Tree-hugger??!!!

When I was younger, I used to think tree-huggers were a bit nuts, and calling someone a tree-hugger was akin to name-calling.  However, now that I am older, and arguably wiser, my perspective on this has taken a 180-degree turn.  For the last 4 years I have been living in a house that backs onto a huge wild-forest park with lots of trails that end up at Witty’s Beach on Vancouver Island. Every day I have been getting up early and doing the forest walk to the beach, about an hour and 20-minute round trip.  The peace and calm of the forest provided me with my sanity at a time of massive life changes.  The trees became my friends, and I even named a couple that stood out to me.  One of them is called Wisdom Tree, and the other, my favorite, is called Misty Tree – named for a dear friend of mine who seems to embody the energy of this very old, majestic tree.

Misty Tree

At first, I would stop for a few moments and place one hand on the tree and express gratitude for the tree and the entire forest. I soon moved up to two hands on the tree and after a while it became a full-on embrace.  I would just stand there hugging this tree, and I would notice that the anxiety I was carrying would fade.  My shoulders dropped, and I was able to fully exhale.  It felt wonderful.

On my walk to the beach this morning I was hugging Misty Tree and realized that for several months now I kinda had a new practice.  I held the tree and spoke in a calm measured voice, “Misty Tree, please take my anxious feelings, my worry about this new massive change in my life that is approaching, and any low frequency vibrations I may have, and transmute it into the energy of love, patience, gratitude, understanding and peace.”  I stood there and held the tree, and I felt my entire body soften.  I sighed and was able to let go of the “noise” in my head from the impending change in my life.

Trees are conscious beings, they communicate and take care of each other.  To me they are stationary sentient beings, and their language is frequency.  I always feel better after being in the forest and communing with the trees.  Without having planned it, I have been engaging in Shinrinyoku, or, forest bathing.  Lots of studies have shown that being in the forest and sitting quietly with the trees boosts your immune system and can be deeply relaxing.

I guess I have become what I had made fun of, a tree-hugger!

Witty's Beach