EP 133 The Protection of the Forest

Know You Are Earth

The Protection of the Forest. I've been waiting in the Forest for ages for the birds to come back. Though now the hawk has come. And the silence came too. Can you hear me? Can you hear me? You can hear me. That means that there is blood pumping through your heart. It means there is air going in and out of your body. It means there are millions of amazing functions all happening. Like some incredible coincidence within your body and outside your body. That means you can hear. Cool huh?! While I was sitting, waiting for the birds, a squirrel came and it’s the first one I’ve ever seen in this Forest. In fact, I didn’t see it very well because I don’t have my contact lenses. But I’ve heard it, chattering. I think it’s still up from the tree not far from here. It seems so silent and so still. That’s a woodpecker. Here in the Forest, it is cold and there is moisture dripping from the trees. Outside in the field, it is a blazing hot, bright, sunny, day. The difference is striking. The Forest feels protective. Here come some Jays I think it’s Jays. The field feels exposed and vulnerable. And that is exactly what is like for the soil. In the Forest it is protected, nurtured by the cycling. In the field it is dry and exposed to the sun. It is a field where hay is taken each year so beautiful wild flowers come. But they are taken away each year. I'm back in the Forest later on the same day. It’s been really hot all day. But in the Forest, there is still a coolness that rises from the Earth that it is damper than anywhere else. Outside in the field, the soil has been exposed all day to the hot sun and any Life that is there would have buried down as deeply as it can. Here in the Forest, the birds are quiet. Left to its own devices, Nature returns to Forest. The brambles and other prickly bushes are the first pioneers to take hold of the field and protect the Earth with their sharp prickles. Here comes a breeze. The sharp prickles enable young trees to start to grow protected. And as they grow they eventually shade out the prickly forerunners and the new Forest is born. In the Forest there are many layers of Life. The trees are the most obvious. But even amongst the trees, there are tall trees. Like a cherry is really tall. Or a smaller tree, the hazelnuts are much smaller. And then there are the vines that climb the ivy. And the creep, again the ivy. There are the low bushes and herbs. In the Forest here there’s Dog’s Mercury. There are ferns, butcher’s-broom. And then there are other deep-rooted plants. The wild boar here, I’ve noticed that they eat the roots of Lords and Ladies which is a poisonous plant, but they get the root and eat it. So, there are all these layers interacting together growing close and around each other in this magnificent wealth of diversity. This is the true Wisdom of Nature. And she moves towards the state, always. And the same Wisdom is the blood in our veins, it is the breath coming in and out of our bodies. It is the natural Wisdom within us that will lead us to the most abundant and diverse version of our own lives when we listen to our Hearts, to our inner Wisdom, to the soft and subtle urgings that can sometimes be hard to hear. When we live in such a world of go, go, go. To lie down and relax and let your mind wonder is one of the best ways to discover the thoughts of where your next steps could be. When we relax, and just feel the wonderful functions going on in our bodies, it is like stepping out in the bright glare of the sun in a bare field, into the protection of the cool Forest where the true richness of our deep Nature can be felt and understood. FollowFollowFollowFollow Thank you so much for your donations! They are helping with the cost of producing the podcast, and are very gratefully appreciated. Thank you!