For many years, my work as a medium and intuitive channel has included communicating with animals and receiving information that comes through in ways other than spoken language.
It has taught me to pay attention differently.
An impression. An image. A feeling. A sensation. A shift in awareness.
My work with music and sound has deepened this even further. Listening, for me, extends far beyond what we hear with our ears. This is one of the reasons I find the way trees communicate so fascinating. Science is revealing an extraordinary world of exchange taking place in forests, much of it beyond our everyday perception.
The Hidden Network Beneath Our Feet
One of the most fascinating relationships in a forest exists between trees and fungi.
Many fungi form relationships with plant roots called mycorrhizae. Fine fungal filaments extend beyond the roots, helping plants access water and nutrients. In return, plants provide fungi with carbon compounds produced through photosynthesis.
Some fungal networks connect with the roots of multiple plants. Researchers have found that substances can move through these interconnected systems, inspiring the memorable phrase “wood-wide web.”
The biology behind these networks is complex, and scientists continue to learn more about how they function.
Beneath a forest that appears quiet and still, an intricate biological exchange is taking place.
Trees Communicate Through the Air Too
Plants also release airborne chemicals known as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.
When insects feed on a plant, for example, the chemical compounds it releases can change. Nearby plants can detect some of these compounds and respond by adjusting their own physiology.
One plant's response to its environment can provide information that another plant can use.
We often use the word “talking” to describe this. What fascinates me is what it reveals about communication itself.
Information can be exchanged in many different ways.
We naturally recognize communication through sound.
A voice speaks.
A bird calls.
A whale sings.
A musician plays.
Nature expands our understanding even further. Information can travel through chemistry, scent, physical contact, vibration, and intricate relationships beneath the soil.
Listening Beyond Words
What connects these ideas for me is the awareness that communication can extend beyond words and sound.
Listening can also mean becoming still enough to notice what we are receiving.
An impression, a feeling, an image, a physical sensation, or a sense of knowing can each carry information in a different way.
This has deepened my curiosity about the many ways living beings connect and respond to one another.
A Different Way of Experiencing the Natural World.
A tree that appears to stand independently is participating in relationships with fungi, microorganisms, insects, other plants, the atmosphere, and the soil beneath it.
Science continues to give us new ways of observing these relationships and understanding the remarkable complexity of natural systems.
For me, this brings an even greater sense of connection to the natural world.
The next time you walk among trees, allow yourself a moment to slow down and experience the forest with your full attention.
Listen.
Observe.
Feel the environment around you.
Notice what draws your awareness.
There is so much happening within the living world, and so much more for us to discover.
The more deeply we learn to listen, the more we open ourselves to the many ways life communicates. ~ Blessings Eluv