The Day I Became One with Trees

The Day I Became One with Trees

From Gaia's Call by Listen to the call of the Earth and take action.

April 3, 2026 · 10 min

About this episode

The episode explores a profound personal experience of connection with nature and trees during a ceremony in the Amazon rainforest.

If dogs were my first teachers of kinship, the rainforest was my initiation into something far larger. We awoke before dawn to the sound of birds I had never heard before—notes that seemed less like “song” and more like conversation. The air was thick, humid, alive. My fellow travelers from the North— still a bit jet-lagged, but also curious, slightly unsure—gathered near the Amazon River with members of the Sapara community who had graciously welcomed us into their village. The ceremony was simple. Sacred tobacco. Chanting. Leaves brushed gently across our bodies. Murmured words in a language older than my own. The smell of earth and river. The towering trees encircling us like quiet elders. On one level, it was unadorned. No spectacle. No drama. On another level, it blew my mind. I did not merely “appreciate nature” that morning. I experienced being one with it. And especially with the trees. Not in a metaphorical way. Not in a poetic way. In a felt, embodied way that bypassed analysis. It was as if some subtle membrane between “me” and “them” dissolved. The massive trunks around me no longer felt like background scenery. They felt like presences—vast, patient, ancient…

Topics covered

  • nature
  • kinship
  • spiritual experience
  • rainforest
  • community
  • ceremony

Keywords

  • trees
  • rainforest
  • kinship
  • ceremony
  • Ecuador
  • nature
  • community

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sapara

Places: Amazon River

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