“I tried to discover, in the rumor of forests and waves, words that other men could not hear, and I pricked up my ears to listen to the revelation of their harmony.”
― Gustave Flaubert
Forests are filled with harmony. They have their own communication networks and share resources with their neighbors. What growth occurs naturally via the assistance of birds distributing their seeds is migrating northward as climate change affects habitats.
“My mind explodes to dream at what pines might write out of their stillness and arboreal perceptions, from a consciousness that transcends underground and sky, intimate with birds and snails and ancient lichens, the mysteries of water, the stories of lightning, the gossip of mycorrhizae, and the poetry of light.” Robin Wall Kimmerer, in White Pine.
I love the Robin Wall Kimmerer quote above as she imagines what trees may have to tell us from their own points of view and aspects of experience recorded in the rings in their trunks over the years. Trees are rooted, they can see from high above and below ground, they know the creatures who visit them, how to survive in varying weather conditions, and what’s best to bring up their offspring.
When I go into the forest, I feel as if I am entering a cathedral. The air is different, the light and the sound sharpen my attention. Wind becomes breath, breath becomes song. Breath interchanging, trees inhaling our exhales and vice versa. The woodlands contain wisdom of which I can only scratch at the surface.
And, of course, the ultimate artwork of autumn beauty!
One last quote:
“Do beautiful thinking…and then, do beautiful talking.
And now go, right away, and begin to do beautifully in the world.” Ivan Dario Vargas Roncancio, in Yoco
Resources:
The quotes from Robin Wall Kimmerer and Ivan Dario Vargas Roncancio are found in the book “The Mind of Plants” edited by John C Ryan, Patricia Vieira, and Monica Gagliano
