Glennie Kindred is the author of twelve books on Earth wisdom, creating ceremony, native plants and trees and celebrating the Earth’s cycles. She is a much loved expert on natural lore and Earth traditions with a strong and committed following. She is renowned for her ability to enthuse people with joy, love and wonder for the Earth, to step beyond the everyday into the extraordinary, to tap into the Imaginal Realms within, and to create simple heart-felt ceremony. She is an Earth Restorer and Earth Protector and committed to the power we collectively have to bring about change, both for ourselves and for the Earth.

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Glennie Kindred

<h4>GLENNIE KINDRED loves trees. Here she inspires us to experience for ourselves
 how trees teach us, help us expand our consciousness, and evoke a sense of wonder for all life on Earth.</h4>
I went to the woods 
 And became aware of myself
As I walked alone 
 I watched the untested parts of myself 
 Awaken, 
 And heard my inner voice 
 Alive and true.
And I built a bridge across…
I welcomed the bright sureness of my instincts, 
 Followed the stirrings of my intuition, 
 Reached out with my heart to touch the trees around me,
I went to the woods and Time slipped… 
 And in that moment 
 I was at One with all of the life around me.
I became aware of myself as part of this
 wonder…
And the trees seemed to stir, 
 And welcomed me in…
Living my life close to the natural world is part of who I am, and more than once I have
 found myself standing at the edge of conditioning to sense an awareness of something more … a sense of communion and
 communication between myself and the plants and the trees, and an absolute certainty of the interconnectedness and
 sentience of all life.
Trees are beautifully present, complex beings, deeply connected with the natural world
 around them, and the flow of the year’s seasonal cycles. They are totally intrinsic to present life on Earth. They
 store and utilize vast amounts of carbon from our atmosphere, and are the co-creators of our weather system and
 climate. These great water-lovers draw up water from below the ground, and fill our air with the circulating waters
 of life, bringing many beneficial nutrients to the surface from deep within the Earth. They generate the oxygen-rich
 air that all of us air-breathing creatures need to breathe. We breathe with them and because of them. Their
 out-breath is our in-breath. They literally give us life.
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I can honestly say I am in love with trees. They fill me with delight and awe in equal
 measure. I collect their leaves, blossom and fruit for my medicine cupboard and they gift me with layer upon layer
 of medicine for my soul. Being in their presence nurtures me, and the more sensitive and open I become to their
 sentience, the more levels of interaction and communication we exchange.
Trees create an interface, and can be experienced through all our senses. They help us
 to expand into parts of ourselves that lie at the edges of our consciousness. When I am walking with the trees
 beside me I feel complete. Their wild beauty opens my heart and can move me to profound joy, and sometimes to tears.
 When I stand with them I breathe more deeply and become more rooted, and more fully present in the here and now.
 They help me to slow down and to find my sense of inner stillness. This guides me to listen more closely to my
 intuition and the wild edges of my instinctive self. I am forever grateful for their blessed presence in my life. …

<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">Trees create an interface, 
 and can be experienced through all our senses. 
 They help us to expand into parts of ourselves 
 that lie at the edges of our consciousness.</h5>
<hr>
As we celebrate, grow, plant and interact with the trees, we re-find our sense of unity
 with all life on Earth. The trees teach us. We learn from them; grow and expand, regenerate and deepen, as their
 wisdom permeates through to our depths and helps change us from the inside.
As we open ourselves to the belief that everything is flowing in interconnected
 relationship with each other, our consciousness naturally expands, and we find that there is a lot more going on
 within us, and in the natural world around us, than we have been conditioned to believe.
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 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/walk_with_tree_1511139523.jpg"
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As we expand into our interconnectivity, we change, and our relationship with the Earth
 undergoes a dramatic shift as we realize that her well-being is our own well-being. We naturally become Earth allies
 and Earth protectors and live our lives in ways that help the Earth to restore her equilibrium – and this in turn
 helps us to restore our own.
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">Together, our many actions, 
 both overt and subtle, 
 are creating the great transformation of our time.</h5>
<hr>
The movement towards caring for our unique and beautifully astounding Earth grows every
 day, and this gives me hope for the future. I know that I am just one of many people making this journey, and I
 align myself, my kinship and my heart with all the people who love the Earth as I do, who are redefining themselves
 as one many interconnected complex intelligent life-forms sharing the Earth’s resources; who are filled with a deep
 desire to help the Earth restore and heal the damage we have done. Each one of us has our own strengths and parts to
 play as we collectively do what we can to bring about intelligent compassionate change. Together, our many actions,
 both overt and subtle, are creating the great transformation of our time.
Trees are our wise teachers and our steadfast allies in these changing times, as we
 learn to walk this new path of co-operation and co-creation with all of life. In Walking With Trees, I invite you to
 dive in and deepen your roots, to arrive in the world of trees with a benevolence that creates more benevolence, a
 willingness for enchantment, and an openness to rediscover a sense of wonder for this precious gift of life.
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</h6>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;">From the Preface of Glennie Kindred’s latest book Walking With Trees.
 Reprinted with permission from the author.</h6>
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article &amp; Illustrations by GLENNIE KINDRED</h4>
<hr>

Walking with trees

<h3 style="text-align: center;">ALDER</h3>
<h4>In Walking with Trees, GLENNIE KINDRED takes us on an intimate and
 profoundly connecting walk with thirteen of the UK’s native trees. She leads us into their world and opens our
 hearts to their wonders, their perfection and their interconnectivity. Here she focuses on the otherworldly Alder.
</h4>

