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Healing with the Trees

Trees talk with your heart
sharing their ageless wisdom,
joy and love of life

– Steve

We live in a world built on Love whose varied manifestations are always willing to help us if we are awake and open enough to ask for their assistance. Recently, the trees have been making regular appearances in my healing sessions, offering guidance and help. (I guess I should start calling them TREE-tments!) I am both humbled and awed by the trees’ presence and their help. I am also very grateful to be included into their various families’ domain. I’ve worked with many species of trees as they all have healing powers. The following are a few of my favourites: Alder, Apple, Ash, Beech, Birch, Blackthorn, Elder, Elm, Fir, Hazel, Holly, Maple, Oak, Pine, Poplar, Rowan, Willow, and Yew. Read on to discover how they can help you. (Be sure to bookmark this page as I add to it regularly.)

Alder Tree

Whistle up the wind – Speak from your truth in kindness – Ground yourself in love

After conception, cell mitosis begins forming, first and foremost, a human heart, the second body part to develop is the tongue. It is no accident the phrase ‘speak from a place of love’ has been present in all the cultures that have lived on Mother Earth. When you are having trouble expressing yourself, your thoughts, your emotions, your ideas. When your first impulse may be to speak rashly or in anger using words that can never be truly taken back; this is the time to call on the alder tree. Connect your heart energy to the heart energy of the alder tree. Ask for its help to express yourself clearly and, most importantly, kindly. Navigating life is difficult. Do not let miss-spoken words make the journey that much harder. Call on the alder to help you lovingly speak your truth.

Apple Tree

Thinking Outside the Box – Right to Choose – Freedom to Be

Life is full of choices. We are constantly choosing whether we are aware of it or not. The Apple tree reminds you to be aware of your choices; not to be swept along with the crowd; to learn to trust your heart’s inner voice. The mind can be easily led. Reflect on every choice you are making to build your discernment and strengthen your individuality. Call upon the Apple tree when you facing decisions you are uncertain of or worried about. Ask for your heart to open to the best choice for you and for your mind to follow. Free yourself from constraints, internal or external, holding you back from making the choice to follow your own dreams. The Apple tree, when asked, will help you navigate life; to become the person you always wanted to be.

Ash Tree

Yggdrasil, World Tree – Understanding – Acceptance – Magic of Life

Often referred to as The World Tree, the Tree of Life or Yggdrasil, the ash tree has always been seen as a tree of great strength. There is the story from the mists of time that when a woman was pregnant and birth was very near, she and her husband would go into the forest seeking out an ash tree. The father would construct a lean-to adjoining the tree trunk in which the couple would reside until the birth of their child. When the day arrived the father would take three ash leaves and construct a vessel with which he would collect either the first dew or rainwater falling from the tree’s leaves after the child was born. He would sip first, then the mother and then child forming a trinity between them as well as uniting them to the tree’s strength. This strength was not exhibited in aggression or anger but rather acceptance. Their bond with each other and with the tree allowed them to see each other for who they were rather than for what was expected of them. Understanding and acceptance were, indeed, their true strength. When disagreements in family life, or in any situation, arise do not judge or condemn. Rather call on the wisdom and strength of the ash tree to help you to both see and understand the other person’s point of view. Look at your own viewpoint from which your beliefs arise; do these viewpoints need tweaking or healing? Life is a journey; make it both helpful and joyful. Ask for the help of the ash when needed to make life the exceptional, magical journey it is meant to be.

Beech Tree

Keeper of the Past – Impartial, Non-Judgmental – Knowing Its Own Strengths

The pull between the old and the new can be confusing. Old thoughts, beliefs, can seem outdated as new information comes to light. This does mean every old thought is wrong or useless. The sense of who we are is rooted in very strong and fertile ground: love, acceptance, kindness. These should never be forgotten or abandoned with the dawning of new ideas. When you are uncertain of where you stand as society evolves around you; or when popular opinion does not resonate with what feels right to you ask the beech tree to help you. Your heart knows what is right as does your body. Pay attention to their responses to events, small or large, occurring around you. When you feel you are a forest of one, call on the beech tree to centre you; to help you remember we all come from the same source. With any new idea or situation expand by adopting that which resonates with your highest good; ignore that which does not. Judgments by, or of, others waste time and energy. The beech tree asks you to know and love yourself as you grow through life.

