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Thread: Magic of Trees

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    Avalon Member lunaflare's Avatar
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    Default Re: Magic of Trees

    Such magnificence. Thank you for the reminders.

    Here is a clip that shows how some trees, miraculously, survived the devastation of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. And how these trees are deeply loved and appreciated 75 years later...

    https://www.bbc.com/news/av/stories-...g-of-hiroshima

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    Ireland Avalon Member Conaire's Avatar
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    Default Re: Magic of Trees

    My cousin recently posted a photo to our family WhatsApp group of a tree, a big old Oak, that grew opposite my Grandmother's house. As children we spend many a happy hour under that tree. We hung a rope from a branch to make a swing. It was an easy tree to climb. I remember we'd just climb up and sit up in the branches. This was back in the 1980's. That tree was an important part of our childhood. I'd forgotten about our connection to it until my cousin posted the photo. He's now in his 40's and he had brought his own daughter to visit the tree and he shared his moment with us on WhatsApp. It was like he had brought his daughter to visit an old member of the family.

    Ever since childhood I've had a strong connection to trees, to nature in general. And I, and my family, have happy memories of one tree in particular.
    Last edited by Conaire; 8th June 2020 at 05:10.

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    Default Re: Magic of Trees

    That was a magical forest and thank you for taking me there. I have fond memories of my visit. I also remember how incredibly cold it was!

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    Default Re: Magic of Trees

    Quote Posted by GloriaP (here)
    That was a magical forest and thank you for taking me there. I have fond memories of my visit. I also remember how incredibly cold it was!
    Gloria is referring to the Magical Blink-and-you're-totally-lost Quinoa Forest in my post #13. I have some photos of her in the forest, too, when she visited Ecuador in 2016, if she'll allow me to post them! (And yes, OMG, it was cold that day. Gloria works in Saudi Arabia, so I think it was quite a shock! )

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    Default Re: Magic of Trees

    Oh wow it's so wonderful to read everyone's posts. Seeing different forests , hearing stories of connection with trees. It is so clear that there is a very deep and special bond between us.

    I have read the Secret Life of Plants. Thanks for reminding me of the Secrey Life of Trees Cardilac.

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    Default Re: Magic of Trees

    The symbol of a simple poem for millions of trees, as a perpetual memory of the fact that we were born in the green of Nature.

    https://www.poetryinnature.com/poem/tree-dear-tree/

    I trees
    And all this to be just human.

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    Avalon Member leavesoftrees's Avatar
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    Default Re: Magic of Trees

    Quote Posted by Cardillac (here)
    if one is truly interested in this topic please do read German forrester Peter Wohlleben's book "The Secret History of Trees" (translated into English from German)- it's a truly fascinating book (sort of takes it a step farther from the 70's book "The Secret Life of Plants")-

    Wohlleben even goes into how older trees will nurture younger ones, how some trees don't get along with their neighbors and how some trees who have been attacked by vermin (for lack of a better word) will send down-wind a scent to other trees to emanate something that will prevent the attackers from attacking them-

    truly fascinating book-

    Larry
    This is an audio recording of someone reading 18 chapters of this book


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    Default Re: Magic of Trees

    Quote Posted by enfoldedblue (here)
    Oh wow it's so wonderful to read everyone's posts. Seeing different forests , hearing stories of connection with trees. It is so clear that there is a very deep and special bond between us.

    I agree enfoldedblue.

    Embedded below is a photo of a work of art I bought from an artist in London, who may have been homeless (it was a while ago and I can't recall for sure.) He was experiencing hard times and was selling them on the street outside a tube station.

    When I saw this piece I told him that it reminded me of the spirit of a tree. He said that actually what was being expressed was the idea of a family tree. Of ancestors, descendants and roots. He told me about his own family.

    We also spoke about the difficulties some people have with hearing voices, and about how, in different cultures, that ability (neither inherently a burden or a virtue in itself) was regarded as a doorway to shamanism. But without guidance or training it can be very difficult to deal with and pressure the soul. He had an inner strength, a soul power, that was noticeable. A brightness and intelligence in his eyes. Toughened with his endurance.

    I wondered what he might have done in his life if he'd had more resources.

