May 13, 2023 • 38 mins
We at Tree Speech are incredibly grateful to Stephanie Kaza and our mothers, Miriam Robinson, Anne-Marie Roach and Jackie Vandenberg for joining us today.
Dr. Stephanie Kaza is Professor Emerita of Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont and former Director of the UVM Environmental Program. She co-founded the Environmental Council at UVM and served as faculty director for the Sustainability Faculty Fellows program. In 2011 Dr. Kaza received the UVM George V. Kidder Outstanding Faculty Award for excellence in teaching. Kaza received a prestigious Religion and Science course award from the Templeton Foundation for her course on Buddhism and Ecology. She lectures widely on topics of Buddhism and the environment. Kaza is a long-time practitioner of Soto Zen Buddhism, with training at Green Gulch Zen Center, California, and further study with Thich Nhat Hanh, Joanna Macy, and John Daido Loori. She was lay ordained by Kobun Chino Ottogawa in the late 1980s and applied her understanding of Buddhism as a member of the International Christian-Buddhist Theological Encounter group. She is the author of the books A WILD LOVE FOR THE WORLD, GREEN BUDDHISM: PRACTICE AND COMPASSIONATE ACTON IN UNCERTAIN TIMES, CONVERSATIONS WITH TREES, MINDFULLY GREEN: A PERSONAL AND SPIRITUAL GUIDE TO WHOLE EARTH THINKING, and others.
Also much gratitude and endless love to our mothers, Miriam Robinson, Anne-Marie Roach and Jackie Vandenberg for sharing their tree stories, and for everything.
To learn more about our podcast and episodes, please visit treespeechpodcast.com. We’re thrilled to be able to offer interviews, creative insights, and stories about the natural world we live in, and the trees who guide our way. Please also consider supporting us through our Patreon - every contribution supports our production, and we’ll be giving gifts of gratitude including an invitation to Tree House, our new virtual community for patrons of all levels. Please also consider passing the word to tree loving folks, and rate and review us on Apple podcasts. Every kind word helps. See you soon!
Tree Speech’s host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU’s Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori’s original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com
This week’s episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massachusett, and Pawtucket people, in New York on the land of the Lenapee tribes, as well as the lands of the Confederate Tribes of the Siletz Indians, and the Grand Ronde Cowlitz.
Special thanks to the Western Avenue Lofts and Studios for all their support.
Tree Speech is produced and co-written by Jonathan Zautner with Alight Theater Guild. The mission of the guild is
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello, this is Dori Robinson andI hope you are doing well.
We are working on future new episodes to be released soon,
but really wanted to replace a this Tree of Life.
Episode that was originally released last year because we
think that the things that Stephanie causes spoke of in our
interview are more important than ever.
(00:23):
As we find ways to protect and take care of our Earth and
trees. Also this episode and is one of
our favorites as it features. Our mothers, we hope you are
able to celebrate and take in this blossoming time of year and
that you enjoy this episode in this season of tree speech.
(00:54):
We are focusing on how we commune with trees, the
conversations. We With them, as well as the
spiritual mythical and personal ways people relate to them, not
only in our present day, but also throughout history.
Appearing in numerous religious and sacred texts art literature
(01:16):
science, religion, philosophy and mythology across States
cultures and civilizations. We couldn't explore our relation
to trees without examining the Tree of Life.
The tree of life, sometimes referred to as the world tree
appears in mythology and folklore of cultures around the
(01:39):
world and very slightly from culture, The culture, a common
theme that is shared, however, is the idea that a mystical
tree, connects the spiritual andphysical worlds.
In addition, the tree of life isfoundational to supporting all
life on this planet. My name is story Robinson and
this is tree speech. A podcast where we practice
(02:01):
hearing the forest through the trees.
This week's episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on
the native lands of the wabanakiConfederacy.
Penacook massachusett and Pawtucket people in New York on
the land of the Lenape tribes, as well as on the lands of the
Confederate, tribes of the siletz, Indians and the Grande
(02:22):
Ronde Cowlitz. Tree speech is co-written and
produced by Jonathan's out. Nur, and a light theater guilt.
Swiss psychologist. Carl Jung continually notice
that trees often arose in people's dreams and so began to
study the commonalities of this occurrence through his research.
(02:46):
He discovered that trees were part of the collective.
Unconscious indicating growth unfolding shelter, nurturing,
permanence rootedness and rebirth and concluded that the
tree is an archetype, a symbol deeply ingrained, even hardwired
into the human eye. Unconscious.
The fact that this ancient symbol for life is a tree is
(03:08):
fitting after all throughout history, human beings have
always paid. Homage to trees our distant
ancestors. Clearly understood how important
trees were for supporting life on Earth.
Even before the times of scientific inquiry, the
connections between trees, religion and spirituality date
as far back as humankind with deep ties in every culture,
(03:32):
faith and civilization. Jewish, Christian, Islamic
Buddhist Hindi Mayan and Celtic interpretations, just to name a
few The oldest known example of the Tree of Life depicted in art
was found in excavations in Turkey.
Dating back to 7000 BC specifically figures of pine,
(03:55):
trees depicted on boz's and potteries.
What makes it particularly interesting is that pine trees
have been used in art and ceremonies by other
civilizations, including the Romans since they are Evergreen
and seem to have eternal life. There are Any references to the
Tree of Life throughout ancient cultures as an Imago Mundi,
(04:19):
meaning the image of the world. For example in Nordic mythology
the tree of life was massive andgrew out of The Well of word
which was an endless pole that held Universal wisdom and other
powerful. Cosmic forces known as the eked
result re its roots and brancheshelp the nine worlds of the
(04:39):
cosmos together. In fact, it was so important
that the well-being of the Entire world depended on the
trees own Vitality the Norse. God Odin wanted to possess the
knowledge contained in the yggdrasil tree and The Well of
Lord, thus to demonstrate his loyalty to this quest.
After sacrificing his eye and throwing himself on his spear.
(05:03):
He hanged himself from a branch nearly dying in the process.
However, in the end, he survivedgaining the knowledge of the
universe. Greek mythology has a few
different stories about magical trees which closely resemble the
idea of the Tree of Life. In one story, Zeus marries the
(05:24):
goddess of the Earth Gaia and from their Union, a giant oak
tree sprouts in other versions as in the story of Osiris Zeus
becomes part of the tree as withother tree of life stories, the
roots of the Greeks world tree were said to reach Tartarus, the
Greek underworld and its branches could reach the Stars
(05:46):
in another myth, the Earth goddess Gaia planted.
A magical Apple Tree. In Harris Garden as a wedding
gift when she married Zeus like other world trees.
Harris, Apple held parts of the universe together at first Hera
appointed some nymphs to tend tothe tree.
However they proved unreliable. So Hara got a dragon named
(06:07):
Lawson to guard the tree. What's especially compelling
about this story? Is the similarity between
Harrah's apple tree and the treein the Garden of Eden.
The Bible begins with the story of the Tree of Life, as one of
the two trees, in the middle of the Garden of Eden, Adam, and
(06:30):
Eve ate not of the tree of life,but of the tree of knowledge of
Good and Evil. Because they age of this tree
humankind was expelled from the garden of paradise and separated
from the Tree of Life, less. They also eat from the Tree of
Life and live forever in Judaism.
