Doorway in the Tree: “Now, I’ll manage better this time.”

After leaving the chaos of the Mad Hatter’s tea party, Alice comes across a door in a tree which, without so much as a “how d’ye do,” she enters. Upon entering, she finds herself back in the hallway she had fallen into from the rabbit hole, which seems ever so long ago. She is now looking at the glass table that holds the elusive key, the focus of her frustration for quite some time in her fledgling attempts at mastering the underworld of Wonderland and getting into the garden. Of course, Alice has had many adventures since that first fiasco, and so now she feels quite prepared to go back at the task of entering into the little garden behind the tiny door with her new sense of experience and wisdom: “Now, I’ll manage better this time,” and she does at that, accomplishing in less than two shakes of a lambs tale what had previously taken ever so long only to end in tears and futility.

So now Alice has finally reached her initial goal: “ . . . at last in the beautiful garden, among the bright flower beds and the cool fountains.” She had probably long given up and forgotten about the whole ordeal, but now has found an opportunity to go back and successfully complete what had been left undone.

The Doorway in the Tree was a deus ex machina, a tool sent by the gods (or maybe the Cheshire Cat) to help Alice get a second chance at accomplishing a goal that she had previously been unprepared for and unable to complete. It is obvious that she is more than capable now, to get where she wants without much second thought.

You, too, are being given the opportunity to revisit an old experience with new wisdom and confidence under your belt. Something that may have lead to tears and frustration is now easily mastered if you are willing to give it one more try.

Take a moment to sit with this meditation and see if you are ready to claim mastery in a long lost part of your life.

Meditation: With eyes closed, start breathing deeply and allow your mind to focus on what it is that you had once left behind as an impossible task. Let it become clearer and clearer until the picture feels complete. Take a moment to revisit who you were at this time. What were your capabilities? Your limitations? What were your goals? What was your perspective? Really connect with this old past self for a moment until you have a good picture in your mind. Now, take a moment to tap into who you are now. What new insights, wisdom, experience, and capacities do you have now? Can you see a way of accomplishing that which had been left for impossible? How have you grown? Sometimes a simple walk through a magical forest will give you all you need to master what once seemed impossible. Don’t hold back. You are ready for this new opportunity to take care of old business.