Talks with Trees; A Plant Psychic's Interviews with Vegetables, Flowers and Trees [Hardcover]

Leslie Cabarga (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 9, 1997

Talks with Trees contains a collection of over thirty "interviews" with many different species of plants and trees including ancient redwoods, a Japanese maple, a garlic bulb, an onion, an apple tree, two heads of lettuce, a purple potato and many more. The author, a spirit channel for over fifteen years, one day realized that if he could successfully make contact with the spirit guides of the many people for whom he provided psychic readings, he might also do the same with the spirits of plants and trees.

His first "interviewee" was a potted plant sitting atop a bank counter. While waiting for the teller to return, Leslie Cabarga asked the plant, "How are you?" With the words of the plant's response forming clearly in his head, Cabarga heard, "Oh, not very well. We are trying our best to grow lushly and beautifully for everyone to appreciate but it is hard under the circumstances." As the author writes, "I looked around. Rows of fluorescent lights lined the ceiling. There was no natural illumination. The piped-in air was stagnant. I understood. The plant repeated its intention to do its best and I was struck both by its selfless resolve to fulfill its function, and the lack of resentment over its situation. This delicate little assortment of flowers was a kamikaze of love, fulfilling its obligation to its creator with every ounce of energy, and oblivion its only reward."

Leslie Cabarga then decided that when he'd interviewed at least fifty plants and trees, he would group them into a book. Ultimately the contents were edited down to just over thirty interviews. Author Comments: "Although I occasionally meet with skepticism when I talk about Talks With Trees, I've been gratified and sometimes amazed by the many people I meet who 'come out of the closet' by admitting their own love of trees and nature, and of their own experiences of deep spiritual communion-and conversations-with trees. 'Oh, I always talk to trees!' they'll tell me, 'Why, there was this one tree'

"But nothing amazes me much these days, except the disbelief that so many still have around the subject of spirit communication. I like to ask, 'Hasn't the thought of someone suddenly come into your mind and the next minute the phone rings and it's them? Haven't you ever dreamt an event that later came true? Haven't you ever glimpsed a ghost or heard a noise or voice that you couldn't rationally explain?"

Almost everybody has had experiences of this sort at least once in their lives. And doesn't that indicate that there is more to life than the physical sciences can yet comprehend?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Cabarga remembers a childhood experience of growing an avocado plant that thrived as he talked to it. But it wasn't until many years later that he learned he could hear the plants speaking in the 'still, small voice within.' In this little book he brings to life their voices in all their kindness, humility, wisdom and even humor.Eye-pleasing illustrations: drawings, woodblock prints, watercolors, and photos, in dark green ink on bone white paper add a nice visual touch to a charming work." -- NAPRA REVIEW, Spring 1998

"Have you ever wondered what a tree would say if it could speak? Plant psychic Leslie Cabarga tells us what plants do have to say in Talks with Trees. It may sound funny, but plants' needs are real.the insights they offer is amazing. A Red Tulip tells a sad story of losing his two 'brothers' in a heavy rain storm and feeling as though he is now in a battle zone with their dead petals strewn about. Talks with Trees is fun to read. It also made me take note of my plants and what they have given me over the past decade. The illustrations in the book are attractive. We need not just smell the roses but also take the time to talk with them." -- The GROWING EDGE Magazine, August 1998

"This beautifully illustrated little tome is subtitled, 'A Plant Psychic's Interviews with Vegetables, Flowers and Trees.' At first glance, the reader may be thinking, 'Is this a fantasy, an allegory; can anybody really talk to plants?" But the wisdom, sincerity, and insight given by Cabarga's interview subjects, which range from a rubber plant, a head of lettuce and a sprouted onion, to Spanish bougainvillaea and the mighty California redwoods, among others, will soon make you a believer." -- Whole Life Times, October 1998

From the Back Cover

Ever wonder what a giant redwood tree thinks about the destruction of ancient forests? How does garlic feel about being stir-fried? If a tulip could talk, what stories would it tell? Discover the answers to these and other questions in over 30 psychic interviews with real vegetables, flowers and trees. Those who cherish nature will enjoy this book, the first of its kind to expose the secret lives of plants . . . in their own words!

What the people say about Talks With Trees: "Hugging a tree is perhaps the most tangible experience of the sacred we may have on this planet. Through my own talks with trees I've discovered the beauty and wisdom possessed by these grand creatures. These fascinating interviews with the plant kingdom are delightful, and most credible." -Gerald Jampolsky (Author of Love Is Letting Go Of Fear) "I found Talks With Trees charming, and the information will spark an interest in such communication between people and plants. -Louise Hay (Author of You Can Heal Your Life) "A pure delight-funny, inventive, wise and just the right bit irreverent." -Mike McGrath (Editor-in-Chief, Rodale's Organic Gardening) What the plants and trees say about the people: "It's curious to be alive and pulsing with energy but the one near you, tending you, seems to ignore this. It is not merely a matter of tending the soil, watering the 'plants' and weeding. You wouldn't just feed the baby then leave it alone in the crib until next day." -Lettuce "Peacefulness is my essence. Nature takes the burden and responsibility. Let her fret and worry! Bless you! Wherever you go nature will take care of you just as she does me." -Hickory Tree

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Iconoclassics Publishing Co.; 1 edition (October 9, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965762807
• ISBN-13: 978-0965762809
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,477,247 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