    Wouldn't it be incredible if more of our tax dollars went towards programs for homeless people, and people stricken by poverty, to be trained in replanting, tending and learning forests. As an option. (Doubt it would appeal to everyone.) A lot of homeless people I meet have a vibrant, as in potent, spirit. The life, and often the experiences that lead to it, are sometimes horrific, but always visceral. They may not be suited to sitting at a desk. But there is a wildness and a deep healing connection in forests that is very different to most work environments. I'm imagining homes, community centres, galleries they could build on the land, planting the forests around them and seeing them grow. Some of them have dogs who'd probably be quite happy in that life, if their guardians could choose it.

    The Big Issue, a magazine sold by homeless people to help fund them, often features art and poetry from homeless artists. Also articles about trees.



    Many artists know the act of drawing something immerses you in the object of your focus, and its spirit. The act in itself is a kind of magic. I just wondered if maybe his story and that of his tree artwork belonged here. It's more than just his story. It's the story of all those in a similar position to him. Whether they make art, or sell items made by people who are trying to help them, or have any number of other gifts. Untapped or unnourished. Whose souls are not supported by the societal structure they're immersed in.

    Many trees, I think, have more wisdom than some governments. A great number of them are silent healers.

    The world could be so different.




    Thank heaven for the forests and long may they thrive.

    As this native elder says in this video :

    https://youtu.be/g7cylfQtkDg

    “The tree breathes what we exhale. When we exhale, we need what the tree exhales. So we have a common destiny with the tree.”
    Last edited by Melinda; 9th June 2020 at 13:37.

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    United States Avalon Member Sarah Rainsong's Avatar
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    Default Re: Magic of Trees

    I have a strong affection for oak trees, particularly the big live oaks found in Florida, particularly when they've got Spanish moss hanging from them. My grandfather had a farm and along one of the fence lines was a giant live oak with low hanging branches. We (my siblings and I, as youngsters) would spend hours playing on those branches.

    My great, great aunt was an artist, and before she died, she painted this picture for me:

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    Default Re: Magic of Trees

    How beautiful Sarah. The hours you spent with the elder tree. And what a gift your great, great aunt gave you. Such an earthy painting. Transporting. And there's a tenderness there. The little flowers too, dancing in the corner. Singing different notes to the big oak beauty in the middle.

    Some of the oaks near me emanate a different frequency to some of their non-oak, but equally big neighbours. There's a richness there. An oak flavoured depth. Ancient and full of history. A strong wood.


    Quote Posted by Sarah Rainsong (here)
    I have a strong affection for oak trees, particularly the big live oaks found in Florida, particularly when they've got Spanish moss hanging from them. My grandfather had a farm and along one of the fence lines was a giant live oak with low hanging branches. We (my siblings and I, as youngsters) would spend hours playing on those branches.

    My great, great aunt was an artist, and before she died, she painted this picture for me:

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    Default Re: Magic of Trees

    Hello I wanted to share a wonderful book that I listened to on audible

    Author and naturopathic physician Dr. Cyndi Gilbert introduces listeners to the art and science of forest bathing, the deceptively simple Japanese practice of spending time in the forest as a way to find peace, rejuvenation, and to promote health.

    Dr. Gilbert shares her own personal history with the practice - how in the midst of an urban sprawl she lost touch with nature, only to rediscover it through the Japanese practice of Shinrin Yoku or forest bathing. In Forest Bathing, you'll discover the health benefits of Shinrin Yoku, from restoring vitamin D to balancing your microbiome, along with the rich mental and emotional rewards that spending time surrounded by trees can offer.

    Most importantly, the book offers an easy and practical guide to begin your own forest bathing practice. Learn to tap more deeply into your five senses, practice true mindfulness in sacred woodland spaces, and experience the healing impact of nature wherever you are.

    One interesting concept the book details is the science of forest bathing and the remarkable positive physiological, endocrine, blood ph, neurological and brain chemical changes that occur simply by spending time in nature. If this "medicine" could be patented it would be one of the greatest healing modalities ever discovered.

    Dr. Gilbert points out that that the trees give off essential oil like pheromones that have been studied, packaged, bottled etc.. and one can purchase to use in their home or office to receive those positive effects when one is unable to forest bath

    Blessing Luke

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    Attached Images  
    Last edited by Luke Holiday; 11th June 2020 at 01:57.

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    Default Re: Magic of Trees

    The Queen of Trees - OFFICIAL
    (52:20 min.)


