Cedar
Given Name: Thuja occidentalis
Nicknames: American arborvitae, Eastern arborvitae, tree of life, Eastern white cedar, Northern white cedar
Family: Cupressaceae
Ommmmmmmmmmm.... I am one with the energy of the world and all the creatures around me. I am at peace with all that happens.
I am working to accept all that is beyond my control: that deer, snowshoe hares and porcupines like to nibble rather excessively on my branches, that moose for some reason (is it something I did?), only eat me if they're starving and that I will never be able to taste chocolate cake.
Oh, how I crave that warm, moist richness that people talk so much about. No, I won't let my peace be derailed by my desires. I will be content with the nutrients and water that my shallow but wide root system brings in and I will be thankful for the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (they make their home inside my roots) that help me absorb extra nutrients. I will accept that where my seed falls is home, even if it's not the well-drained, deep moist soil in full sun that I prefer.
But what if my seeds fall in dry or salty soils? Those conditions literally kill me!
Oh, here I go spiraling into worries about things I can't do a thing about. No, I won't let my fears overcome me. There's no need to fear the future- it's unknown. I must live in the now. I am centred in the present. Ommmmmmm....
Oh! Where did you come from?
I guess I was so focused on my meditation that I didn't notice you there. No, I didn't sense you... it was meditation not psychic training! Yes, I do meditate a lot. It's good for me and I happen to have a lot of time on my limbs. You see, I can live to be 200 to over 800 years old.
In fact, in Ontario, Canada you can find scraggly cedar elders along the Niagara Escarpment that are 1500 years old and 900 year old trees in Bon Echo Provincial. So if I'm going live so long, why not use some of that time for self-improvement?
And I obviously can't do yoga... well I did try once... it took me 100 years to get into downward dog! Then I was kind of stuck.
Thankfully, my branches, where they touch the ground, can grow roots and so instead of perishing from yoga-related lack of sunlight or deer browsing (that would have been embarrassing!), I had a second chance to grow straight and tall toward the sun. I may look kind of wonky but I learned from that experience. So now I just stick to meditating.
Oh, please don't look at me like that. Just because I'm old and meditate does not mean that I'm a spiritual guru. Yes, it is true that I've been revered as the Tree of Life (Arborvitae) but let me explain. You see, the Ojibwe and other First Nations taught French explorers and settlers to drink a tea made out of my inner bark and leaves to ward off scurvy.
Sure, I saved many lives but there's nothing metaphysical about my high vitamin C content.
There's not even anything magical about my ability to help fight colds and flues- in a peer-reviewed study, scientists documented the immunostimulating and antiviral activity that makes this possible. So please don't put me on a pedestal (unless it's made of limestone- I'm rather partial to that)- I'm simply a tree grappling with life. And although I've picked up bits of wisdom and experience along the way, the more I learn and reflect, the more questions I have.
Like, why can I tolerate black walnut trees, clay soil, wet soil and air pollution when other trees can't? Why is my wood decay resistant when others are not? And why is garlic so stinky (yes, believe it or not, like all trees, I can detect scents through my leaves so I do have a sense of smell)?
Sometimes I get so overwhelmed with questions that I want to pull out my flat, scaly, yellow-green, leaves. But that's when I know I need help. So I look to the creatures around me to reassure me of my place in this crazy world. I focus on the finches that feed on my seeds and the carpenter ants that live under my rough red-brown bark. They give me perspective, a feeling of connection and anchor me in the reality of life, here and now. Just like these creatures provide support for me, I'd be happy to keep you grounded, while you ponder life's big questions. I actually have a long history of helping people with that- I was traditionally used for smudging in First Nations' sweat lodges and other ceremonies.
Well, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to meditating. Feel free to join me if you want. I'll even tailor the meditation to you.
Close your eyes (is that a good way to start a meditation for people?) and take your awareness to your breath. Observe it. Don't try to change a thing... just notice how your breathing feels. Is it deep or shallow? Is it slow or fast? Can you feel your... oh, what's the word for that part of your body? It's kind of like my trunk... not torso... is it chest?... yes, chest. Sorry. Can you feel your chest rising and falling with each breath? Don't judge it... just be aware of it. Feel your breath travel in through your leaves... I mean nose. If you were under me, you would notice a nice smell. I'm very aromatic and because of that my essential oil has been used in cleaners, insecticides, soaps, room sprays and hair care products. If you were under me, you would also be breathing in the oxygen that I breathe out and breathing out the carbon dioxide that I breathe in. Together, you as a person, and me, as a tree, are the lungs of the earth. We are connected and create balance.
Now to finish off, let's chant “Om” together. If you feel uncomfortable with that because you have no connection to Hinduism or the other religions that consider this the greatest of all mantras, a way to connect to all things, try thinking of it as an abbreviation for “organic matter”.
Seriously! We all rely on the recycling of organic matter to sustain life so, no matter your beliefs, "Om" really does connect us all.
Ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
Contemplative Cedar
Resources:
Anwar, G., Lilleskov, E.A. & Chimner, R.A. (2020). Arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation has similar benefits to fertilization for Thuja occidentalis L. seedling nutrition and growth on peat soil over a range of pH: implications for restoration. New Forests 51, 297–311. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-019-09732-x
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (n.d.). om. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Om-Indian-religion
Carey, J. H. (1993). Thuja occidentalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/thuocc/all.html [2022, January 19].
"Eastern White Cedar” (2014, July 18).Government of Ontario. https://www.ontario.ca/page/eastern-white-cedar
Grant, R. (2018, March). “Do Trees Talk to Each Other?” Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-whispering-trees-180968084/
Henry, M., Quinby, P. (2010). Ontario's Old Growth Forests. Markham: Fitzhenry and Whiteside Limited, pp 196-7.
Naser, B., Bodinet, C., Tegtmeier, M., & Lindequist, U. (2005). Thuja occidentalis (Arbor vitae): A Review of its Pharmaceutical, Pharmacological and Clinical Properties. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2(1), 69–78. https://doi.org/10.1093/ecam/neh065
“Northern White Cedar- Thuja occidentalis” (n.d.). University of Guelph Arboretum. https://arboretum.uoguelph.ca/thingstosee/trees/northernwhitecedar
"The Four Sacred Medicines” (n.d.). Northern College. https://www.northernc.on.ca/indigenous/four-sacred-medicines/
“Thuja occidentalis” (n.d.). Missouri Botanical Garden. https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=279599
“Thuja occidentalis” (n.d.). North Carolina State Extension. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/thuja-occidentalis/
Fabulous as always! Thank you, Laura.