GREEN NEWS & VIEWS
Write Like a Tree... ...continued from page 55
There are so many stories swirling around everything we encounter. Many of them are not immediately apparent. This next step invites you to do a little research, and write deeper. Find stories in science, mythology, ecology, the history of the land you and your friend share. Descriptions and observations will expand when you do a little research. You can also use your imagination to create new stories, beyond your observations! (There really are no rules here – just an invitation to explore.) Write like a rooted tree, finding and capturing stories from the cir - cle of knowledge around the species, ecosystem, and synchronicities swirling around you and your particular tree. Write down what you learn! Again, there’s no need to edit or organize. Simply use your jour - nal as a record of your exploration. The freedom in knowledge and storytelling are powerful in and of themselves. Go to the root. Learn about the skies that arc above the tree you are (hopefully) coming to love. Ask every question you can imagine, and find sources wherever your curiosity carries you. There are many questions that might help you dive deeper. What are your tree’s life cycles like? What are its relationships with the animals and birds and plants and mosses around it? Does it have any myths or indigenous stories about it? How does it communicate with other trees around it? Does your tree or anything in its circle you have been spending time in have medicinal properties? I predict you’ll find many more questions, depending on your interests. This is also a good time to listen to your dreams. Do they add any - thing to your observations, to the stories you are discovering? When you feel full to the brim with rich and delicious stories, move on to the last step in this mindful writing process.
the drift of continents. This is what has been called… “ an in - terface of immensity and minuteness, of past and present, softness and hardness, stillness and vibrancy, yin and yan. ―Robin Wall Kimmerer, Gathering Moss Trees live moment to moment. Writing can help us see the world in moments, experience it more clearly, practicing the patient pres- ence of a tree. We join the conversations going on in the natural world around us. Your mindfulness journey starts with observation and description, listening to a being who has much to teach. Choose a tree you can reach, touch, and see; spend time where it lives. Pay attention to your specific tree and all the other beings (creatures and plants) around it. Write in detail. Write with love and attention. If you’re willing, write through the seasons and through different weather. Be present and write what you see, experience and understand. Follow the threads of your curiosity by describing everything you can, in as much detail as possible. Make the tree and its circle of influ - ence part of your consciousness. The more you observe, the more likely you will begin to feel you’re in a conversation with your tree. Use every sense: listen, look, smell, and touch! And keep writing. No need for editing, by the way! Whatever you write, however you phrase it, will be perfect. When you feel you have truly connected, continue on to the second step in the process. THEN… Gather Stories About Your New Friend and its World Transformation is not accomplished by tentative wading at the edge. ―Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass
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56—PATHWAYS—Summer 26
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