{"id":2495,"date":"2023-09-01T01:07:30","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T07:07:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/?p=2495"},"modified":"2023-09-05T12:06:56","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T18:06:56","slug":"the-hidden-messages-of-aspen-trees-a-contemplative-look","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/nature-studies\/the-hidden-messages-of-aspen-trees-a-contemplative-look\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hidden Messages of Aspen Trees:  A Contemplative Look"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>My early connection to nature was based on a symbiotic relationship. I was fortunate to have never been exposed to an anthropomorphic perspective and relationship with the more-than-human world. Rather, my experience was one of poetic and spiritual resonance with all I observed \u2014 the unity that a youngster experiences before labels are introduced and his ways of seeing are irrevocably altered. What I witnessed in nature were not external objects separated from me, but rather reflections of myself bringing me back home in moments of life when the sense of personhood eclipses one\u2019s essence. Thus, every-thing seen has a hidden message accompanying its external appearance. I was taught to attune with nature, viscerally, rather than just observing it voyeuristically. My childhood love affair with aspen trees, which continues to this day, is an example of ways I have heeded nature\u2019s hidden messages:<\/p>\n<h2>Making Visible What Is Invisible (Leaves)<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspen-tree-leaves-1-1.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"4032\" data-lbwps-height=\"2512\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspen-tree-leaves-1-1-300x187.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2498 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspen-tree-leaves-1-1-300x187.jpg\" alt=\"Two yellow Aspen leaves.\" width=\"300\" height=\"187\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspen-tree-leaves-1-1-300x187.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspen-tree-leaves-1-1-1024x638.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspen-tree-leaves-1-1-768x478.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspen-tree-leaves-1-1-1536x957.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspen-tree-leaves-1-1-2048x1276.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I love how aspen leaves, resembling the shape of a human palm, make the sound of rain in the presence of wind, symbolizing selflessness, flexibility, and adaptability.<\/p>\n<p>I will never forget the day I was captivated by the trembling leaves of an aspen grove at a young age. I suddenly had a realization: my perception shifted from merely seeing how the leaves were trembling to noticing the invisible breeze that caused them to move. I recognized that their movement was simply making visible what was invisible.<\/p>\n<p>This subtle, yet profound realization gave me the choice to shift my focus to either seeing the form or allowing the form to inform me of the invisible \u2014 the presence of wind. Since then, I\u2019ve been looking for deeper significance in everything I encounter.<\/p>\n<p><em>Who would I be if I could see and feel the invisible as clearly as I do the visible?<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Seeing Unity in the Midst of Multiplicity (Root System)<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspens-trees.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"3024\" data-lbwps-height=\"4032\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspens-trees-225x300.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-2499 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspens-trees-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Aspen tree grove.\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspens-trees-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspens-trees-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspens-trees-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspens-trees-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspens-trees-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A few years back, I went on the Pilgrimage to Pando, sponsored by Pando Populus, at Fishlake National Forest in Utah. Pando is a clonal organism representing an individual male quaking aspen. On this contemplative journey to the home of the world\u2019s largest living organism, I spent quality time in the Pando groves, where over 47,000 aspen trees share the same genes. The trees in this clone have identical features and a common root structure. They are essentially the same tree.<\/p>\n<p>This was a humbling reminder that despite appearances, in essence, everything is interconnected \u2014 different forms through which the same source expresses \u2014 a reality that the naked eyes fail to see; a bluff of the mind since only the form it sees.<\/p>\n<p><em>Who would I be if I viewed every-thing and every-one in this manner, and worked on unification and not differentiation \u2014 the principle of interconnectedness?<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Pruning Away (Aspen Eyes)<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspen-straight-and-curved.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"2272\" data-lbwps-height=\"1704\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspen-straight-and-curved-300x225.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2500 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspen-straight-and-curved-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Aspen eyes.\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspen-straight-and-curved-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspen-straight-and-curved-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspen-straight-and-curved-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspen-straight-and-curved-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aspen-straight-and-curved-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Walking through the aspen groves, I always have the feeling that I am being watched by God\u2019s eyes. Aspen trees go through a rigorous self-pruning process. As they become overtopped, the amount of light reaching the lowest branches decreases substantially. So, aspen eyes are actually dark markings on the main trunk where side branches once lived.