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Connecting with Trees and other Nature Beings

Be forewarned: Things will change for you once you can communicate with trees and other nature beings. You will “wake up” to a feeling of deep connection with all of Creation. This process of waking is one that occurs both physically and emotionally. Your experiences in nature will be richer, more textured and vivid. As long as there are trees nearby, you will never be alone. You may receive teachings and guidance from your new friends that will take you to places you never dreamed of.

Your relationship with yourself is likely to change. You may crave silence and solitude more. You may develop a thirst for all things Spirit. Your tolerance for loud noise and crowds of people may go down. You may not recognize yourself in quite the same way.

The Effect of Song on the Plant World

In the 1970 movie “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever”, Barbra Streisand hit the big screen as Daisy Gamble, a chain-smoking, nervous young woman who sang to her plants and made everything bloom and grow. For over 30 years the idea that singing to one’s plants is good for them has been simmering away in our collective consciousness. Many scientific experiments have been conducted that support that idea. We have learned that houseplants love music and singing and dislike shouting or violence.

I would like to take this idea just one step further….outdoors. Trees also love being sung to. And, since they are rooted in the earth, it is easier for them to share the healing of the songs they receive over a greater area. Sound travels well through air, and better through water, but it travels best through solid material. So, by singing to trees with loving intention, we are able to send healing not only to the area surrounding the trees, but also to the Earth.

Creating a Healing Intention

The most important part of communicating with the plant world is in knowing what your intention is. It cannot be for the purpose of manipulating or tricking the trees you wish to connect to. It must come from a place of respect, humility and love. Trees are good-natured, service-minded beings, and they will teach us and help us when they can, but they will shut down if they suspect deception or ill-intent.

What is an appropriate intention?

I find it helpful to always remember that trees and other plants, animals, water, rock, and air all came from the Creator. They are truly my brothers and sisters, grandparents, cousins and every type of relation. The first part of communicating with plants is to see past the illusion of separation and to honour the connection that already exists between us. I do not create the connection, I simply acknowledge it gratefully.

Before I ask the trees for anything, whether a song or a teaching, I take the time to express my love and gratitude to them. I thank them for their beauty and strength; for the shade they provide, or fruit, or flowers, for stabilizing the earth they stand in with the power of their roots and for any other personal reason I may have, whether for an individual or group of trees. This appreciation can be expressed out loud through words, or in the quiet of one’s heart and mind. I usually sing to the trees, because I know they love receiving the vibration of song. There are two “all-purpose” gratitude/acknowledgement songs I use regularly. I am not suggesting these songs are the only ones possible or worthwhile; they just work well for me. I would suggest that you feel free in finding your own honouring song to open communication, but I also recognize that you may feel more comfortable in the beginning to have some clear examples.

Whether I sing or speak or think my gratitude I place myself in direct contact with the tree, if at all possible. Oh yes! I am a tree-hugger! I usually place my hands on the tree and often lean my forehead against it. When a speak aloud, or sing quietly, my mouth is very, very close to the tree.

Here are the two songs I use:

Now I Walk in Beauty
(traditional song, source unknown)

Click here to listen to a sample (1.6 MB).

Lyrics:
Now I walk in beauty,
Beauty is before me,
Beauty is behind me,
Above and below me.

I usually sing this song at least three times for the vibration of it to sink in.

Spirit and Life
(written by Denise Gagné Williamson)

Click here to listen to a sample (1.1 MB).

You are free to use this song for your own personal tree singing work, but should anyone decide to record it or perform it publicly, you must seek my permission and credit me accordingly.

You are not background
Spirit and Life
You are my family
Spirit and Life
Brothers and sisters
Spirit and Life
We are connected
Spirit and Life
One in Creator
Spirit and Life
Spirit and Life
Spirit and Life

You hold our stories
Spirit and Life
Roots in the Mother
Spirit and Life
Arms reaching upwards
Spirit and Life
Prayers to the Father
Spirit and Life
Connecting and holding
Spirit and Life
Spirit and Life
Spirit and Life

Greeting and honouring the trees is the first step in communicating with them. If you stand in silence, remaining in physical contact, you may begin to sense the energy of the tree, and it may decide to “speak” with you. Receiving and understanding the tree messages is the next step.