    Almendro Tree of Life - The Secrets of Nature
    (51:53 min.)
    Last edited by EFO; 10th June 2020 at 05:21. Reason: adding video
    "Your planet is forbidden for an open visit - extremely aggressive social environment,despite almost perfect climatic conditions.Almost 4 billion violent deaths for the last 5000 years and about 15000 major military conflicts in the same period."

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    Default Re: Magic of Trees

    What I also love about trees is that they remind me of a deep truth of nature that goes so far beyond the business, drama and chaos that we humans so often get caught up in.

    Oh and those pics are so awesome! The family tress of the (possibly) homeless man and the Oak tree painted by a loved one. So special <3

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    Default Re: Magic of Trees





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    Default Re: Magic of Trees

    Trees have been use as influential ancient symbolism as well. Cabals come to mind, both public and private.




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    Default Re: Magic of Trees

    Quote Posted by enfoldedblue (here)
    Oh and those pics are so awesome! The family tress of the (possibly) homeless man and the Oak tree painted by a loved one. So special <3
    For the longest time I recalled he had told me he was homeless, but I didn't want to misrepresent him if there's a chance my memory is incorrect. In recent days my consciousness feels like it's been slipping in and out of different dimensions. Sometimes 'facts' can seem less steady in that state of mind.

    Quote Posted by enfoldedblue (here)
    What I also love about trees is that they remind me of a deep truth of nature that goes so far beyond the business, drama and chaos that we humans so often get caught up in.
    So true. Many are, deliberately or otherwise, peace-makers among us. Guardians of a harmony within the collective that goes beyond words, and beyond the physical realms.

    Years ago I found a forum that listed dozens of trees alphabetically, from the Alder to the Yew, with posts about their history, myths and spiritual symbolism. The link no longer works, but copied below is an extract (from a PDF I made of the text) which resonated.

    -------------------------------------------------


    “The Spiritual Elements of Trees
    Written by Lotus
    © July 29th, 2004

    To be one with the trees is to know Life within your own spirit - Chief Sequoia

    In lush valleys and forests, where majestic Guardians stand tall, their awesome beauty a reminder of ancient settlements, the mystical realm of "Standing People" communicate a language and await our arrival. Perhaps because of their constant presence we take them for granted. Trees, however, are a vital and nurturing force representing the fabric of all communities providing us with nourishment, a constant source of medicine, and the very air we breathe is improved by their presence.

    Trees hold a special significance as both practical providers and powerful spiritual presences and have witnessed life on earth over large expanses of time. Spirit breathes aliveness into their mystical individuality.

    These magnificent "Guardians," belong to the Earth Element”

    “In many cultures a tree symbolizes the world center, where heaven and earth touch, where all times and places converge. For this reason trees are considered sacred and provide a focal point for meditation, enlightenment, guidance and prayer and if we are open to their energy, will converse with us.”

    ~ end of quotes ~

    -------------------------------------------------


    I'm no great photographer, but I like to photograph my tree friends. More than my human ones.

    This is one I took a couple of weeks ago, lying down on the earth amid a special circle of old trees :




    Sometimes I like to move into the branches and soak the light through the leaves. There's something medicinal and magical there, though barely captured in the pic :




    Other times, I fall in love with the bark :




    This is one I took a long time ago of a local. What a beauty :


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    Scotland Moderator Billy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Magic of Trees

    Part of the ancient Fortingall Yew tree here in Scotland, which is more than 5000yrs old, some say 9000yrs old, I have visited this tree many times, it is always an honour to be in its presence.

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    When you express from a fearful heart in the now moment, You create a fearful future.
    When you express from a loving heart in the now moment, You create a loving future.

    Have no fear, Be aware and live your lives journey from a compassionate caring nurturing heart to manifest a compassionate caring nurturing future. Billyji


    Peace

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    Default Re: Magic of Trees

    What a beautiful and much needed thread at this time. Of course like many people trees hold a special place in my heart, on an emotional and symbolic level. I have enjoyed peoples stories and connections on this thread and firstly want to add a quotation from Camille Paglia. Some may feel the quote goes against the intention and subject of the thread but I feel it brings another important dimension to the discussion of the ‘magic’ of trees.