The tree of life is seen as a source of life-giving
(06:52):
representing the knowledge to live peacefully within the wider
World. Thus the Torah is called the
Tree of Life eats Haim and Hebrew offering a philosophy
that makes life understandable and harmonious the qur'an's
version of the Garden of Eden story, mentions a single tree.
(07:13):
Tree the tree of Eternity and the kingdom that fail us.
Not because they make the mistake of eating from the tree
Allah sends Adam and Eve to Earth where they must live and
learn to repent from their mistakes.
However, Allah Usher's them thatwhile on Earth, they will have
guidance, thus the tree of immortality in the Quran
(07:35):
represents repenting and learning from one's mistakes, as
well as God's mercy. The early Irish believe that the
tree of life was in the direct Center of Ireland, in County
West Indies. In this way, the tree was viewed
as an axis Mundi, the center of the world similar to the
(07:55):
Aboriginal Australians and otherancient cultures.
The Celts were animists, they believe the natural world was
interconnected and that Spirits inhabit everything from trees to
River Lakes, mountains and animals.
The Celts depended greatly on trees for shelter building,
materials food, shade and even Weaponry Central trees in a
(08:19):
community were where political and spiritual ceremonies were
held the ancient Celts. Also believe that empty space on
a piece of ceremonial jewelry, Weaponry, or drink, we're
allowed evil spirits to enter the artifact.
This led to the development of intricate not work, Swirls and
patterns, that echoed nature. One of the earliest and most
(08:42):
used was the tree of life and these Artistic Styles are still
seen today. Buddhism has a strong connection
to the Tree of Life once Buddhist at beneath the Bodhi
Tree and received Enlightenment.This tree has, now been known as
the tree of wisdom in Buddhism, the Tree of Life symbolizes,
(09:03):
personal development uniqueness,and individual Beauty, just as
the branches of a tree strengthen and grow upwards to
the sky. We too May grow, stronger,
striving for greater knowledge, wisdom and new experiences as we
move through life. So so how do we in our
present-day? Connect with trees and gain
(09:24):
strength and wisdom from them? We cannot speak directly with
them and ask for guidance. Can we today's guest dr.
Stephanie Casa has spent much time in conversation with trees
and has authored a beautifully written and illustrated book to
help and Inspire others to do the same and author scientist
(09:46):
and educator dr. Casa is professor emeritus of
Studies at the University of Vermont.
Also, a longtime practitioner ofSoto Zen, Buddhism with training
at Green, Gulch Zen Center, California and further study
with tick, Naughton and others. She is the author and editor of
many books including green Buddhism, practice and
(10:07):
compassionate action in uncertain times in her book
conversations with trees. Dr. Casa used her background in
spirituality and ecology to write autobiographical essays
about her. Encounters with trees.
It was such a pleasure to speak with Stephanie, her spiritual
connection to trees and life work as an educator and Advocate
(10:30):
is awe-inspiring, and she has much wisdom to share.
Let's listen. Well, first of all, Stephanie, I
just want to thank you so much for being with us today.
I know, you're very busy person.Thank you for carving out the
(10:51):
time. It's really a delight.
People that love trees are my people.
That means we're your people. So that's wonderful.
We are very curious about the intersections of spirituality
and trees and as someone whose work explores the intersection
of religion and ecology, can youtell us How this journey began
(11:12):
for you. Well, I could say that it was
through reading a book or teaching a class, but honestly,
I better start with the first key tree teachers in my backyard
growing up. So first in Buffalo New York,
there was a generous gracious, apple tree right in the backyard
and I was lucky enough to have abedroom with a little deck off
(11:35):
at. That was right next to the apple
tree. So, I spent hours out there,
just watching the light and the shadow.
Shadows. When I was like five and six and
I will say, I'm extremely happy to be living on Portland Oregon
with a big apple tree right outside the window where I'm
sitting but then I also, as I became a teen, I was here in the
(11:56):
Pacific Northwest and there was a big Ravine behind our house
and it was filled with Douglas Firs and they're often walked
the trails down by those Doug Firs.
But at the very base of them by the creek was a stand of Five,
giant redwood sequoias and that became a really important place
(12:16):
of pilgrimage through my teens because it felt like a refuge a
place of stability. And again, I'm not sure that I
could have told you what the trees were teaching me.
I just knew that was a really good place to be, that it felt
safe and that most trees meant alot to me.
So the trees were first before Buddhism.
(12:37):
Although I did spend a good chunk of my team.
The hood also part of going to achurch.
So I'll give them some credit tothe unitarians.
And I mostly did it through music at that time.
So music was a very important expression and when I went away
to college, I went to Oberlin College where I could sing in
the choir and also be a biology.Major was the perfect
(13:01):
combination but that experience of Choral singing, I think
developed a sense of resonance at a vibrational level for me.
Is part of the way I relate to trees today, and I'm still
singing in a choir. I really feel the human voice is
a marvelous counterpart to the voices, you know, of all the
(13:22):
other beings trees and birds. And so on, now, I was lucky to
be at Oberlin spiritually because it had a long
theological tradition, and also a very strong activist
tradition. And I was there in the 60s, very
formative time demonstrations inthe streets, I grew up really
fast. Fast.
But what came through all this time and into my Buddhism was
(13:45):
that spirituality and activism and engagement all go together.
They're not separated. So as I went into my 20s, I know
had been a biology major, I cameto California, I learned all
kinds of Natural History, I was birding and botanizing teaching
outdoors. I had a long five years with the
point raised bird Observatory and then the UC Berkeley botanic
(14:08):
garden as their education director.
So I was Teaching teaching people about the natural world
and I did go on to finish your PhD in biology but in the middle
of all that my modern dance teacher said you should come to
naropa? I think you'd really like it.
So, I went to naropa Institute in Boulder Colorado and I
(14:31):
thought I would just hang out and go to poetry classes with
Allen Ginsberg and take dance class, with Willie Worsley.
It was an amazing time. And along the way, I learned to
meditate, and I really took to it.
It was just the most natural embodiment perhaps of, not just
breathing, but of my understanding of Trina's.
(14:52):
So I return to Santa Cruz. And then I went to live for a
year on the land. I had to go do my hippie thing,
but when I returned from making a lot of compost, I came to live
at the Santa Cruz and center andthere.
I met my ordination teacher Cogan, she know so much
Introduction to Buddhism was very filled with an experience
(15:16):
of the Arts and of a kind of spontaneity.
So I really took to Zen which ishas that kind of flavor and
koban himself is quite a poet and musician.
He played the flute. He was a calligrapher and he was
a very affirming and accepting teacher.
And you won't be surprised to hear this, but the Rural
(15:40):
Retreat. It's Center that he was
associated with Chico. G was above the hills of Palo
Alto and he was just fine with us sitting on the outdoor deck
outside the zendo surrounded by Bay trees.
So I often did that or did walking meditation on that
outdoor deck. And in fact the very first tree
(16:01):
piece I wrote for conversations with trees was written there by
the pond at your Koji. So this is a long as story but I
did go on to do a degree. Starr King school for the
ministry and taught environmental ethics there and
they're brought those Unitarian students out to meet my trees.
