{"id":8158,"date":"2024-11-14T10:59:58","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T16:59:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/?p=8158"},"modified":"2024-11-16T19:58:58","modified_gmt":"2024-11-17T01:58:58","slug":"listening-to-the-giants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/?p=8158","title":{"rendered":"Listening to the Giants"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the Fall of 2018, a group of seekers visited the Coastal Redwoods in Northern California. The learning and impact was glorious. In this post many people contributed their love of the Earth and the Redwoods.<\/p>\n

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Prairie Creek State Park
Photograph by Ken W. Brown<\/p><\/div>\n

We have been given the responsibility to be guardians of all these sacred places, like the redwoods, and to keep them safe and holy. But so many life forms are in peril of going extinct because of our greed and our belief that this is \u201cour Earth\u201d, and we can do whatever want with it.<\/em>
\nDonna Taylor<\/p>\n

Today, only 5 percent of the original old-growth coast redwood forest remains, along a 450-mile coastal strip.<\/span>
\n<\/em>Save the Redwood League<\/p>\n

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Photo by Diane Kaplan<\/p><\/div>\n

Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief.<\/em>
\nDo justly, now. <\/em>
\nLove mercy, now. <\/em>
\nWalk humbly, now.<\/em>
\nYou are not obligated to complete the work, <\/em>
\nbut neither are you free to abandon it.<\/em><\/p>\n

from The Talmud<\/p>\n

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Redwood Spirit Tree
Photo by RMaya Briel<\/p><\/div>\n

The beauty and rarity of this Albino Redwood and it\u2019s ability to find a way to live and be useful to the forest astounded me. It does not create it\u2019s own chlorophyll and is fed by the trees around it. In return it takes on the heavy metals for the others. This lesson of interdependence and being yourself is worth pondering.
\n<\/em>RMaya Briel<\/p>\n

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Photo by Diane Kaplan<\/p><\/div>\n

Being with the Redwoods touched my soul. I feel the Redwoods within me.<\/em><\/p>\n

Diane Kaplan<\/p>\n

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Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
Ken W. Brown Photography.com<\/p><\/div>\n

And the Redwood said:\u00a0 “I have seen humans eating cookies”<\/em><\/p>\n

Human: “It is an advantage of being human”<\/p>\n

And the Redwood said: “We have creatures and plants living on us <\/em>
\nRoots that are connected to the Earth<\/em>
\nAnd our crown is bathed in the sky.<\/em>
\nWe have the rain and the fog.<\/em>
\nWe are not full of cookies,
\nBut we are full of life.”
\n<\/em>Channeling a Redwood – Donna Taylor<\/p>\n

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A very old and wise maple tree nestled in the Redwood Forest
Photo by Robin Sanislo<\/p><\/div>\n

I was thinking of writing a poem about the trees, but I couldn’t because, really, the trees themselves are the poems. An epic poem.<\/em>
\nAnnie Kitaeff<\/p>\n

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Redwood Burl
Photo by Annie Kitaeff<\/p><\/div>\n

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Shadows in the Redwoods
Photo by Annie Kitaeff<\/p><\/div>\n

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Being in the Redwoods, I became aware of the urgency of life, the enormous power of the life force, the precious nature of life, and the need to live in harmony with other life forms. As teachers, the Redwoods are unparalleled.
\n<\/em>Annie Kitaeff<\/p>\n

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Survivor
Ken W. Brown Photography<\/p><\/div>\n

I had come to the Redwoods to help them, and yet was so exhausted that I didn\u2019t feel I had the physical strength to do so. I did what I could. However, at one point, I just felt that I needed to lay down. I laid on the forest floor and fell into a mystical, sleep-like state. I felt the redwood trees healing me with their roots growing into my heart as I lay on my back on the forest floor. I wished to give to them, but they gave to me so much.<\/em><\/p>\n

I said to my friend, Larry, I didn\u2019t have much strength to bring because I was so physically tired. He said to me, \u201cBut you brought your truth and that was your strength\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n

Dr. Jedidiah Krauss<\/p>\n

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Humboldt Redwood Tree Prayer
Ken W. Brown Photography.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Human:<\/strong> Grandfather, Grandfather
\nYou said I was small.
\nBut you weren\u2019t just talking about my height.
\nGrandfather, Grandfather
\nTeach me not to be small any more
\nHelp me to remember who I was<\/p>\n

Redwood: “One tree never stands alone
\n<\/em>One tree never has all the answers
\nWe are all one root system
\nLet the sky and the Earth talk to you
\nIt is almost like a singing”<\/em><\/p>\n

Human: I am the forest.
\nI am interconnected with all living things
\n<\/em>I am unique and can contribute to the whole
\n<\/em>I listen with my whole body
\n<\/em>I am the sky
\nI am the Earth
\nGrandfather, Grandfather
\nIt hurts to feel this good.<\/p>\n

Human:\u00a0 Lawrence Wade
\nChanneling a Redwood – Donna Taylor<\/p>\n

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Redwood Root System
photo by Veronica Smith<\/p><\/div>\n

Let the Roots Run Deep<\/em> – Lyrics and song by Lawrence Wade<\/p>\n

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View on full screen. Shared by Veronica Smith.<\/p>\n

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\nLife is a big circle and many forget that when any part of our ecosystem is gone, it diminishes who we are and our potential.
\n<\/em>Jim Cotton<\/p>\n

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Sunrays
Ken W. Brown Photography.com<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Breathing with the trees<\/em>
\nJoining their breath.<\/em>
\nI am with you and you with me,<\/em>
\nwoven together\u2026humble, patient<\/em>
\nBe<\/em><\/p>\n

Barbara Goodman-Fischtrom<\/p>\n

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Photo by Barbara Goodman-Fischtrom<\/p><\/div>\n

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Sunlight through the Redwoods
Photo by Annie Kitaeff<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the Fall of 2018, a group of seekers visited the Coastal Redwoods in Northern California. The learning and impact was glorious. In this post many people contributed their love of the Earth and the Redwoods. We have been given … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-connecting-to-nature","category-nature-guardians"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8158"}],"version-history":[{"count":46,"href":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8158\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12390,"href":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8158\/revisions\/12390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}