Gingko. Stingray.

Ginkgo trees survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and began growing again within days. They can live one thousand years and are considered to be living fossils, bc they have remained genetically unchanged for 200 million years.

Stingray symbolizes restraint over impulsiveness and reminds us to take a step back and weigh our decisions carefully. But, if you misstep, you can survive the minefield, your core unchanged.

Alder. Break Through.

Red Alder is an extremely strong tree. Their roots are so strong that when they hit rock, they don’t go around the rock, they don’t push the rock out of the way, they don’t avoid the rock, they EAT the rock. Quickly. They break down the rock, pull out the minerals, ingest it, digest it, and disperse the nutrients throughout the forest to other trees and plants through the mycelial network. Strong masculine energy to face challenges head on, aggressively break it down into manageable pieces and use it to nourish rather than block. Break through.

Ponderosa Pine: Into the Void

These are Ponderosa Pine tree needles that were burned in a fire. They hang like delicate icicles of ash, Christmas ornaments on otherwise bare branches. They are a ghostly silvery gray, somehow half dead and half alive, looking like they would crumble if touched, but they are in fact, intact, needles. They are long to protect the tree. When fire comes, the tips of the needles catch fire and slowly burn down the needle like a candle, delaying, reducing and weakening the flame by the time it reaches the tree. This way, the tree is burned, but not destroyed.

When fire comes into your life and burns something away, Ponderosa Pine is an ally to protect you from being devoured as the forest burns all around you. You feel like you're on fire. You can hear the crackling. You wear a coat of ashes as you recover. Grief sends you into the void of darkness, feeling the absence of that which was lost and burned away. From this void, fertilized, new things grow. You are burned, but not destroyed.