 Walking
 with trees is my delight, my meditation, and my anchor. A daily walk with the trees (not a dog!) helps to deepen my
 relationship with the natural world around me, and opens my heart, my lungs and my mind. If I give myself the time
 to stand still with them, their intrinsic tree-wisdom permeates my consciousness. I feel the presence of their deep
 roots filling the very ground beneath me, and become more aware of the Earth beneath my feet. I breathe more deeply
 and become more rooted, and more fully present. They help me to find my sense of inner stillness and this guides me
 to listen more closely to my intuition and the wild edges of my instinctive self. When I am walking with the trees
 beside me I see a bigger picture, and break free of my old conditioning that would have me believe that I am
 separate from Nature. With the trees beside me I am reminded of my deep interconnectivity with all life here on our
 beautiful complex Earth, and I am made whole.
Trees invite us to stand still a while, to soak up their company and share their
 embedded wisdom and intelligence. By observing their flowers and fruit, the way they grow, their habits and habitat
 preferences, we absorb and internalize their core characteristics. We also experience them at a subtle, emotional or
 vibrational level. Where our observations and subliminal experiences meet, a personality, archetype or signature
 picture emerges. This becomes our guide to a deeper understanding of the trees and what they have to teach us.
Common Alders (Alnus glutinosa) draw me to them at this time of year as their catkins
 begin to open and cast a red haze around the trees. Alders loves to grow in damp boggy places, such as wet woodland,
 marshes, and along rivers. As they reclaim these watery lands, they begin a process of transformation and new wild
 life moves in. Alders are ‘pioneer’ trees and transformation is at the heart of their signature picture. Although
 they are short lived, around sixty to seventy years, their lives count, as they can have a big impact on the land
 and the soil. They will move into ground that is too wet for most other trees, transforming the environment so that
 other trees and plants can follow. Look out for Alder trees when walking the land, as their presence could mean
 hidden water or boggy ground.

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A lovely piece of woodland local to me is full of Alders, and has several springs running down into it. This makes it
 difficult to navigate for some of the year because of the excess water running through it. I imagine this was once
 just a marshy boggy place, and the Alders have been key to creating the mixed woodland we now know and love. It is
 rich with thriving ecosystems and a wealth of native flora and fauna. It is a testament to the power of Alder trees
 to transform a landscape.
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">A balanced fusion between our outer&nbsp;and inner modes
 of intelligence 
 opens us to new levels of awareness and capabilities. 
 We develop a quiet strength,&nbsp;and
 move into new levels of inclusiveness 
 and a deeper sensitivity and respect for&nbsp;all the interconnected life forms around us.
</h5>
<hr>
Wet swampy Alder woods or ‘carrs’ were thought to be places of mystery and
 otherworldliness. Alder’s were known in myth and legend as faerie trees and were protected from being cut down by
 their association with the Sidhe (Shee or Si in modern Irish). The feeling of otherness these trees evoke is part of
 their subliminal signature, reminding us to take note of the things we cannot see but can sense and feel, and the
 importance of what is happening below the surface, beneath our conscious and visual radar. This is our inherent
 ability to sense and know things. It is not a logical place, but inspirational and alive with instinctive truths. A
 balanced fusion between our outer and inner modes of intelligence opens us to new levels of awareness and
 capabilities. We develop a quiet strength, and move into new levels of inclusiveness and a deeper sensitivity and
 respect for all the interconnected life forms around us.
In legend, the Alder was known as ‘a battle-witch amongst trees’ and this makes it our
 ally in these changing times. A battle-witch to me is the eco-activist or eco-warrior, who knows how to work
 energetically to create change at a subtle level. Learning to work at an energetic level is the foundation of all
 healing work and transformational change. We can all direct focused positive thoughts and healing energy. All that
 is needed is the intention to do so and the ability to slow down our breathing and slip into a meditative state. We
 can all send healing, protection, and strength to where it is needed. We can put up energetic walls and conjure
 positive outcomes if we put our collective minds to it, and we can do this from wherever we are on the planet.
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Alder wood becomes strong and durable when immersed in water and was used extensively for building bridges over
 water, thus linking communities together. Look for where you can build bridges and heal separation both in your
 local and in your broader communities. Be aware of where your thoughts or energy may be negative, blocked or stuck,
 and work to transform this. Reach out with kindness, cooperation, and generosity.
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">Look for ways to experience&nbsp;a sense of communion 
 and companionship&nbsp;with the natural world around
 you. 
 Our separation from Nature reinforces 
 our legacy of harm and destruction to the Earth. 
 It is time to change the stories we tell ourselves as we begin 
 to experience all life as sentient and interconnected.
</h5>
<hr>
‘Strengthening what lies beneath the surface’ is a key to Alder’s signature energy, and
 also a key to creating environmental change. Look beneath the surface for other ways to address our present
 ecological challenges. A shift in our thinking patterns creates changes that ripple through our lives and those
 around us. Look for ways to experience a sense of communion and companionship with the natural world around you. Our
 separation from Nature reinforces our legacy of harm and destruction to the Earth. It is time to change the stories
 we tell ourselves as we begin to experience all life as sentient and interconnected.
Look for aspects of your life where you are stuck in the old paradigm of seeing yourself
 as separate from the natural world around you.
Every day consciously affirm yourself as part of a great big beautiful inter-connected
 world.
Illustrations and extract from Walking with Trees by Glennie Kindred.
 Available to buy directly from <a href="http://www.glenniekindred.co.uk/">www.glenniekindred.co.uk</a>

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<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article and illustrations by GLENNIE KINDRED</h4>
<hr>