Going Green with Tree Medicine
Earth Day was birthed during a time of great passion and of social upheaval. In 1969, Wisconsin’s Senator Nelson was ever so distraught by the Santa Barbara oil spill. He called for a grass roots “teach-in” to address our environmental issues and scheduled it to commence the following spring. This was patterned after the pro-peace “sit-ins” and “love-ins” made popular by my generation-the Baby Boomers. His vision did indeed come to pass and on April 22, 1970 the first Earth Day was launched. My husband Jay and I were among the nation’s 20 million strong to celebrate the first event of its kind. That day, as hippies in our early 20’s, we danced to the music and proudly wore our peace symbols in our heart and on our clothing. We called for a healthy, pollution-free, peaceful, and sustainable Mother Earth. In 1970, as global citizens we were experiencing the following:*Vietnam was raging-there was a draft *Leaded gas was poisoning our air-*Factories were freely dumping toxic waste in our rivers and oceans*Raw Sewage was running amuck *Pesticides were liberally sprayed *Power Plants were routinely negligent without any oversight *When President Nixon deployed more troops into Cambodia, pro-peace rallies erupted across the nation. At Kent State University, 4 students were killed and 8 more injured during a demonstration. *Jimi Hendrix died that year—the previous summer I saw him perform at the Boulder, CO. amphi-theater. When he began playing his famous Star Spangled Banner rendition, we were tear-gassed. We tucked our heads into our laps, remained calm as Jimi continued to play through. To say the least, it was a surreal moment…my perception shifted. Back in those days, musicians pulled us through time and space-these troubadours were the Pied Pipers of a new consciousness. Our songs were of love, global peace, and they “preached” of a sustainable, healthy Mother Earth. The troubadours were Jackson Browne, Janis Joplin, Canned Heat, Three Dog Night, Fleetwood Mac, The Dooby Brothers, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Grace Slick & the Jefferson Airplane, and Buffie St, Marie-granted, we were listening to these visionaries on our 8-track tape deck, but a major shift was occurring…our personal realities were also shifting Mother Earth. In 1970, Led Zepplin played their first concert in Iceland and they were inspired to write the profound tune The Immigrant. Its lyrics…“On we sweep with threshing oar, Our only goal will be the western shore, So now you’d better stop and rebuild all your ruins, For peace and trust can win the day.” We can rebuild Mother Earth by being aware, living responsibly, and living green. The Beatles released their last album—Let It Be… “When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. And when the broken-hearted people living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be.” Mother Mary is synonymous with Mother Earth-her nurturing care mends our broken hearts. Be aware, Live Responsibly, Live Green and Let it be… Simon and Garfunkle’s song A Bridge Over Troubled Water held us in the flow of healing waters… “Sail on silver girl (Mother Earth), Sail on by. Your time has come to shine. All your dreams are on their way. See how they shine. If you need a friend, I’m sailing right behind. Like a bridge over troubled water I will ease your mind.” Be aware, Live Responsibly, Live Green and Live in Peace. Fast-forward to TODAY, 38 years later- we are now aware of global warming, recycling and living green. Yet, the rain forests are being cut down to provide red meat for fast food businesses, methane gasses poison our air, global dimming has brought about massive drought and famine, and we are once again involved in a war. Truly, any of these issues could easily make us feel overwhelmed, but we have to look back at the Earth’s trillions of years. Mother Earth forever be in a state of change. Since Mother Earth’s initials are M.E, that spells me. It is up to you and me to be aware, live responsibly, and live green, and heal Mother Earth. Yes, there will always be disorder, but we can yield a Mother Earth whose transformational process will be one of beauty and grace. You and I are cultivating a healthy and sustainable Mother Earth. It is essential to plant more trees and speaking of trees… The symbolism of tree medicine goes back to the beginning of time as every culture has celebrated its sacredness. The wisdom of the tree considers itself intrinsic in the family tree, the tree of knowledge, the Kabalistic tree of awareness, Jewish and Christian mythology’s tree sits in the center of both earthy and heavenly Eden, and the Celtic eternal tree of life expresses insightful meanings bringing tree medicine in the form of healing balm. Each culture denotes the tree’s strength, resurrection, and expansiveness. While seeking clarity one attempts to see the forest and not the trees…or in other words, to see the big picture. Bruno Bettelheim was a noted observer of the Brothers Grim authors. In The Uses of Enchantment: the Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales, he noted, “The forest symbolized the place of inner darkness…where uncertainty is resolved about who one is, and where one begins to understand who one wants to be. Since ancient times the near impassable forest in which we get lost has represented the hidden, near-impenetrable world of our unconscious. If we have lost the framework that gave structure to our past life, we must now find our way to become ourselves…when we succeed in finding our way out, we shall emerge with a much more highly developed humanity.” Since our soul is in a continuous state of evolvement, why not lean on tree medicine to heal our self and in turn, humanity. Each tree has an essence or a frequency for example, “the Oak is considered a tree of great strength, endurance, adaptability, and is robust. Throughout history the Oak has been considered a sacred. The Celts called the mighty Oak, “the Garden in the Forest” as it attracts the growth of various plant forms and is home to birds, forest animals and insects. The Willow tree is considered the Queen of the Water and the Alder is known as the King. The Willow is believed to bestow eloquent communication upon its visitor. Orpheus the Greek received this gift and he was so loved that Apollo also gave him with a lyre. His sweet music tamed the fierce of forest creatures, Mt. Olympus’ rocks and trees; eventually, he taught the muses to play”–who in turn, possibly taught songwriting skills and music to the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkle and Jimi Hendrix. The Willow also denotes flexibility.” According to the USDA 1 acre of newly forested trees will sequester about 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide annually. For every ton of new wood grown about 1.5 tons of CO2 are removed from the air and 1.07 tons of life-giving oxygen are produced. Trees provide a habitat wild animals and insects. During a tree’s 50-year life span, one tree will generate $30,000.00 in oxygen, recycle $35,000.00 worth of water, and clean up $60,000.00 worth of air pollution. This is a total of $125,000.00 per tree. When properly placed, a tree will reduce utilities of a business or residence and a strand provides a windbreak. Trees recharge ground water, prevent soil erosion, and sustain stream flow. A tree even reduces stress as it connects us to our natural heritage. A tree is not only a gift to future generations, but it is often planted as a living memorial of a loved one. In addition to the tree’s gifts green attributes, symbolism, and iconic value, Henry David Thoreau said it best; “One is wise to cultivate the tree that bears fruit in our soul.” Tree medicine goes hand in hand with living green and loving your mother. Be Aware, Live Responsibly, Live Green and Live in Peace.