540. Clare Dubois

Trees, Sacredness of Nature, and the Age of Restoration

Summary: A conversation about awakening to the sacredness of nature and the urgency of restoring our relationship with the Earth. The discussion explores personal responsibility, patriarchy, grief, and what it means to live as a restorer species.

Questions This Interview Explores

• How can a deeper relationship with nature change the way we live, choose, and organize society?
• What does it mean to move from grief and helplessness into personal responsibility and action?
• How are patriarchy and disconnection from the Earth linked to the current ecological crisis?
• What does it look like to live as part of a larger intelligence in the forest and in life itself?

Clare Dubois is the founder and CEO of TreeSisters.org, a global women’s movement spanning over 200 countries, that has collectively funded the planting of over 25 million trees. TreeSisters is a social change movement and a tropical reforestation organization working towards normalizing cultural reciprocity with nature. The aim of both Clare and TreeSisters is to make it as normal to give back to nature as it currently is to take nature for granted while supporting humanity in its transition from a consumer species to a restorer species. Before founding TreeSisters, Clare worked internationally for over two decades, coaching business leaders and facilitating group behavior change processes in multiple sectors. Known for her direct, catalytic energy, her inspirational speaking and her holistic approach to collective transformation, Clare is a walking invitation to anyone ready to step up and step in on behalf of the planet.

Short, informative videos:

• “Waking Up” (mentioned by Clare in the interview)
• How Music Can Plant Trees
• Grow Your Own Forest
• You Are Alive For A Reason
• Clare’s interview with IONS – LA

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript, summary, and key takeaways from this interview

Interview recorded March 7, 2020

YouTube Video Chapters:

• 00:00:00 – Introduction to Clare Dubois and TreeSisters.org
• 00:03:55 – Clare Dubois: An Invitation to Collective Transformation
• 00:06:18 – From Victim to Survivor
• 00:10:50 – Inauthentic Feminine Behavior and Patriarchy
• 00:15:11 – Stepping into Personal Responsibility
• 00:19:05 – The Consciousness of Nature and Our Relationship with Trees
• 00:23:14 – The Global Brain in the Forest
• 00:27:14 – The Shift in Consciousness and the Oneness of Nature
• 00:31:38 – The Sacredness of All Life
• 00:35:51 – The Sacred Seeds of Pure Sanity
• 00:40:02 – Connecting to Fullness and Generosity
• 00:43:45 – Witnessing the Rocky Mountain Forest Dying
• 00:47:55 – The Urgency of Awakening and Remembering Our Power
• 00:52:19 – Merging with the Natural World
• 00:56:51 – Awakening to the Sacredness of Nature
• 01:01:12 – The Sacredness of All Life
• 01:05:36 – A Leap of Faith in the Chasm
• 01:10:07 – Overcoming Limitations and Self-Realization
• 01:14:09 – The Death of Our Planet and the Age of Restoration
• 01:18:22 – The Story of the Seagull and the Ocean
• 01:22:38 – The Mother of Initiations
• 01:27:08 – Trees as Conduits for Energies from Different Planets
• 01:31:48 – Merging with Nature and Living in Intimacy
• 01:36:11 – Navigating through Class Five Rapids
• 01:40:08 – Embracing the Suffering
• 01:44:06 – Discovering Your Purpose in Life
• 01:48:47 – Self-liberation and Living a Meaningful Life
• 01:52:23 – The Perpetuation of Life and the Insanity of the Current System
• 01:56:13 – The Circulatory System of Gaia
• 02:00:15 – Creating a Thriving World
• 02:04:15 – Planting Trees for Restoration