Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees
A Practice for Edge Times...
We have been awaiting April’s arrival, the month when our new book will make its way into the world on Earth Day. Even though that well-known mega purveyor of books and goods galore is already shipping copies, the official launch date of Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees remains April 22. Coauthor Beth Norcross and I have been interviewing with podcasters, sharing social media posts, and arranging in-person, in-bookstore, and other events to help introduce our baby to the world.
And how fortunate am I? I’ve been leading retreats to invite participants to spend time with trees, to meet them at a place beyond words, to observe how they twist and weave to reach the light, to notice their resilience even as we witness their wounds, and to consider all they ways they connect, communicate and collaborate with each other, the ecosystems in which they reside, and us.
For nearly a decade, together and separately, Beth and I have led walks, developed and taught classes, and have spoken to groups about the spiritual wisdom of trees. Then last year Broadleaf Books approached us about writing a book on this topic we have come to love so much. We poured our hearts and souls into a flurry of thought, planning, research, writing, editing, reflection, rewriting, reading, and rewriting some more. Now we hold in our hands the product of our collaboration, and we are excited to share it with you very soon.
Through conversations, study, and contemplative practice, we have come realize ever more clearly that “trees have a unique wisdom that can provide important inspiration, comfort, and guidance for our times – lessons in resilience, adaptation, renewal, reciprocity, and hope.”1 Grounded in ecology (one of us studied forestry) and spirituality (both of us have followed this path), we are eager to share with readers the stories of teacher trees who offer wisdom and guidance for these difficult times.
I am sharing a few passages from the soon-to-be-released book to give you a sense of its content and, more importantly, to invite you to a practice of deep listening to the spiritual wisdom of trees.
Spiritual wisdom? Trees have spiritual wisdom?
“When we speak of the spiritual wisdom of trees and gaining insights from them, we are speaking both metaphorically and literally. Receiving spiritual wisdom from trees in the metaphorical sense is the most straightforward and culturally accepted way to be informed by these elders. . . . . Trees are rooted in a community; they need nourishment to grow; both light and dark are important to them; they face a wide variety of obstacles—we could go on, and we will as our conversations unfold. As we open to the possibility of learning from the spiritual wisdom of trees, we will see many examples that apply to our lives.
“But trees are not only metaphors for our spiritual journey. Trees are spiritual beings—literally. My cedar <described earlier> could be no other than the tree she was meant to be. True to their sacred essence, trees embrace their own remarkable and unique wholeness without attempt to withhold or conceal. Author Douglas Wood wrote of a small and twisted jackpine who stood alone on a rocky point on an island that Wood loved. A silent sentinel, it spoke of ‘a wholeness and harmony, an integrity that comes from being what you are and belonging where you are.’2
“In the presence of such authenticity, we, too, are called to be fully ourselves. Sometimes that feels like a very tall order. Yet the immediacy of body memory—smell, taste, touch, sounds, sight—is available again to me when I still my busy mind and recall those moments lost in tree communion. Then I am able to loosen my protective shell of self-reference and sink into the sacred whole. . . . .
“When we walk in the woods or sit with a tree and become aware of a hushed holiness, it’s possible that we are sensing the sacred connections forged by people from time beyond memory and written into our very bones. It’s possible that the trees have carried throughout generations their own hidden wholeness that speaks to us, soul to soul, beyond the bounds of words.
“We may sense a sacred calling because trees are so genuinely themselves. …. Although trees face many challenges and must make choices in order to thrive, they stand firm in what they are meant to be. We are the only species who ponders and frets over who we are to become.”3
Last weekend I returned for the second year in a row to Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to offer leadership on the spiritual wisdom of trees. Much of the learning comes not from me, of course, but from the land itself. The retreat center sits on nearly 70 acres of woods and prairie with 2.5 miles of trails, an active food forest, community gardens, healing gardens, a cosmic walk, and a labyrinth. Once an oak and hickory savanna, the area still features towering oaks over 250 years old. Hundreds of thousands of trees were damaged or felled in the derecho of 2020 that damaged nearly every building in the 75-square miles of Cedar Rapids. Testifying to of the large-scale restoration effort, small tubes of newly planted saplings are abundant on Prairiewoods lands, growing into their place among the aged oaks and dying snags still offering habitat to birds, insects, and other critters.
Twenty-eight of us met together for a weekend retreat to share our hopes, learn from each other, and, most importantly, to sit at the feet of a tree, breathing with her, minds quieted, heart and senses open, present to the wisdom that teacher tree might offer as guidance for these troubled times.
In Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees, Beth and I invite the readers to consider regular, frequent, and spacious visits to a teacher tree. This is a term we coined for an individual tree whose relationship with us allows us to connect beyond words to spiritual wisdom inherent in their being. I’ll return to an excerpt from the book to share a bit more about why this practice might support one’s spiritual journey of “cracking open” to rediscover our true essence and remember the gifts we have to offer in edge times.
