I had a very deep experience of love and oneness yesterday at Butchart Gardens that has been at the forefront of my awareness ever since.

My wife and I started at the Rose Garden on that July 6th morning, and that alone was enough to bring us to our knees with its beauty. So many varieties, so much color, such a sacred vibration amidst these wonderfully cared-for flowers.

We then decided to go to the Sunken Garden, grateful for the fact that even after an hour with the roses, the gardens were not overly crowded. We were walking slowly, especially taking in the many flower beds and trees there are in-between the gardens’ major areas. We can often walk quickly through those transitional areas, but not this day – we savored the sights at every step.

Not long after entering the Sunken Garden through the back entrance, I came across a small Japanese maple tree. It stopped me in my tracks – I could feel so much love emanating from this tree – I stood with it for quite a while before moving on.

After some bench sitting and more meandering, we came across two more Japanese maples, much larger than the previously mentioned tree. I was brought to tears this time with the love I was feeling, and then I wondered – was this love coming from me or from them? I asked my wife this question, and her response was, “Both.” So I stood there, feeling the love in me, and also what I perceived as the love exuding from them.

It was then that I realized that at that moment, there was no separation between us. There was simply this one field of love, this oneness. Just this love, just this oneness, no separation.

My perception of this field we all play in has been forever altered, as has been any previous concepts of what oneness truly means. I’ve always loved Japanese maples. Now I know they love us all as well, and that the love simply is.