A woman who describes herself as “ecosexual” believes she is in the midst of a love affair with an oak tree.
The woman, Sonja Semyonova, 45, claims she connected with the tree during her lonely, solo walks in the summer of 2021. Those walks began in 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic. It was the same year that she moved to Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.
“I was walking a path near the tree five days a week for the whole winter. I noticed a connection with the tree,” she said, explaining that she had been “craving that rush of erotic energy that comes when you meet a new partner, and that is not sustainable.”
“The presence I feel with the tree is what I’m looking for, but that’s a fantasy with a person,” she said, further describing her experience with the tree.
“The feeling of being tiny and supported by something so solid. The feeling of not being able to fall,” she said, further describing her “erotic” experiences with this tree, although she said she does not have physical relations with the oak.
“I would lie against it. There was an eroticism with something so big and so old holding my back,” she continued, asserting that there are major misconceptions about ecosexuality, which the environmental group the Sierra Club describes as “unabashedly queer.”
The website Here Come the Ecosexuals! defines ecosexuality, in part, as “a person that finds nature romantic, sensual, and sexy.”
Semyonova believes that ecosexuality is simply a “different way to explore the erotic.” For example, she said watching the seasons change is an “erotic act” to her.
“You go from death in winter, and then everything comes alive in spring and mates,” she said, adding, “There are similarities between sex with people and the eroticism ecosexuals feel with nature, but they’re not the same.”
Further, Semyonova suggested that many people are simply repressed ecosexuals, but if they had the realization, many so-called climate issues would be easier to solve. She used outdoor picnics and hikes as evidence that some people are ecosexual. It remains unclear how simply enjoying God’s creation — whether having a family picnic near a stream or gardening in one’s yard — equates to having romantic or erotic feelings towards trees.
However, to Semyonova, it makes all the sense in the world.
“What we fail to notice is that the reason we want this is to tap into the life force that comes from these things, which is the erotic,” she claimed.
The woman’s erotic feelings for the tree could be better explained by the fact that loneliness stands as a massive challenge for adults across the globe. A Meta-Gallup survey released in October found that nearly one in four adults feel “very or fairly lonely.” That particular survey represented more than three-quarters of adults across the globe, as it did not include China.
As Breitbart News detailed:
According to VeryWellMind, loneliness is a state of a person’s mind. It can cause one to feel empty, alone, and sometimes unwanted by others.
“People who are lonely often crave human contact, but their state of mind makes it more difficult to form connections with others,” the article said.
The site also recommends ways to combat loneliness, such as engaging in community service or enjoyable activities, focusing on the positive, investing in relationships, and meeting with people who share similar interests.
It should be noted that the site did not list developing an erotic relationship with a tree as a way to combat loneliness.
