The view from the trees

Continuing on my spirit journey...

The impetus that I had to make this journey was concern about a news story I heard on the radio, that oak trees across much of North America were not producing acorns this year. Acorn production naturally varies from year to year, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, but always some. But this year huge numbers of trees are producing no acorns at all. What was wrong? I resolved to ask Oak about it.

When I arrived in the clearing, I saw Oak standing tall and full, vibrant and alive; I immediately felt relieved. I expressed my concern to Oak, and asked what was happening? Were the trees dying? Was is global warming, parasites? Is there anything I could do?

Oak told me not to worry. Yes, many trees this year were not producing acorns. This was not something that they chose, nor was it something that they were forced to do: they just perceived that this was the right thing to do right now. This confused me somewhat, so Oak drew me into its awareness, so that I could to some extent see the world the way trees see it.

Trees are intensely bound up with the natural flow of what is, something I can only compare to the Tao. Animals have intentions and make choices, and can act either in harmony or opposition to this flow. Simpler animals generally follow the Tao spontaneously, and live their lives in harmony. More complex animals may act in response to fears or desires that pull them in different ways, and can get out of sync, moving against the flow. Humans are the worst at this, often not even being aware that their choices and actions continually make life more difficult and stressful.

Plants cannot move against the Tao. At each moment, a plant simply does what is right for it to do, without plan or intention. An animal lives within the flow, and can move with or against the flow; but a plant IS the flow. It is a spontaneous expression of what is at each moment, unbent by intentions. Plants do not fear or desire, they simple dwell in awareness of what is, was, and shall be, and their growth and life is a dance expressing this. Only humans ask Why, or If.

Are the trees dying? They don't know, and it doesn't worry them. They know that time flows in ever-repeating cycles, that winter follows summer. Across the rhythm of the seasons there are larger rhythms of growth and waning, and that nothing stays the same, that there will be a time when the trees will wane, just as there is for all things. They will pass when it is right, without fear, whether in a nuclear winter or the slow death of the sun.

Oak did reveal something of what the trees perceive of what will be. They are withholding their acorns this year; the energy and vitality that would normally go out to them is being pulled inward and concentrated. This is building a huge reservoir of energy, which they will use for some important purpose in the near future. The trees don't know what the purpose will be. They just know that when the time is right it will be used, to the benefit of all. I asked for more details, what is this great plan of the trees? What will they do? They don't know. Being trees, they have no plan, no intention, they just perceive that there will be a time soon when they will act.