One of three things will happen when you tell someone that one of your wisest teacher is a Tree…

➢    that person smiles at you through awakened eyes that say ” I know exactly what you are talking about”,

➢    that person smiles at you through questioning eyes that say “tell me more”, or

➢    that person smiles at you through skeptical eyes that say ” I always knew you were a bit odd, but this is really “out there!”

No matter what… that person smiles…
because the notion of having a conversation with what many Native Americans call the “Standing Ones” is fascinating.  So, how exactly does one strike up a conversation with a tree?  Good question!  I can’t say it will work this way for everyone, but I can tell you how it happened that I met and spoke with Sutak, a lovely Live Oak that lives on the edge of a nearby lake.

Until last year, I had only heard a tree speak once.  On that occasion, while walking across the lawn, the Yule pine my family planted in the front yard called my name.  I heard it distinctly and, upon investigation, realized that it needed some attention.  Though that tree never spoke to me again, I have always remembered the wonder of that moment and remained open to having the experience repeat itself.

Then, several months ago, a friend told me about a wonderful tree she discovered in a nearby park.  “Perfect for Climbing” she said.  It had been a long time since I climbed a tree and my friend’s description of the peace it brought her  was enough to inspire me.  So, later that week, after a particularly difficult morning, I decided to try it for myself.

I went to the park and followed the directions I had been given.  “Walk across the field until you see the bench by the water”.  There she was….to the right of the bench described.  Her base was low and wide, and she had 7 arms that were visible from where I stood.  Once I got closer, I realized that another arm lay hidden behind and that she carried distinct spider energy!  This was quite significant for me as I have a long-standing relationship with Spider-Woman.  Little did I know the web that was being woven would become so important.

There was only one place suitable for climbing and it was not as easy as I thought it would be.  (This, of course, had nothing to do with age, or limberness!)  I had to scoot up backwards in order to keep steady, but it was worth it!  With a little effort, I found myself sitting in her gentle embrace.

There I perched, Earth below, Sky above, the fiery-warm kiss of the sun on my face, the gentle lapping of the water against the shore to soothe me, and the wind to caress me.  Realizing that I sat between the four elements brought to life the magick of the moment.

Now, I have another friend who talks to trees (Yes, there are several of us, believe it or not), and because of the stories he has shared with me, I knew the Standing Ones could speak….so, I placed my hands against the bough that held me and sent out a question from my mind to hers.

“May I talk to you?”  A simple “yes” ran across the screen behind my eyes.  I wasn’t sure if it was her, or me, so I spoke again.   “What’s your name”.  She answered.  “Sutak”.

I just call her Su.  It’s easier, and she doesn’t seem to mind.  I spoke to her of my heartache, and listened as she told me about her Bark…..how years of struggle created the tough exterior that protects the center of her being.  I looked up and saw how this covering resembled dragon scales, and she told me about the soft places underneath that she keeps hidden, much as I have learned to hide my own “soft places”.

She told me to look higher and, when I did, I noticed tender young branches emerging. The smallest limbs had smooth surfaces and flexed easily in the wind.  Su taught me that even though your heart is sheltered, you must risk something to keep living…reach beyond the protection to taste newness.  It was a most incredible lesson, and one that changed my life.  She taught me much more that day…about Love, and Self, and Growth.

Since that time, I have spent countless hours in her arms, sharing joy and sorrow, listening and learning.   She has taught me more than any other teacher has, often in lessons that take only minutes to understand.

Sometimes I hear her voice like the soft whisper of the wind.   Other times, it’s a deeper, more powerful voice I hear.  And still other times, there is no voice at all….just her silence, and an overwhelming presence that restores my Soul.

Could it be my imagination?  I suppose it could, but, I don’t think so.  Even if it is, the lessons have been grand and useful!  I have taken a number of people to meet Su, and each has found something special in her arms.  Truly, I believe it is the voice of Spirit that speaks through her because she always seems to know exactly what to say.

My conversations with Su have opened the door to conversations with many other teachers.  Stones and lichen, stars and waterfalls - they all have something to share.  We need only be willing to hear a voice that differs from our own.  Take a risk.  Go out on the proverbial limb, or the actual one, if you are so inclined.  All of Nature is alive and waiting to be heard.

By Ahriana Bray

We never met Martha and Joe.  In fact, they were long gone before either of us ever arrived on this planet….but, we had lunch with them anyway…and it was a glorious meal, indeed!

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon.  The sun was warm and the earth was fragrant with the rich smells of flowering thistle and sweet grass.  My Love and I woke up late and went out to run a few errands.

