Jane Marshall

here are some tips on how to befriend a tree, because they're actually really fucking cute and not that hard to win over: trees that are used to having people around understand our energy and tend to be more open and friendly than the ones far out in the wilderness. city parks and random backyards are full of powerful, approachable trees that would love to have closer relationships with the humans who share their world. to choose a tree, walk near them and hold your palms out, noticing which one gives you a peaceful sense of warmth or tingling. that pull usually means the tree is open to you. start by smiling at the tree of your choice. the inner smile is actually the foundation of all Taoist practice, because vital force (Chi) only flows freely through a body and mind that are open. smiling is the fastest way to open yourself up. some trees, especially medium ones, can sense this opening of joy and purity and reciprocate it. once connected, the work happens in your mind's eye. visualize the tree's energy being drawn in through your palms, down your body and out your soles into the earth, then let it rise through the roots and trunk back to your hands. this makes it a mutual exchange, and the tree can tell the difference. a small tree can be too weak to make an impression on you, and a huge tree is so immense that you’re too small to make an impression on it. it barely registers that you’re there, which means that it takes more persistence to get it to take an interest in you. to catch a big tree’s attention, match its pace. big trees are profoundly still, so the more you calm your breath, body and mind, the more easily they can sense you. sitting in silence for a while with your whole back resting on the trunk opens the connection. visit on a regular basis so the tree can learn when you’ll come back and look forward to seeing you. trees live on a longer time scale than human beings do, and you can close that gap by coming back to the same tree over and over, so the relationship can grow. if you stay away longer than usual, you might get a clear sense that the tree really missed you, and that intuition is often correct. always say thank you and goodbye when you’re done. end the interaction by thanking the tree out loud or silently, then gather the energy you’ve taken in and store it with your mind's eye near your belly button area so it doesn’t scatter. leaving without closing up is like walking out mid-conversation! once you have a real relationship with a tree, you can keep the bond alive from a distance. you can reach it with your mind when you’re far away, picturing it, smiling to it and feeling the connection open the same way it does in person.