I have always loved trees. Held in deep reverence and adoration throughout the ages, trees are powerful symbols of growth, death and rebirth. In many folk religions, trees are said to be the home of spirits. Being among the oldest of living organisms found on the planet, they literally come in every size, shape and color one can imagine. They are the largest plant on earth. We have been observing the amazing growth and death of trees, and the annual death and revival of their foliage for millennia. Consequently, trees have been a part of the world’s mythologies and as such have been celebrated as sacred and worshipped by humans. They are venerated in folktales, history, paintings, and other forms of culture and art.
Besides these wonderous qualities, trees are consummate providers of almost everything that humans and animals need. They provide us with medicines, food, materials, and shelter. If that wasn’t enough, please take a deep breath right now, you have trees to thank for that! Trees produce oxygen and clean carbon dioxide out of the air we breathe. It is this clean air that makes life possible. This alone in my opinion is reason enough for human civilization to revere trees as sacred beings worthy of high approbation and awe.
Trees can live for thousands of years, making their food out of sunlight, pulling the nourishment they need straight out of the ground, and even reproducing themselves via falling leaves and branches. Their magnificence is undeniable. Strangely though, I suspect most of us rarely if ever stop to consider this. Like so many things, it is easy to overlook that which is ubiquitous and silent in its grandeur. This lack of awareness is also surely a result of our modern culture, one in which if one chooses, there is no need to look at the stars or visit a sacred forest. After all, we can look at pictures of them on our phone or a computer, so that’s that.
Thankfully, the words and practices of those who precede us still echo down through the ages acting as fierce sentinels of our deep-rooted and intimate connection with trees. Imagine our ancestors gathering in sacred groves of oak trees where the priests would listen intently to the rustling leaves for the messages they would whisper. Or consider the multiple stories truly global in nature of different apparitions appearing and transmitting wisdom and guidance in the holy confines of a majestic woodland. From the Mesopotamians, to the Greeks, Egyptians and even the Maya, we find belief systems that celebrated the inter-connectedness of trees and humans. And let’s not forget that it was under a tree, that Siddhartha Gautama meditated until he obtained enlightenment… nirvana.
It is a vital and critical part of my life as a practicing Shaman that I visit the forest frequently. In the loving embrace of the woodlands, healing can occur, peace of mind be achieved, and ageless wisdom be received from the ancient ones who dwell therein. My wish for you dear reader is that you find your way frequently to a sacred grove. It is truly a place to find oneself and be blessed. Before there were temples and churches, people made the forests a place to worship and connect with their gods, this door is still open. Walk through it and you will quickly remember why our ancestors made trees the focal point of their connection with all that is and ever has been.
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