For most of his life, Leslie Cabarga considered himself not so much a writer but as an illustrator and graphic designer. Yet his very first book, The Fleischer Story (a history of the Max Fleischer animation studio) was published when he was 19 years old, several years before he would become one of the most popular illustrators in New York. Leslie went on to write and/or edit over 40 books, ranging from clip art collections for Dover publications to the ever popular Logo, Font & Lettering Bible, the only manual showing how to create lettering from scratch in the digital age. But he also produced the channeled book, "Talks with Trees," which has been gaining popularity over the past 10 years. Leslie likes to take subjects (such as the Max Fleischer cartoons, and lettering and font creation) and produce the "last word" on each subject. As he says, "It's mostly just to get these topics out of my system so I can move on." And move on he has! As amazon reader reviews of his Lettering "Bible" attest, the humor throughout the instructional text is part of what makes this book so enjoyable. "So I decided to move away from design topics and go for the humor--along with a bit of forward-looking social commentary," Leslie says. The result is the recently-published "We Hold These Truths," the story of what happens when a Truth Bomb drops on the world and people everywhere are compelled to live their truths. The book is as profoundly compelling as it is amusing. Like the book "Trees," We Hold These Truths is a channeled book that Leslie first began "receiving" more than 15 years ago. The contrast between design and spirit channeling is not so far apart, for as Leslie says, "Artists are seekers of truth. We are always questioning ourselves--why should it be this way rather than that? Where is the truth in this statement? The best artists are often those who willingly subject themselves to the most unmerciful critiques of their own creations." And," he says, "my body of work in the graphics field shows that there's nothing airy-fairy about us channelers. Actually, I'm a very down-to-earth guy." Indeed, Leslie tells us he's got another dozen or so books in planning stages on subjects ranging from health and nutrition to human sexuality. Which brings up Leslie's latest book, "Topless Summer Love Girls; A Gentleman's Guide to Women, Relationships & Breasts." It is a book that looks seriously tat men's issues while at the same time satirizing men's obsessions.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

99 of 101 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Go Ahead...Talk...You Can Do It...But Don't Forget To Listen, March 25, 2002

By 

Terrie (Little Chute, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Talks with Trees; A Plant Psychic's Interviews with Vegetables, Flowers and Trees (Hardcover)

This is such a lovely, lovely, neat little book. It was published in 1997 so I am truly amazed that I am the first person to review it. It is a well-crafted, beautiful "book" even if you look at it just from the physical standpoint without considering its content. It is a small hard cover book printed in India by Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press and the cover and end papers are made by the Ashram. It is a beautiful natural color with bits of plant fiber showing and even smells faintly of plants. The book has interesting vintage illustrations with lots of enchanting atmosphere added by the inclusion of Art Nouveau accents. The writing inside is very homey and gentle and shows a light-hearted reverance for life. Mr. Cabarga is a self-titled plant psychic who discovered as a child, that when he spoke to plants they flourished and also that if he listened with his inner self he could hear them speaking as well. This book has a decidedly "New Age" theme and I for one often find New Age books cloying in their sugary preachiness, but this one is so sincere and humble and genuine that I found myself letting my guard down and fully accepting this gentle person's experiences and lessons in empathy. He shares his inner conversations with many different plants and also a moving conversation with Pan, the god of the Greenwood. The last chapter is a message from Mother Earth channeled by the author. Even if one were to read this book purely as a fairy tale which, ironically, from the standpoint of plant deva consciousness, it actually is, one will be treated to a loving sense of oneness with Nature that is a gift indeed. There is much wisdom in this little volume, some whistful sadness, and great joy. Even if one chooses to regard it as fiction it offers a sensitive and deep look at the green world that cannot help but have an effect upon one's view of the web of life and one's own place within it. I take this book quite literally. I consider the fact that hemin, the red pigment in animal blood, and chlorophyll, the green coloring in plants have chemical structures that are fundamentally the same except where chlorophyll contains magnesium, hemin contains iron. This book illustrates in thoughtful, lyrical prose the same message that this scientific fact reveals, namely that we are all one, we living beings. Discover a wonderful opportunity for relationship that is all around us. This book can open that door.

59 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Trees, Elves and Fairies, March 31, 2003

By 

Vanessa L Leonard (Pemberton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Talks with Trees; A Plant Psychic's Interviews with Vegetables, Flowers and Trees (Hardcover)

I loved this book. I gambled on it, just picked it up to see what trees had to say. It was lovely to say the least. I was amazed to hear what a tree had to say when asked "Do you worry?" The tree said "yes...sometimes I worry about the Fairies coming to visit." I thought that was beautiful. I now wonder when the Fairies will get to me:) I have always talked to the trees and other plants. Now I know they understand that I think they are perfect in every way. I just need to pay more attention to what they are telling me.

This book did change my life in one big way. When I put my veggies in the fridge, I tell them thank you for coming to my home to nourish me and my pets.

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful words of wisdom, a must read for all, May 25, 2005

By 

AWY (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Talks with Trees; A Plant Psychic's Interviews with Vegetables, Flowers and Trees (Hardcover)

Talks with Trees was recommended to me by a friend and I am so grateful she told me about it. I found it to be an amazing little book. Talks with Trees is funny, sweet and extremely enjoyable. I will read this book many times and recommend it to all. It is filled with wonderful messages and wisdom that will inspire you and enhance your daily life. Keep an open mind and an open heart and enjoy. Read Talks with Trees to enrich your life and the life that surrounds us each day. Thank you Leslie Cabarga for this truly incredible book! I hope there is another to follow.