~Tree Spirit Prayer~
Great Spirit, Mountain Ancestors, All My Relations, Blessings be here today as I come before you Honored One.
You have seen many sunrises and sunsets upon your branches,Your sacred roots have been quenched by life giving rains.
Honored Tree Spirit, I give Thanks to You
...for the singing birds that you shelter
...for the music you sing in the breeze
...for listening to the voices of the creatures
...for echoing the ancestors strength
Respected One, I ask your permission and humbly request your presence for my guided purpose as Great Spirit directs.
All things belong to you, Creator, all things are sacred.
So this day, I honor you, Tree Spirit and humbly Thank You.
Mitakuye Oyasin
Original prayer/poem by Hanoochi ©
Trees are a vital and nurturing force. They benefit our environment, provide us medicines, and inspire myths and stories. One of the best ways to realize the importance of trees is to imagine our world without them.
Trees provide shade in summer and shelter in winter. In fact, trees planted around our homes help reduce heating and cooling costs. During summer, trees can block the sun and have a refrigerating effect on us and our homes, and during the winter months, trees can keep us warmer by shielding us from wind and snow.
The very air we breathe is improved by the presence of trees. In order to feed themselves, trees absorb harmful chemicals such as carbon monoxide and in turn give off oxygen. As well, they filter and trap pollutants such as smoke, dust, and ash making our air cleaner.
Where water is concerned, trees not only absorb water - preventing flooding, but also help disperse rainfall over a more even area. As well, by retaining water, trees help reduce the amount of topsoil the runs off into our sewers and streams. Leaves on the ground, keep moisture close to the ground aiding growth and traps chemicals keeping them out of lakes and rivers.
On a larger scale, trees maintain our global environment in ways that we are just beginning to understand. By acting as enormous carbon sinks, trees absorb massive amounts of carbon dioxide from our atmosphere.
Of course trees benefit us not only our physical environment, but also attract birds and other wildlife, making our urban centers a more pleasant place to live. Picture the eerie silence that would befall a city were the song of birds entirely absent.
For most of us, the fruit of trees provide pleasurable tastes as well as much needed vitamins, but for others, trees provide life itself.
Trees are also a constant source of medicine for the human race. Consider the ginkgo tree. Dating back more than 300 million years, it is the oldest know species of tree. For centuries the Chinese have used tea made from ginkgo seeds as a cure for respiratory illnesses, such as asthma. In more modern times, ginkgo leaf extract has been used as a treatment for a wide range of aliments such as Alzheimer's and depression. The Native Americans use Aspen bark for reducing fever and fighting influenza. In recent times, the medical community has taken more notice of the natural cures found all around us as herbology continues to grow in popularity. Many people, tired of chemical treatments, turn to trees and plants for assistance.
On a more individual level, trees allow our minds to wander. They occupy such a strong place in our stories because they are near to us and the heavens at the same time. Rooted in the ground, they reach for the sky. They are majestic and complicated.
The importance of trees seems apparent when one tries to imagine a world without them. Cleaner air and water, food for our tables and thoughts, as well as inspiration for our senses are but a few things given to us by trees. If nothing else, they give us an excuse to sit, close our eyes, and listen to the winds rustle though their leaves.
God Bless our Mother Nature!
