Have you a tree or a place that speaks to you? Is there somewhere that as you approach you feel at home, cared for and at peace? Is there a particular tree that seems to speak to you and share its wisdom? Ive one - its a rowan that stands at the cockle beach in Kippford - Dumfries and Galloway. He calls to me each time I go and I have a gallery of pictures in different seasons that I am going to frame and place on my wall. He is the screensaver on my computer as well.


Heres my tribute

Rowan guardian of the sea shore
Your branches twisted to a purpose pure
Many ages you have stood and seen the days
Pass by with wisdom, witness to ancient ways

Rowan sentinel solitary and strong
You’ve seen the land ebb and birdlife throng
On cockle shores pearl white and with sunlit sheen
Alone you have grown where generations have been

Rowan my friend for that is who you are
You caught my heart as I arrived from afar
Your presence so vibrant in a moonlight hour
Drew me to you beneath your woodland bower

For when I seek peace and a solace alone
You take me in, your gift a bark lined throne
A place to share and to witness your tale
Of times gone by of people old and frail

Rowan in my minds eye you never leave
Your presence remains with me and in my heart you cleave
Sentinel solitary but ever wise
My guide and protector you tell no lies

Rhiana 11/12/04


Anyone with a comparable experience? want to share it?

I can certainly relate to that. I have more areas of trees that I feel that about, in places I go to regularly, than specific trees, although there are a certain few that " speak " more than others. Oddly enough, some of the more intense ones are in a churchyard in the small town I used to live in but I have long held a theory that it was a place of holy significance long before the christian church was there, as in the whole place has such a strong resonance of peace and light and strength.

Some areas of peace and deep feeling are ones I just happen to go to once. My two places that I regularly visit that thoroughly recharge my batteries on a spiritual level are Friston Forest in East Sussex and the Weald and Downland musem in West Sussex. Both lovely places in themselves but there seems to be an extra " something " underneath them in addtion to that.

I have had one special encounter with a tree, sadly I can even remember what kind of tree it was ! It was during a time of personal trauma a few months back, and a friend and I went walking along Stane Street ( remains of a Roman Road ). Most of that goes through very peaceful woodlands and downlands. One particular part is a kind of crossroads and has paths leading off in about 5 o 6 different directions. There are a few benches scattered around there and we sat down for a rest, underneath one very mature tree, thick of trunk and many branched. Its hard to describe what happened really, only that we sat there in perfect peace and silence, and I slipped into a semi-meditative state, and I then started to feel this tremendous surge of energy running through me, right through my solar plexus., and radiating outwards all through the extremities of my body.

It was tremendous ... almost like it was cleansing me and wiping away the conflict inside me that was causing me deep anxiety and leaveing me free to move on with my life. And I knew for certain that it was not down to the relaxing effects of the walk or the peace and quiet, it was the tree. My friend stood up to go, but saw me sitting there with tears streaming down my face, luckily he understands these sort of things and just sat back down again without comment - although afterwards he did say he thought it might have been something like a rebirthing, I dont entirely agree with him on this one, but eh . All I know is that tree or a spirit or energy connected with that tree helped me. I did go and thank it afterwards, and poured a handful of water from my bottle down on its roots as a tangible thankoffering. Just seemed like the right thing to do at the time

Lovely topic Rhi, and lovely descriptions LadyCatCrimson and Rhi Well anyone who's read my stories knows it is the woods behind me Each area offers something different, each one calls me according to my or their need. But I'm running out of time tonight so will get back to this tomorrow

the Standing Stone in the orchard.

just really good company sometimes. just to sit there and look over the valley.

Crane Park, which is close to where I live, there are 2 rivers that meet and the area is left semi wild as a nature reserve. On one side of the river the woodland is not always welcoming. I have been there and have felt the distinct impression that I am not wanted. Even just walking past in the morning you get that feeling sometimes, however I always greet the spirit as I pass.

