Connecting with trees • Lecture by Regla Winterflower Robinson

from July 26th, 2026

We welcome you to watch/listen to the video, read the transcript below, and/or share your thoughts in the comments!

About the Lecturer

Regla “Winterflower” Robinson brings a rich and diverse background to the Metaphysical Chapel of Life. A former certified nursing assistant and emergency medical technician, she earned her B.S. in Community Health Education and served as a certified domestic violence counselor for over 30 years.

In 1991, she co-founded a Native American nonprofit, first serving as Clan Mother and later as Principal Chief. Alongside her leadership, she deepened her spiritual practice, becoming a Reiki Master and Animal Reiki practitioner.

In 2013, she opened Nenaa Wellness Center, offering Reiki healing, angel therapy, and spiritual counseling. Since moving to Virginia in 2022, Winterflower has continued her spiritual journey and now serves as a psychic reader for the Chapel, offering angel oracle readings at psychic fairs and on Zoom.

When not serving others, she enjoys writing fiction and poetry, volunteering, and hugging trees.

https://youtu.be/7dW8_03ykno

Lecture Transcript: "Connecting with trees"

by Regla Winterflower Robinson

Look at Your Fingertips

Good morning, everyone. Good morning. Well, if you look at my t-shirt, you're probably going to be able to guess what I'm going to talk about today.

I would like everyone, both here and on Zoom, to do something for me. Look at your fingertips. Just look at that.

What do you see? You see lines, crevices? Does it remind you of something? No, that's not the point. The point is, have you ever seen a fallen tree trunk, or one that has been split in half? You notice the rings on the trunk. It's like our fingerprints, isn't it? Both telling a unique story.

Trees and Humans: More Alike Than We Think

Trees, humans — we seem different. Trees have roots and leaves and branches and bark. Humans have eyes and arms and legs. But both trees and humans are living, breathing entities.

Trees are capable of birth, growth, reproduction, and death. They're resilient. They survive storms, droughts, environmental stresses. Similarly, we as humans experience change, growth, birth, and death.

Again, when you look at the rings in a tree, you see the story. You see patterns. When you look at our human faces, what do you see? Don't say old. But sometimes you do see the wrinkles, the growth, and the maturity.

If you pick up a leaf from a tree, what do you see? Do you see veins? The veins distribute water and nutrients throughout the branches and the bark. Our veins carry blood, nutrients, oxygen, to our body. So every oxygen-filled breath is a gift from the plants and the trees.

Alone in a Field, Rooted in a Forest

Now, imagine a single tree standing all alone in the middle of an open field. You look at it and you say, this tree is strong, it's rooted. But alone, that tree is vulnerable. It's exposed to all the elements — the wind, the rain, the dust storm, the tornadoes, the hurricanes.

Now, picture that tree in a forest, with all the different types of trees around it. The trunks are touching each other, the leaves are touching, some are leaning into each other, some are leaning away from each other. But they're all connected.

Same as humans. Humans are essentially social creatures. Humans are meant to be together from the moment of birth. Our nervous systems are wired to seek safety in others.

The Hidden Network of the Forest

Scientists have discovered that forests are filled with communication. Trees signal each other through an underground network of fungi. They can warn each other of drought, diseases, and even hostile humans. They share nutrients. They support their sick, nurture their young. But the connection isn't just biological or emotional — it's something that's inherent within these trees and their network.

We don't heal by standing alone. We need to have a network of people, letting them help us — hold us up when we need to be held up, stand with us, the way the trees hold one another within their language and their root system.

Tree Memory and Tree Friendship

Now, we have memories. We form friendships. So do trees. According to Peter Wohlleben, a German forester, trees have memories. He did extensive surveys and studies, and he found this to be one of his beliefs.

There was a particular area in Germany that was suffering from a drought, and he noticed that the trees consumed less water, so it could have more water available when the summer came. He feels that they remembered, and they began using their memory to be cautious of the water usage.

He also claimed that trees form friendships. He noted that in 1 in 50 cases, there was a special friendship between trees. They could distinguish between one another. He studied beech trees, and he saw how the beech trees would stand side by side to each other, but their leaves were turned away, almost like in a protective stance.

So he regarded them as a couple, just as human couples. And you'll notice that when men went to cut down these beech trees, they had to cut down both. Why? Because if you cut down one, their partner would die.

The Spiritual Symbolism of Trees

Trees are not just physical structures. They're imbued with spiritual significance that spans across cultures and traditions. Trees symbolize growth, transformation. They are a vehicle for deeper understanding and wisdom. Trees are often seen as bridges between the Earth and the Creator.

Their growth and their cycles mimic ours. Each season brings a different phase of a tree's life, from the blooming of the leaves in the summer to the dying of the leaves in the fall. These cycles resonate with human cycles. We experience growth, change, transformation.

As trees navigate through the harsh winters and blossom again in spring, humans go through their cycles and navigate the changes in growth, both physically and spiritually. This web symbolizes the interconnectedness of all living things. There is a fundamental principle in spiritual teachings that shows us that every being is part of a larger whole.

No Judgment in Nature

Now, I drive down Hampton Roads Parkway. I don't know if anybody's familiar with that little road, and I should be focusing on the traffic. However, I can't help but look at the trees that are aligned all throughout. It's beautiful, it's beautiful.

Now, don't worry if I'm behind you driving. If I really want to look at trees, I will pull over and go into Sandy Bottom Reserve and take my little walk.

But when I notice these trees, and the cluster of these trees, I notice the differences — the different leaves, the barks, the branches, the textures. They are all living and striving together in unity. Some are completely different from the others. They're smaller, they're bigger, they're shinier, whatever the case may be, but they are not shaming each other, they're not ostracizing each other. They're living in harmony. They accept, they protect, they nurture each other. There are no judgments with trees.

And I'm driving, and I'm saying to myself, why can't we as humans do the same thing? Why can't we accept each other, totally, lovingly, without judgment? Why is it so hard for us and so easy for nature? We need to learn some lessons from trees.

Lessons from the Trees

Some of the lessons, as I said, are acceptance, patience, strength, adaptability, community, friendship — all exist in the tree world.

Trees stand upright against a storm. They remain firmly rooted into the ground. In the spiritual context, inner strength requires us to remain rooted and nurtured in our foundations.

Trees adapt to their environment, their situation. Some trees die in the harsh winter. Others remain — they adapt to the winter, they adapt to the summer. Those that have fallen still give to the ones that remain, by nurturing and giving nutrients to the ground.

This should inspire us to navigate our challenges with the ability to adapt rather than to remain rigid — to give, and to receive.

Trees are a beauty to behold. They are the embodiment of wisdom, strength, adaptability, connectedness, friendship — enriching spiritual practices that reflect reverence and an opportunity to find our inner strength, and plant our roots.

An Invitation

So, listen. Learn. Next time you're in a park, or if you're fortunate enough to have a tree right outside your living room or in your yard, go up to it. Say hello. Give it a hug. Listen to the wisdom.

You may not know — you don't know. Because by doing that, it may remember you next time. And you will have made a friend for life.