I received an email from a gentle soul who had this question:
I want to discuss with you the terrible ice storm that we experienced in Western Kentucky in 2009 that damaged every tree, and I do mean Every tree in McCracken County and a much greater surrounding area and eastward across the state. It was so bad that it brought the Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore to town.
I live in the old family home in the county where I grew up. The drive coming up the hill to my house is lined with huge pine trees that my Dad set out in the early 70’s. They are all alive, growing new limbs to replace the broken ones, but they are still a sad sight to see. Tonight I viewed for the second time your Thursday night program given at the TS in early November, I believe. As you talked about tree spirits, etc, I thought how sad the tree spirits must have been on that night when the breaking and falling limbs here reminded one of how it must sound in a war zone. I had a friend who told me that it was the saddest night of his life as he sat on his porch listening to the trees breaking and falling. I was without power for 2 weeks. I have been living here since 2002. I am in good health for my age but I have been experiencing a very low energy level for the last 2 to 3 years and trying every thing I know to improve that situation, but wondering why nothing seems to help. Now, I am thinking, could it be because of living here in the middle of a rather forested area with broken trees all around? Does that sound crazy or could it be possible?
So happy know of a person like you who is working to make this world a better place.
My response:
Nature is an amazing realm of philosophical life forms – very ancient and very wise. They teach us that sometimes out of pain or injury comes new life, new hope, and new vision.
When I first encountered injury to trees I had grown to love, in the years after I became able to converse with them, I at first felt so sad. They stopped me right away. “Don’t feel sad,” the deva said. She showed me an entire image of the nature situation, that, translated into sequential language, goes something like this: Trees and rocks and plants are located in one place all their lives. They grow and evolve in the place. They give their heart’s love to all of us in that place. But they don’t move much. So sometimes when a natural catastrophe occurs, it is nature’s way to shake things up a bit – get some spirits to move on, enable other spirits to find new strength. All is part on nature and should be accepted as the flow of life, and move on.
So I am certain your trees have moved on and are finding new ways to grow, and even understand in a new way what beauty is and character is. So you should move on, too – accept the change, adapt, and be happy. Being happy is the most important thing, the devas said. No regrets over any situations – adapt and move on.