Of course. And it was just my good fortune.
(16:22):
That is, I started teaching at University of Vermont the entire
field of religion in ecology hadjust kind of burst open.
It took a long time to arrive and I came with environmental
ethics and all this Buddhist training.
But suddenly people, wanted someone who could speak to
Buddhist philosophy. And address environmental
concerns. So I just got on the bandwagon
(16:45):
very early on lucky for me, lucky for you, and lucky for us.
What? That thank you for sharing all
that richness. It really sounds as though your
journey with trees in your journey with Buddhism, really
intertwined. So spontaneously, but also
naturally. Now we're going to focus on your
book conversations with trees within which you have a chapter
(17:09):
called magnetic Presence in which you write some part of me
is tree. Can you expand on this concept
of being one with trees or a part of you being tree?
So being one with trees, an easything to say, but what does it
really mean in Zen Buddhist philosophy.
(17:31):
There's a very strong emphasis on non-dualism.
No separation between self and other any sense of separation or
or over inflation of You Me. Mine eye is seen as a kind of
delusion. Another way to think about that
is Tick, not Hans word, interbeing, people, really like
(17:52):
that because it gives you a sense of connection
relationship, but it's always going on.
His very famous meditation is about holding up a piece of
paper and asking students to seethe sky in the paper, see the
water, see the soil and that piece of Paper.
So we say the phrase, not one, not two, it's kind of a koan.
(18:18):
So it's not, I am me. And there is a tree over there
but there's something going on. You know, between us the way.
I'm describing it these days is that I'm feeling part of a tree
tribe and in particular, the conifers of the Pacific
Northwest and I'm so happy to beback among my people again,
after 24 years of being in Vermont.
(18:40):
So I see, for example, Douglas fir is a strong and Stern kind
of Elder teacher. Whereas Western red cedar is a
warm and loving presence. I have visited an old-growth
Grove of Sitka Spruce on the coast since I was a kid and I've
been going back quite a bit since we moved back to Oregon
(19:02):
and I've decided that I want to just offer my remains to that
particular Forest so that whatever is left will indeed.
Finally become part of Forest that's incredible.
Thank you for sharing that you mentioned this concept of
ecological sanity. Can you tell us what ecological
sanity means to you? And why it is important?
(19:24):
Well usually, when we use the word sanity were thinking about
mental and physical health, emotional health, spiritual
health. So you would infer ecological
sanity is then about healthy relations with the ecological
Realms that Support our human lives and of course support all
the other beings in the world who deserve and need our
(19:46):
respect. And I'm sorry to say as a
planetary people were mostly acting in quite ecologically.
Insane ways ignoring the wisdom of indigenous peoples of
scientists and other world religions.
There are different ways of describing this Insanity in kind
of psychological term. Some call it an addiction to
(20:08):
fossil fuels to Consumers, For example, or you might say it's
out of kind of narcissism thinking, only of ourselves or
ourselves. First human lives is dominant on
the whole planet and some religious teachings reinforce
that or you could say it's a kind of forgetfulness that we
were just so absorbed in our lives that we forget everything
(20:30):
else that's going on. So all of those are ways of
being kind of a little insane and when you add them all up
together, the impact is of a world that is going crazy.
Crazy, it's going crazy. And it's ecological systems and
the human political and economicsystems are not strong enough to
restore that ecological sanity in a unified way.
(20:54):
Right now, there's very destructive things going on in
our major forests of the Boreal lands, as well as the Amazon,
and of course, war is never goodfor ecological systems.
So, why ecological sanity is Important boils down to, it's
the only way we will survive on this Earth, but I will say, at
(21:17):
the very same time, there is a deepening sense of ourselves as
planetary people. And there is a deepening sense
that ecological sanity is possible and necessary and that
it really requires us to use ourspiritual practices to focus on
what I'll call out three things here as a kind of part of our
(21:40):
closing. You to focus on healing healing
our relationships with trees. With each other, just stop
cutting them. Stop burning them.
Stop murdering them and with theland and and start working on
the great course, correction, after these hundred years 200,
300 years of plunder and it's anextraction and genocide.
(22:04):
So healing is one great need building community and
practicing. Tootie, understanding ourselves,
as part of forest, part of neighborhood, part of the
planet. And this shift I see happening
more and more everywhere that isvery, very encouraging.
(22:25):
And both of these, I would say are about practice, what we do
every day, how we show up, how we pay attention, how we choose
to take ethical action working with others.
Engaging in ritual and ceremony but always returning and this is
(22:46):
a very important Buddhist theme.The daily practice of meditation
or chanting are walking. So that Buddhist practiced,
informs your path to ecological sanity.
It was really wonderful how you laid that out for us in such a
connected way. In conversations with trees, it
(23:09):
was originally released in 1993.Does the book have resonance
today? That is different from when it
was first released, and what is it?
Like, for you to go back to the stories and chapters, in the
book, with years of life experience, since it was
originally published, honestly it is a thrill.
(23:30):
When I reread those stories, I think every word is true.
That absolutely. And I can remember it in my
body. They somehow have really held up
and I, especially one of the best stories of the whole
project is that when I decided, I really wanted an artist for
the book. I thought it would just make the
(23:51):
book, so much better. I was lucky enough to meet a
person at a engaged. Buddhism Meditation Retreat,
right? Before I moved to Vermont and he
and I were both, of course, havebeen sitting all week long, so
we're on some kind of wavelengthAnd though I never met him
before and he said, well, I might have a kind of drawings
you're looking for, and he sent me a package, and I fell in love
(24:15):
right there. And that's our love-story and
today, now Davis and I have beenmarried, 23 years, and he is
still drawing trees. And I'm thrilled to have his
drawings in the book and we really just decided the trees
brought us together, but we can celebrate all that.
So much more today because we don't we can we're not hiding.
(24:36):
In a closet with it. When I would do reading this
back then in the 90s people would sneak up to me afterwards
and say, oh, I have a favorite tree.
Can I tell you about my tree? They didn't want to talk too
loud because they thought peoplewould think they were crazy.
But now it's everywhere, it's inthe popular lexicon now and
(24:57):
there's so much more awareness of trees, the importance of tree
planning for urban cooling, as well as Aesthetics.
So, I think the book really Lee holds up well and I'm glad it's
in the company of other tree books.
It has some friends on the Shelf.
In fact we have one whole bookshelf that's nothing but
tree books and our house. I'm thrilled that Shambhala
(25:19):
wanted to re-release it again and I know their decision was
because there's so much more receptivity and interest right
now in the general population myproducer and I both also have
shelves of tree books, what an incredible story that love of
trees brings so many people. Together.
What trees are calling to you right now?
(25:40):
Well, I'm really feeling it in Spring.
It's so exciting. It's like the tree energy is
really awakened, like, there's just surging energy between
everything. It's really coercing out there
and I have a feeling I'm supposed to be doing some more
writing about trees. And so they are talking to me.
And the one that I met recently is an enormous Western red
(26:04):
cedar. It's called The Rock.
