Joe H. Slate, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Athens State University. He is the author of several books, including Psychic Vampires: Protection for Energy Predators and Parasites; Aura Energy for Health, Healing and Balance; and Rejuvenation: Strategies for Living Younger, Longer, and Better. His next book, Reincarnation and Beyond: A Do-it-Yourself Guide for Exploring Your Past Life (working title) is scheduled for release by Llewellyn in November 2005.
Have you ever marveled at the power and beauty of trees? As earth's oldest
and largest living things, they are the planet's natural antennae to the
universe. By their very presence, they command our attention and invite our
interaction. Like a trusted friend, a special tree can be a source of comfort
and inspiration.
Since the tree is the biggest plant on earth and because it is so permanent,
it is a unique manifestation of life on a very massive scale. Symbolically,
trees represent the loftiest planes of the universe. It is not surprising
then that trees throughout history have been focal points that marked human
progress and introduced events that shaped the future. For instance, it was
under the Akenwyke Yew in Runnymede, England, that King John signed the Magna
Carta in 1215. It was under the Cambridge Elm in Massachusetts in 1775 that
George Washington took command of the Continental Army. It was under the
Masonic Charter Oak that Texas declared its independence in1836. We remember
these ancient trees today as memorials to progress and symbols of freedom.
Aside from national affairs, the regal tree can be a focal point that
empowers our personal lives mentally, physically, and spiritually. The tree,
in fact, seems designed to parallel our own physical makeup. It is a smoothly
operating system that never stops growing. Consequently, this magnificent
antenna to the universe provides the ideal channel for interacting with
higher planes of power.
I've always been a tree person. As a child growing up on a farm in the Deep
South, I walked each morning down a lane lined with great old oak trees to
catch a bus for school. Hiking in the forest, often with my parents and two
brothers - one younger and one older -was a favorite year-round activity,
especially on weekends. My father, also a tree person, believed that we share
with trees a wondrous destiny for growth and greatness. The primeval forest
especially - with its abundance of giant trees, lush undergrowth, and verdant
floor - offers a unique convergence of the highest energies of nature. Every
inch of the forest is a celebration of life. The sounds of life and renewal
reverberate throughout it like an anthem under its vaulting canopy of leaves.
By simply walking through it, you can draw from its rich repository of energy
to empower the mind, body, and spirit.
I discovered early in life that certain old trees can call out to us,
inviting us to engage their energies and share their powers. During walks in
the forest as a child with my brothers, we often placed our hands on a giant
tree to experience its unique energies. It once occurred to me as my hands
rested on a towering oak that I may have existed as a tree in a past life.
Perhaps it was important to my growth to know what it was like to be embodied
in a tree - if not for a full lifetime, for at least a brief interval between
past lifetimes. Or if not as a tree, possibly as some other non-human life
form. It seemed reasonable to me, for instance, that a past life as an animal
being could explain my present-life appreciation of animals as beings of
great dignity and worth. All too often, we fail to recognize animals as
divine beings worthy of our respect and admiration. My grandfather, a
veterinarian who devoted his life to the care of sick or injured animals,
believed that the best measure of how far we have developed as human beings
rests in the nature of our treatment of animals. For me personally, the
quality of my existence beyond death would be immeasurably enriched by the
afterlife presence of animals in a spiritual forest habitat. Could it really
be heaven without our animal friends?
Phoenix, the Beech Tree
I will never forget a certain old beech tree my brothers and I discovered as
children on a summer afternoon hike into the dense forest near our home.
Instantly, I felt connected to the tree and its powerful energies. Towering
above all the others, the massive beech, which I named Phoenix, stood firmly
anchored by roots wrapped around a giant limestone rock with a crevasse from
which sprang an abundant flow of crystal clear water. Known as "Old
Split-rock," the spring was "everlasting" - it had never been
known to go dry, even during the most severe of draughts which were common to
the region.
I remember the first time I rested my hands upon the giant tree. I at once
experienced a powerful infusion of positive energy followed by a serene state
of oneness with the tree, not as an inanimate object, but as a living being.
Although I was only around 10 years of age, I felt totally connected to the
highest plans of power in the universe. That interaction with Phoenix was a
peak experience I would never forget. It awakened within me a deep awareness
of the illimitable power of our natural surroundings and our ability to
experience it first hand.
In the shade of Phoenix was a large, flat limestone rock that became a
favorite place for our family outings. It was there on Flat Rock, as we
called it, that our parents would often spread lunch and, on lazy summer
afternoons, read to us selections from the great works of literature.
Occasionally, they would suggest a passage for us to commit to memory. A
favorite passage that remains firmly etched in my mind to this day came from
Robert Collier's seven-volume set titled The Secret of Ages: "Start
today by knowing that you can do anything you wish to do, have anything you
wish to have, be anything you wish to be. The rest will follow."
(Collier, Robert. The Secret of Ages, Volume 2, Robert Collier Publisher, New
York, 1926, p. 131). At the end of each outing, we would place our hands upon
Phoenix to experience anew his remarkable power.
At age 12, I experienced that power at a critical time in my life when I was
diagnosed with congenital heart disease involving a malfunctioning valve.
When I asked the doctor, "How long do I have?" he replied,
"You may live for a long time." When I asked more pointedly,
"How long is a long time?" he responded, "Oh, probably for a
long, long time." Shaken by the vagueness of his answers, I decided then
and there to consult with Phoenix. He would know exactly what to do.
