As we enter this new moon cycle, (yes that Scorpio season that everyone is talking about) my pace has slowed considerably. From this place of increasing stillness I hope to further open my shamanic eyes and ears to the whispers of the natural world. I particularly love trees at this time of year because rather than flaunting their showy green splendour, they stand magnificently strong, baring their skeletons, their sturdy core to the world against a landscape that is becoming increasingly bare and considerably chillier. 
In their nakedness we can really differentiate their different forms, size and growing pattern. I find it hard not to reach out and touch a tree as I pass by. They always seem to provide a fascinating texture that tells a story and invites you in.
No matter what the weather is up to, the trees around us just seem to take it (with the exception of those really strong winds). There must be a lesson in there somewhere about resilience and being rooted! Trees sometimes can totally make my day, they provide shelter and companionship and are homes to entire mini eco-systems. So I felt really sad when I read a few stats this week from the Woodland Trust like the UK only having 13% of tree cover and being only 2 % ancient woodland. I don’t even want to imagine how bare and lifeless the landscape might feel without the familiar shapes and colours of trees towering above us and all of the creatures that they shelter.
I fondly remember trees that shaped my childhood. The cherry tree blossom that signified the month of May, that I stood under as May Queen. The Horse Chestnut that my neighbour and I made a tree house in and used to play in together. The apple trees at the bottom of the garden where we had a precarious rope ladder attached. When I bought my first ever home I planted a Rowan Tree (for protection of course) which now stands metres above me and will far exceed my lifetime. I also fondly remember 2 sugar maple trees that grew outside our farmhouse in Canada, like a pair of constant companions, always watching, always standing by, always holding the space for us.
If you have a moment today pause and consider your relationship to trees?
What are your memories from childhood of trees?
Do you still have a specific tree that you look for, that you head to or certain days?
Are you fearful of taking a walk in the woods, excited or disinterested?
Do you long for a landscape of wild and ancient woodland or do you prefer a more manicured managed landscape outside of the city?
If you have a few more moments then take a walk and find a tree, notice how it is coping with the changing seasons, notice its strength.
Reach out and touch the tree, make a connection.
Allow yourself to get lost for a moment in the company of trees and listen for its stories.
Post your comments below, don’t be shy!
If you are searching for Christmas Gifts then I totally recommend these gorgeous wooden TREE of LIFE from Knightingale Crafts. Check out the TREE of LIFE here
And finally, enjoy this meditation recorded last year on the Radiance of Trees.