Away Cedar. It's on the coast in Oregon just
north of Tillamook Oregon. And it's a, Remnant old Cedar, a
hundreds of years old enormous in scope, and it was kind of in
a little Backwater behind a neighborhood, and people were
just kind of creeping in on various paths here and there to
(26:26):
see it. And it was annoying, the
neighbors so much that finally, they decided to build a
boardwalk through the Cedar, Swamp out to this beautiful
Cedar. So when I visited this Cedar my
first meeting, oh, I was so excited.
All along the way on the boardwalk, were blooming skunk
cabbage, just brilliant yellow, right and left, right?
(26:48):
And hundreds of them. So I was hitting a peak moment
energetically in this spring swamp and I was already very
excited by the time I got to theCedar and looking at different
Cedars along the way. Is this it is this it and then
when I got to the big one I justcouldn't move for a while.
While I stayed, I don't know an hour or more, and, and I knew
(27:11):
the message was, you have to write about Cedars.
I'll give you all the information you want.
Just keep coming back to me. Don't ever forget that?
I'm here for you and I will giveyou the energy.
You need to complete what you'resupposed to be doing.
Now, it was, so I'm saying it inwords, but words are not really
the way it was coming through. Obviously, trees, don't speak
(27:33):
English, but it came kind of Theheart and part of what it
enabled me to do was sort of look at what else was coming to
me. Like, where else am I picking
up? Very faint, clues, or little
seed somewhere out there in the cosmos when I can't wait to hear
through you, what the trees are saying and what the trees are
(27:58):
sharing. Thank you so much for joining us
today. Stephanie.
We are so inspired by the seeds.You've planted towards action.
Russian. And that is both Inward and
outward towards a deeper understanding of ourselves, and
towards healing and creating more sustainable lives for one
another, and we look forward to all the wisdom and Beauty
(28:20):
forthcoming from you as well. Thank you, it, really welcome.
I'm thrilled that you're doing this and I wish you all the luck
in the world. I hope you get a wide wide
listenership. As you said at the beginning,
we're hoping to find more of ourpeople more of our tree people.
And two to share with others howtheir treat people, whether they
realize it or not wonderful. I was struck by the clarity,
(28:51):
Stephanie has when she speaks about and with trees, she knows
them on a biological level but also views the world
holistically her stories center around trees.
As living sentient, the sedentary beings and find ways
to converse with them by giving those interactions space and
(29:12):
time. It takes a lot of effort and
patience to understand a human on many levels.
So, too with a tree Carol Cusack, professor of religious
studies at the University of Sydney wrote that the powerful
and evocative place that trees. Hold in the human imagination,
(29:33):
which is apparent in religious, and spiritual context is due to
their kinship with human beings.Their substitutability is due to
there being different. Yay, continuous with humans in
that they both share life. This is the work that Stephanie
does to make it clear that treesare alive, worthy of large
(29:54):
myths, and religious symbolism, and also our personal intimate
relation to them in our everydaylives in her book conversations
with trees. Stephanie writes, quote trees
have historically and mythologically represented many
things the Tree of Life. Axis of the earth tribal
(30:16):
ancestors, home of spirits. But my efforts here awkward as
it feels at times is to try to speak directly with trees.
She continues quote in these meetings of trees and person.
I allow myself to see and also be seen by trees as in most good
conversations. There is the desire for more
(30:38):
contact more time together and more depth to cultivate this
tunity will require a level of Love effort and spiritual
Integrity that I can only just begin to imagine.
Stephanie has put in that love and effort over years to develop
her own relationships with trees.
(31:00):
What would you like to speak to a tree about what do trees mean,
or symbolize to you? And how about the Tree of Life,
does it hold meaning for you? At this time?
I've always loved seeing the Tree of Life in art, from Gustav
Klimt to jewelry and a multitudeof interpretations in between,
(31:21):
yet I struggle to find my own unique connection with the tree
of life. However, doing research for this
episode has been I love learningabout the many ways, the tree of
life has been a part of culturesand civilizations, it all shows
me that there are many access points to connecting with the
(31:41):
Tree of Life. Maybe I simply need to broaden
my view all trees. Give life without trees.
There would be no human beings. We are in a deep relationship
with one another. I constantly learned from trees
and receive sustenance knowledgeand health.
And inspiration. This week we are celebrating
(32:05):
another powerful force of creation, love and sustenance
mothers. In honor of the upcoming
Mother's Day. My producer, Jonathan and I have
asked our mothers to share a sapling or short tree related
story of their very own. We take this time to honor our
own mothers and the mother figures around us, extending
(32:27):
this biological definition out to cover.
Anyone who has brought somethingto life.
Or who Foster's the growth of another, to be a mother.
Can take many forms even that ofa mother tree and we pay tribute
to you all. Now, here is Miriam and Marie.
(32:48):
And Jackie, our apartment building was built in whole on
near and already established neighborhood.
It was beautiful. It was All one stories with a
big front yard and my pediatrician lived in one of
(33:09):
these houses. And I could go to her without my
parents because it was two or three streets, over no traffic,
they weren't many cars back then.
And I went to the pediatrician and whenever she had to give us
a shot or do something that would be mildly painful.
(33:33):
They felt so, Badly. So and she was a very practical
woman there. She spoke to the point, not
spoiling you in any way, but shefelt so badly.
After giving her a shot that shewould walk you out to the front
yard on your way home and pick amango from her mango tree and
(33:56):
give it to you as a surprise to to break home and mango trees
were very rare back then. So it was always a treat.
So actually, before I transform the on the way to school, I walk
to on paved road for the most part until I got to an area
(34:20):
where it was June's again and I had to cross the tunes to get to
school and in the middle of the dunes were sycamore tree.
And but it was the most wonderful tree because Tag, very
strong branches low enough for us to climb on and then climb
higher and higher. It was halfway to the school and
(34:43):
that's where we had all our meetings from second grade to
eighth grade are socializing, was in this sense, sycamore
tree. And then when they continued
building the city around and they built on the dunes, luckily
they preserve the tree, they built a little rotary for the
(35:03):
Cars to go around it and it's still there.
It's a beautiful spring morning,in San Diego, California, and
I'm sitting under our enormous Pine Tree in what we call the
(35:26):
lower 48 and our big backyard. The lowest Branch was bedecked,
with a red sleeve of ogun Bia. Perfect for the person that's
Grand Tree is named for Grandma Margaret.
Not truly our children's grandmother Margaret was
everything. I could have hoped for kind
generous and loving and was the perfect surrogate for my mother
(35:49):
who had recently passed. She came to our home each
Tuesday morning so that I could run errands and enjoy a cup of
coffee. After calling it our little
bargain, this went on for several years until Grandma
Margaret It's wonderful and generous Spirit fell victim to
the cruelty of Alzheimer's. One of our last visits during
(36:11):
Christmas time, her daughter gave us a small living pine tree
from the supermarket. Little did we know that once the
small tree chick route, it wouldtake over an entire Corner,
providing shelter and shade Grandma.
Margaret Street is a testament to her beauty tenacity, strength
and Faith. You Mother's Day, Margaret.
