It is so magnificent, so tender, so all-embracing, yet we are all part of it. No pills or potions are needed to feel its healing effect. Wherever we are, on top of a mountain or on the 14th floor of a skyscraper in the middle of a busy city, it is there for our benefit. It is the power of Nature. By that I mean the primaeval force that holds our world together.

Nothing more, nothing less, we humans are just a tiny component of the whole. It consists of a global space-like layer, extending from the depths of the soil to the rarefied air high above, a majestic world-wide structure of togetherness. And yet this overall force is at the same time a healing power of amazing tenderness and of uplifting, joyful strength.

The healing force of Nature

You can watch this power from close up. For example, fill a small flower pot with a small amount of compost and sow a tiny quantity of marigold seeds, Calendula. Put the pot on a window sill and within days, you see a miracle happening in front of your eyes. Beautiful flowers are appearing, some yellow, some orange. A miracle of beauty and inspiration brought about by you, your hands, and the force of Nature. This act of creation soothes the mind and uplifts the soul. Particularly in times of trouble all around.

Marigold Calendula photo by Chandan Chaurasia on Unsplash

People like myself, who grow trees, see other examples every day, depending on the time of the year. Such as the magnificence of the blossom on fruit trees. How does all this come about? It can only occur when the trees, along with millions of other microscopic living creatures in the air, in the soil, in the water and all around, work together in cooperation, bound by the same shared natural force, and bring this beauty into being. Pollination is an example of the collaboration between species, trees on one hand, and bees and other insects on the other.

Nature and healing, creating a new tree by grafting

Another way of observing the healing force of Nature is the technique of budding or grafting young fruit stocks. We cut the grafts when the trees are fully dormant in winter. Then, when the spring arrives and the sap in the wood of the trees is beginning to flow, we take the semi-dormant graft and place it into a carefully-made cut in the rootstock. Then we seal the wound.

rind graft demonstrated by William Seabrook nature's healing power
The rind graft demonstrated by William Seabrook. Click the image to watch a video about grafting

After just a week or two, the rootstock has accepted the newcomer, the buds on the graft are beginning to fill and colour up. The healing force is now in full swing, the two different tissues meet and bond, and the graft is unified with the stock. The wonderful force of Nature has brought another type of fruit tree into existence, with its own special characteristics.

It is an occurrence that fosters a sense of happiness and satisfaction, a way of reaching down into the generous heart of our living world and partaking in its mysterious processes permitting the perpetuation of life in ever-new forms. A real joy enters the human soul, along with a sense of gratitude in the realisation that we have been enriched by being part of it all.

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Whip-and-tongue graft, rind graft, demonstration by William Seabrook

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