    “Everything is melting in nature. We think we see objects, but our eyes are slow and partial. Nature is blooming and withering in long puffy respirations, rising and falling in oceanic wave-motion. A mind that opened itself fully to nature without sentimental preconception would be glutted by nature’s coarse materialism, its relentless superfluity. An apple tree laden with fruit: how peaceful, how picturesque. But remove the rosy filter of humanism from our gaze and look again. See nature spuming and frothing, its mad spermatic bubbles endlessly spilling out and smashing in that inhuman round of waste, rot, and carnage. From the jammed glassy cells of sea roe to the feathery spores poured into the air from bursting green pods, nature is a festering hornet’s nest of aggression and overkill. This is the chthonian black magic with which we are infected as sexual beings; this is the daemonic identity that Christianity so inadequately defines as original sin and thinks it can cleanse us of. Procreative woman is the most troublesome obstacle to Christianity’s claim to catholicity, testified by its wishful doctrines of Immaculate Conception and Virgin Birth. The procreativeness of chthonian nature is an obstacle to all of western metaphysics and to each man in his quest for identity against his mother. Nature is the seething excess of being.”

    The quote is from Camille Paglia, Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson which had a huge influence on me when I read it over 20 years ago and continues to this day.

    Many people in the new age community only see a romanticised surface of nature and do not appreciate and integrate the core of nature. Which can be related to Jung’s conception of the shadow. This realisation is important in appreciating the true magic of trees .

    More in keeping with the general tone of the thread I have actually had a synchronicity around it, in that when the thread appeared I was working on some artworks around trees, one which I will place here relates to the tree pose in yoga.
    I have written extensively about the animist roots of yoga which can be seen portrayed in poses such as downward facing dog, eagle pose and of course tree pose (Vrikshasana).

    It is interesting to look at the mythological associations behind the tree pose, and the following piece is a great exploration of the story of the abduction of Queen Sita in The Ramayana by Zo Newell although a little over simplified.

    “When the demon king Ravana kidnapped Queen Sita and brought her to Lanka, he naturally assumed that she would fall for him. After all, other women did. He was handsome (once you got used to his ten faces), strong, and fabulously wealthy and powerful. His palace was a sensualist's dream of beauty and pleasant surroundings. Ravana was not unlike an urbane, highly influential drug lord—repellent, yet fascinating at the same time. He offered Sita one pleasure after another, but she said no to them all. He proposed to make her his chief wife, and Sita refused. She refused to spend even one night inside Ravana's beautiful palace.

    When the demon king Ravana kidnapped Queen Sita and brought her to Lanka he naturally assumed that she would fall for him. After all, other women did.
    “I am your prisoner, not your guest,” she said, “and I will never be your woman. Remember, I am Rama's wife and he will find me. And when he does, you will wish you had never even seen me.”

    “I'm a generous man,” replied Ravana. “Every day I will ask you to accept me. You have one year. After that, if you still refuse, I will cook and eat you.”

    Outside the palace, inside its walls, stood a grove of Ashoka trees. Ashoka means “without sorrow.” Ashoka trees are symbols of love in Indian folk tradition. They are also healers, containing powerful medicinal compounds. Sita lived under the trees, surrounded by Ravana's elite staff of rakshasa women—monstrous creatures with the faces of goats, fish, and dogs; with hair sprouting from unlikely places; and unusual numbers of eyes and limbs. The guards were ordered not to harm Sita physically, but they could use psychological methods to break her down. They told her that Rama would never find her, and even if he did, Lanka, being an island fortress and protected by magic to boot, was impregnable. They advised that life in the comfort of Ravana's harem was a pretty sweet deal, as his hundred satisfied wives could attest. They said that a woman as royal and beautiful as Sita deserved to live in a palace and to be treated like the queen she was, not wander the forest with her exiled husband. "Forget Rama," they said. "Think of all that Ravana could do for you. And it's not like you're leaving here alive anyway," they reminded her.

    But Sita sat, with her back against an Ashoka tree, and she breathed slowly, and she waited. She concentrated her mind on Rama with one-pointed focus. Every thought, every breath, every beat of her heart said “Rama...find me. Rama. Rama.” She sent her love and longing into the trees and imagined their leaves broadcasting Rama's name to the atmosphere. Sita was the daughter of Bhumi Devi, the earth itself, and deep within she felt kinship with rooted, growing things.