<\/p>\n<p>Their self-pruning wisdom reminds me that true insight comes only when I too choose to prune away all that no longer serves me and prevents my light \u2014 the superficial levels that are shaped by social conditioning, fears, judgments, and forgetfulness. Such conscious self-pruning has the power of unfolding the kind of inner eyes that can truly see life as it is.<\/p>\n<p><em>Who would I be if I weren\u2019t burdened by the accumulation of all that doesn\u2019t serve my heart\u2019s longing?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>I invite you to discover, with an open heart and mind, the messages embedded in everything around you the next time you\u2019re out in nature.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My early connection to nature was based on a symbiotic relationship. I was fortunate to have never been exposed to an anthropomorphic perspective and relationship with the more-than-human world. Rather, my experience was one of poetic and spiritual resonance with all I observed \u2014 the unity that a youngster experiences before labels are introduced and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2503,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[80],"class_list":["post-2495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature-studies","tag-fall-2023"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Hidden Messages of Aspen Trees: A Contemplative Look - Images<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/nature-studies\/the-hidden-messages-of-aspen-trees-a-contemplative-look\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Hidden Messages of Aspen Trees: A Contemplative Look - Images\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"My early connection to nature was based on a symbiotic relationship. I was fortunate to have never been exposed to an anthropomorphic perspective and relationship with the more-than-human world. Rather, my experience was one of poetic and spiritual resonance with all I observed \u2014 the unity that a youngster experiences before labels are introduced and [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/nature-studies\/the-hidden-messages-of-aspen-trees-a-contemplative-look\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Images\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BoulderCountyOpenSpace\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-09-01T07:07:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-09-05T18:06:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Aspen-Leaves-on-Water.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Summer Alameel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@BoulderCountyOS\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@BoulderCountyOS\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Summer Alameel\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/nature-studies\\\/the-hidden-messages-of-aspen-trees-a-contemplative-look\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/nature-studies\\\/the-hidden-messages-of-aspen-trees-a-contemplative-look\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Summer Alameel\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/36c7e5f4732f1bc4188d4c72b5a7a596\"},\"headline\":\"The Hidden Messages of Aspen Trees: A Contemplative Look\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-09-01T07:07:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-05T18:06:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/nature-studies\\\/the-hidden-messages-of-aspen-trees-a-contemplative-look\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":634,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/nature-studies\\\/the-hidden-messages-of-aspen-trees-a-contemplative-look\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/Aspen-Leaves-on-Water.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Fall 2023\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Nature Studies\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/nature-studies\\\/the-hidden-messages-of-aspen-trees-a-contemplative-look\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/nature-studies\\\/the-hidden-messages-of-aspen-trees-a-contemplative-look\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Hidden Messages of Aspen Trees: A Contemplative Look - 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The behavior of these fires is shaped in part by the characteristics of certain trees, which have developed adaptations to this disturbance. 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Jamie gazed up at a gnarled, old aspen tree next to the trail. \u201cI\u2019d really like to see a gray fox in that tree\u2026or any tree.\u201d Kelly snorted. \u201cYeah, like that\u2019s ever going\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Nature Detectives&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Nature Detectives","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/nature-detectives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Nature Detectives","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/nd.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/nd.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/nd.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/nd.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/nd.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/nd.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":485,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/science\/quaking-aspen\/","url_meta":{"origin":2495,"position":3},"title":"Quaking Aspen: Flaming Forests of Fall","author":"Staff","date":"08\/29\/2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Forests shimmer. Leaves tremble. Branches quiver. Aspens dance. A crisp breeze courses through the forest and the sound of delicate leaves softly tapping upon one another fills the air. These are the relaxing rustlings of golden trees during a Rocky Mountain autumn. 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