(36:43):
I've always had an affinity for trees, tree blossoms, in spring
summer shade trees, trees and Rich fall colors and how would a
fir trees by writing an essay onthe apple trees in our yard and
what they meant to me when I wasa third grader.
(37:03):
I won an evergreen tree from a local nursery and my class was
invited to our house to see the tree planted.
It was an exciting event. Many years later, as an
elementary music educator I continued to share a love for
trees through song and poetry such as Kilmer's famous poem
(37:25):
trees kindergartners saying mr. Rogers Tree song and older
students learned about the Redwoods.
Through Woody Guthrie's. This land is your land to name
just a few of the opportunities I had for incorporating trees
into music curriculum before we built a home. 35 years ago, my
(37:49):
husband planted hundreds of evergreen trees and hauled water
for their survival prior to their being an available water
source on the land, we added beloved, birch trees, and when I
planted another favorite a Willow in the absence of rope to
stake it, I had to use. What was on hand speaker wire,
(38:14):
which somehow seemed apropos fora music teacher today that tree
sores 40 feet in the air and thewind still sings a sweet melody
through its willowy branches. I see trees of green red.
Red roses too. I see them bloom for me and you
(38:42):
and I think to myself What a Wonderful World.
Thank you for joining tree speech today.
Hello, this is Dori Robinson andI hope you are doing well.
We are working on future new episodes to be released soon,
but really wanted to replace a this Tree of Life.
Episode that was originally released last year because we
think that the things that Stephanie causes spoke of in our
interview are more important than ever.
(00:23):
As we find ways to protect and take care of our Earth and
trees. Also this episode and is one of
our favorites as it features. Our mothers, we hope you are
able to celebrate and take in this blossoming time of year and
that you enjoy this episode in this season of tree speech.
(00:54):
We are focusing on how we commune with trees, the
conversations. We With them, as well as the
spiritual mythical and personal ways people relate to them, not
only in our present day, but also throughout history.
Appearing in numerous religious and sacred texts art literature
(01:16):
science, religion, philosophy and mythology across States
cultures and civilizations. We couldn't explore our relation
to trees without examining the Tree of Life.
The tree of life, sometimes referred to as the world tree
appears in mythology and folklore of cultures around the
(01:39):
world and very slightly from culture, The culture, a common
theme that is shared, however, is the idea that a mystical
tree, connects the spiritual andphysical worlds.
In addition, the tree of life isfoundational to supporting all
life on this planet. My name is story Robinson and
this is tree speech. A podcast where we practice
(02:01):
hearing the forest through the trees.
This week's episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on
the native lands of the wabanakiConfederacy.
Penacook massachusett and Pawtucket people in New York on
the land of the Lenape tribes, as well as on the lands of the
Confederate, tribes of the siletz, Indians and the Grande
(02:22):
Ronde Cowlitz. Tree speech is co-written and
produced by Jonathan's out. Nur, and a light theater guilt.
Swiss psychologist. Carl Jung continually notice
that trees often arose in people's dreams and so began to
study the commonalities of this occurrence through his research.
(02:46):
He discovered that trees were part of the collective.
Unconscious indicating growth unfolding shelter, nurturing,
permanence rootedness and rebirth and concluded that the
tree is an archetype, a symbol deeply ingrained, even hardwired
into the human eye. Unconscious.
The fact that this ancient symbol for life is a tree is
(03:08):
fitting after all throughout history, human beings have
always paid. Homage to trees our distant
ancestors. Clearly understood how important
trees were for supporting life on Earth.
Even before the times of scientific inquiry, the
connections between trees, religion and spirituality date
as far back as humankind with deep ties in every culture,
(03:32):
faith and civilization. Jewish, Christian, Islamic
Buddhist Hindi Mayan and Celtic interpretations, just to name a
few The oldest known example of the Tree of Life depicted in art
was found in excavations in Turkey.
Dating back to 7000 BC specifically figures of pine,
(03:55):
trees depicted on boz's and potteries.
What makes it particularly interesting is that pine trees
have been used in art and ceremonies by other
civilizations, including the Romans since they are Evergreen
and seem to have eternal life. There are Any references to the
Tree of Life throughout ancient cultures as an Imago Mundi,
(04:19):
meaning the image of the world. For example in Nordic mythology
the tree of life was massive andgrew out of The Well of word
which was an endless pole that held Universal wisdom and other
powerful. Cosmic forces known as the eked
result re its roots and brancheshelp the nine worlds of the
(04:39):
cosmos together. In fact, it was so important
that the well-being of the Entire world depended on the
trees own Vitality the Norse. God Odin wanted to possess the
knowledge contained in the yggdrasil tree and The Well of
Lord, thus to demonstrate his loyalty to this quest.
After sacrificing his eye and throwing himself on his spear.
(05:03):
He hanged himself from a branch nearly dying in the process.
However, in the end, he survivedgaining the knowledge of the
universe. Greek mythology has a few
different stories about magical trees which closely resemble the
idea of the Tree of Life. In one story, Zeus marries the
(05:24):
goddess of the Earth Gaia and from their Union, a giant oak
tree sprouts in other versions as in the story of Osiris Zeus
becomes part of the tree as withother tree of life stories, the
roots of the Greeks world tree were said to reach Tartarus, the
Greek underworld and its branches could reach the Stars
(05:46):
in another myth, the Earth goddess Gaia planted.
A magical Apple Tree. In Harris Garden as a wedding
gift when she married Zeus like other world trees.
Harris, Apple held parts of the universe together at first Hera
appointed some nymphs to tend tothe tree.
However they proved unreliable. So Hara got a dragon named
(06:07):
Lawson to guard the tree. What's especially compelling
about this story? Is the similarity between
Harrah's apple tree and the treein the Garden of Eden.
The Bible begins with the story of the Tree of Life, as one of
the two trees, in the middle of the Garden of Eden, Adam, and
(06:30):
Eve ate not of the tree of life,but of the tree of knowledge of
Good and Evil. Because they age of this tree
humankind was expelled from the garden of paradise and separated
from the Tree of Life, less. They also eat from the Tree of
Life and live forever in Judaism.
The tree of life is seen as a source of life-giving
(06:52):
representing the knowledge to live peacefully within the wider
World. Thus the Torah is called the
Tree of Life eats Haim and Hebrew offering a philosophy
that makes life understandable and harmonious the qur'an's
version of the Garden of Eden story, mentions a single tree.
(07:13):
Tree the tree of Eternity and the kingdom that fail us.
Not because they make the mistake of eating from the tree
Allah sends Adam and Eve to Earth where they must live and
learn to repent from their mistakes.
However, Allah Usher's them thatwhile on Earth, they will have
guidance, thus the tree of immortality in the Quran
(07:35):
represents repenting and learning from one's mistakes, as
well as God's mercy. The early Irish believe that the
tree of life was in the direct Center of Ireland, in County
West Indies. In this way, the tree was viewed
as an axis Mundi, the center of the world similar to the
(07:55):
Aboriginal Australians and otherancient cultures.
The Celts were animists, they believe the natural world was
interconnected and that Spirits inhabit everything from trees to
River Lakes, mountains and animals.