Birch Tree

Mental Health – Love – Keeper of the Past – Impartial – Knows its own Strengths

If life is starting to get you down a meditation with the birch tree can make all the difference. In Celtic lore the birch is a tree of many healing properties but the one that jumped to the fore was the calming influence it had on the human mind and nervous system. To meditate with the birch connect with mother nature and ask to unite with the energy of the birch trees then set your intention to receive the energy. If this is new to you do not put any pressure on yourself or try to make ‘something’ happen. It may take a few attempts for you to feel their energy but when you do there will be a calmness, a serenity, that transcends all else.

In Celtic lore the Birch is a tree of many healing properties, including the ability to calm the mind and nervous system. To meditate with the Birch, connect with Mother Nature and ask to unite with the energy of the Birch trees. Then, set your intention to receive the energy. Do not put pressure on yourself or try to make something happen. It may take a few attempts for you to feel their energy but when you do there will be a calmness, a serenity, that transcends all else.

Blackthorn Tree

More than Meets the Eye – Life is Multidimensional – Don’t Judge a Cover

The Blackthorn Tree suffers from bad press. Dark, gnarly, thorny and gaunt it does not enjoy the height or reputation of the Hawthorn Tree. Mythology categorizes the Blackthorn as representing the sinister or evil side of life; a label that has stuck. Despite being a relative of the Rose little is spoken of its positive qualities. Its thorny branches providing protective sanctuary for the Nightingale, Thrush and other small birds; many butterflies also take refuge within these thorny branches. Some cultures believe Blackthorn branches made the best divining rods for finding live-giving water. How often are these positive traits mentioned? The Blackthorn does not care giving protection year in and year out to all who need assistance; the Blackthorn knows its truth. When you feel misjudged, misrepresented, misunderstood, connect with the Blackthorn energy. Ask for its aid. The Blackthorn will remind you that your abilities to help, protect and care for others are as valid (and needed) as those of any one else. These are traits and abilities that foster hope for a better future for all. Hope coupled with trust and love will produce miracles. How these positive traits and abilities are cloaked matters not. The fact they are a boon to those in need is what counts. Connecting with the Blackthorn will help remind you your inner light is as bright and as integral as anyone else. Allow your light to shine despite how other’s may react.

Cedar Tree

Divinity Tree – Resists Negativity – Knows its True Worth

‘Only love in; only love out’ could well be the mantra of the Cedar tree. Its bark is tough and its wood is impervious to pests and water rot; the aroma radiating from the Cedar is soothing, restful, raising the energy frequency of all who encounter it. Over the millennia, the Cedar has come to be associated with divine love, knowledge, protection and permanence; no accident that the Cedar has found its way into our homes and our hearts. When doubt causes you to question your own self worth; when you find your heart rebels against ‘public opinion’ isolating you from the crowd, connect with the energy of the Cedar Tree. Ask the Cedar tree to help you connect to your core of inner strength; thereby calming your discombobulated heart. Allow the ‘peace that passeth all understanding’ to flow into your consciousness. For you are this peace, this understanding, this love; you have merely been distracted. Ask the Cedar to help you remember who you are that you may reconnect with the eternal consciousness from where all life originated.

Elder Tree

Beginnings & Endings – Divine Feminine – Ties to Distant Past

The Elder tree is yet another tree that suffers bad press through long association with the ‘White Lady’ and witches. Do you ever stop to wonder why anything associated with feminine power is vilified? Look no further than the treatment of Isis. I am willing to bet neither Cayce or Nostradamus foresaw the new millennium ushered in the way it was. (I leave this for your own investigation). The Elder is also long associated with music: the vibrations that inspire creation into motion. Music, singing, chanting, tapping a rhythm, is common us all, predating the discovering of fire, calming us in times of distress, uniting us in times of joy. Both the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine play equal complimentary roles in this creation through their respective vibrations. Memories of both are stored in our subconscious from our previous lives; ready to be accessed when needed. We are far too dismissive in this day and age of our shared ancestral knowledge; a knowledge that still recognizes us when we have forgotten who we are, where we have come from. To access these memories, either to spur self growth or just from a simple curiosity, unite your energy field with that of the Elder Tree family. Centre in your heart as you make this connection ; ask for your ancestral knowledge to flow into this present day iteration of your higher self; allow this to happen with humble gratitude and great appreciation. There is endless love and knowledge behind you; become one with this creative energy again.

