“There is always music amongst the trees in the garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it.” ~Minnie Aumonier

Essay by ~liz Sorensen Wessel

Each day, I bundle up in several layers of wool and ready myself to brace the cold. I greet the brisk Vermont air and begin climbing the hilly road alongside my mom’s home.

Soon my eyes are drawn heavenward as I study black silhouettes of trees inking the sky in brushstrokes of intricate design. All their leafy garb have fallen away. Still they stand tall, their spines bare. Exposed birds’ nests lie empty; their inhabitants have fled winters long night.

I enjoy the quietas I walk and I am struck by the stillness of the trees presence. I encounter a sense of peacefulness and it occurs to me that this will be my Journal reflection.

I wish to share with you a fascinating and growing understanding of how trees face life’s challenges with graceful agility. When you consider the adverse and extreme weather conditions that trees must withstand, such as winds up to 100 miles per hour, one must agree that trees are incredibly resilient.

Leonardo DaVinci first noted patterns of tree branches over 500 years ago. He recorded his observations that included precise mathematical relationships between smaller branches and the branches from which they grow (NPR: Dec. 26, 2011). A French physicist Christophe Eloy recently described Leonardo’s rule as, "When a mother branch branches in two daughter branches, the diameters are such that the surface areas of the two daughter branches, when they sum up, is equal to the area of the mother branch."

Eloy decided to further explore the mystery of the tree branching relationships. What Eloy discovered is quite startling.  Apparently, Leonardo’s rule of tree branching is aligned with the most sophisticated engineering principles of aerodynamics. Amazingly, trees have figured out these principles all on their own!

The wisdom of trees, their ability to communicate and their interconnectedness is currently being researched by Professor Suzanne Simard. I hope you will take a minute to watch this profound video that demonstrates trees magnificent aptitude for resilience and regeneration.

As caregivers, there are many insights about healing that we can glean from the wisdom of trees.

What connections can you make to your role as healer?

Note: Above drawing by ~liz