The Celts depended greatly on trees for shelter building,
materials food, shade and even Weaponry Central trees in a
(08:19):
community were where political and spiritual ceremonies were
held the ancient Celts. Also believe that empty space on
a piece of ceremonial jewelry, Weaponry, or drink, we're
allowed evil spirits to enter the artifact.
This led to the development of intricate not work, Swirls and
patterns, that echoed nature. One of the earliest and most
(08:42):
used was the tree of life and these Artistic Styles are still
seen today. Buddhism has a strong connection
to the Tree of Life once Buddhist at beneath the Bodhi
Tree and received Enlightenment.This tree has, now been known as
the tree of wisdom in Buddhism, the Tree of Life symbolizes,
(09:03):
personal development uniqueness,and individual Beauty, just as
the branches of a tree strengthen and grow upwards to
the sky. We too May grow, stronger,
striving for greater knowledge, wisdom and new experiences as we
move through life. So so how do we in our
present-day? Connect with trees and gain
(09:24):
strength and wisdom from them? We cannot speak directly with
them and ask for guidance. Can we today's guest dr.
Stephanie Casa has spent much time in conversation with trees
and has authored a beautifully written and illustrated book to
help and Inspire others to do the same and author scientist
(09:46):
and educator dr. Casa is professor emeritus of
Studies at the University of Vermont.
Also, a longtime practitioner ofSoto Zen, Buddhism with training
at Green, Gulch Zen Center, California and further study
with tick, Naughton and others. She is the author and editor of
many books including green Buddhism, practice and
(10:07):
compassionate action in uncertain times in her book
conversations with trees. Dr. Casa used her background in
spirituality and ecology to write autobiographical essays
about her. Encounters with trees.
It was such a pleasure to speak with Stephanie, her spiritual
connection to trees and life work as an educator and Advocate
(10:30):
is awe-inspiring, and she has much wisdom to share.
Let's listen. Well, first of all, Stephanie, I
just want to thank you so much for being with us today.
I know, you're very busy person.Thank you for carving out the
(10:51):
time. It's really a delight.
People that love trees are my people.
That means we're your people. So that's wonderful.
We are very curious about the intersections of spirituality
and trees and as someone whose work explores the intersection
of religion and ecology, can youtell us How this journey began
(11:12):
for you. Well, I could say that it was
through reading a book or teaching a class, but honestly,
I better start with the first key tree teachers in my backyard
growing up. So first in Buffalo New York,
there was a generous gracious, apple tree right in the backyard
and I was lucky enough to have abedroom with a little deck off
(11:35):
at. That was right next to the apple
tree. So, I spent hours out there,
just watching the light and the shadow.
Shadows. When I was like five and six and
I will say, I'm extremely happy to be living on Portland Oregon
with a big apple tree right outside the window where I'm
sitting but then I also, as I became a teen, I was here in the
(11:56):
Pacific Northwest and there was a big Ravine behind our house
and it was filled with Douglas Firs and they're often walked
the trails down by those Doug Firs.
But at the very base of them by the creek was a stand of Five,
giant redwood sequoias and that became a really important place
(12:16):
of pilgrimage through my teens because it felt like a refuge a
place of stability. And again, I'm not sure that I
could have told you what the trees were teaching me.
I just knew that was a really good place to be, that it felt
safe and that most trees meant alot to me.
So the trees were first before Buddhism.
(12:37):
Although I did spend a good chunk of my team.
The hood also part of going to achurch.
So I'll give them some credit tothe unitarians.
And I mostly did it through music at that time.
So music was a very important expression and when I went away
to college, I went to Oberlin College where I could sing in
the choir and also be a biology.Major was the perfect
(13:01):
combination but that experience of Choral singing, I think
developed a sense of resonance at a vibrational level for me.
Is part of the way I relate to trees today, and I'm still
singing in a choir. I really feel the human voice is
a marvelous counterpart to the voices, you know, of all the
(13:22):
other beings trees and birds. And so on, now, I was lucky to
be at Oberlin spiritually because it had a long
theological tradition, and also a very strong activist
tradition. And I was there in the 60s, very
formative time demonstrations inthe streets, I grew up really
fast. Fast.
But what came through all this time and into my Buddhism was
(13:45):
that spirituality and activism and engagement all go together.
They're not separated. So as I went into my 20s, I know
had been a biology major, I cameto California, I learned all
kinds of Natural History, I was birding and botanizing teaching
outdoors. I had a long five years with the
point raised bird Observatory and then the UC Berkeley botanic
(14:08):
garden as their education director.
So I was Teaching teaching people about the natural world
and I did go on to finish your PhD in biology but in the middle
of all that my modern dance teacher said you should come to
naropa? I think you'd really like it.
So, I went to naropa Institute in Boulder Colorado and I
(14:31):
thought I would just hang out and go to poetry classes with
Allen Ginsberg and take dance class, with Willie Worsley.
It was an amazing time. And along the way, I learned to
meditate, and I really took to it.
It was just the most natural embodiment perhaps of, not just
breathing, but of my understanding of Trina's.
(14:52):
So I return to Santa Cruz. And then I went to live for a
year on the land. I had to go do my hippie thing,
but when I returned from making a lot of compost, I came to live
at the Santa Cruz and center andthere.
I met my ordination teacher Cogan, she know so much
Introduction to Buddhism was very filled with an experience
(15:16):
of the Arts and of a kind of spontaneity.
So I really took to Zen which ishas that kind of flavor and
koban himself is quite a poet and musician.
He played the flute. He was a calligrapher and he was
a very affirming and accepting teacher.
And you won't be surprised to hear this, but the Rural
(15:40):
Retreat. It's Center that he was
associated with Chico. G was above the hills of Palo
Alto and he was just fine with us sitting on the outdoor deck
outside the zendo surrounded by Bay trees.
So I often did that or did walking meditation on that
outdoor deck. And in fact the very first tree
(16:01):
piece I wrote for conversations with trees was written there by
the pond at your Koji. So this is a long as story but I
did go on to do a degree. Starr King school for the
ministry and taught environmental ethics there and
they're brought those Unitarian students out to meet my trees.
Of course. And it was just my good fortune.
(16:22):
That is, I started teaching at University of Vermont the entire
field of religion in ecology hadjust kind of burst open.
It took a long time to arrive and I came with environmental
ethics and all this Buddhist training.
But suddenly people, wanted someone who could speak to
Buddhist philosophy. And address environmental
concerns. So I just got on the bandwagon
(16:45):
very early on lucky for me, lucky for you, and lucky for us.
What? That thank you for sharing all
that richness. It really sounds as though your
journey with trees in your journey with Buddhism, really
intertwined. So spontaneously, but also
naturally. Now we're going to focus on your
book conversations with trees within which you have a chapter
(17:09):
called magnetic Presence in which you write some part of me
is tree. Can you expand on this concept
of being one with trees or a part of you being tree?
So being one with trees, an easything to say, but what does it
really mean in Zen Buddhist philosophy.
(17:31):
There's a very strong emphasis on non-dualism.
No separation between self and other any sense of separation or
or over inflation of You Me. Mine eye is seen as a kind of
delusion. Another way to think about that
is Tick, not Hans word, interbeing, people, really like
(17:52):
that because it gives you a sense of connection
relationship, but it's always going on.
