but also to the mission I decide to take on in my community.

As for you, my friend, I hope it will inspire you to discover your own magic within, to explore your creativity and make a blast out of this life 🙂

So what’s LAUREL like?

I’ve always wanted a place where I could gather all the different parts of me, a place where various interests of mine could beautifully integrate into some sort of eclectic-looking form. To be able to showcase my creative world, in any way it chooses to manifest. To seek some kind of balance among everything that I am and do.

I want LAUREL to be the home of all my inspiration, of all the things that, in a smaller or bigger way, give me a creative drive. From endless talks on human spirit and inner journeys, to creativity and love for words, to the magical world we find in nature, to music, to people who do amazingly inspiring things, to craftsmanship, to health and how the body needs our love, and God knows how much more.

Come to think about it, they might have more in common than I initially gave them credit for. That is because I believe, with all my heart, that we must build a life that we actually love and loving the things that make us shine from the inside is the greatest declaration of respect and wholeness to ourselves.

What LAUREL is already teaching me is that we need to trust our ability to lead with our good nature, constantly invest in ourselves to be better than what we were yesterday and believe it is okay for some things to take longer to become. We’re all flawed in so many different ways, we’re all trying to make sense of this life and even if it doesn’t work out from the first attempt, it’s perfectly fine. Just make sure we keep showing up, in any way we’re able to.

The only battle to win is the battle within

Sometimes, we find ourselves in some sort of competition with the people around us and that might not always be an easy challenge. We need grit and we need to trust our creativity and our minds to put in the work needed — even when (please read <especially>) the only competitor we have is our own self.

But you know, it’s not always about winning some kind of instant grand prize. The bigger the challenge, the harder the lesson. The harder the lesson, the greater the satisfaction when you’re able to teach it forward. So how’s that for a prize?

And just like the evergreen, everlasting laurel tree lives to tell its tale season after season, even in its quiet times, but mostly when it blooms, we are here to keep learning, to keep spreading our magic into the world and always remain connected to our nature.

Originally published at https://laureljournal.com on May 30, 2020.