What do you think?
Rate this book
Talking to Trees: A Journey into Soul
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 8, 2025
Talking to Trees: A Journey into Soul by Brian Pearson isn’t a book you read during the hustle and bustle of your day. It’s a book to savour during life’s transitions — moments like the quiet serenity of a morning coffee, the awesome power of a prairie thunderstorm, or the calm pause before an evening libation. Each chapter of this book offers a glimpse into the author’s experiences, ranging from his 1960s childhood to the recent past, and in every story, Pearson weaves his personal journey into something relatable, universal, and deeply human.
You can approach this book in two ways: you can read it chronologically, savouring each story as it unfolds, or you can choose a chapter at random and see where it leads. Both methods provide unique experiences, allowing the book to unfold organically, like a conversation that meets you where you are.
For instance, I opened the book to a chapter titled Holy Vows, a raw and deeply personal story that connects Pearson’s journey with the marriage vows taken by Brian and Susanne, who chose their love for each other over their vows as Catholic priests and nuns. What struck me is that this was the chapter I opened to — the topic itself resonated with difficult conversations I’ve had in my own life. This, I believe, is one of the book’s greatest strengths: it has a way of revealing exactly what you need at the right moment. The act of letting the book speak truth to your personal experience is one of its most profound qualities.
Talking to Trees is a book written to be listened to as much as it is to be read. I had the privilege of listening to Chapter 10 on the author’s podcast (The Mystic Cave), and it added an extra layer of life to the story. It’s this chapter that lends the book its title, and hearing Pearson narrate it brings his words to life in a way that the written page can’t fully capture. The story itself is a parable, a devotion, a meditation — a series of invitations to explore ideas that are simultaneously specific and universally human.
The book doesn’t shy away from critiquing the Christian Church, particularly its focus on the spirit, which often feels detached from the grounding, earthy experience of the soul. Pearson argues that the Church, by prioritizing what is “up there” and “out there,” leaves itself incomplete. In contrast, his journey is a move away from a lofty, abstract spirituality toward a grounded, connected sense of soul and community. This shift is an invitation — not just to the Church but to the reader — to reconnect with the soul’s essence, drawing nourishment from experiences that speak both to the heart and to the greater collective.
Throughout Talking to Trees, Pearson calls us to cultivate curiosity and imagination. Curiosity asks, Why? What drives you? What sparks wonder within you? Imagination, on the other hand, is about envisioning what could be. It’s about asking, What can we create? What can we co-create? These two calls, curiosity and imagination, are intertwined and stem from a place of rootedness — a deep sense of connection to both self and the world. They are invitations to think beyond what is and dream of what might be, grounded in the fullness of human experience.
Ultimately, this is a book to savour, much like a cup of coffee or a glass of wine — it nourishes the soul. Whether you’re reading it over breakfast or reflecting on it in the quiet of the evening, Talking to Trees offers rich, fulfilling food for thought. I highly recommend picking up a copy and letting it speak to you.
You can approach this book in two ways: you can read it chronologically, savouring each story as it unfolds, or you can choose a chapter at random and see where it leads. Both methods provide unique experiences, allowing the book to unfold organically, like a conversation that meets you where you are.
For instance, I opened the book to a chapter titled Holy Vows, a raw and deeply personal story that connects Pearson’s journey with the marriage vows taken by Brian and Susanne, who chose their love for each other over their vows as Catholic priests and nuns. What struck me is that this was the chapter I opened to — the topic itself resonated with difficult conversations I’ve had in my own life. This, I believe, is one of the book’s greatest strengths: it has a way of revealing exactly what you need at the right moment. The act of letting the book speak truth to your personal experience is one of its most profound qualities.
Talking to Trees is a book written to be listened to as much as it is to be read. I had the privilege of listening to Chapter 10 on the author’s podcast (The Mystic Cave), and it added an extra layer of life to the story. It’s this chapter that lends the book its title, and hearing Pearson narrate it brings his words to life in a way that the written page can’t fully capture. The story itself is a parable, a devotion, a meditation — a series of invitations to explore ideas that are simultaneously specific and universally human.
The book doesn’t shy away from critiquing the Christian Church, particularly its focus on the spirit, which often feels detached from the grounding, earthy experience of the soul. Pearson argues that the Church, by prioritizing what is “up there” and “out there,” leaves itself incomplete. In contrast, his journey is a move away from a lofty, abstract spirituality toward a grounded, connected sense of soul and community. This shift is an invitation — not just to the Church but to the reader — to reconnect with the soul’s essence, drawing nourishment from experiences that speak both to the heart and to the greater collective.
Throughout Talking to Trees, Pearson calls us to cultivate curiosity and imagination. Curiosity asks, Why? What drives you? What sparks wonder within you? Imagination, on the other hand, is about envisioning what could be. It’s about asking, What can we create? What can we co-create? These two calls, curiosity and imagination, are intertwined and stem from a place of rootedness — a deep sense of connection to both self and the world. They are invitations to think beyond what is and dream of what might be, grounded in the fullness of human experience.
Ultimately, this is a book to savour, much like a cup of coffee or a glass of wine — it nourishes the soul. Whether you’re reading it over breakfast or reflecting on it in the quiet of the evening, Talking to Trees offers rich, fulfilling food for thought. I highly recommend picking up a copy and letting it speak to you.
Displaying 1 of 1 review