Talking to trees is one of the most important and effective aspects of my spiritual practice. It’s also just a really fun pastime.
It’s something I’ve been doing since I can remember. I realized recently that, despite the great joy my relationship with trees has brought to my life, I’ve never really shared it with anyone.
Having a connection with trees is essential to our health, happiness, and balance. Trees are also incredible tools for creativity, manifestation, spiritual work, and just plain old companionship.
This piece is meant to be a guide, but also meditation on trees – who do so much for us, asking very little in return.
Understanding the Forest
When you walk into a forest, you are entering a living, breathing cathedral.
The second you enter a forest, all of the trees become aware of your presence. Under your feet is a highly complex network of root systems, serving as lines of constant communication and connection for all of the trees that surround you. Because trees are protectors of life, they celebrate when you return to them.
Trees are mystical in many ways, but especially in their relationship to time. The big ones have been here long before us, and may very well outlive us. Spending time with trees brings our temporal reality into perspective. Nothing on this earth is immortal, but trees are some of the oldest living things we will ever come into contact with. They’ve seen some shit! They are especially grateful for the time they get to spend with us, because they understand how short human life is.
A forest is a spiritual environment because it is a space of connection and reverence for life. Trees are shelters for life, but also food for further life once they decay. They serve as guides and givers of life. Because of this, learning how to develop a relationship with trees can immensely benefit your quality of life.
Understanding Trees
Trees feel immense purpose in supporting life. They themselves are the earthly representation of growth, transformation, and the cyclical nature of energy. For this reason, trees want to help you through your life. Trees want you to experience growth and transformation, so that you may continue your work as a fellow protector of life.
While trees understand that humanity is deeply flawed, their nature as protectors of life drives them to help us untangle our deepest spiritual wounds. Trees want to assist us in our pain, confusion, and fear – so that we may, one day, create a civilization that protects life.
Trees want to help you connect to life, engage with life, and experience life. In other words: when you speak to trees, they listen.
Just as much as you need trees for the air you breathe, the home you live in, the civilization your species developed in order to survive – trees need you. Trees are invested in human life. Trees need us to commit to protecting them from mass destruction. They need us to manage the diseases that have proliferated due to climate change. Most of all, they need us to not forget them.
Trees and human beings have had relationships for as long as humans have existed. When we deprive trees of our presence, communication, and connection, we starve them of their great purpose in guiding us, assisting us, and healing us. They miss us.
How to Talk to Trees
So now you understand: building relationships with trees is one of the most deeply spiritual things you can do. This is the fun part.
Go into the forest alone.
When you arrive, start by listening. Do you hear birds? Running water? Wind running through leaves? Accept all of it as a greeting, and begin to focus on your breath, and maybe what you want to say.
Give the forest your full attention.
Walk until you start talking, even if it starts out awkward. You can introduce yourself if it’s your first time talking to them, but you don’t need to. They already know who you are.
Ask for help.
Usually the first things that come to mind when talking to trees are the things you are anxious about, or the things you have to do. The small tasks or heartbreaks that weigh on you. You should definitely ask the forest for help. Here is an example:
“I have been working on my writing but nobody reads it. I want people to read my writing, because I feel so happy when I write, and I want other people to share it with me. Can you please help me get opportunities to share my writing? Can you please attract people who will like my writing to my Substack??”
You might feel selfish and stupid asking the trees for what you want. Ask anyway.
You will find that once you have run through all of the small, stupid, selfish things, you will begin to talk about bigger, more important things.
If you have a prayer for the whole world, say it out loud.
You do not have to talk the whole time. You can also listen. You can also just share quiet company. You can bring a book, or a picture, or a sandwich, and share it with the trees.
Make offerings.
As you walk into the forest, you may ask for things. As you walk out of the forest, you must only make offerings.
What this means is that you can’t just go into a forest, emotionally dump, and expect the trees to do anything about it. Trees are always there to support you, but life relies on reciprocity. If you want the trees to help you specifically, you have to be willing to give.
Examples of offerings are:
Expressions of gratitude (“Thank you for spending time with me, for listening to me, for encouraging my growth, for protecting life, etc…”)
Singing a song
Telling a story
Listening to the forest
Pouring water
Picking up trash
Saying a prayer or positive meditation for the forest
Giving a tree a hug (yes, really)
Committing to doing something to protect the trees (like joining an environmentalist group, opposing deforestation efforts, cutting out meat, etc.)
Doing all of the above
Trees love this, and they will always reward you for it.
The past few times I have been with the forest, the trees don’t let me leave without a little polaroid picture of them. I’m not even kidding! I’ve started a collection of little polaroid pictures of trees that I have found on the ground while leaving the forest. It’s so cute, like a little token of the time we spent together. I know this sounds crazy – but it’s happened too many times for it to be a coincidence.
Your parting gift from trees may not always be physical, but it will be felt. You will leave the forest feeling lighter, more embodied, more alive. You will know that the trees have already started doing their work to make your dreams come true, and your life more beautiful.
Go forth!!
thank you for reading :) i would love to hear about your tree experiences so please let me know how it goes <33