His very famous meditation is about holding up a piece of
paper and asking students to seethe sky in the paper, see the
water, see the soil and that piece of Paper.
So we say the phrase, not one, not two, it's kind of a koan.
(18:18):
So it's not, I am me. And there is a tree over there
but there's something going on. You know, between us the way.
I'm describing it these days is that I'm feeling part of a tree
tribe and in particular, the conifers of the Pacific
Northwest and I'm so happy to beback among my people again,
after 24 years of being in Vermont.
(18:40):
So I see, for example, Douglas fir is a strong and Stern kind
of Elder teacher. Whereas Western red cedar is a
warm and loving presence. I have visited an old-growth
Grove of Sitka Spruce on the coast since I was a kid and I've
been going back quite a bit since we moved back to Oregon
(19:02):
and I've decided that I want to just offer my remains to that
particular Forest so that whatever is left will indeed.
Finally become part of Forest that's incredible.
Thank you for sharing that you mentioned this concept of
ecological sanity. Can you tell us what ecological
sanity means to you? And why it is important?
(19:24):
Well usually, when we use the word sanity were thinking about
mental and physical health, emotional health, spiritual
health. So you would infer ecological
sanity is then about healthy relations with the ecological
Realms that Support our human lives and of course support all
the other beings in the world who deserve and need our
(19:46):
respect. And I'm sorry to say as a
planetary people were mostly acting in quite ecologically.
Insane ways ignoring the wisdom of indigenous peoples of
scientists and other world religions.
There are different ways of describing this Insanity in kind
of psychological term. Some call it an addiction to
(20:08):
fossil fuels to Consumers, For example, or you might say it's
out of kind of narcissism thinking, only of ourselves or
ourselves. First human lives is dominant on
the whole planet and some religious teachings reinforce
that or you could say it's a kind of forgetfulness that we
were just so absorbed in our lives that we forget everything
(20:30):
else that's going on. So all of those are ways of
being kind of a little insane and when you add them all up
together, the impact is of a world that is going crazy.
Crazy, it's going crazy. And it's ecological systems and
the human political and economicsystems are not strong enough to
restore that ecological sanity in a unified way.
(20:54):
Right now, there's very destructive things going on in
our major forests of the Boreal lands, as well as the Amazon,
and of course, war is never goodfor ecological systems.
So, why ecological sanity is Important boils down to, it's
the only way we will survive on this Earth, but I will say, at
(21:17):
the very same time, there is a deepening sense of ourselves as
planetary people. And there is a deepening sense
that ecological sanity is possible and necessary and that
it really requires us to use ourspiritual practices to focus on
what I'll call out three things here as a kind of part of our
(21:40):
closing. You to focus on healing healing
our relationships with trees. With each other, just stop
cutting them. Stop burning them.
Stop murdering them and with theland and and start working on
the great course, correction, after these hundred years 200,
300 years of plunder and it's anextraction and genocide.
(22:04):
So healing is one great need building community and
practicing. Tootie, understanding ourselves,
as part of forest, part of neighborhood, part of the
planet. And this shift I see happening
more and more everywhere that isvery, very encouraging.
(22:25):
And both of these, I would say are about practice, what we do
every day, how we show up, how we pay attention, how we choose
to take ethical action working with others.
Engaging in ritual and ceremony but always returning and this is
(22:46):
a very important Buddhist theme.The daily practice of meditation
or chanting are walking. So that Buddhist practiced,
informs your path to ecological sanity.
It was really wonderful how you laid that out for us in such a
connected way. In conversations with trees, it
(23:09):
was originally released in 1993.Does the book have resonance
today? That is different from when it
was first released, and what is it?
Like, for you to go back to the stories and chapters, in the
book, with years of life experience, since it was
originally published, honestly it is a thrill.
(23:30):
When I reread those stories, I think every word is true.
That absolutely. And I can remember it in my
body. They somehow have really held up
and I, especially one of the best stories of the whole
project is that when I decided, I really wanted an artist for
the book. I thought it would just make the
(23:51):
book, so much better. I was lucky enough to meet a
person at a engaged. Buddhism Meditation Retreat,
right? Before I moved to Vermont and he
and I were both, of course, havebeen sitting all week long, so
we're on some kind of wavelengthAnd though I never met him
before and he said, well, I might have a kind of drawings
you're looking for, and he sent me a package, and I fell in love
(24:15):
right there. And that's our love-story and
today, now Davis and I have beenmarried, 23 years, and he is
still drawing trees. And I'm thrilled to have his
drawings in the book and we really just decided the trees
brought us together, but we can celebrate all that.
So much more today because we don't we can we're not hiding.
(24:36):
In a closet with it. When I would do reading this
back then in the 90s people would sneak up to me afterwards
and say, oh, I have a favorite tree.
Can I tell you about my tree? They didn't want to talk too
loud because they thought peoplewould think they were crazy.
But now it's everywhere, it's inthe popular lexicon now and
(24:57):
there's so much more awareness of trees, the importance of tree
planning for urban cooling, as well as Aesthetics.
So, I think the book really Lee holds up well and I'm glad it's
in the company of other tree books.
It has some friends on the Shelf.
In fact we have one whole bookshelf that's nothing but
tree books and our house. I'm thrilled that Shambhala
(25:19):
wanted to re-release it again and I know their decision was
because there's so much more receptivity and interest right
now in the general population myproducer and I both also have
shelves of tree books, what an incredible story that love of
trees brings so many people. Together.
What trees are calling to you right now?
(25:40):
Well, I'm really feeling it in Spring.
It's so exciting. It's like the tree energy is
really awakened, like, there's just surging energy between
everything. It's really coercing out there
and I have a feeling I'm supposed to be doing some more
writing about trees. And so they are talking to me.
And the one that I met recently is an enormous Western red
(26:04):
cedar. It's called The Rock.
Away Cedar. It's on the coast in Oregon just
north of Tillamook Oregon. And it's a, Remnant old Cedar, a
hundreds of years old enormous in scope, and it was kind of in
a little Backwater behind a neighborhood, and people were
just kind of creeping in on various paths here and there to
(26:26):
see it. And it was annoying, the
neighbors so much that finally, they decided to build a
boardwalk through the Cedar, Swamp out to this beautiful
Cedar. So when I visited this Cedar my
first meeting, oh, I was so excited.
All along the way on the boardwalk, were blooming skunk
cabbage, just brilliant yellow, right and left, right?
(26:48):
And hundreds of them. So I was hitting a peak moment
energetically in this spring swamp and I was already very
excited by the time I got to theCedar and looking at different
Cedars along the way. Is this it is this it and then
when I got to the big one I justcouldn't move for a while.
While I stayed, I don't know an hour or more, and, and I knew
(27:11):
the message was, you have to write about Cedars.
I'll give you all the information you want.
Just keep coming back to me. Don't ever forget that?
I'm here for you and I will giveyou the energy.
You need to complete what you'resupposed to be doing.
