“When trees get to a mature age (50 years old +-) they begin to sing and for those of us who are sensitive we can actually hear their song.”
EC – Passamaquoddy Elder
When I was pregnant with my children I spent a lot of time being attentive to my heartbeat. I believe that it was because of this awareness that I had so many lucid dreams one of which saved my son’s life. In Shamanism the drum is a sacred tool that is used for ritual but that is also believed to have healing powers. There is nothing more powerful than the heart beat of a mother, the heart beat of a family, the heart beat of a community and finally, the heartbeat of a nation. The idea is that the heartbeats of people who love and care for each other will synchronize and eventually make sacred all that is dear to these people. Obviously, if you pay attention to your heartbeat when you are pregnant it brings you to connect to your unborn child.
After my children were born and they would listen to music I would always show them the heartbeat that was behind each and every song. Soon my son was able to pick up on the drums and mimic the beats. It’s not surprising that he’s a drummer today, and that he plans to make it is career. Nevertheless he quickly came to understand that without a heartbeat music wouldn’t exist. When he was 10 years old he came to me and said that he could hear a heartbeat in nature. Soon he was pointing to particular trees (usually those that were really old) and telling me that he could hear songs coming from them. I explained to him EC, a teacher and great friend of mine as well as a Passamaquoddy elder once said to me that mature trees could sing and that sensitives could hear their songs.”
I had been able to hear the songs of trees for quite some time. I remember my mother telling me that I had an amazing imagination. The few times that I mentioned being able to hear music in the woods ended up in humiliation and so I kept the experience to myself. It was quite wonderful to hear that my son heard the same thing. There is always healing in uncovering common ground. EC was the first person who admitted hearing trees sing and she even spent summer evenings out on her porch listening to them and their concerto. She lived in the woods where families of century old trees still existed. The first time I went to visit with EC, in N.B., I was amazed with the sounds around her house. She said to me one evening: “Can you just imagine this land 500 years ago? Even the teenagers of yesterday had access to music. Yet the stars of yesterday weren’t two leggeds.”
A few years ago when we bought our home out in the country I decided to buy some trees and create my own little forest. I knew that I couldn’t buy a few dozen 50 year old trees just the expense would be ridiculous. Instead, I committed to 10 year old trees all native to Canadian soil. I was careful in planting them and made sure that their roots, bark and leaves were well protected and loved. I really didn’t mind being patient and even though I wouldn’t live to see their first concert just the thought of leaving this kind of legacy to my children and grandchildren pleased me. I was stunned when after 5 years of having them they started to do this “clucking” sound as if they were humans hitting their tongues on their back palate. My son heard them too. One summer we had Aboriginal friends stay at our house (all traditionalists and sensitives) they too reported the sound. A few theories were debated. Some said that perhaps it was a kind of communal heartbeat. Others said that it was probably because I planted the trees all together or at once that I connected them somehow the way a mother and an unborn child get attached.
I learnt from one of the elders that when a Mother and unborn child connect at the heart level it allows the mother to see her child’s soul and always know where it is in life and death. I found this interesting and it certainly gave a whole new perspective to “mother’s intuition.”
‘Til this day our trees are still growing strong and are still “clucking”. We haven’t yet heard a song but we certainly believe that sooner or later it will happen…
**Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird wrote a book entitled The Secret Life of Plants which reveals that plants are communal creatures with “a thought pattern” that is in many ways more evolved than humans. It is interesting reading… I’ll come back with more on the topic in future blog entries.
*****P.S. The picture of trees at the start of this entry was taken in Costa Rica. These are trees on Mayan sacred ground.
Comments