Dear Reader,
I really overdid it this time. This chapter got a bit too long, so I’m going to release it in four parts, to give everyone a time to digest it. I had fun researching and delved into some of the little known history of sacred trees and forest deities. It is the final chapter of Practical Geurgy. Not to worry, though, I will keep publishing posts on magic, mythology, folklore, and their intersection with the land and the natural world on a regular basis, while I edit and refine the book form of Practical Geurgy.
As always thanks for your support,
Todd Elliott
Let us pause for a moment to take a walk into the ancient forest that once covered the land in times past. We halt at the edge of the clearing and pass through a nearly impenetrable hedge of brambles and low bushes that mark the boundary between the wood and the field. We ask permission from the forest spirits to enter their realm. We know the gods and land wights give signs through the happenings of nature and the movements of animals, so we wait for a few moments for a signal. As if to answer, a gentle breeze trembles the leaves around us and the cheery song of a wren calls to us from a nearby tree. Taking this as an affirmative answer we proceed down the steep slope into the wooded valley. It is late afternoon, the sun is sinking fast, we will not have much time before the lowering dark surrounds, leaving us alone in the cold night. We notice the dappled light shining down from the canopy onto the dim forest floor, the towering trunks of the ancient trees, we hear the rustle of the leaves as the deer move quietly through the hidden paths, The squirrels bark at our clumsy trespass, and the raucous calls of crows and jays warn all that we are in their domain. The rich smell of the damp fallen oak leaves, and the aromatic scent of the cedars fill the air. Following the ancient path we cross a dry creek bed and start up the hill on the other side. Carefully, we climb the steep rocky path from the valley, until we reach a circular clearing in the midst of a grove of ancient white oak trees.
In the midst of the clearing, stands a great and venerable oak tree, its spreading canopy of branches bare of leaves. Under the tree, a short distance from the thick trunk is a large flat stone which serves as an altar table. With humble reverence we approach the sacred table and with bowed heads we unshoulder our packs and take out the humble offering we have brought for the gods of field and forest as well as Mother Earth. We place an earthenware jug of ale on the table, as well as a loaf of bread and another jug of milk. We are here to give thanks for the gifts of the forest today, because we have had enough firewood and food from successful hunting, and medicine from forest herbs to survive through the long winter, and we are grateful. We voice our prayers and pour our libations onto the soft earth, saying the ancient oration:
“We call you, Ancient One
We call you, Wild One
We call you, The Green One
We call you, Hair Covered One
We call you, He Who Roams the Wild Wood
We call you, He who guards the boundaries of the land.
We call you here, Ward, Defender, Bringer of Bounty, Lord of the Animals
Mighty One who roars through the land.
Wind Bringer
Rain Bringer
Deer Hunter
He of the Oak and Ash
Come to us!
Be present here in the Hallowed Grove
Where from ancient times your people have called you.
Accept these gifts which we offer you today from the bounty you have given us.
Meat and milk from your herds.
Beer and Meal from your harvest.
Bless us we ask, mighty one,
With good health and good fortune.
Enough game, Healthy herds,
Wood for homes and hearths,
And a bountiful harvest.”
As we wait in silence for a sign that our offer was appreciated, a huge stag runs into the clearing, and stops for a moment to stare at us, clouds of steam blowing from his nostrils. He gives us a second look, snorts loudly and runs off again. We comment on the auspiciousness of this sign and slowly walk home in silence to our farmstead through the darkening forest, feeling blessed by the gods.
This brief imaginative exercise gives us a hint of the role forest and sacred groves played in the religious lives of the people who lived in them. In this chapter we will be exploring the role of the forest and trees in the life and practice of the cunning farmer. The woodland is a feast for the senses, in whatever season. I have enjoyed some of the finest hours of my life simply wandering in the woods among the trees, just to see what I would encounter and enjoying the peace and sacredness of the place. In this I am not unique, the forest and its trees have been places of encounter between humans and numina, or divine presences, since our ancestors first learned to perceive them, in the shadowy depths of mythic time. In this chapter, we will discuss the role of the forest as a sacred place and home of land spirits, in history and folklore, and as a source of some of the materials necessary for life on the land, namely firewood, lumber, game, medicinal plants and materia magica. We will also investigate the rich symbolism of the tree in animist cosmologies, as both axis mundi and tree of life. We will close by discussing some practices to help connect us with the spirit presences of the woodland trees.
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