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.
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.
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. …
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.
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.
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.
Together, our many actions,
both overt and subtle,
are creating the great transformation of our time.
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.
From the Preface of Glennie Kindred’s latest book Walking With Trees. Reprinted with permission from the author.
Article & Illustrations by GLENNIE KINDRED
Glennie Kindred