    Every thought, every breath, every beat of her heart said “Rama...find me. Rama. Rama.”
    Trees are patient creatures. They live a long, quiet time, and they know how to stand firm through all the changes of day and night, climate and season. Silently, those ashoka trees spoke to Sita: “Stay still, little sister. Be calm and steady, like us. Seasons change, we know, we know. This captivity is not forever. Stay still, and remember Rama.”

    On the mainland, Rama summoned Hanuman, his monkey superhero aide-de-camp. Hanuman could assume any size he chose; he could fly; and he was prepared, at a heartbeat’s notice, to do anything Rama asked. “Go,” he said, “find Sita. But don't frighten her! Take my ring; when she sees it she will know you have come from me.”

    And one day, Sita heard a name called softly from above: “Rama, Rama...” It was Hanuman, in the form of a tiny monkey. Hanuman spoke her beloved's name with all the love and longing that Sita felt in her own heart, and her heart told her to trust this peculiar messenger even before he produced a gold ring inscribed with “Rama-Rama-Rama” all around its circumference. (How Hanuman arrived in that very tree in the ashoka grove is another story. It is enough, here, to say that his visit restored Sita's sense of connection with her lord.)”
    https://yogainternational.com/articl...sana-tree-pose


    Last edited by Dorjezigzag; 11th June 2020 at 15:56.
    “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The latter procedure, however, is disagreeable and therefore not popular.” (Carl Jung)

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    Scotland Avalon Member greybeard's Avatar
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    Default Re: Magic of Trees

    Quote Posted by Billy (here)
    Part of the ancient Fortingall Yew tree here in Scotland, which is more than 5000yrs old, some say 9000yrs old, I have visited this tree many times, it is always an honour to be in its presence.

    Attachment 43803
    Me too Billy
    I had friends Dr Anu Anand and his wife Maryse who had Culdees Boreland farm and started a community there but they both died and that was that.
    I stayed with them often and of course visited the tree.
    Chris
    Last edited by greybeard; 11th June 2020 at 16:40.
    Be kind to all life, including your own, no matter what!!

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    Default Re: Magic of Trees

    If you have occasion to visit California a stop at Yosemite and the Armstrong Redwoods is well worth your time. Of course Yosemite is one of the must sees, but not for all its rock formations. In 1988 my wife and I hiked down a logging road for 45 minutes to see a Sequoia grove. You could only access it on foot. Downhill on the way in. At the bottom of the small valley there stood a horse shoe of 5 Giant Sequoias around 50 ft in diameter. Hardly anyone went there. The trees were as magical as your imagination will allow and more. All were monstrous with the first branch well over 100 ft up. The ground was covered in a thick layer of needles making walking seem like lightly stepping on a giant sponge. Pine cones all around. In public Sequoia groves/forests the cones are gone. We stayed there for quite a while. Off to the left was a small stream with more Sequoias growing along its banks. Ferns and coolness and a timeless sense. If you go to Sequoia National Park in S. Cal. and look around the forest in a 360deg view, the Sequoias stand out for their red bark against the grey of the Sugar Pines.

    The Armstrong Redwoods are north of Napa in a quiet area of the state. Not overcrowded and lots of wonderful trails. Many old Redwoods. They even carved out a chapel in the trees.

    I'm with y'all on the Southern oaks. Interesting how oak trees grow so differently in so many environments. We visited New Orleans once and drove north along the Mississippi visiting the antebellum plantations. We saw the double row of great oaks at Oak Alley. Imagine before levees existed - a double row of them going from the mansion to the river. A fat 20 paces between each tree. Spanish moss all over. Now old enough to create a breathtaking canopy. Then we stayed at Nottoway. 54 rooms, 53,000 square feet with a fascinating history. There was an oak in the gardens that had one branch that extended way out bending this way and that. 15 fat paces from the trunk the branch came close to the ground. It had to be 18 inches thick. I sat on it. It didn't move.


    I am a lover of trees too. I bemoan the loss of the original elms, the chestnut, now the ash, and others. I am also a lover of fine furniture especially pieces made in the 18th and 19 centuries. The most prized cabinet wood was Cuban Mahogany. None has been exported since 1959, but I do not know how much is left. Wood, especially cabinet grade wood, is getting harder to find. Yes you can get it but at what cost? We take these trees for granted, continually cutting and not replanting to keep up with demand. Thankfully i see bamboo coming to the forefront soon.
    Last edited by enigma3; 12th June 2020 at 00:37.

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