Feeling-- achy
Reading-- Bewitching Familiar by Caroline Burnes
Listening to-- nothing

"To walk among the trees is to reconnect with our deep ancestral roots in the forest. To look through the spiraling branches of a giant redwood is to contemplate a living mandala; to gaze at the colors of a maple in autumn is to witness the ever-changing canvas of a sublime artist. To inhale the fragrance of a pine and cedar is to absorb the essences of nature. Trees can help clear our minds from the frenzy of our fast track lives, inspire our thoughts, calm our emotions, and fill us with serenity. They are elders on this planet who embody an ineffable wisdom that they will share with us if we but seek it out. I have found that just a short while spent in the presence of certain trees can make me feel soothed and relaxed, as if the tree itself is gently helping me put my fears and anxieties into a broader perspective. Recent scientific studies have confirmed what many of us know intuitively--that trees can reduce the stress in our lives. My own research has shown that trees not only take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen; they also act as purifiers by absorbing the negative emotional energy given off by human beings and transmuting it into healthy positive energy. They breathe in noise and breathe out silence; they inhale our pain and exhale peace. They take into themselves all the cacophony of the world of humans and machines and turn it into a dance of wind on branches, the swaying of green canopies, sun dapple on leaves, and all the joyous movement of light."

~Mara Freeman, Kindling of the Celtic Spirit
Come 2006 I'm going on an adventure, one I hope to see through completion at a relatively steady pace. This new adventure is a quest for the Faraway Tree, a magical tree with new and unusual realms and characters found high in its branches (courtesy of the Soul Food Caf�). I don't know whom I'll meet or what I'll find along the way, but I'm excited to find out. I'm excited to learn more about trees and their mythology. I'm excited to discover what spirits reside within these forest sentinels. I'm excited for and hopeful of finding peace and new wisdom amongst the trees I visit along the way.

My Celtic ancestors loved and respected trees. They revered them. Trees or tree-spirits figured prominently in many of their fables and other folklore. Forests were their earliest cathedrals and were places of much sacredness. The druids, the scholars, high priests and judges of the Celtic peoples were also known as "Children of the Oak" because they often worshipped in stands of oak. I'm also excited in getting to know more about my ancestors and drawing closer to them by pursuing this theme.

The Green Man (or Green Woman)--who I know as a Celtic nature spirit--figures prominently in tree mythology everywhere. He/she is a cross-cultural being (from India to Japan to the British Isles and so on) who seems to have had a major significance to the ancients of long ago. He/she was a figure of fertility, of Nature (naturally) and of elemental power. The Green Man is sometimes viewed as the Celtic Holly King who dies during Yuletide to be reborn as the Sun god. He also was thought of as "the eternal male energy in the sacred Tree of Life." (The Tree of Life, of course, is the tree that offers eternal life.) I know the Green Man best from the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

He was got up in green from head to heel:
a tunic worn tight, tucked to his ribs;
and a rich cloak cast over it, covered inside
with a fine fur lining, fitted and sewn
with ermine trim that stood out in contrast
from his hair where his hood lay folded flat;
and handsome hose of the same green hue
which clung to his calves, with clustered spurs
of bright gold; beneath them striped embroidered silk
above his bare shanks, for he rode shoeless.
His clothes were all kindled with a clear light like emeralds:
His belt buckles sparkled, and bright stones were set
in rich rows arranged up and down
himself and his saddle. Worked in the silk
were too many trifles to tell the half of:
embroidered birds, butterflies, and other things
in a gaudy glory of green and inlaid gold.
And the bit and bridle, the breastplate on the horse,
and all its tackle were trimmed with green enamel,
even the saddlestraps, the stirrups on which he stood,
and the bows of his saddle with its billowing skirts
which glimmered and glinted with green jewels.
The stallion that bore him was the best of its breed it was plain,
a green horse great and strong,
that sidled, danced and strained,
but the bridle-braid led it along,
turning as it was trained.

We had to read this narrative poem(?) for my World Lit. class and I quite enjoyed the tale. I loved how, even though it was written for a Christian audience, there were ancient and pagan underpinings interwoven masterfully into it. And the Green Man represented these, all the while reminding people of their ancient roots, of the power and presence the forests and its creatures still possess. I recommend reading it to anyone.

Once again, I'm excited to embark on this journey, to see what and whom I will see and meet, to experience whatever the Faraway Tree and others have to offer. Who knows? Perhaps I will meet and come to know the Green Man himself (or Green Woman herself).

..:: Remembered�����E�����Occuring ::..

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