The otherside though is much different. There is a spot by the river bank, on the spur of land between the 2 rivers, that is most welcoming. I can stand there for ages, talking to the fish, listening to the wind through the foliage and the squirrels playing in the branches.

This was my first poem since school and it was inspired by my first visit there (repost from before):

Meditation by a River

On the bank beneath a tree I stand,
At the brink between earth and water.
A crash of wings and a heron ploughs the sky,
The fisher gone, its prey slides from under cover.
Overhead squirrels dance from twig to branch,
I let myself drift.
My eyes follow sunlit ripples,
My ears lulled by the chuckling stream.
The air shimmers with the wings of flies,
While flowers tremble at the touch of bees.
The sun warms my body,
Drawing the watery scent to fill my nose.
Birds call, and I am drawn to an ancient realm.
My body tingles in recognition of a voice,
Vibrant with life, I am joined once more with Nature.
The wheel turns and all things pass, as they must.
As ducks squabble, I am returned.
Confined within myself once more,
However, no longer alone.
I leave this place as I found it.
It leaves me alive.

© Kev2004

As many of you know I have access to extensive acres of private woodland Within this woodland are many different areas of many different types of tree. To get either in or out of the woods I am always drawn to walk between two trees directly opposite each other and very close. One of these has a small hollow in its truck, and almost every single time I leave the wood I place something in the hole. An acorn, leaf, feather or something else from the wood itself, I feel these are the unspoken guardians of the entrance to the wood.

There is one tree in the area where it opens out that I feel drawn to lean against, just to say my thing to the woods. Further along is the group of trees I call the Nine Dryads. They form a small circle within the wood, yet it's no more defined a circle than you could find elsewhere in the wood if you looked, but they have a definate feel to them, a presence of serenity, peace and but with a warrior strength. It feels like entering a magic circle and i always enter with reverance.

Much futher away, nearly a two mile there and back journey is my
Yule tree. The biggest holly I know that is smothered in berries is well over 40foot high and has been visited by myself and two of my cats who joined me for a walk. I have a photo of Rosie sitting at its base looking up to it, she is dwarfed by it. This is area I rarely get to, but manage it in mind I tend to leave offerings of bird seed or sultanas here

The woods have their own names, but an area that really is called Wild Wood is utterly wild. The atmosphere is so different to all the others, the trees are more stunted, the brambles and undergrowth more dense, it is an area of immense power, a wild power. Each section of the wood is different, each place offers something different. There are some parts of the woods that I would not venture in after dark, yet others I am perfectly at home in at night. I have certain trees I like to lean against, a particular beech by the nearest badger set is a favourite. I know the trees certain animals and birds favour, I know these woods extremely well. They look after me because I look after them

Nice poems too Rhi & Kev

I have a love an wonder for Rowan and oak.
I thought it were just my rowan, but it seem to be a affiliation an sence of belonging with all rowans and i have a similar relationship with oaks.
I can feel em as i walk past em an they effect me in strange ways. If i want comfort i will seek one, and if i lack inspiration they seem to seek me

Rain

there is a field near to my house and in that field there is a stream that swirls down into a hole in the ground, the entrance to a cave system. around the stream there is a little copse of trees, i think one of them is a hazel and it leans down over as if trying to protect the little stream and cave entrance from prying eyes. whenever i go there i feel as if i could stay for ages just to be there even though to most people it would not be such an interesting place.

I think that's the key to it really, that these places are special to us, they 'talk' to us as individuals. Perhaps they offer us something that others don't need or can't pick up on? Mind it sounds very interesting to me, the sort of place I'd love to be at for hours, just being

