Go Hug a Tree
…or at least take some time to get to know one…
You are invited to make friends with a representative of the Plant Kindom.* Choose a being who is larger than you, who will also probably live for many decades (or perhaps 
centuries, if you befriend a Sequoia or the like), yet who experiences life in a way so profoundly different from your own life experience.
centuries, if you befriend a Sequoia or the like), yet who experiences life in a way so profoundly different from your own life experience.~
Choose one individual (to start) with whom you wish to make a friendship — a favorite tree that’s easy for you to visit several times per week, at least. It should be a tree that is easy for you to walk up to, to touch the trunk (and perhaps hug, if you are 
so inclined, and if you’re confident the tree would appreciate it). If you’re a bit nomadic, this doesn’t have to be an exclusive, lifetime affair — even a friendship of a few days can be treasured, and perhaps you can find a new tree friend in every ‘port’.
so inclined, and if you’re confident the tree would appreciate it). If you’re a bit nomadic, this doesn’t have to be an exclusive, lifetime affair — even a friendship of a few days can be treasured, and perhaps you can find a new tree friend in every ‘port’.~
Wh
en you visit, spend at least a minute giving your arborescent friend your undivided attention. Take a little time to get to know it. Talk about the weather. Ask after its health. Have you sprouted new leaves since we last visited? Do you have flowers, fruits or cones today? What other animals are visiting you now? How does the air smell today? How’s your soil? What are you up to this week? (Note that you do not need to do this out loud, lest other passing humans think you strange, and you shouldn’t expect to ‘hear’ an answer, but you can seek the answers and the tree will ‘tell’ you.)
en you visit, spend at least a minute giving your arborescent friend your undivided attention. Take a little time to get to know it. Talk about the weather. Ask after its health. Have you sprouted new leaves since we last visited? Do you have flowers, fruits or cones today? What other animals are visiting you now? How does the air smell today? How’s your soil? What are you up to this week? (Note that you do not need to do this out loud, lest other passing humans think you strange, and you shouldn’t expect to ‘hear’ an answer, but you can seek the answers and the tree will ‘tell’ you.)~
If you can, spend some meditation time with your tree companion, focusing on the exchange of breath, the reciprocity of O2 and CO2. Realize that much of the tree’s mass, its ephemeral leaves and fruits and flowers, but also the wood of its durable trunk and roots, is constructed from the carbon the tree inhales.
~
Trees are able to capture our breath, and keep that gift from us as a beautiful piece of their own monumental structure for decades, maybe centuries. The more time you spend breathing beneath a tree’s leafy canopy, the more of the tree will be made from your breath. If you speak beneath a tree, the tree will in some fashion save and be shaped by your very words.
~
Let us know about your new friend and your experiences with this practice in the comments.~
Trees are very good friends to have. Go say “agaya and ubuntu” to one – you’ll be glad you did!
~
*lack of a ‘g’ there is deliberate – Novasutras is not into monarchy or other ranked hierarchies
It feels good to connect (ubuntu) to our natural roots. Trees are such beautiful creations! Why not express our appreciation for them (agaya) while basking in their generous cover?! So many legends and stories center or start with a nuturing tree… there is more truth to the tales than we imagine. Novasutras is a beautiful movement. Thank you!
I have found that these practices, similar to what the Japanese call “forest bathing” are especially helpful in times of stress and anxiety. Remembering our ubuntu / interdependent connections with trees and other beings can be a profoundly healing experience. The Atlantic had a good article about that practice https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/06/forest-bathing/532068/.
Here’s another take on befriending a tree – https://emergencemagazine.org/practice/befriending-a-tree/
You might also find it powerful to learn a bit more about the brave dedication of the original “tree huggers,” indigenous forest defenders in northern India, engaging in deeply #sacredactivism – https://www.patagonia.ca/stories/the-original-tree-huggers/story-71575.html