sanctuary

when you enter a grove peopled with ancient trees, higher than the ordinary, and shutting out the sky with their thickly inter-twined branches, do not the stately shadows of the wood, the stillness of the place, then strike you with the presence of a deity? seneca



i value sanctuary. i seek out places of reflection.

trees offer something of both in their strong silence. their carefully delineated relationships with the earth, air, water, and fire.

their unconditional offer of food, fuel, and a home to whomever, or whatever needs it provides a model of selfless integration into the whole environment.

william blake said: "the tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. some see nature all ridicule and deformity, and some scarce see nature at all. but to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself".
1799, the letters

what did the tree learn from the earth to be able to talk with the sky?
pablo neruda