1.4 Look for the Tao in Trees

Welcome to the fourth episode of Walking With the Tao, a podcast where two educators take hikes together and discuss the Tao Te Ching. In each episode, we choose a different passage and discuss it while we walk in nature. The conversations are wide ranging, relevant, and relatable. 

For this episode, we were drawn back to Kennesaw Mountain, to a nature trail that begins at the visitor center at the base of the mountain. Our conversation mostly centered on the question, what is the Tao, with the metaphor of the uncarved block of wood taking center stage. 

The trees spoke to us on this hike. We found ourselves repeatedly drawn back to them as a topic of conversation. Trees as the most visible representation of “the natural.” Trees as a potential form of consciousness. Trees as partners in a vast collaborative ecosystem. The uncarved block of wood was all around us as we walked and talked. 

The conversation left both of us wondering how we know the Tao and how do you talk about it? We didn’t reach any definitive conclusions, but we agreed that the forest is a formidable teacher. 

A note about the title: The original title of this podcast was Thirty Spokes. We changed the title to Walking With the Tao in midstream. We decided not to edit out references to the original title. 

The music for the intro and outro comes from the song “Changes,” composed and recorded by ⁠⁠⁠Ryan Cherry⁠⁠⁠.