The prompt for all three shares was created by Christian Sarti.
As I walked through the forest, I realised the trees were watching me kindly.
Christian Sarti’s share:
As I walked through the forest, I realized the trees were watching me kindly.
I love this forest, but it was the first time I so clearly felt the presence of the trees around me.
I looked around. Each and every one of them was completely unique.
It was as if I were seeing them for the very first time.
I had stopped seeing “the forest.”
Now I was seeing each individual tree, and each tree was connecting with me.
I could feel energy waves flowing towards me from all of them — huge ones, small ones, and tiny ones, surrounding me on every side.
There seemed to be threads of glittering light, waves of energy connecting each tree to all the others —
an amazing web of energies.
I had just become one of them.
I had been welcomed into their midst.
Gradually, I felt all these loving, kind rivulets of energy merging with me, making me more than I had ever been.
My heart opened in ecstatic waves towards these tree beings —
and also towards the Mother, Mother Earth, and the fiery presence of the life-giving Sun.
I was a tree,
a truly galactic being.
Francoise Ducroz’ share also on her website
Earlier today, on my daily walk through the woods, I noticed the trees were watching me kindly.
Calling
Welcoming
Here, Human, come, come near
Look closely
Here, Human, glimpse around
Touch and smell truly
Here, Human, listen with all your heart.
Come, sit and stay a while.
I slowed down my pace, sensing the forest’s palpable pull.
I sat at the feet of a young poplar, vibrant with sap, eager to reach high, the light playing with the rich shades of green of its leaves.
Leaning against it, I closed my eyes to listen to the sounds of the forest while the trees in the small clearing bent their gaze towards the creature in their midst.
After a while, I couldn’t say how long, I knew they would allow me to ask the question I’ve wanted an answer to since I was a child.
” Trees, please tell me.
How are we the same? We, Humans and you, the powerful guardians of the land?”
My silent query traveled through the veils that separate our kind from the living world we inhabit, and before too long, the answers came, softly, from the circle’s edge.
We look alike, standing tall, roots, trunk, branches, leaves and canopy.
We are born of the infinite small to grow strong and tall.
We mature, change, and evolve. We become.
We sway in the storms. We obey the seasons.
Like you, we give comfort.
We offer shade, food and shelter to those who come to us.
Then, when the time comes, we fall
And return to the earth
And, like you, Humans, we leave a trace, for a while.
Rest a while, Child, you are safe and welcome here.
Sue Hall’s share
As I walked through the forest, I realised the trees were watching me kindly. It reminded me of a time when I visited Skyros, a Greek island and learned how to connect with a tree. In that long-forgotten memory, we sat under an old olive tree and listened. I had not connected directly with a tree in a while
So I tried to connect in this forest. I sat down with my back to a large redwood and listened. Nothing came, but just as I thought I would move on, I sensed movement in my third eye, and I breathed into it and relaxed. The redwood thanked me for breathing gentle love into its fibrous trunk as I touched it and ran my hand slowly down to the heavy roots. Waiting silently, the tree seemed to glisten, and I noticed a kind of sap or dew on its bark. Were they tears, I wondered? The Redwood spoke one word as I touched the small drop of liquid. It said ‘Grace.’ I felt blessed, as if receiving holy water, and wondered what I could offer the tree. The redwood spoke again and said, ‘You have already given what we need, which is love.’
I closed my eyes and allowed a more profound connection to flow in. It was as if I had received a conscious message from the tree.
‘Sit quietly under every tree that calls to you and even those that don’t, and share a moment of love. Let it be a prayer to the earth, a way to connect with the subtle beings and open hearts. Forget the mind, you will get tied up in drama and knots. Now, start a daily practice and find a tree that will allow you to be invigorated while giving yourself the joy of connection.’