By exploring the roots of our personal and collective stories, we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves. When we see ourselves as the creators of our reality we become active participants in the co-creation of our world. 

I was born in Frankfurt Germany and adopted as an infant by Americans working for the CIA in post WWII. Since I was a child I have felt a spiritual connection with trees. I was in the constant company of old oaks, ash, maple, beech, plane and chestnut trees.

In 1961 we moved to the United States, days before my seventh birthday. After we settled in the Midwest, it became apparent that trees would become my first American friends. The cedars/arborvitaes were sweet and protective; the weeping willows were mothering, while the oaks, box elders and ash felt like grandparents encouraging me to crawl into their embrace. 

Growing up in the 60’s & 70’s, my focus shifted to becoming an advocate for equal rights, women’s rights, civil rights and the rights of the disabled. After college, I joined VISTA (Volunteer’s In Service To America) where I worked as a community organizer for underprivileged children and teens. After VISTA I became a developmental disabilities coordinator/counselor. I also provided emergency intervention services for people struggling with mental illness, abuse or addiction. In the 80’s, I lost both of my adoptive parents, got married, had a child and changed my career path to communication arts. In the 90’s I was reunited with my birth mother, who told me the story of how I came into this world and was mysteriously and forcibly taken from her. My birth mother had named me Carmen Sylvia, which meant “guardian tree,” she passed away nine months after I found her. A few years later I became the President of a 42-person advertising agency after the sudden suicide of my friend and mentor. My refuge during this time was 40 acres of land filled with weeping willows, arborvitae, box elder, pines and apple trees. It was here that we raised our son. 

The morning after 9/11/2001, I was determined to untangle the shared roots of world belief to heal the fear and separation that surrounded us. I began researching the origins of belief and world religion from 40,000 BCE to present day within each continent. This led me to look deeper into the story of the Tree of Life vs the Tree of Knowledge to better understand what “knowledge” actually meant, and why it was forbidden. As I continued diving into its origins, I realized that this knowledge had to do with the natural world around us and how we became disconnected from our innate connection with our own roots and with nature itself.

In 2007, I left my career to pursue a path of reconnection. I’m not a natural writer, but I began writing as a way to organize my thoughts, which led to the creation of Mandala Chakra – Awaken the One Within. Ten years later I moved to the Pacific Northwest, with my husband of 40 years, Paul Wauters, to live near our son and his family. This new chapter has blessed me with the joy of becoming a Grandmother. It was here, among the redwoods, Doug fir and madrone that I created Tree Spirit Tarot – Return to the Garden of our Soul. Recently, I began collaborating with Lanvi T. Nguyen on a series of children’s books, based on the Everlasting Forest. 

Mandala Chakra – Awaken the One Within, was inspired by the seven chakras and how we hold mythic maps within us that guide us on our journey of awakening and becoming whole.

Tree Spirit Tarot – Return to the Garden of our Soul, tells the archetypal stories of 78 trees as they relate to the Tarot. Trees are wisdom keepers who hold space on our journey to oneness.

It is my dream to inspire and empower others to remember their true nature and how we are all related to each other. I believe trees hold our stories so we can remember our roots and find our way.

Namaste (respect) and Munay (love) to all. 

Laural 

Bio: Laural holds both a Bachelors of Social Work (BSW) and a Bachelors of Communication Arts. Laural is a graduate of the Four Winds Healing the Light Body School of Energy Medicine. She received her certification as a mandala facilitator through Rajita Sivananda (Judith Cornell Ph.D.)  Laural is a mesa carrier in the Andean tradition based on the teachings of Adolfo Ttito Condori. 

For more information visit: lauralwauters.com