Natural Woman

Recent studies in forestry reveal a new understanding of trees: how they communicate in the wild and support each other through an invisible, complex underground web of tiny root systems supported by microscopic mycelium.

Imagine a similar intimate relationship between humans and trees, and the wildness of Nature. The ancient forests and rivers, the ever-changing presence of the vast Pacific reaching over hills through fingers of fog, fine mist, cool winds, rolling clouds, sparkling brooks, and regenerating downpours offer us tiny hominids an enduring source of spiritual guidance and inspiration.

The title “Natural Woman” comes from Aretha Franklin’s much-beloved song, in which she sings with a passionate heart about “feeling like a Natural Woman.” Reflecting on the meaning of those words, beyond the striking erotic suggestion, I envisioned a wider celebration of Eros, the universal life force swelling like Spring’s sap. Rimbaud calls it “the sap of the world” as he longs for a time of ancient pantheism, even one of renewed animism.