If Trees Could Talk: Life Lessons from the Wisdom of the Woods

This book begins with the author, in the Bardic Grade, being told to write the book by a Yew tree, so the reader could be forgiven for re-writing the title of the book from the outset to ‘of course trees talk!’ It is really a book about the author finding friends within the trees, guides and wisdom keepers, who have much to say to her. Each chapter is formatted similarly, in that Holly finds the trees, listens to their words and then reflects upon the messages. The book is imbued with wisdom and messages that Holly learns personally, but as a reader it is clear that the messages are deeply relevant to us all. It has history, botany, psychology and tree lore woven through the pages as Holly fleshes out the messages from the trees.

It is beautiful to read an account of a person exploring their land, finding trees and developing a teacher-student relationship with them, for this is something seriously lacking in our lives, even with us Druids, it could be argued.

The book finishes with giving guidance to the reader to go and learn to listen themselves; to slow down, to put feelers out to the different messages and to learn to wait for the non-human realm to speak.

I recommend this book for those who are new to tree listening and who are attracted to learning about another’s experience of it. It will support anyone who wants to go out there and connect to the non-human realms. It is also lovely to read as someone with many years’ experience of tree communication, because of the simple joy of reading another’s account and remembering the truth that trees can guide us all.

~ HS

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