Knektid.com

Julia "Butterfly" Hill and the "Power of the Trees"

December 4, 2008

Julia “Butterfly” Hill had a profound experience during the two years she spent saving a portion of Redwood forest in Stafford, California. The deep connection she developed with the environment around her was perhaps best personified by the “power of the trees” ethos that she embraced. As she was battered close to death by a fierce storm in the forest, Hill realized that her survival was dependent on flowing with the movement of the space she occupied, rather than fighting its stirring. This actualization not only spared her life, but opened her eyes to the profound connectedness that defines human existence.

“Once the storm ended, I realized that by letting go of all attachments, including my attachment to self, people no longer had any power over me” (450)

While Hill is a devout Christian, her awakening unleashed beliefs that exemplify the teachings of the Buddhist faith. She was able to perceive the world as more than self and non-self, and in so doing, no longer “live her life out of fear” (450). Hill realized that her strength was measured not by an ability to manipulate the world around her, but by her capacity to coexist with her environment.

This singular change in awareness has tremendous implications for humanity. Our species is no more permanent than the trees that snap so easily in the forest or the wind that whips around us. When we’re prepared to recognize this impermanence, we can live our lives “guided from the higher source, the Creation source” (450).

Filed under: Perspectives on the Environment