The tree that told a story

As we’ve been settling into our new home in Burwood I’ve been trying to get a sense of where we are, of the place itself: the land, the trees, the birds that alight in our garden and stare back at me, like the Kookaburra on the back fence, or the two Australian Ravens that call their song to whoever will listen.

One thing I noted on arrival, well, you could hardly miss it, was the large pine tree in the back yard. Part of me cursed whoever had planted it there a long time ago. All I could think was “pine needles” and having to rake them up before mowing the lawn!

But over the past few weeks I’ve taken time to stand beneath it and sense its presence. I wondered: is it native, or is it, like me, a nomad, a pilgrim from another place? My guess was maybe it was a Norfolk Pine, but far from being an expert - I don’t think watching the occasional Gardening Australia episode qualifies! - I did what anyone would do: I googled. The answer was there on my screen: a ‘Cooks Pine’; named after you know who… Turns out they are from New Caledonia, so this tree was truly far from home.

And what of this tree, the Cook’s Pine or Araucaria Columnaris?

Well, interestingly, I discovered that these tall trees, as they age, they bend. Yes, they ALL develop a distinctive lean. Hmm, I thought, that’s weird. I looked out the window: maybe it was a little bent. I went back to reading and found out more. After many years of head-scratching by nature lovers, scientific surveys had determined that all Araucaria Columnaris don’t just lean randomly as first thought. No, they all lean towards the equator! Wow! Intrigued, I raced down the back steps and - lo and behold, captain! - it leant north towards the equator! Really leant. Knock me down with a feather.

What an amazing thing!

My interest now thoroughly piqued, a little more google searching revealed that the Diggers Club in Victoria humorously warned gardeners in Tasmania that “all Cook’s Pines lean to the equator, and the further away from it, the greater the lean, so beware Tasmanian gardeners.” Look out Tassie house, owner, look out!

So, this tree I had initially cursed started to speak an interesting story: the Araucaria Columnaris, while it develops a bend with age, has a mysterious energy; they all bend towards the equator. Tropical trees, tall and proud, these vibrant columns of green, bending to the equator… It gets you thinking.

Yes, this tree in out backyard made me think. And what crossed my mind was this: maybe we are more like the trees than we think, or are aware. Maybe we as people are made to lean towards our equator - towards our Creator, towards our Maker.

I suddenly felt a flush of energy in my body. A little lift in my own soul.

Of course, a lot of us develop a stoop as we age. Some of us are so bent over it drags an involuntary gasp of empathy out of us when we see it in others.

Others are stooped at a young age, bent low by shame or heaviness of life, a baggage that is too much to carry.

Life progresses, ageing happens. Rounded shoulders and some kind of stooping frame is the lot for many of us.

Yet this tree in our urban backyard revealed to me a deeper truth and hope.

No, the Araucaria Columnaris or ‘Cooks Pine’ hadn’t finished telling its story. As I read on I also learned that not only do all the trees south of the equator lean north, but also all the trees north of the equator lean south.

And can you guess what happens to the trees on the equator?

Yep, that’s right. They stand straight up, tall and proud.

It made me think: we are people made to bend towards our Maker, but also, our goal, our homecoming, the end of our pilgrimage, is to be tall and proud.

We are made to lean towards our source, it is our destiny to lean towards that which loves us, saves us, heals us, restores us: the love and life of our Creator (God, for those of us who feel at home with this old German name for the heart of it all).

Yes, these amazing trees stand straight on the equator. Perhaps even now, the energy and lure that makes us lean to our equator, our Creator, makes our souls straighten, and, wherever we are, we can be home, uplifted by the presence of our maker, the lover of the world, the mystery that bends every heart to its true beloved.

What does this tree say to you? Where does your heart lean, I wonder?

Through this tree I’ve been reminded the world speaks, even beneath urban skies. And maybe still we can hear the whispering voice at the heart of it all.

Look around, friends, there are messages and things to learn wherever you turn.

I’ll now rake up those needles with thanks.

Blessings,

Steve