Mary has always been a tree lover. She helped her father plant and nurture many trees growing up. He too loved trees. Tending to the trees was a task that connected them in a quiet and tangible way. Trees became a symbol of strength, Life, and provision for Mary.
Colorado Aspens
Mary has spent many hours in Colorado, both as child and an adult. She has taken refuge there in hard times, discovered kindred friendships, and even honeymooned there. Colorado always feels like home. While soaking in the beauty of golden mountainsides of Aspen trees and listening to the rustling of their leaves Mary learned some priceless lessons.
Each Tree is Part of the Grove
According to the National Forest Foundation Aspen trees are the most wide-spread tree in North America. While it appears that each trunk is an individual standing among other Aspens, the reality is that each trunk is a part of a much larger organism. A grove of Aspen trees is actually one organism with one root system. Each tree functions more as a branch rather than a separate tree. Consequently, what affects one affects the whole. If one tree is injured or destroyed the whole organism responds similarly to the human body. Nutrients are sent to the damaged area to help restore its vitality.
Growth and Sustenance
Provided they have light, Aspens will continue growing year-round even when other forms of Life are dormant. Consequently, they provide nourishment that can sustain surrounding wildlife during winter and can quickly reforest an area devastated by fire or natural disaster.
The oldest still-existing aspen clone is estimated to be more than 80,000 years old.
Community: One Sustaining Life Force
If Aspens had one message it might be “Community.” Regardless what each one of us experiences in life we are never going through it alone. While we have our own experience and expression as individuals, we are part of a bigger whole connected by one sustaining life force. What affects one affects all. When we expose ourselves to the Light of Love we can experience rapid growth and development even when all seems lost. Building a healthy community doesn’t happen quickly, but it is always in process, and when we focus on the ways we are united rather than separated we can rebuild and grow stronger.
I may not know you or what you’re going through, nor you I, but we are linked even if we aren’t consciously aware of it. Like a ripple in a pond we can feel the effects of disturbance or stillness. If we are awake and listening to the directions in which the Universe guides our hearts we can feed and sustain each other through the Oneness that connects us.
