Listen To The Earth Speak

I have been trying to record videos for my Relax Restore Revitalise programme but the microphone takes forever to connect to Bluetooth and when it does the video crashes before I have finished. I have spent the last week attempting to make 3 videos which should have taken less than an hour but have taken me 4 attempts over 4 days! I just sat down to try again but CRASH! It’s just not happening. I should be livid but I haven’t reacted at all. The reason I am so calm is because I have just spent time in nature, breathing it in and communing with my tree.

In October 2019 I joined a women’s group; Listen to the Earth Speak. We are gathering monthly to spend time in nature and hear what wisdom she has to impart. Other activities we engage are spending time in the sweat lodge and sharing around a camp fire which all takes place in woodland. So far the experiences have been deeply nourishing. I am learning to listen not just to nature, but also to my ancestors.

It has been suggested that between meetings, we participate in certain activities. My choice of activity has been to ‘befriend’ a tree. I visit an oak tree frequently, lean in or sit at her feet and listen. The tree has much to teach me, some of which I have put into a meditation that you can listen to after reading this.

She (I think of the tree as female) has taught me acceptance, she has taught me to remain grounded and to recognise that I am a part of all things. She has reminded me of the importance of stillness and rest. And I have been invited to spend more time connecting with others, especially my family.

Sound crazy? According to an article written by scientist and author Diana Beresford-Kroeger in the Globe and Mail, trees hold the answers to many of life’s problems. Trees, she says, are more than a source of timber. They are our collective medicine cabinet, our lungs, our regulatory system for our climate and the health and wellbeing of our children and grandchildren. Trees are our salvation. And according to an article on the BBC, plants can see, hear and smell - AND respond. Trees have a network through which they communicate. If one becomes diseased, it sends chemicals through the wood wide web (as it’s been called) to warn the other trees which become more resilient. Trees hear caterpillars munching their leaves and flood them with chemical defenses to warn off the attackers. I have noticed oak trees put on a second flourish after the tiny caterpillars ravage the first in spring.

If we stop and listen, there is much to learn from nature. I know, I have heard. And this is only the beginning. Enjoy the video and meditation which can be found here: TREE MEDITATION