“Our individual journey to cracking open, our soul journey, requires a descent to the depths of who we truly are. The late Thomas Berry, a priest and cultural historian, termed this journey inscendence to indicate that this is not about transcending beyond ourselves but rather going inward to reclaim our essence that illumines our unique role and connects us to the sacred web of life in which we live. Such a journey may be a difficult one on a path lined with seductive, false doorways or a road slanted toward conformity to the dominant culture. It can be very helpful to make this journey with a wise elder who has gone before. This is the role of a teacher tree.”4
“It’s important to grant ourselves patience and compassion as we engage with a teacher tree and learn new practices. Stepping outside of our comfort zones—and often outside the norms of our community—can be exciting, scary, disconcerting, and reinvigorating. Yet we are not alone; we are held within a long lineage of those who have taken this sacred journey to crack open, become deeply rooted, and connect more deeply with the living world. This lifetime pilgrimage includes no clear destination, nor even signposts, for each individual creates their path by walking. Often our paths will circle back to places we have been before, each new visit inviting us to see afresh from a richer perspective. Although rooting into the ground of our being might be a messy process, it is in reclaiming our sacred essence that we enliven our souls and offer our unique gifts to the world. We can trust that as we become increasingly connected with our teacher tree and all other trees we encounter, we will gain strength, courage, and spiritual wisdom for the journey.”5
Somewhere near you, your teacher tree awaits. “Throughout our journey with trees, perhaps the most significant thing we have discovered is the importance of opening our hearts wide if we are to absorb the wisdom the trees offer us. We invite you to discern when the time is right to be vulnerable, open fully, and completely available to whatever Holy Mystery has to offer. We acknowledge that this is not easy; it flies in the face of our cultural norms and our personal habits. Admittedly, being vulnerable did not come naturally or easily for either of us. Thankfully, trees model for us this important spiritual practice.”6
Times are difficult for many of us. The trees are calling us to a new level of collaboration and connections amid the storms rocking our world.
Beth Norcross and Leah Rampy, Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees. Minneapolis, MN: Broadleaf Books, 2025. p. 3.
Douglas Wood, Fawn Island. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2001, p 4.
Norcross, Rampy. Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees. pp. 14-16.
Ibid, p. 16.
Ibid, p. 19.
Ibid, p. 6.
A Few of the Endorsements for Which We Are Grateful!
This book speaks the language of trees. The deep wisdom of the Standing Ones is that everything belongs; nothing stands alone. Beth Norcross and Leah Rampy powerfully convey this truth as they draw on the fascinating details of forestry science, the insights of spiritual masters from various traditions, and their own intimate, lifelong experience with trees. This isn’t just another ‘how-to’ book on spirituality. It’s a passionate call to listen to the magnificent teachers that surround us.
—Belden C. Lane, PhD, author of The Solace of Fierce Landscapes, Backpacking with the Saints, and other books
A beautiful meditation on the wisdom found in the natural world and the transformative power of being in relationship with trees. Norcross and Rampy are exceptional teachers and knowledgeable guides, graciously leading the reader down tree-lined wooded paths where they share scientific knowledge, insightful personal experience, compelling metaphors, and spiritual insights . . .
—Carrie Newcomer, Emmy-winning performer, songwriter, and recording artist: A Great Wild Mercy and The Beautiful Not Yet
What a treasure! This book captures the extraordinary power of trees to engage humans in a reciprocal relationship that transcends words. May this valuable work, rich with scientific knowledge and spiritual insight, be widely read and enjoyed. This is a unique expression of what Thomas Berry meant by his phrase, ‘The universe is a communion of subjects.’
—Mary Evelyn Tucker, coauthor, Journey of the Universe; co-director, Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology
Latest News - Launch Party April 22!
Join us for an Earth Day celebration at 7pm EDT via Zoom to officially launch Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees! The authors, Center Founder Beth Norcross and Leah Rampy, will be on hand for readings, Q&A, and giveaways! RSVP HERE
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UPCOMING RETREAT: There’s still time to register!
Singing the Trees: Reweaving Connections in Edge Times
April 11-13, 2025, Friday 5 pm - Sunday 2 pm
Wellspring Retreat Center, Germantown, MD
"Earth and soul cry out for conversation… It is time to reweave connections for the sake of mutual thriving." --Leah Rampy Earth & Soul: Reconnecting amid Climate Chaos
Trees, our elders who have graced this Earth far longer than the human family, beckon us to wisdom, beauty, and peace. Join us as we sing and chant, engage in rich conversations, embrace attentive silence around and within, and exchange intangible, priceless gifts with the trees around us. Note: You need not consider yourself a singer nor even feel that you can carry a tune; all are welcome to join in!
Join us to:
Sing your heart out
Wander in the spring woods
Rest in deep Silence
Participate in ceremony and council to salve the heart and encourage the soul
Dance in sacred circles
Listen to story both ancient and wild
Weave community for resilience and hope
Retreat leaders:
David Rampy has sung in opera houses around the world and taught vocal music to individuals of all ages. He enjoys helping others open to music as a spiritual practice. Leah Rampy is an experienced retreat leader, the author of Earth & Soul: Reconnecting amid Climate Chaos, and the coauthor with Beth Norcross of Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees. Lindsay McLaughlin has been leading retreats that explore nature and soul for more than a decade.
Join us at Wellspring Retreat Center, on 200 wooded acres just north of Washington, DC in Germantown, MD. The center has a simple and beautiful gathering space and accommodates guests in three adjacent cabins; both the gathering space and cabins are designed in harmony with the wild land around them and feature window expanses connecting to the surrounding woods.
Space is limited for this retreat. Find more information and register online.
If you are in need of the support this retreat can offer, we look forward to having you join us.
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Thank you for the lovely introduction to your book. I love that you state that when you speak of the spiritual wisdom of trees, you are speaking both metaphorically AND literally. It's that literal aspect that seems to take me even deeper into the reality of the essence of both the trees and myself--a new and wondrous journey of connection. And I completely relate when Douglas Wood speaks of that most-aligned of northern Minnesota woods' trees, the jackpine. Having lived in those northern woods, I too always found the jackpine to have a strong, silent voice of authenticity, completely being itself despite its (unearned) reputation of being less than lovely to look at.
I look forward to getting your book, and may I humbly suggest that anyone reading this consider acquiring it from anyplace other than "that well-known mega-purveyor of books and goods galore," to support their local bookstores. I believe focus on local is one of the foundational ways to build resilience for the times to come.