Connecting to our Sacred Earth through Trees

by Gray Harrison

Early each morning, when I sit down at my altar to meditate and give thanks for this life and this sacred Earth, I start by holding a seed pod to my heart.  This humble seed pod carries the energy of a 700 year-old Lebanon Cedar tree, a tree that has transformed my understanding of consciousness and our ineffable oneness with all that is.

Like many humans, I have always felt at home amongst the trees.  I’ve embraced their beauty, their strength, their resiliency, and innumerable other qualities.  I’ve climbed them, built shelters in them, sat in their shade, rolled in their leaves, and yes, even hugged them.  But until the summer of 2019, in the Loire Valley of France, I had never experienced a clear, intentional, and unmistakable communication from a tree. On that day, however, as my partner and I walked up a path on a small hill, we came into contact with a fellow Earthling speaking a new language.  Not in words, but as a palpable energy field of consciousness, reaching out to connect, heart to heart. This ancient and beautiful tree had opened a portal to human consciousness, and it had a powerful message: The trees love the Earth with every cell of their being, and the activities of humans are breaking their hearts.  The tree was emanating an energy which can be described as an overwhelming and unquestionable message of deep, deep love, along with unfathomable grief. There did not need to be any human words; it was a language older than words, and our hearts understood.  

As my life has moved along from that incredible experience, I’ve been staying open to how I can respond to the imperative that I feel every day as I hold the seed pod to my heart chakra.  The answer I’ve found is that the message of deep love for our Sacred Earth, and the inextricable connection of all consciousnesses can guide and teach the human family to once again realize our intimate connection with Gaia Sanctus, the living planet.  

The Tree Initiative

The Tree Initiative is open to everyone of all practices and paths.  The purpose is to reconnect our spirits with the spirit of the Earth with the help and guidance of the trees.  Together, our energies can shape a future of caring and stewardship that will once again make the Earth healthy and whole.  The process is simple, if you will open yourself to it.

First, know this: The trees need us, and we need the trees.  There are many ways we can connect with the trees, and one practice that is available to us has been given by a group called “The Net of Life”. Started by Sharon McErlane (netoflife.org), who received a vision from a consciousness or consciousnesses identified as “the Grandmothers”.  

This is what the Grandmothers say:

“It’s time to get to know the spirits of nature and connect with the elemental kingdom. To save your planet from destruction and return it to balance, this link must be made,” the Grandmothers said, “and you are here to do it! The trees are where you will begin. Trees connect through the mycelium network in their roots, a freeway of communication. The Mother Trees of the old growth forests are masters at this,” they said, “and though only a few of them are left, from these few, others can learn. The great network of tree communication that once existed all over the Earth can be re-activated.

“The Net of Light is even more powerful than you think it is. Its reach is enormous and, when you work, you will be able to link it to the mycelium network of the plant kingdom. The actual work of communication will be done by the trees,” the Grandmothers said, “but human beings are needed to connect the trees to the Net of Light.

Each time you work with the Net of Light, think of the ancient trees, the great Mother Trees. Then, in ceremony, meditation, song, or however you do it, cast the Net of Light to these archetypal trees and ask them to anchor light once again. Ask them to send a radiant broadcast throughout their roots to bless everything that lives. Remember,” the Grandmothers said, “the template for this work is still set into the Earth, so what we are asking of you is do-able. Please take our request seriously,” they said. “Get to work now and more information will follow.”

I encourage everyone to connect with at least one tree.  Finding a tree friend is a practice anyone can try, and it is easy to do.  Look around you, at your home, or at your favorite place, and see if a tree is calling to you.  You’ll know when you find the right tree. Then, as the Grandmothers instructed, sit with the tree, open your heart, lean in, and breathe.  Let the communication flow, and let the tree know that you are with them, and there to support, once again, the Net of Light that holds the sacred life of our Earth.  Sit with that energy for as long as feels right, and return to your tree friend whenever you can. Also, take a seed pod, or a fallen leaf or stick from your tree friend and make it part of your altar, so that you can connect every day to the energy of the tree.  This practice will help open your heart and your consciousness to the Sacredness of the Earth, and you will be an integral part of the healing we need. Thank you, and, as the Grandmothers say, there is more to come.

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