Yesterday, I heard a Lebanese dervish ask a Sufi teacher: “What are some things we can do to get rid of negative energy?”
The dervish explained that she was talking about the negativity of one’s own anger, sorrows and resentments, as well as negativity received from others–especially in the form of jealousy (that infamous evil eye).
“Hug a tree,” the Sufi teacher said, “and it will absorb any negative energy.”
In a country filled with cedar forests, there are plenty to go around.
“And walk on the sand in your bare feet–sand too will absorb any negativity or toxicity,” the Sufi teacher added.
So yes, I guess there are literal treehuggers in Lebanon–giving their negativity over to nature, trying together to become free.
