The Powers of Trees

Trees have from time immemorial been closely associated with magic. These stout members of the vegetable kingdom may stand for as long as a thousand years, and tower far above our mortal heads. As such they are symbols and keepers of unlimited power, longevity, and timelessness.

An untouched forest, studded with trees of all ages, sizes and types, is more than a mysterious, magical place – it is one of the energy reservoirs of nature. Within its boundaries stand ancient and new sentinels, guardians of the universal force which has manifested on the Earth in vegetable form.

As such, a forest is an excellent spot for magical workings of any kind, not only tree magic. But any tree, anywhere in the world, can be used for the spells and techniques discussed here. Since each type of tree has its own particular powers, these are outlined below.

All trees, save for the poisonous ones (such as yew and hemlock) are excellent for healing magic. Any tree can be used to take away a headache and give you energy, or to reveal the future. We are limited purely by our own minds and actions.

It is important to talk to any tree(s) you are working magic with. Tell them exactly what your need is. Explain to them why the need exists and its urgency. Trees are living entities with a consciousness which, while different from our own, is still capable of communication upon subtler planes of awareness.

So, even though old spells sometimes direct you to pound nails or bore holes into trees – please don’t. This is not only damaging and hurtful to the tree, it is absolutely unnecessary, for there are other techniques available. These include binding or attaching to, burying at the base, and writing on leaves or twigs.

Some spells require marking symbols on leaves. A stick which has been burned on one end is excellent, for the charcoal will act as the graphite in a pencil. Practice with this until you become proficient.

The trees with which you cultivate magical relationships are things to be treasured; visit them often, even if you have no magic to perform. When you can arrive at the point when you accept the trees as friends, you have achieved a powerful bond between yourself, the Earth, and even beyond.

This is a short, very basic list of common trees and their associated powers. Please bear in mind that tree magic needn’t be limited to these tree types, for every tree has its own inherent powers which vary from tree to tree. Experiment!