By S.Dames and K.Hunter
They came upon the Cedar tree. It showed them the breadth of their centre and the strength and limitations of their shallow root systems. While their resources span widely on the surface, when the drought and winds come, they feel fragile, wondering if they’re enough, if they have what it takes to survive the elements.
They came upon the Arbutus tree. It showed them their whimsical nature and the power of their magic. Sprouting up like a fairy amid a forest of sameness. This is how they learned to embrace their uniqueness. That a sprinkle of magic is exactly the medicine to transform their grief and shame.
They came upon the Maple tree. The fairy of the forest swayed before them, its tentacles reach joyfully to the sky, wrapped in an elegant moss jacket and bursting with foliage. This is how they learned to embrace their lightness, enabling them to dance with the fluidity of life.
They came upon the Fir tree. It struck them with its plainness. Its long thin trunk moving efficiently to the sky, wasting no time expanding on the surface. This is a being that knows who it is, deeply rooted and resilient with nothing to prove.
They came upon the oak tree, all gnarled and alone, sending out seeds on the wind, trusting that only by falling to the darkness below could they sprout and live anew.
They came upon the fallen tree, decaying and covered in moss, reverent at being the source from which new life will come.
And so they’ve come to learn that they too can feel messy, magic, stable, powerful, complex, basic and boring, carved out and teaming with life. That when embraced, they are the compost encouraging deeper roots and the seed from which new life springs…
