Tree Spirits

Working with Trees and Tree Spirits

Trees are probably the most evolved of all plants. There is a special relationship between trees and humans, as trees produce the oxygen that we need to breathe, while we exhale carbon dioxide which trees thrive on. You could say that our exhalation is their inhalation and vice versa! Trees are multidimensional beings. They have their roots deep down in the earth which signifies their connection to the Underworld. Their trunks and lower branches are in our world, the world of men, which in shamanic terms is called the Middle World. The branches of tall trees reach high in the sky which makes them a bridge into the Upper World. In fact, in many cultures shamans journey into the Upper World by visualising themselves climbing a tall tree to the very top and then flying up into the sky! Trees also connect us to other realms, such as the Faerie Realm, which is in a parallel dimension to ours. The cutting down of forests and trees in our reality gradually destroys the Faerie Realm as well. Tree spirits are only loosely connected with their physical bodies, the actual visible tree. Because they are multidimensional and enjoy great freedom on the astral, and because of their connection to other realms, they can help us in journeying and inter-dimensional travel. Besides, meditating with a tree can be very relaxing and helps us to get grounded. Trees are great energy converters as well. They can transmute our negative energies and help us heal. This is shown by the very fact that they thrive on our metabolic waste products (carbon dioxide). For this reason we can draw energy from a tree without depleting it simply by giving it some of our unwanted energy in exchange.

Working with the Land

Go to the forest with the intention of finding a tree to meditate or journey with. It is important to develop a relationship to the spirits of the forest where you do your shamanic or magick work. When going to a forest for the first time, or if you have not worked with its spirits yet, an introduction is appropriate! On entering the forest speak to the nature spirits and tell them your magickal or shamanic name. Tell them a little about yourself, your intentions, and the purpose of your visit. Then respectfully ask for permission to proceed. Wait to see whether the spirits of the forests are friendly and allow you to go further in. If not, you may have to win their respect and trust over a period of time. Here is my story of working with a hostile forest that later became my favourite place:

When I first began to work with the land, I on the country side. Not far from my home were two forests, one that was frequently visited by hikers and another that nobody ever seemed to go to. As I love solitude I became attracted to the second forest which was located between a road and several fields. It was not a very big forest, but big enough for my purpose. On my first trip to the forest I only explored the perimeter. I could feel a lot of anger and hostility from the forest. But somehow I was drawn to it nonetheless. However I did not enter, it didn't feel right. On my second visit I spontaneously entered into a light trance. I saw how this forest was a tiny remnant of what had once been a gigantic forest. Now all that was left of it was a thin sliver of forest between roads and agricultural land. This made me very sad. This time the spirits of the forest were a bit more friendly and they allowed me a couple of hundred yards into the forest. There was an invisible threshold that I passed and with every step beyond that point I became more uncomfortable. I decided not to push it and turned back. I also noticed a lot of rubbish lying around in this forest and removed some glass bottles and took them home for recycling.

On my third trip to the forest I announced myself to the spirits and told them that I followed the Old Ways and wanted to help heal the land. I was then permitted much deeper in. But the forest had a dark area where the trees stood very close together and little light penetrated through the thick branches and thickets. I wasn't even permitted to approach this area. The closer I got, the more the sense of discomfort and hostility increased. So I left it at that and went home after taking some rubbish away from the forest again. With each trip I could penetrate further into the forest and the spirits became friendlier towards me. I started to make small offerings and do simple rituals. I began to feel quite comfortable in the forest -- in the day time! One time I had miscalculated and the sun was setting fast while I was in the middle of the forest. I hurried to make it out before nightfall and I must say it was quite scary to traipse around in the forest in the fading light. The breakthrough came after I developed a relationship with what probably was the strongest tree in the forest. From then on I could feel the welcome of the spirits each time I entered the forest. Often small gifts would appear in my path, such as an owl feather, or I had the good luck of seeing wildlife close up. Eventually I spent some time in that forest alone at night and had a very good meditation there. But it was not just me feeling more comfortable there, but the energy of the forest had changed completely. Over the next two years the forest actually became much greener and healthier. In fact it overgrew so much, that in the second year I had to make my way through weeds and nettles up to my armpits to get to my favourite tree! (Read the story in A Sea of Nettles). When I finally moved away I had only one regret: leaving my special forest behind! Fortunately, wherever I go, I soon find a special area in nature to connect with the land and do my ritual work.

Not every forest needs special introduction. Some forests are very public and used to people passing through. However it is a nice thing to do anyway. You can ask the spirits of the forest to guide you to a tree that wants to work with you. Then follow your intuition and walk wherever you are drawn to.