Elm Tree

Tranquility – Majestic Gentle Giant – Calming Relief

The Elm tree has long been associated with the Mother and Earth Goddesses. Its wood is strong, stable and known for its resistance to splitting. The roots of the Elm travel deep anchoring it solidly into Mother Earth; resulting in the Elm becoming a tree used in many grounding ceremonies over the millennia. It has long been considered a tree of protection, a problem solver and a tree of balance. If you are feeling scared, anxious or angry, connect your energy with that of the Elm tree. The balanced calm energy of the Elm can nip these feelings in the bud allowing peace and serenity to take their place. When your thoughts, emotions or energies are leading you down a path that is not serving your highest good connect your energy with that of the Elm tree. Ask the Elm to help you change direction by guiding you to calmer pathways; grounded in love rather than fear. The Elm reminds you to have a loving heart, an open mind and faith in the moment. She (the Elm) will always help you return to your center.

Fir Tree

Far Sight – Moment’s Value – Letting Go

Tall and slender this mountainous tree knows the importance of ‘going with the flow ‘ responding appropriately to what is happening around it. The Fir reminds you life is a journey comprised of successive moments linked by your memories and your participation. The journey of a seed that breaks free of the earth does not end the moment it feels the light upon it. A new stage begins as the seed grows into its potential. The seed knows to let go; to be grateful to the part of itself that got it this far. The Fir, too, knows to be thankful for and grateful to each ring of its trunk, each new branch as it develops. They represent a new phase leading to maturity. The trunk, as do the branches, widens and grows; new branches appear. The Fir knows these do not lessen what went before; rather they enhance what once was. It does not get stuck wanting stages to remain; knowing if they did the end would never be reached.

When you are missing earlier stages of your life; longing for those no longer present, connect your energy with that of the Fir tree. Ask for the Fir to help you to be grateful for those stages of your life and to those people who helped you grow along the way. They are not gone; they will always be a part of you. Ask the Fir to aid you in letting go the feelings of loss, sadness and emptiness that can trap you in the past; replacing them with happy, joyful and loving memories as you grow. Love and gratitude are so very important in life but neither should trap you in the past. Ask the Fir tree to help you free the moment so that your potential is free to blossom.

Hazel Tree

Elemental – Poetry, Knowledge, Healing – Great Protection

There is no mistake the fairies love the hazel tree. Offering poetry, protection, knowledge and healing the hazel provides them with balance and a fullness of life. Creativity and curiosity can be a two edged sword as you seek to learn of the world and, more importantly, of yourself. When imagination and/or the quest for knowledge leads you down a dark rabbit hole that does not serve your highest good call on the hazel tree to help protect and lead you back to the light. Not all things have to be experienced to be known. Grant yourself some slack as you recognize which boundaries are not worth crossing. When asked the hazel tree can help balance the dichotomy between service to others and staying on your own path as you explore all aspects of you in this life.

Holly Tree

Oneness – Pagans and Christians alike – Celebrating All Life

Long associated with death and rebirth, the Holly has been used in many winter celebrations over the years. Symbolizing the eternal aspect of consciousness and the transitory nature of this life, the Holly is worthwhile friend to have. Connecting your energy to that of the Holly aids in both sleep, recuperation and regeneration on physical and spiritual levels. When a family member, friend (2 or 4 legged), or anyone for that matter, is getting ready to transition, call on the Holly to ease any suffering or fear that may be present. Ask that the Holly help make the transition smooth for everyone involved. For your own transition, death, expansion (or for however you view this stage of your conscious journey) take comfort (as the Holly does) in the belief that while this phase of your journey is ending, you, yourself, are not. Your consciousness continues on. Ask the Holly to be your loyal guide and friend; helping to ease your transition home.

