An old oak does not look busy from a distance by Echoes of the Earth fb page.
It stands still. It drops leaves. It casts shade. It looks like one tree.
But in Britain, an oak can be a whole living city.
The Woodland Trust says native oaks support more wildlife than any other UK native tree: around 2,300 species use oak, 326 species depend on it, and 229 species are rarely found on trees other than oak.
That life is not all in the leaves.
It is in the bark cracks. The dead wood. The canopy. The roots. The acorns. The fungi. The lichens. The holes where birds nest and bats shelter.
A blue tit may search the leaves for caterpillars. A jay may bury acorns and forget a few, planting the next generation. Beetles may live in decaying wood. Fungi may feed through roots and old timber. Moths may depend on leaves most people never notice.
That is why an ancient oak is not just “old”.
It is layered.
Every scar becomes a room. Every hollow becomes shelter. Every fallen branch becomes food for another life. Even decay is not failure. It is habitat.
So when we remove dead wood too quickly, cut old limbs without thought, or replace ancient living structure with decorative planting, we may not just lose a tree.
We lose a tower of homes.
An oak is not valuable because it is perfect. It is valuable because it has lived long enough to become a world.
They grow roots. They become grounded and they know where they belong.
They know their forest. They use their branches and embrace their tribe.
They are strong and powerful, but not aggressive or forceful. Roots grow deep from their battled bones and their veins flow rivers of wisdom.
They seek the river, the roots of others, the struggles of ancient trees who lived in a world of injustice. That old world was not a world of love. There was no compassion. No kindness. No generosity. Just blood and fire. Women had to walk on fire to prove their innocence. To prove that they are not the daughters of darkness.
This world of injustice is deeply ingrained in the fears and doubts of every woman who chooses to be seen in her full authenticity. No conscious leader can escape the curse of ancient DNA.
But like any tree with strong roots and deep convictions, she takes on this challenge and driven by the desire to do good, she looks doubt, fear and uncertainty in the eyes and stays committed to her mission no matter what. In the end, she will shed the antiquated myth of creation and fully embrace the power of sovereignty.
The conscious leader of today does the sacred inner work to shed herself from the wounds of her ancestors. She now leads with love, peace and gratitude. She is the real deal. Grounded in truth and integrity.
Vulnerability is a trait of the strong. The trait of a conscious leader. Not a leader who only seeks profit. There are plenty of those in the market place. Those who agitate the pain of the tribe and offer false hopes to courageous messengers who have not found their place in the market place yet. Be aware of that leader. Stay away. Be strong and say no to their ways. Because that is pure indoctrination clothed in the skin of sacredness.
But the conscious leader, the mission-driven woman is like a tree with deep roots and a canopy reaching out for truth, compassion and service. Find your own voice. Craft your message and write on the pages of heart. Take out the pen of truth and tell your story as it is. Wounds and pain. Sorrows and defeats. Because it is not about the story in the end. It is about the meaning you give to your stories and the deep knowing you are called to share with your tribe.
So yes, women are like trees. Wise, deep, vulnerable to the elements, but ready to offer shade and protection to any traveler seeking to rest and find ease.
There are poetic metaphors shared in this message. Sit with these words, look within and let them make sense for you in your own unique way. You know where you are in your journey as a mission-driven woman.
Be honest with yourself and no matter where you find yourself, you will come back to the path of the conscious leader with strong roots and deep convictions.
If you see yourself as a conscious leader and have not found your place in the market place, if you have not given a name to the transformation you offer your tribe, you are invited to join our community of “Wordsmiths of the Soul”. Come and write with us. Learn how to Language Your Message. Connect with Soul Deep Women. Put together the pieces of your business and gather the confidence to speak your truth with confidence, conviction and courage. Find your Voice and share it to stand out, stand up and make an impact with the way you walk the face of the earth.
Eastbourne Borough Council has declared a climate emergency, and has set a target of 2030 for the town to be carbon neutral. In Eastbourne, we’re especially affected by the loss of thousands of ash and elm trees to disease.
We are focussed on getting trees planted, on both public and private land. We’re working with the council, and independently, to find sites – large and small – where we can plant trees. We’re also raising the money to buy them, enlisting the volunteers needed to plant them, and planning and managing the planting projects.
Founding principles
1. Trees must be the right trees – in the right place. Projects should not be displacing other ecologically valuable habitats (e.g. priority, semi-natural or other habitats that may also or could provide significant carbon capture and/or biodiversity benefits).
2. Wherever possible, sites/projects should, alongside Greenhouse gas capture, look to maximise native biodiversity.
3. Projects should encourage community engagement from people of all socioeconomic backgrounds; and look to engage schools and schoolchildren where possible.
4. There has to be a resourced or costed plan (with evidence of funding) for aftercare of trees for usually a minimum of 3 years (depending on the nature of individual planting sites, this aftercare period may be longer). This aftercare usually involves weeding, control of competitive scrub, tree guard maintenance and subsequent removal, or for street trees – watering.
5. We should only plant native species, ideally locally grown or at least UK provenance – unless there are exceptional circumstances – e.g. it is impossible to find alternatives – eg disease resistant Elms; or there is strong evidence that a particular tree species is the most suitable for a location/soil type under future climate change scenarios.
6. Planting sites or projects should be sustainable – not require undue use of resources or carbon to enable planting, and onward maintenance of new trees.
7. Sites should be safe, and if at all possible accessible for all ages and abilities – with a presumption that volunteers can reasonably access the sites via foot, cycle, or public transport. Any risks to volunteers can be adequately controlled.
8. Treebourne as an entirely volunteer run organisation, has sufficient capacity in its core team, and volunteer base, to work on and successfully complete the project.
Greening Eastbourne streets – Treebourne has been awarded a major grant by the Urban Tree Challenge Fund to plant 1,000 streets trees over the next two years. Encouraging community involvement was a key part of our successful bid and so we are inviting people to suggest where the trees will be planted. Will will also be launching a Tree Champions scheme giving volunteers the chance to look after the trees as they grow.
Sevenoaks Rec Our first site, identified by the council some time ago as a park that would benefit from complete regeneration, with vast, poorly used open spaces, low tree cover and limited wildlife. By planting thousands of trees in Sevenoaks Rec, we can not only help the battle against climate change, but massively improve the park and the quality of the natural environment for local residents.
Tree Weaver 