There's a planted woodland on a hill near where I live - forestry stuff, so it's mainly pine trees of varying species. However, it's been there so long that in among the pines native species have grown, and there's one particular spot which is special to me. I leave the main track, and head through the long grass to a natural archway of rowans, which leads to my special "sitting spot". The area is nestled between the trunks of three towering firs, one a Scots pine, the other two spruce, and it's ringed by a belt of rowan saplings, each about 6ft tall. I feel at peace there, safe even though I'm in a wood by myself, restored and rested, yet energised too. I've been going there for years now, and always have a sense of reverence, a lightness of spirit, while I'm there and for some time after I've left. Sometimes I sit with my back against the bole of one of the pines, other times I spread a blanket on the springy grass and lie beneath the trees, watching their branches sway in the breeze, smiling at the buzzards who float overhead on the thermals. I found out a few years ago, while perusing an OS map, that the spot where I sit is actually between the site of three tumuli, which have obviously been destroyed by the planting of the trees all those years ago. I and my family have lived in the area for centuries, so perhaps those tombs may have belonged to ancestors of mine, hence the reverential feeling, perhaps? Whatever it is that pervades the atmosphere of the place, it's somewhere I feel connected to the earth, and where I've felt the presence of the Goddess and, occasionally, the God, too. I live in fear of the landowners deciding to harvest their crop of trees, and thus destroying my special place - though I suspect that, once the dust had settled and the land was quiet, it may feel much the same to me, come what may.

[COLOR=green] I live by the coast so i would have to be the sea itself. But just the little bit i'm near. I hate being away from the coast. I have found a very secluded beach where i do some rituals and meditation work. The sound and the smell are very relaxing.

I have an apple tree in my garden and I love it to bits. I feel very drawn to it, the bottom of garden tho is a real mess so I'm hoping the weather will be reasonable so I can get out into the garden and reallly tidy up and make a nice area uunder the tree where I can just sit when the weather is warmer.

I have many places. The Warren Hills, Bardon Hill, and Cademan/Gracedieu woods in Charnwood Forest (Leicestershire) are all places I view with great familiarity and love...its as if the local landscape runs through my blood and bones....the familiar shapes of the horizons and all the hidden places I know....the knowledge I've gained of 'home' from the wildlife and the plant life...the the geology and the formation of the very shape of the place. I love it all and would protect it with my life.
I can't help but look out of my window and smile.

There is a lone Beech tree that stands in Gracedieu woods in a bracken filled clearing. She stands like a queen amongst the darkness of the yew trees...it's huge, fat....and unusually for a Beech hasn't got a single man made mark on it's bark. It's still all perfectly smooth and grey. I wrote a song about that tree.
And then back to the Yews. Gracedieu woods is filled with Yew trees. Tons of them.
And the atmosphere and darkness created by this part of the woods desolate of all except Yew and bracken is something I've never encountered anywhere else.
Cademan woods, just opposite is a total contrast...filled with Oaks, bitches, beech and other mixed deciduous trees it has countless huge rocky outcrops....a climbers paradise..........and the wealth of fungi that can be found in season is overwhelming! So many HUGE and still firm and perfect without a single maggot Ceps.......the amount of Fly agarics covering the copses......I know no place like it.

Bardon Hill. The highest point in leicestershire at 9 feet off a mountain. and extinct volcano. Sadly scarred and damaged by massive, still continuing quarry operations but nevertheless a still beautiful and awe inspiring place. You gotta look on the brightside of the quarry. When quarrying is done, the bare rock faces will provide perfect nesting oppurtunities for species like peregrines. The Quarry floor will make a fantastic lake and habitat for water dwelling creatures......... From the summit you can see for miles around. The next highest point east is in Russia.
At the top you have woodland that is some of the few remaining pockets of ancient woodland of the original Charnwood forest. You can see Buzzards circling high, occasional ravens! Ring ouzels....all sorts.
the lower slopes are blanketed in Scots pine planted by the Forestry commision in the war...even these have their charm. A dark brooding atmosphere full of pine loving creatures like Coal tits.....I've seen some lovely toads there, and been shouted angrily at from close range by irate squirrels and its the klind of place you'd imagine those oft told of Big Black Cats hiding amongst the bracken.
Theres an iron age settlement there and the river sence (I think its that one) starts up there.

