TREE SPIRITS: TALES AND ENCOUNTERS *Winner Silver Finalist Medal 2010 INDIE Book Awards*
"This lovingly crafted book is a marvel of true stories, quotes, and art created over 15 years. Devoted to nature and nature's invisible caretakers, it is written for real people, those of us who don't easily see and recognize spiritual beings...the author freely admits mistakes made while learning about tree personalitite...mistakes we have made, inadvertently hurting or killing a beloved tree...Preston doesn't just tell us that Earth and life are sacred; she gives concrete examples...This book needs to be read and given to our children, to teach them early on that their impressions are real and valuable, and will add immeasurable richness to life." Susan Lendvay, Ed in Chief --Venture Inward magazine, June/2009"I think of her as Heather "The Brave" Preston. The breadth of what Heather covers boggles my brain. by dipping into her own experiences "the wonders around us", and histories of diverse cultures, all in a conversational way, she leads readers to spiritual links between themselves and nature...research for the elegant coffee-table book took an eternity. "Time disappeared", she tells me, "in dusty old books, ancient texts, museums and libraries." She learned to be fastidious about "sounds and cadences" while practicing the art of storytelling. She meditated, focusing on Big Questions: Why are we here? What's life all about anyway? Along the way she sliced a major chunk of time...8 years, and battled the State of California in the Supreme Court, over unjust taxation of artists' royalties. She won. She's been artist, writer editor, copyright maven, production expert, legal whizz. business plan architect etc. "I've learned so much" says Heather "The Brave". "Especially how to multitask!" Woody Weingarten, journalist --Ross Valley Reporter, August 18 2010To read this gorgeous, engaging book is to journey deep into human history, mythology and religion with the kindest and wisest of guides, discovering ancient wisdom about the unseen world around us, the healing power within Nature, and the spiritual bond that connects us to all living things. Heather Preston\'s exquisite illustrations are matched by her delightful writing style that is at times folksy and conversational, poetic and sensory, inspired and inspiring, and always inviting and reassuring to the reader/learner.Trees play a central role in this book as they do in the quality of our lives, their spirits waiting to be called upon to heal, energize, protect â and yes, even love us. For Heather Preston, it is time to share \"the wonderful store of tree knowledge from cultures across the world\" because they still hold many hidden but enduring truths about the power and importance of trees to our health, well-being, and very survival. Drawing from a treasure trove of personal experiences, shared stories, careful research, and intuitive knowledge, the author-artist leads us into a realm of awareness that will forever change our view of the world and its invisible but nevertheless real dimensions.Students of all ages and fields will find enough evidence from all these sources to recognize a compelling argument for the existence of spirit within all living organisms. They will come away with a deepened reverence for our beautiful planet Earth and its diversity of life forms, as well as a heightened sense of urgency to stop the mindless destruction of our natural environment at work today. --Sanna Randolph Thomas, Ed DTree Spirits is a masteful blend of inspired artwork and informative story telling. Using a cross-cultural approach, the book takes us on a marvelous journey through the legends of tree lore, calling to our remembrance a time when people spoke with trees and learned their secret wisdom. We smile at meeting the chocolate tree spirits of Mesoamerica, and marvel at the fierce independence of the madrone tree. The sheer beauty of the artwork adds even greater depth and dimension to our understanding of tree lore. Informative, entertaining, and uplifting, I recommend this book to anyone who feels a connection with nature or desires to learn more about the invisible realm of nature spirits. --Multisensory Humans: The Evolution of the Soul