Maple Tree

Sweetness of Life – Birthright – Joy

Have you lost your joy in life? Have the endless distractions robbed you of the sweetness of being? Life is a series of moments meant to be experienced; to be enjoyed. You were not born to ‘earn a living’ or any of the other false narratives thrown your way. The eagle, iris or whale are under no such obligations. They are part of the endless variety of life to be experienced by eternal consciousness. You are consciousness who, through the magic of sacred geometry, is now experiencing a physical life. Enjoy these moments; savour the sweetness of being the physical you. Life will have its ups and downs; that is part of the contrast. The good and the bad. The happiness and the sadness. These are experiences through which your soul (and the all-loving consciousness to which you will return) can grow. Bask in the sweetness of the moment; the sweetness of being you. To help remember who you truly are, connect your energy to that of the maple tree family. Centre yourself in your heart. Breathe. Focus on the pauses between inhaling and exhaling. Then ask the maple to help you remember, or recapture, the sweetness of life. You are a being of joy, light and love. Enjoy the gift of your life.

Oak Tree

Living in the Now – Strength, Success, Stability – Mighty yet Humble

Renowned for its strength, Oak reminds you true strength comes from within; not from comparisons or judgments involving others. The Oak does not think less of other tree species or of members of its own family in whatever stage of life they may be experiencing. It recognizes all life plays a necessary role for this moment to exist. The oak is generous, sending other family members the energy they may need. It also sets aside a percentage of this energy for other species to be shared through the mitochondrial network; knowing that helping others also helps one’s self. This is the strength of the moment: the unity of all life. When tired, overwhelmed or beaten down by life, connect with the spirit and energy of the Oak. When united with the Oak pay attention to the ‘presence’ of the Oak. Feel it’s true strength, it’s belief in itself, it’s belief in the purity of the moment. Discover the oak within you. Believe and trust in yourself. Help to make the moment the best it can be for all life actively creating it. Know, as the Oak knows, when you help others you help yourself. We all share this moment.

Pine Tree

Release Guilt – Mistakes are Part of Learning – Ask Pine Tree to Help

Life is lived day to day; constantly changing, often on a moment’s notice. There is no rule book or operating manual. We live and learn on the fly; we make mistakes. Yes, mistakes can be our best teachers, but they can also be very hard on us. We may not set out to hurt others but often unknowingly do so; when this happens feelings of guilt may surface. While guilt does denote empathy and caring (if you do not have either of these traits you would not experience guilt); guilt is an extra weight on life’s path once the lesson it has brought forth has been learned; the lesson being, to be more kind and understanding towards others as well as to yourself. To help shed whatever feelings of guilt you hold call on the Pine Tree to help you release them. Ask and connect your energy with that of the Pine tree family. Allow the Pine energy to flow through you taking guilt with it as it departs; leaving in its wake the ‘sweetness of life’. In millennia past, the Pine was known as ‘the sweetest of woods’; it is no accident we still bring Pine trees or Pine scented fragrances into our homes. We are love and joy at our core but the stresses and distractions of modern day life overshadow this basic truth. We can all use healers at one point or another along our path to help us return to our center; let the Pine Tree be one of yours.

Poplar Tree

Singing Tree – Bids you go with the flow – Remember your roots

Fast growing, adaptable to its environment coupled with its light coloured bark and silver underside leaves the Poplar tree asks you enjoy your life. Life is full of both positive and negative events; events that help to shape you yet do not define you. You are your own song. Ancient lore believed the Poplars ’singing’ leaves (the Poplar’s leaves are very sensitive to air currents) delivered messages from past lives, from our higher selves and from the Divine. When time is of the essence, or you are stymied by a conundrum unite your energy to that of the Poplar family. Ask for the Poplars’ help; stay open and alert to however messages may come to you. The Poplar also reminds you that while your outward appearance changes with life you are still you within. Stay true to your heart; your heart will stay true to you. Life is fleeting; enjoy every moment to the best of your ability radiating the love that makes you, you. When you have an opportunity to sit with the Poplar tree take full advantage; your soul will thank you.

