Tending the Trees

Deep relationships between humans and trees dates back to the earliest religious practices, and is deeply embedded in each of our DNA. Tending to the trees is a tangible, accessible way for each person, no matter their perceived level of intuitiveness, to find their way back to our original ancestral connection to both earth and stars. Through listening, ritual, divination, and play, we can enter into both friendship and deep allyship with tree spirits. These spirits hold the memory of the stars, of creation, and of our original relationship with “God”. The word “God” translates roughly “to evoke the sound of wind in the trees,” and the human psyche remembers this despite modern amnesia around the power of nature in our relationship with spirit.

Have you or someone around you ever joked about hugging trees in order to feel better and then the tone of the conversation shifted and the person was earnestly like, “no, seriously, this really helps…”? This is something I’ve heard time and again, as people acknowledge their need for a relationship with trees, but feel silly expressing it. This need is not silly!! The power of joining with trees, whether individually or with a group, is palpable and supports us in deep healing. As we form and explore our relationships with the energies and physical forms of trees and tree spirits, we listen specifically to allies who tend to our ancestral lineages and wish to form connections with us. We learn to be in a reciprocal relationships with these allies in order to understand what they want to teach us and to offer them nourishment. They help us greatly to tend our relationships with all of life, and this heals the separation and loneliness of modern life.

Tree spirits are asking that humans make the effort to heal our relationships with them to help all of us thrive. There are trees worldwide that house earth shrines, star portals, and keep safe wisdom that will help humans heal the wounds of the modern world. This wisdom has the capacity to transform our realities in wildly positive ways, and our friendship with the trees allows us to hear and to apply this wisdom.

Many individuals and traditions have a special tree or trees that they connect with and return to time and time again. Their steadfast presence offers an anchor through a sacred space to bring your whole self to. There is a peace and a sense of timelessness that envelopes each encounter with a tree friend, and it is a deeply rejuvenating experience. Watching the plant and animal life that thrive all around a single tree is awe-inspiring, and shows us the generosity of these mighty beings. Their system of communication through their root structures is a testament to their far-reaching impact on the world around them. The generosity of tree spirits in offering shade, home, beauty, food, storytelling, wisdom, and life deserve to be celebrated by us the humans who have the power to protect them. This is a call to join me in ritual connection to the trees around us and worldwide, because we all need this connection in our lives.