Winter’s whisper and the wisdom of the Birch tree

“When you are well rooted and grounded, then you can dance with the wind in playful ease.”

It was a beautiful winter's day, with a clear blue sky, the sun shining brightly, and the ground covered in powdery white snow. It was cold, and a thin layer of ice covered the lake. All this winter beauty faded slightly into the background as the majestic Birch tree on the other side of the lake lit up my eyesight. I could hardly wait to be with her again. My pace quickened as she grew taller.

Our time together was magical. First I sang Te Aroha for her, then I listened to her winter's whisper, this stream of wisdom that seemed infinitely deep.

The Birch - Goddess of Light

Her message is clear and simple: When you are well rooted and grounded, it doesn't matter whether the wind blows from the front, behind, below, above, or all directions at once, whether it blows strongly or passes by as a gentle breeze, because only then can you surrender to the wind with ease and dance with him.

As I watched her, I was in awe of her playful gentleness with the light in the wind. Her entire presence in this dance had something of an unconditional surrender to all that is—an embrace of the cosmos on earth. Not a trace of rearing up or resisting. As if the Birch knows exactly that resisting will not get her far in life and will only bring her unnecessary pain, suffering, and loss. Not just the loss of a branch, but the loss of her authentic self and integrity as a Birch.

She told me about her neighbors, the Pine trees in the forest right across the way, who have a slightly different relationship with the wind. It sometimes happens that one of the pines loses its crown or a large branch or is even completely uprooted when the wind blows so strongly that it is difficult for a single Pine to give way over the long run. “When it happens,” she adds, “we all mourn.” Maybe that's why they stand united to work together to cope better.

The Birch also wanted me to know that her relationship with the wind has absolutely nothing to do with power over dynamics. No, it has nothing to do with dominance when the wind runs wild. She said, “You have to know that the wind is not good or evil. Neither I nor he exist in the concept of duality. The wind simply does what he is here to do: to wind. It's true, sometimes he appears as a gentle breeze, brushing tenderly over my bark and through my many arms, and sometimes not. It's just in his nature. The wind is never the same.”

The Birch knows she cannot change the wind. She can only accept him and his powerful force. She is grateful that the soil in which she grows has held her for her entire life, that her roots are strong and reach deep into the dark of the earth, and also that her trunk is robust and flexible. She plays with the wind, and the wind plays with her.

She radiated with vital lightness and resilience. I am impressed by her healing powers, simply by her state of being. There is a sense of inner stability and a deeply rooted abundance that allows her to dance effortlessly. The Birch is a true goddess of light. I see in her the embodiment of purity, a symbol of new energies, hope, and growth.

Kath and her beloved Birch friend

As we said goodbye, she asked: “Where do you feel the wind in your life and can you perhaps dance more playfully with him?”

Long live the Birch!