Now, it was, so I'm saying it inwords, but words are not really
the way it was coming through. Obviously, trees, don't speak
(27:33):
English, but it came kind of Theheart and part of what it
enabled me to do was sort of look at what else was coming to
me. Like, where else am I picking
up? Very faint, clues, or little
seed somewhere out there in the cosmos when I can't wait to hear
through you, what the trees are saying and what the trees are
(27:58):
sharing. Thank you so much for joining us
today. Stephanie.
We are so inspired by the seeds.You've planted towards action.
Russian. And that is both Inward and
outward towards a deeper understanding of ourselves, and
towards healing and creating more sustainable lives for one
another, and we look forward to all the wisdom and Beauty
(28:20):
forthcoming from you as well. Thank you, it, really welcome.
I'm thrilled that you're doing this and I wish you all the luck
in the world. I hope you get a wide wide
listenership. As you said at the beginning,
we're hoping to find more of ourpeople more of our tree people.
And two to share with others howtheir treat people, whether they
realize it or not wonderful. I was struck by the clarity,
(28:51):
Stephanie has when she speaks about and with trees, she knows
them on a biological level but also views the world
holistically her stories center around trees.
As living sentient, the sedentary beings and find ways
to converse with them by giving those interactions space and
(29:12):
time. It takes a lot of effort and
patience to understand a human on many levels.
So, too with a tree Carol Cusack, professor of religious
studies at the University of Sydney wrote that the powerful
and evocative place that trees. Hold in the human imagination,
(29:33):
which is apparent in religious, and spiritual context is due to
their kinship with human beings.Their substitutability is due to
there being different. Yay, continuous with humans in
that they both share life. This is the work that Stephanie
does to make it clear that treesare alive, worthy of large
(29:54):
myths, and religious symbolism, and also our personal intimate
relation to them in our everydaylives in her book conversations
with trees. Stephanie writes, quote trees
have historically and mythologically represented many
things the Tree of Life. Axis of the earth tribal
(30:16):
ancestors, home of spirits. But my efforts here awkward as
it feels at times is to try to speak directly with trees.
She continues quote in these meetings of trees and person.
I allow myself to see and also be seen by trees as in most good
conversations. There is the desire for more
(30:38):
contact more time together and more depth to cultivate this
tunity will require a level of Love effort and spiritual
Integrity that I can only just begin to imagine.
Stephanie has put in that love and effort over years to develop
her own relationships with trees.
(31:00):
What would you like to speak to a tree about what do trees mean,
or symbolize to you? And how about the Tree of Life,
does it hold meaning for you? At this time?
I've always loved seeing the Tree of Life in art, from Gustav
Klimt to jewelry and a multitudeof interpretations in between,
(31:21):
yet I struggle to find my own unique connection with the tree
of life. However, doing research for this
episode has been I love learningabout the many ways, the tree of
life has been a part of culturesand civilizations, it all shows
me that there are many access points to connecting with the
(31:41):
Tree of Life. Maybe I simply need to broaden
my view all trees. Give life without trees.
There would be no human beings. We are in a deep relationship
with one another. I constantly learned from trees
and receive sustenance knowledgeand health.
And inspiration. This week we are celebrating
(32:05):
another powerful force of creation, love and sustenance
mothers. In honor of the upcoming
Mother's Day. My producer, Jonathan and I have
asked our mothers to share a sapling or short tree related
story of their very own. We take this time to honor our
own mothers and the mother figures around us, extending
(32:27):
this biological definition out to cover.
Anyone who has brought somethingto life.
Or who Foster's the growth of another, to be a mother.
Can take many forms even that ofa mother tree and we pay tribute
to you all. Now, here is Miriam and Marie.
(32:48):
And Jackie, our apartment building was built in whole on
near and already established neighborhood.
It was beautiful. It was All one stories with a
big front yard and my pediatrician lived in one of
(33:09):
these houses. And I could go to her without my
parents because it was two or three streets, over no traffic,
they weren't many cars back then.
And I went to the pediatrician and whenever she had to give us
a shot or do something that would be mildly painful.
(33:33):
They felt so, Badly. So and she was a very practical
woman there. She spoke to the point, not
spoiling you in any way, but shefelt so badly.
After giving her a shot that shewould walk you out to the front
yard on your way home and pick amango from her mango tree and
(33:56):
give it to you as a surprise to to break home and mango trees
were very rare back then. So it was always a treat.
So actually, before I transform the on the way to school, I walk
to on paved road for the most part until I got to an area
(34:20):
where it was June's again and I had to cross the tunes to get to
school and in the middle of the dunes were sycamore tree.
And but it was the most wonderful tree because Tag, very
strong branches low enough for us to climb on and then climb
higher and higher. It was halfway to the school and
(34:43):
that's where we had all our meetings from second grade to
eighth grade are socializing, was in this sense, sycamore
tree. And then when they continued
building the city around and they built on the dunes, luckily
they preserve the tree, they built a little rotary for the
(35:03):
Cars to go around it and it's still there.
It's a beautiful spring morning,in San Diego, California, and
I'm sitting under our enormous Pine Tree in what we call the
(35:26):
lower 48 and our big backyard. The lowest Branch was bedecked,
with a red sleeve of ogun Bia. Perfect for the person that's
Grand Tree is named for Grandma Margaret.
Not truly our children's grandmother Margaret was
everything. I could have hoped for kind
generous and loving and was the perfect surrogate for my mother
(35:49):
who had recently passed. She came to our home each
Tuesday morning so that I could run errands and enjoy a cup of
coffee. After calling it our little
bargain, this went on for several years until Grandma
Margaret It's wonderful and generous Spirit fell victim to
the cruelty of Alzheimer's. One of our last visits during
(36:11):
Christmas time, her daughter gave us a small living pine tree
from the supermarket. Little did we know that once the
small tree chick route, it wouldtake over an entire Corner,
providing shelter and shade Grandma.
Margaret Street is a testament to her beauty tenacity, strength
and Faith. You Mother's Day, Margaret.
(36:43):
I've always had an affinity for trees, tree blossoms, in spring
summer shade trees, trees and Rich fall colors and how would a
fir trees by writing an essay onthe apple trees in our yard and
what they meant to me when I wasa third grader.
(37:03):
I won an evergreen tree from a local nursery and my class was
invited to our house to see the tree planted.
It was an exciting event. Many years later, as an
elementary music educator I continued to share a love for
trees through song and poetry such as Kilmer's famous poem
(37:25):
trees kindergartners saying mr. Rogers Tree song and older
students learned about the Redwoods.
Through Woody Guthrie's. This land is your land to name
just a few of the opportunities I had for incorporating trees
into music curriculum before we built a home. 35 years ago, my
(37:49):
husband planted hundreds of evergreen trees and hauled water
for their survival prior to their being an available water
source on the land, we added beloved, birch trees, and when I
planted another favorite a Willow in the absence of rope to
stake it, I had to use. What was on hand speaker wire,
(38:14):
which somehow seemed apropos fora music teacher today that tree
sores 40 feet in the air and thewind still sings a sweet melody
through its willowy branches. I see trees of green red.
Red roses too. I see them bloom for me and you
(38:42):
and I think to myself What a Wonderful World.
Thank you for joining tree speech today.
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