Roots
To be truly Radicle…
Put roots down.
Like a strong tree, be fully grounded in the place where you are and with the others around you. Be someone others can rely on and who is aware of and contributing to the world around them
Know your roots.
Every plant began as the seed of another. Knowing where we have come from helps us to understand our present and imagine our future
Have strong roots.
Don’t be blown around by the winds of fashion or confusion. After a drought or fire, a tree with strong roots can revitalise. Even on the most inhospitable ground, a plant can survive if it knows what it really needs and what it doesn’t.
Have healthy roots.
A plant with good roots can survive anything, but nothing kills a plant quicker than root disease. Remember that whats unseen is always more important than what’s on display
Connect your roots to others.
Every plant grows as part of an ecosystem. Roots connect to mycelium in the soil to get the nutrients they need. No one exists in isolation, our lives intrinsically affect and are affected by others
Have roots that give as well as take.
At the same time as roots take on nutrients, they are holding the soil beneath them together. As they draw moisture from the soil, they transpire it into the sky to create rain. As they take carbon dioxide from the air, they put out oxygen for others to breathe. Benefiting yourself and benefiting others are not mutually exclusive.
And when something’s not working, when the system’s broken?
You’ve got to pull it up by the roots.
Images:
Curtain Fig, Curtain Fig National Park - Djabugay Country, North Queensland
Mangrove, Daintree National Park - Eastern Kuku Yalanji Country, North Queensland
River Red Gum, Hattah-Kulkyne National Park - Latji Latji Country, Victoria
Mangroves, Cape Tribulation - Eastern Kuku Yalanji Country, North Queensland
Interlocking roots, Cradle mountain - Lake St. Clair National Park - Palawa Country, Tasmania
Branches, Mossman - Eastern Kuku Yalanji Country, North Queensland
Uprooted gum, Errinundra National Park - Bidwell, Yuin, Gunnaikurnai and Monero (Ngarigo) Country, Victoria
‘To be truly radicle’ - by Andy Paine, photographed at Camp Binbee, 2019