Approaching a Tree

When you have found a suitable tree slowly approach it from a distance of about eight meters. Do this with an attitude of respect, after all the tree can't move away from you and you are coming in its space. With hands stretched out in front of you, palms facing towards the tree walk very slowly until you feel the first layer of the tree's aura. Stop at this point and introduce yourself to the tree. As with all plant communication, I suggest you do this mentally rather than out loud. This is for two reasons: number one: trees and plants do not understand your physical language anyway, but communicate with you telepathically. A well focused thought is more effective than casually spoken words. Secondly, if you keep talking loudly when nobody else is in sight people may judge you as insane! The aura of a tree has seven layers. Four of those are outside the tree, the fifth is in the bark and the last two within the tree. Slowly approach until you have felt four of the seven layers of the tree's aura. Now place your hands upon the tree and feel the fifth layer of its aura. Then commence communication. Tell it why you have come and see whether it is friendly and willing to work with you. Not all trees are friendly, many have been harmed by people and can be distrusting or aloof. Sometimes a tree will just want to be left alone. Respect its wishes and look for another tree then. If the tree is friendly and co-operative ask for permission to sit with it and meditate with it.

Tree Meditation

It is best to lean with your back against the trunk. This way you can meld and become one with the tree quite easily. I prefer to sit cross-legged because this posture is most conducive to meditation. But on occasion I have just sat with my knees drawn up. The most important thing is that you are comfortable and can stay in one position for a longer time, at least half an hour or for however long it takes. Take a few deep breaths and then slow down your breathing to a rate of maximum 10 breaths per minute, less if you can. Ideal would be two breaths per minute. Once your breath has become slow and rhythmic you can begin your meditation. You may wish to just experience the tree and become one with it. I can't emphasise enough how important it is to wear the right clothes and have the right gear when going to the forest. Having a blanket to sit on or lean against, and warm comfortable clothes that protect from dampness can make all the difference in your meditation. After all you have to be comfortable enough to let go of your body completely. And few Westerners are ascetic enough to do this with poking branches in their back or whilst sitting on sharp stones.

Once you are relaxed enough you may wish to journey. In this case you should mentally ask the tree to help you with journeying. Trees can facilitate journeying. They intensify and deepen the experience by helping one let go of the body and the erroneous idea of the world of matter being real. The Otherworld is actually a lot more real than the every day physical reality we experience through our limited senses. If your journeying skills are generally not very good, you may find that you can go much deeper by journeying with a tree. Trees are also excellent for accessing other dimensions, such as the Faerie Realm. Just tell the tree where you want to go and see what happens. Once you have finished your meditation or journey thank the tree and maybe leave it a gift of tobacco or corn. Make sure it is not gene-modified corn though! (Unfortunately corn, which is sacred to many Native tribes is one of the plants that have become most abused by genetic modification! Intentionally so, I believe. Read more about this topic on my page on sacred plants. (It is important for all people to know about the threat and agenda of Codex Alimentarius that aims at doing away with all health-foods, herbs and natural healing while introducing gene-manipulated crops world-wide enforced by draconian global legislation and trade sanctions).

You may find that over time you develop a very close relationship with the trees you meditate and journey with. It is both interesting and enlightening to meditate with different types of trees, such as with an oak tree, a birch, willow, holly tree and so on. Each tree has a very unique energy. Different trees will teach you different things. You will soon find out which ones resonate most with you.

Tree Healing

If you are in need of healing you can ask the tree to heal you while you sit with it. At other times you may be the one who needs to heal the tree! Sometimes the tree wishes you to do something for it in exchange for healing you. Quite often this is about removing some kind of affliction from the tree. For example wire may be wrapped around part of the tree and hinder its growth, and you may have to remove it. Or a log has fallen onto the tree and weighs it down, again you may be asked to remove this. Sometimes wounds on the trunk may have to be dressed so the tree doesn't go to rot. The tree will show you what ails it and what needs to be removed, if anything.

Trees enjoy music (real music, not techno and pop!). Many trees like being sung to, or nice drumming and a circle dance around them. If you can play flute or harp for the tree it would be nice too. However, if you can't keep a tune or rhythm this may not be a good idea! Leaving gifts of tobacco or sacred corn by the base of the tree is always acceptable. You will never go wrong as long as you are receptive to the tree's wishes and what it is communicating to you.

There are many other ways of working with tree spirits, but this goes beyond the scope of this article. Working with tree spirits needs hands-on practice (virtually) and isn't a distance learning course. But to start with you should spend a lot of time in the woods if you are really serious about working with trees. For a real in-depth understanding of tree spirits one should ideally be taught directly by a shaman who is experienced in working with trees. You can always learn more about working with tree spirits on my workshops during which we will visit a magical forest for shamanic work and ritual! E-mail me for anything special you wish to learn. I am always happy to organise a tailor-made workshop for a small group!