Interconnection with Nature: A Grounding Force in an Off-Kilter World
I am exploring 12 words this year - one every month to savour. You can think of each blog post in this series as a mini-guide, connected to the season and full of both the magical & the practical. This month’s word is INTERCONNECTION. I am offering an online mini-retreat for midlife women this autumn called Honoring the Queen. I’d love to have you join!
Every autumn, the bare trees get me.
There is something deeply moving about them.
“Here I am!” the bare tree exclaims after a summer of lush green reticence.
As I look out my bedroom window at the bare tree across the street, I realize:
It’s not the same tree as last year.
Gone is the giant magpie’s nest. A few branches have been pruned back, clearing space for new growth. And there is a string of solar lights now, draped by neighbours that highlight the tree’s limbs in the dark of night.
Each year, this tree stands a little differently.
Looking at it, I wonder:
What’s the shape of me as I come to the end of the year?
What have I gathered? What have I lost? What have I let go of? What continues to deepen and grow in me?
All this from the bare tree across the street.
I love moments like this - when you’re in quiet communion with a nonhuman being.
Whether its a bare tree, a house plant, or a pet…our interconnectedness feels grounding and revolutionary in a world that so often feels disconnected and off-kilter.
Nourish yourself :
A poem, a rest practice, and a scent
When Augusta Showed Us a Two-Minute Video of Starlings
Though I don’t have wings
and though I cannot fly,
with my whole body, I felt it,
the longing to be so aware
of all that is around me
that I, too, might move through the world
like a starling, veering and rising,
turning and dropping, whirling
and doubling back in an elegant
response to what my neighbors
are doing. Does the starling
harshly judge its neighbor
when it flies the other direction?
Does the starling worry
it’s not good enough
to be in a murmuration?
Is it jealous of how its neighbors fly?
Does it wonder how
to get out of its own way?
Such human questions.
How would it be to wholly trust
we are all moving together
in some great mysterious dance?
Now I can’t stop thinking
of what Augusta said:
When we move together,
we like each other more.
It takes just one thought
to inspire a change in course.
What might happen now
when I walk out my door?
-Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
Bare Tree Rest Practice
In late autumn, trees sense the diminishing daylight and dropping temperatures, signaling them to gradually slow down metabolic processes. This natural response allows them to conserve energy and enter a period of rest, safeguarding resources for the upcoming winter months when conditions are less conducive for active growth.
Like the branches above the ground, the roots of trees spend most of the winter months resting and full root growth only starts again in spring when the ground is no longer covered in snow, ice and frost.
This practice invites you to connect with a bare tree, tuning into its natural cycles of rest and renewal.
Try it outdoors or through a window, and revisit it throughout the season.
Find Your Tree
Outdoors: Sit or stand, leaning back against a bare tree in your yard or a park.
Indoors: Sit by a window with a view of a bare tree, and soften your gaze as you look at it.
Breathe and Settle
Take a few deep breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling slowly through pursed lips, like blowing through a straw. Allow your body to relax.
Observe the Tree
Notice the tree’s bare branches—its colors, patterns, and textures. Reflect on the journey it has taken to reach this phase of dormancy.
Sense the Tree’s Roots
If you’re outside, tune into the tree’s grounding roots, feeling or imagining them extending below you. Indoors, you can visualize the roots and feel that connection.
Enter the Tree’s Process
Allow yourself to be drawn into the tree’s rhythm of turning inward, slowing down, releasing, and surrendering.
Notice Your Body and the Tree’s Body
Observe any sensations in your body and the body of the tree as you rest together in quiet companionship.
Express Appreciation
Take a moment to appreciate all that you’re noticing, both within yourself and the tree. Conclude with a moment of gratitude for this shared rest.
Optional Journaling
Afterward, you may wish to journal about your experience, noting any insights or feelings that arose.
Patchouli: Grounding nourishment
Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin) is an aromatic, perennial shrub, with large green leaves and purple flowers. It’s a member of the mint family. The leaves contain the essential oil which is steam distilled from the fresh or dried leaves.
The scent of patchouli helps bring calm to an overly active mind. Its grounding scent helps reduce tension and anxiety.
It is a great essential oil to use at night time as it is relaxing and can be helpful in treating insomnia.
Bedtime Unwind Diffuser Blend
4 drops Roman chamomile
2 drops sweet orange
1 drop patchouli
Place essential oils, drop by drop, into your diffuser.
Drift into relaxation with this calming blend to ground and center before bedtime. Simply add each oil, drop by drop, into your diffuser, and let the aroma prepare you for a restful night’s sleep.
Diffusing Tip
Always diffuse essential oils intermittently. Do not run your essential oil diffuser all day long. It is best to diffuse for 30 – 60 minutes and then 30 – 60 minutes off. This is more effective as both our bodies and our nervous system habituate to essential oils after this time.
Do not take essential oils internally and do not apply undiluted on the skin. Always consult a professional aromatherapist if you have medical conditions. Use caution when using essential oils with children.
References
Holmes, P. (2016). Aromatica: A Clinical Guide to Essential Oil Therapeutics. London: Singing Dragon.
Zeck, R. (2014). The Blossoming Heart: Aromatherapy for Healing and Transformation. Australia: Aroma Tours.