We decided to stop for sandwiches and then headed back up the hill, through our little mountain town, toward our house.  For some reason, my eyes were drawn to the old cemetery that sits just off the main street in a wooded and somewhat secluded area.  We’d driven through once before and read the headstones dating back to the late eighteen hundreds.  ” Lets have lunch there”, I said…. and he agreed.

Driving our car to the farthest edge where we had seen some of the oldest plots, we passed the fences and family markers from our own century.  We parked the car, picked up the sandwiches, and lazily walked along.

The cemetery is shaded by pines, speckled with wild flowers, and alive with birds, squirrels and other forest creatures.  I’ve always said I’d rather be cremated than buried, but the peace-fullness of this place certainly made me question that choice.

We passed the Robert’s family plot, a small plot outlined in rocks for a little girl who was only three when she died, an old stone with the name worn so badly it could no longer be read….and, after a while, we came upon two simple wooden placards.  My Love leaned over to pick up the first which had fallen from between the rocks that were meant to hold it upright. “Martha Thibodeau - 1848-1917″, it read.    Next to Martha was “Joe Thibodeau- 1847 to 1928.”

They must have been a very humble couple….no fancy headstones…..  no fencing or family markers…..  just two weather-beaten wooden slates with the names painted in black to remind the world that these two had once been.

We sat down to the right of them, staring out at a beautiful forest meadow that lay just behind, and wondered about their lives.  Perhaps they were married.  Perhaps they had children.  Perhaps they were “fine, upstanding citizens”.  Perhaps they were “down to earth pioneers.’  Whoever they were, we decided to remember that …they were.

We agreed to eat in silence, inviting the Thibodeaus to share our meal.  Funny how my senses were heightened almost instantly.   The breeze was more fragrant….the earth more gentle…the food more tasty…and the songs of Nature more beautiful…and, somehow, I could feel them there….light and free….and joy-filled.  As I glanced at Mark, my heart felt love, deep and pure.  Perhaps it was Martha remembering her walk with Joe…or me wondering about the love they might have shared.  Certainly, the experience left me grateful for the many aspects of physical life we, who are embodied, are able to enjoy.

We were silent in that beautiful, serene place, overlooking the wildflowers and the forest, for nearly half an hour.   In that time, it occurred to me that there are many people who are afraid that they must accomplish something profound in this life so that someone will remember them when they pass on to the next.  Well…on this Saturday….for no special reason….we remembered that Martha and Joe.

We honored them for Being, having no idea what they might or might not have done while they were here. We connected with them as part of the Great One that we all are. What more reason did we need to celebrate those who walked before us?

In our culture, we speak of honoring the ancestors, yet so often, we tie that word to those whose bloodlines we can directly connect with our own.  Truly, if we are all connected as part of the Divine Mystery, then all who have passed before us are our ancestors….and none shall be forgotten in a world where all are One.

By Ahriana Bray, 8/6/01

It is rare for me to have time by myself….and even more rare that I might spend that time reclining on a warm stone at the side of a flowing river…but, on this particular day, that is exactly what I did.

The sun was warm and the river cool - fresh with Mountain run-off from a recently fallen snow.  It was a special day.  I could smell it in the spring-scented air.  A lesson was about to be shared…and the teacher’s voice splashed and tumbled past me as I closed my eyes to listen.

“Shall I tell you a story of Mountains to Sand”, the River asked?   “Yes, please” I thought. So she did - and this is what she said;

“There once was a great Mountain.  Oh yes, all Mountains are great, but this Mountain was truly magnificent!  Strong and proud, she stood firm in her station, knowing that nothing could move her from her post.  She was a mighty being who knew herself to be very powerful, and she found great comfort in her own strength.  It made her feel safe.

The Deer spoke to her and told of the grassy valleys where they ate…and she pondered places she had never seen, but hers was the job of stillness and she was proud she could always stand tall and stable.

The Butterflies spoke to her of the fairies who danced sunlight on the surface of the lakes and streams…and the Mountain imagined their beauty, yet she believed her place was to stay exactly where she was.

The Birds spoke of a grand and wondrous place, where the water stretched on and on forever, and the very earth itself glistened like stars in the night sky.  The mighty Being thought long about this place, but she was a Mountain and her job was to be strong…and permanent…and constant!

One day, as she stood her ground, she felt a tap…tap…tap against her skin.  The gentle rains fell and whispered to her…”It is time to change” they said.  “It is time to become your greatest Self!”

“My greatest Self?  How can I be any greater than I am” she asked.  “I am a Mountain!  Strong and stable.  I do not move and am always the same!”

