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“Forests precede civilisations and deserts follow them.”
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Forests were the first temples of the Divinity, and it is in the forests that men have grasped the first idea of architecture.
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Man has been endowed with reason, with the power to create, so that he can add to what he's been given. But up to now he hasn't been a creator, only a destroyer. Forests keep disappearing, rivers dry up, wild life's become extinct, and the climate's ruined and the land grows poorer and uglier every day.
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“No shade tree? Blame not the sun, but yourself.”
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Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come.
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Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong.
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“Thou’st
sheltered hypocrites in many a shower
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It was not that the jagged precipices were lofty, that the encircling woods were the dimmest shade, or that the waters were profoundly deep; but that over all, rocks, wood, and water, brooded the spirit of repose, and the silent energy of nature stirred the soul to its inmost depths.
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"Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize that we cannot eat money."
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“The groves were God's first temples.”
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Trees have from time immemorial been closely associated with magic. These stout members of the vegetable kingdom may stand for as long as a thousand years, and tower far above our mortal heads. As such they are symbols and keepers of unlimited power, longevity, and timelessness. An untouched forest, studded with trees of all ages, sizes and types, is more than a mysterious, magical place - it is one of the energy reservoirs of nature. Within its boundaries stand ancient and new sentinels, guardians of the universal force, which has manifested on the the Earth ...
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Axis Mundi “The tree is a centered creature, for its energies are radial. Its roots and branches spread wide, laying a circular network around the bole. The tree lives at both ends; the trunk and the leaves reach up to light and air; the roots stretch down to earth and water. The roots are essential. Leaves and branches fall, the trunk may be severed, but if the roots are not destroyed there is hope for most trees of continuing life. The power is in the roots – the symbol of life.”
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The tree ladder The saint, the seer and the shaman, the poet and the philosopher, all have conceptualised movement into higher realms of consciousness, movement from opacity towards spiritual freedom. In songs and scripture, rituals and architecture, to climb is to make a journey, to express faith in divine-human communication. The cosmic tree is like a ladder between earth and heaven.”
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Trees and the Earth “Trees glorify the earth’s maternal fruitfulness. They are her giant children. It is in the tree that earth’s deepest powers are lifted highest.”
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Grandmother Cedar “Conifers, the cone-bearing pine and cedar, cypress, fir, spruce, and redwood, which make the world green, are ancient inhabitants of the earth, precisely the same today as they were in the primordial forests two hundred million years ago. How perceptive are those North American Indian tribes who call the conifer “grandmother, the aged one”. Ever green, changeless from season to season, lofty and sombre, the grandmother seems to live eternally, symbol of the earth’s constant energy.”
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I have always found thick woods a little intimidating, for they are so secret and enclosed. You may seem alone but you are not, for there are always eyes watching you. All the wildlife of the woods, the insects, birds, and animals, are well aware of your presence no matter how softly you may tread, and they follow your every move although you cannot see them.
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"Among the scenes which are deeply impressed on my mind, none exceed in sublimity the primeval forests undefaced by the hand of man. No one can stand in these solitudes unmoved, and not feel that there is more in man than the mere breath of his body."
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“A traveller should be a botanist, for in all views plants form the chief embellishment.”
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A tree uses what comes its way to nurture itself. By sinking its roots deeply into the earth, by accepting the rain that flows towards it, by reaching out to the sun, the tree perfects its character and becomes great. ... Absorb, absorb, absorb. That is the secret of the tree.
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"You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees & stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."
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Thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life).
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Handle even a single leaf of green in such a way that it manifests the body of the Buddha. This in turn allows the Buddha to manifest through the leaf.
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Does a dragon still sing from within a withered tree?
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'Ever
seen a leaf - a leaf from a tree?'
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As Americans, we have become comfortable with our environment of concrete, steel, plastics, and artificial fibers, colors, and flavorings to such a degree that many question whether or not we even need to focus on a relationship with the creation. We have lost the desire to seek God and the ability to see God in all things. And perhaps, we have closed our eyes to the importance of God's creation as expressed through the forests because we have substituted the wonders of human creation for the wonders of God's creation. This form of idolatry should concern us.
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In earth and water will you grow. In the air will your leaves speak as you reach towards the fire of the sun. We respect and honour and admire you, O tree, and all trees, for you represent both Peace and Power - though you are mighty you hurt no creature. Though you sustain us with your breath, you will give up your life to house and warm and teach us. We give thanks for your blessing upon our lives and upon our lands. May you fare well in this chosen place. Awen.
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Approaching a tree we approach
a sacred being who can teach us about love and about endless giving.
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“The lofty oak from a small acorn grows”
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