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Confessions of A Secret Tree Hugger

The first time I hugged a tree…

By P.K. DaviesPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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…I looked around to make sure no one was looking. In fact, I made sure no one was around at all.

I’d read studies by Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, the scientist who proved that plants indeed held awareness, perhaps even emotion, and I was fascinated.

In 1966, the CIA scientist Dr Cleve Backster conducted almost 3 decades of research, also proving that plants have emotions and can react not only to people and situations in their environment, but even thoughts directed to them.

I walked up to the tree, and touched the rough bark — the skin — of this being. I giggled self-consciously, reached around it and hugged it. I gazed up at it for a while — it felt slightly awkward, like you do when you hug someone for the first time. But it felt good, so I did it again. I didn’t quite know why I wanted to hug the tree, but something about it drew me.

This time I hugged it a bit longer but kept an eye out for bugs. The last thing I wanted was a line of friendly critters moving down the tree and down-the-hatch into cleavage territory.

I hugged the tree again, this time closing my eyes. That was a good idea. I felt something else this time, a sense of the life moving through the tree, the sap, the energy. I stopped breathing for a minute — the sense was now much stronger.

I wondered how far the roots went, deep into the earth, around whatever man-made structures lay under the soil.

I stayed in the embrace for a while, looking up into the leaves, and not really thinking. I felt a great sense of peace and calm, and knew this energy was somehow being transmitted between us. But whether it was from the tree to me, or the connection was drawing this out of me, I did not know.

I began to look for opportunities to hug one particular tree, a great maple. Each time I went back, it seemed as though the tree knew me. The very idea sounded silly, even to my own mind. But I thought — did it really matter if I was imagining it or not?

As I visited often, I began to connect much more quickly with the tree on an energetic level. I still thought this sounded far too crazy to share with anyone.

And one day I noticed that the energy I felt from the maple seemed to have its own characteristics — it had a steady, sturdy, strong and benign presence. This was a new and thrilling discovery.

Do different types of trees have their own kind of personality?

The day I had this thought, I ran over to a silver birch tree, almost falling over myself in my excitement to see what I would discover. This time I didn’t care that people were walking by or watching as I leaned over the underbrush and gave the silver birch a hug. This tree was younger than the maple and more slender. I closed my eyes and — this tree felt youthful, it felt playful!

And so began my love affair with trees, the mysterious sentinels of Gaia. Wherever I traveled, I began to seek out the local trees, embrace them and share their energy. I even had a little game I’d play — on vacation I’d connect with the local trees and ask them to send my love to the trees back home through their mysterious network of roots and non-physical energy. And at home, I’d send love through my maples and birches to their palm families in Hawaii or California or elsewhere.

Trees connected me to the Earth in a way that the frenetic energy of society and the internet did not.

Sometimes, like today as I’m writing this, I forget and I feel the “overwhelm” of life and busyness and activities. When the weather doesn’t allow me to go for the healing daily walk I need to refresh my soul, I remember that I don’t even need to be near or around the trees to feel their connection.

And so, I would love to share with you this wonderful practice whenever you feel alone, disconnected or overwhelmed.

Or whenever you feel the magic pull of the trees…

- Look for a tree near you — just observe it at first. What kind of tree is it? Try touching it, first a gentle touch by hand, then if you feel comfortable move into an embrace. What do you feel?

- Visit one tree a day. Sit near it, under it, touch it or hug it and begin to notice how you feel each time — your feelings will change as you connect more often.

- When you can’t be near a tree physically for whatever reason, place your feet on the ground and visualize feel — the energy running from your body down into the ground, into the earth, and moving towards a grove of trees or a park — or even one single tree. Make the connection energetically — link to their roots, and rest, just BE. Relax in this moment knowing you are connected to the Earth in a powerful and grounded way.

How did that feel?

Happy connecting!

xoxo

meditation
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About the Creator

P.K. Davies

P.K. Davies is the author of The Cosmic Playbook for Writers and other inspirational content at www.JoyfulLifeMastery.com.

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