The Warrens...another contrasting habitat. A place of heathland and glacier created harsh rocky outcrops....loads of heather and grasses and drystone walls and heathland birds. the only problem is its a very popular place for walkers so you can never totally avoid people there...(And I hate encountering other people on walks....they annoy me. Everyone should stay at home while I'm out and about goddammit! )
But its a beutiful and wonderful place.

I love my home.

The standing stone alone in a field in the deepness of the Brecon Beacons, it's so silent there - no cars pass, you can't hear anything 'human' just the wind and an occasional sheep bleating.

I have a few places I go to think things through or to get perspective.

Right below my bathroom window is a Dogwood tree that draws me. I watch it through the seasons. Spring, when the tree flowers with white, fall when just the leaves are still there and winter, when it produces the bright red berry. I always gather a few of the flowers in spring and arrange the sprigs in water. They don't last long but they are beautiful just the same for the short time they are in doors. I take a few berries in late fall and winter and put them in an arrangement with dried flowers and pine cones in a basket. I too water it and once in awhile will spread bread around for the squirrels.

I find myself lately visiting my Uncles grave from time to time when I'm sad. I don't know why, but this tends to ease my pain. I just talk to him. He was very much like a brother and maybe 5 years older than me and I've been missing him a lot lately. The grave is toward the back of the cemetery which borders on a small wood. I can hear the rustling of the wind through the trees in the cemetery and everything, not surprisingly, is very quite.

Then, when I just want time for myself for quiet contemplation, there's the Hudson river and I found a spot where few people go. I walk the railroad tracks for about a 1/2 mile and there is a small beach where I can sit and watch the waves and listen to the seagulls. This is a time when my mind just drifts, the sound of the water does that. Every so often I can hear the train go by. I focus in on those sounds and usually end up energized, yet calm afterwords.

i didnt want to answer this post because i did have a place of silence but because of a 8ft fence in the hands of a rich neighbour i cannot go there anymore.
but there is one place that i like to go, normans bay in sussex, its by the sea and i can sit for hours.
i do have a small wood but its not the same anymore, i like to sit by the river and watch the kingfishers.
but just sitting in my garden is good for me. im lucky enough to have nature come to my doorstep.

The first sight of the Sea as you drive into Robin Hood's Bay.

The scars on the beach at RHB when the tide is changing, turning it into the inbetween lands.

Pulpit Rock in the wooded hill at the back of our house. It's a bit of a climb and very difficult to get to after April because of the undergrowth, oh and the odd mineshaft as well. but it's quite a pleasant place to sit and take in the world and the A6

Oh, absolutely.

There is a hawthorn I sit beneath on a quiet footpath up to the moortop, and I go there every time I visit my folks. There are particular bits of woodland, too - there's one by the Esk where you can see and hear the fish jumping out for flies. The atmosphere is ridiculously tranquil, with an ancient, deeply grooved stone trod (footpath) going up to the next village, and a huge split rock which has passed into local legend as granting wishes if you pass through the gap three times, just up ahead.

I always go to Sandsend beach when I'm back home - there's such force there. It positively thrusts it out at you. The sea here round Gwynedd is comparatively tame.

Back here in Wales, there's an elder, which I don't generally 'get on' with but this one has a different feel somehow. Neglected, somehow. So I go there for flowers and berries for wines, and the sloes from the blackthorns entwined with it for gin.

I'm a big one for a sense of place; how it grabs you, jolts you or encloses you safely. If anyone here visits holy wells and sacred springs regularly, you'll know what I mean - visiting them as a kid made me realise what my personal beliefs are. They in particular 'get' me. I don't visit them so often, but they 'do' it for me - it's almost like electricity.

How about a circle of yew trees, protected by a circle of oaks.


Rain (died an gone on to the summer lands)

my companion in nature is the sea, or waterfalls...actually any place where there is water.

I have found that even though I am a virgo which is an earth sign, I am ruled by water, so things that correspond to the element water are things which I am attracted to naturally....