Rowan Tree

Magic – Creativity – Spark

Modern life is full of assumptions, distractions, and mind numbing routine; all of which can easily dull the spirit. You are a creative being; never forget that. Creativity can assert itself in many ways releasing the joy within. When dissatisfied with life or wanting new and varied experiences call on the Rowan Tree family. Ask for and allow their aid in sparking, fanning or reawakening your creativity. You are a part of the web of life; of creation. Be a vibrant piece.

Willow Tree

Love and Light Always – Help in times of Sadness and Loss

The Willow is a water loving tree and hence feels emotions deeply; all emotions, not just sadness, grief or loss as so many attribute to it. The Willow is associated with the Moon and, like the moon, who reflects light to illuminate the darkness. The Willow will draw your sadness out of you filling the void left behind with Mother Earth’s love. Have you ever wondered how Mother Earth deals with the pain and loss of all her children, in whatever form they are expressing? She knows the truth of this realm thereby focusing on the love, joy and connections of this existence. The Willow Tree will do this for you if you ask. Remember, we are freewill beings. Nothing can intervene positively if we do not ask. There is help all around us; we only have to acknowledge, ask and allow. In times of grief centre in your heart, acknowledge the Willow Tree is there to help. Ask the Willow Tree to clear any sad, mournful or depressed energies within replacing them with universal love. Allow this to happen by concentrating not on what you have lost but, rather, on the love and joy of the relationships you have experienced; or are experiencing. This is the magic of life.

Yew Tree

Most Sacred of Trees – No Tree is Yew-er than Yew * – Grow into your Soul

The Yew Tree has long been associated with reincarnation, transformation, eternal life/immortality. The Yew stresses both the importance and necessity of change. From seed to sapling to adult tree the Yew constantly changes while remaining a Yew at its core. You are part of your Soul’s journey; as you learn so, too, does your soul. This learning is instantaneous for your soul; unfortunately, the reverse is not true. Your soul has countless aspects of itself in all dimensions and levels of consciousness experiencing different states of being. This much stimuli would overload your present state of consciousness causing you irreparable damage; even small amounts of this knowledge can lead to the unsettling state of Cognitive Dissonance. For you to learn what your soul knows requires a shift or change in consciousness on your part. (so much easier to type than to do!) When you find yourself in these moments of unsettling expansion ask the Yew Tree for assistance. Invite in and accept the Yew’s magical calming energies; allow the Yew to help expand your psychic awareness and abilities. Life is growth. Let the Yew help you expand into your potential; into your true self. You are taking part in an amazing journey of self-discovery, ask the Yew Tree to help guide you during those moments when you could use some loving assistance.

*Apologies to Dr. Seuss

How to Employ Tree Healing Energy

Those of you who know me, or are Facebook friends with me, have seen the many pictures of me meditating with the trees. These sessions are both relaxing and very informative. When you are in your heart you discover a much larger world around you, a world in which the trees and nature are ready to communicate with you on many levels.

I also include tree medicine during my energy healing sessions. For instance, in a recent session, the Hawthorn trees made their presence known by offering their help. They began with the following qualifier: “Do not believe everything you may have heard about us. We, like all tree families, are aligned in Love with Mother Earth and all her creations.” The Hawthorn trees then wrapped the outer edge of my client’s energy field in a blanket of their energy, complete with thorns pointing away from her. This shield was accompanied by the intention that only loving energies would be able to pass through the barrier. I noticed an immediate positive shift in my client’s energy field. When you are truly in your heart, you do not have to question the purity of this connection to all life; you merely have to trust that Creation always has our highest good at heart.

Author

  • Steve Clayton

    Steve is a compassionate, wise energy healer who helps people and animals regain their inner balance. For years, he supported the local holistic community as the founder and organizer of the Riverview Holistic Fairs, and as a member of the Riverview Health and Wellness Committee.

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