Trees, nature spirits and conversations
Faerie: Aboriginal Dreaming Stories | Faerie in Australia | Cook's Australian Fairy Tales | Peck's Australian Legends | Picnic at Hanging Rock | Trees & nature spirits | J.R.R. Tolkien, Tree of Amalion . 1. The talking tree I've been thinking a lot about trees lately, and for a variety of reasons. But then again, I've probably been thinking about nature and the environment for a long, long time, without really knowing it. When it comes down to it, we all have some sort of connection with Mother Earth / Gaia once the white noise of modernity, and the so-called hustle and bustle is pushed aside. What recently set me off on this topic - apart from that almost subconscious fascination with the natural environment and the earth about me, manifesting in my short-lived careers as geologist (1984) and member of parliament for the Australian Greens (2002-2004) - was a visit to Crystal Castle Shambahla Gardens on the New South Wales north c...