I’ve been thinking for several days now about the felling of the Sycamore Gap Tree in Britain. The tree was cut down on Sept. 28. Authorities have arrested two people but there still isn’t any official word about charges.
The sycamore tree gave its name to a gap in the Hadrian Wall in Northumberland, England. It may have been as much as 300 years old. However it got there – planted or volunteered – people in the region seem to have developed a bond with the iconic tree. There have been reports in English papers about people getting married there, proposing there, picnicking there and even having their ashes scattered around the tree.
That ends now. Someone cut it down. The vandalism happened during a strong storm, so no one heard or saw the act in progress.
The news made me heart sick. I had a number of reasons for writing Under the Sacred Canopy, published this year by Llewellyn. But big among those reasons is the fact that I love trees, especially the large, imposing ones. I have scads of pictures of coastal oaks, draped in moss. I constantly take pictures of trees and tree canopies at different times of the year. For me, if you want to get into a meditative state, one of the quickest and easiest ways to do that is by gazing at an impressive tree. Just be with it. Caress it with your eyes. In no time, you can feel yourself slipping into a broader connection with the Universe.
So, when a tree of such impressive character is damaged or killed – even when Mother Nature is the one who does the damaging or killing – I am saddened at the loss.
What I have struggled with in light of this most recent and so widely published damage is trying to keep that sadness from turning to anger and hate. I haven’t written about the tree for this blog until now for that very reason. I had a post started just days after the news broke but the words kept turning bitter and vindictive. This doesn’t help me and it certainly won’t bring the tree back.
Hexing or cursing the fool(s) who cut the tree down won’t help either. He or they have already cursed themselves. Judging from the community response I’ve seen, the culprit may have to go into a protective custody arrangement. People are angry about the destruction. Once identified, the person(s) charged will be forever known as the thoughtless, selfish idiot who stole the life of a community symbol and the source of pride and enjoyment for thousands.
I don’t want to come off as ‘the Crazy Tree Lady.’ Things die. People die. Certainly at this time of war, unrest and human suffering all around the world, the loss of a huge tree, however iconic, may seem trivial.
But I would stress that it is just such symbols as the Sycamore Gap Tree that help us endure troubled times. I can’t stop the fighting in the Middle East or Ukraine. There’s only so much I can do to limit the pain caused by haters in our own country against those who are oppressed and marginalized.
What I can do is take strength and hope from symbols such as the Sycamore Gap Tree. I can tap into that image as I pray for peace and understanding for the world. I can ask to share in the strength of a living organism that, protected from vandals, will outlive me, in all likelihood.
I want these symbols to outlive me. I want to know that those who come next will have access to the same compassion, strength, peace and hope I tap into from time to time. That is my link to eternity, my source of continuum, my own source of resilience in times of trouble.
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