“It is time to change, as all things must” said the rains.  Tiny droplets became trickles, and trickles became streams, and streams became huge flowing rivers.  Soon, the Mountain began to crumble.  Huge boulders rolled downhill, coaxed by water’s relentless current.  “Even that which seems permanent must change,” the rain said!

“I am many Boulders”, said the Mountain, as she tumbled to the valley….and the Deer, recognizing the Mountain in her new form, said ” Welcome, mighty friend! ” And the green, green grass shared a lesson of windswept gentleness as the Mountain listened.

As the water moved the boulders ever forward, tumbling and turning, crashing into one another, the boulders became many stones whose edges were worn smooth by the current.  From under the water, the stones looked up to see the fairies dancing in the sunbeams on the River’s surface.  “I am many stones,” said the Mountain, and the Butterflies, recognizing the Mountain in her new form, said “Welcome my friend!”  The fairies shared a lesson of brilliant laughter as the Mountain listened.

Onward the stones tumbled, taking on a dance of their own, ….willingly breaking into smaller and smaller pieces, flowing ever forward at a faster and faster pace, until finally, the River met the mighty Sea.  “I am the tiniest grains of sand” said the Mountain. And the Birds, recognizing the Mountain in her new form, said “Welcome, my friend!  Look at you sparkle and shine like the stars in the night sky!”  And the Mountain, reflecting the sunlight, saw her own beauty for the first time and listened to the wisdom of the breaking surf.

“I am the Great Mother Ocean” a tender voice said, “and you have come home, my child.  You were born a strong and powerful Mountain and you might have remained that had you been unwilling to change. Being a Mountain is a noble thing indeed…yet those who stand still see so little of life.

You made a wonderful choice when you courageously moved forward into the current of change.   Bit by bit, your surrendered your stubborn strength and tumbled willy-nilly out of the place of knowing to explore the greatest mystery of all - the unknown.

You gave up more and more of the sharp edges that defined you, smoothing your surfaces in the torrential river of life, releasing all that you ever were to become the sparkling essence that existed at the very core of your Being.

And now, you have arrived here.  Your hard shell broken down so that all that is left is the finest grain of sand…a diamond dancing with me in the ebb and flow, caressed and loved with each wave that greets you, always reflecting the light of the Divine.”
By Ahriana Platten

May 1st, 2008

Today is May Day - and its snowing in Colorado!  Life is good!  Mark is loving his new job, school is almost over for the kids, and we made an offer on a house “up the hill” in the mountains.  Its amazing what can happen in a short thirty days! Thanks to all of you for your calls, hugs, and support in this time of change!

Today is a Pagan holiday, known by many earth-based traditions as “Beltane.”  This ecstatic holiday observes a celebration of fertility and creation, highlighting the physical joys of womanhood, manhood and sacred union. The seed of new life that was planted at the Vernal Equinox is awakening and the world revels in the joy of birth.

Beltane is a terrific opportunity to enrich any aspect of your life requiring fertilization.  What would nourish you, so that you can bring forth what you most desire?  Can you engage in the pleasures of life with wild abandon, really allowing yourself to seek your deepest awareness?

This is a time to welcome the return of life’s pleasures shared by all living things, and to share those pleasures most generously with one another. The gates between the worlds are open, and we can connect with the life-spirits of plants, animals, fairies and devas, and the Mysterious Ones, all those beings who awaken us to the deeper mysteries that are discovered by those willing to look for them. The Goddess is birthing abundantly and we are not only present, but a part of this miraculous happening.

So how does the snow fit into this day which is traditionally one that marks Spring’s “bursting forth?”

For me, it is amazing to recognize the tenacity of the life forms here in the Rockies. Despite the snow, leaves are budding, flowers are blooming, and birds are singing a song that warms and regenerates all that will listen.  Fresh green grass peeks out from under frosty white crystalline flakes, refusing to be discouraged in its climb toward the sun.

Spring is a time of determination and effort.  Those things which threaten to slow us down, or seem to stop us altogether, are often the very things that will provide us with what we need to drink deeply of the sweet nectar of life - just as the snow will soon become nourishing moisture for all the burgeoning life it blankets.

We, ourselves, are reaching toward the light and warmth of summer - and today, we are reminded to welcome change, no matter how it “shows up.” Through the challenges of life, we birth a new way of living.  For this, I am grateful!

On this May Day, I wish you a new adventure, an awakening of your own, an opening to the abundance just waiting for you to welcome it into your sacred garden!  May you be blessed with an easy and gentle birthing of your heart’s deepest desire.

Blessed be - and Happy Beltaine!