With my doctor's verdict weighing heavily on my mind, I formulated a plan and
shared it with my brothers. Together, we arranged an overnight consultation
with Phoenix. Under a full moon, we took our camping gear to Flat Rock where
we had often before pitched tents and camped overnight. As we approached the
site, I felt the powerful energies of the tree, which had taken on a silvery
glow in the bright moonlight, its luminous energies radiating in all
directions. Together my brothers and I placed our hands on the giant tree and
silently invited him to intervene in my behalf. Instantly, I felt a warm
infusion of energy unlike anything I had ever felt before, first in the palms
of my hands and then radiating throughout my total body. I knew that
Phoenix's healing work had begun.
Later that night in the warm comfort of my sleeping bag, I slowly drifted
into that between-phase called hypnagogic sleep which some believe is
conducive to out-of-body travel. In that serene state, I felt myself being
gently drawn out of my body to the tree. Fully out-of-body, I again placed my
hands upon Phoenix to experience an infusion of energy far more powerful than
before. It was then that an amazing thing happened - I suddenly felt myself
literally entering the tree to become an integral part of its bright
interior. In the out-of-body state, I had actually embodied the tree, from
its vast root system to its uppermost limbs. I will never forget the thrill
of that moment. I had, in spirit, become a tree! I and the tree were one and
the same, not separate spirit entities. In that state of oneness, I felt
spiritually connected to the highest planes of power! I felt the perfection
of mind, body, and spirit. I knew in an instant that I was healed.
Momentarily, I returned to my body still at rest in the sleeping bag, where I
entered deep, restful sleep for the remainder of the night.
A few days later, I underwent additional medical tests. To my doctor's
disbelief, they showed absolutely no evidence of a defective heart. Shaking
his head, he blurted out, "Something happened here, I don't know
what," to which I responded, "I have a friend name Phoenix I'd like
for you to meet someday." Little did I know at that early age that I
would devote much of my adult life as a psychologist to the study of the
healing powers of nature.
Eventually, I moved from the area, but over the years, I returned to that
deep forest time and time again, both in and out-of-body, to experience the
many rich rewards of interacting with Phoenix. I noticed that several names,
initials, and love messages, including hearts with arrows through them, had
been carved by visitors into his trunk, not in disrespect, but rather in
recognition of an awesome presence. I must admit I carved my own name upon
the massive trunk, but with Phoenix's express permission. For me, Phoenix had
become more than just a tree - he was a trusted friend who was always ready
to lend a helping hand and share his magnificent powers.
Sadly, I recently experienced during sleep what seemed to be out-of-body
travel to the primeval forest, but instead of the serenity that characterized
my previous visits, I was met with a disturbing gray haze that overshadowed
the area. Gliding over the forest which seemed strangely altered, I searched
unsuccessfully for Phoenix.
Troubled by the experience, I decided a few days later to visit the forest. I
was not prepared for what I found. The forest's great trees had been recently
harvested, leaving behind a rough terrain barren of undergrowth and scattered
with debris. Tree limbs and uprooted stumps had been piled into large heaps
and set on fire. Still smoldering, they sent forth columns of smoke to form
an expansive cloud that hung heavily over the place. The harsh wasteland was
without sound or any other sign of life.
As I approached the site where Phoenix had stood in splendor for over 150
years, I found no remains of the tree. Even his roots were gone, having been
wrenched from the large, fissured boulder, dislodging it and shutting off the
flow of water from the spring. All that remained unchanged at the site was
Old Flat Rock. I knelt upon it and wept.
Abigail, the Hackberry Tree
Soon after joining Athens State College (now University) as Professor of
Psychology, I introduced into the curriculum an eight-week remediation
program called "Summer Start" designed for college applicants whose
entrance exams did not qualify them for admission to a regular college
program. The specially designed program included instruction in certain core
subjects, along with counseling and tutoring.
As a part of the program's counseling component, I introduced what was then
an innovative strategy called Tree Power Infusion designed specifically to
improve student academic performance. The strategy is based on the premise
that our interactions with trees can provide a direct link to totally new
sources of untapped potential, both within ourselves and beyond. For use in
the procedure, I selected a large hackberry tree situated on campus near the
stage entrance of McCandless Auditorium. The tree seemed particularly
appropriate for use in the program because of its magnificence as well as the
legend associated with it. According to the legend, the tree was planted
around the turn of the last century in honor of the talented actress, Abigail
Burns, who had performed in McCandless Auditorium and then met with tragic
death en route to her next engagement. Soon after her death, the bright image
of Abigail appeared at a third floor window of the building, where she is
still often seen, particularly around midnight on November 12, the
anniversary of her death:
Here's the Tree Power Infusion procedure as used by our Summer Start students
who named the hackberry tree Abigail.
Step 1. Formulate your goals, and with your hands resting upon the selected
tree, invite it in your own words to be your partner in achieving your stated
goals.
Step 2. Gently stroke the tree as you experience your connection to it and
the responsiveness of the tree as your energies interact with it. Sense the
vibrations of that interaction as the tree's powerful energies permeate your
total being.
Step 3. With your hands still resting upon the tree, envision it as a
powerful antenna piercing the unlimited powers of the universe. Again state
your goals and express your gratitude to the tree as your partner in
achieving them.
Step 4. Conclude the exercise with the affirmation: The energies of my being
are balanced and attuned. I am endowed with limitless growth potential.
Mentally, physically, and spiritually, I am fully empowered to achieve my
highest goals.
Incredibly, all thirty students enrolled in Summer Start qualified at the end
of the term for entrance into the college's regular four-year degree program.
As further testament of Summer Start's success, all participants successfully
completed the baccalaureate degree, with eleven of the thirty students
graduating with honors. That initial Summer Start program was so successful
that the college continued it for several years with Tree Power Infusion
remaining an essential component.
Although Tree Power Infusion was originally designed to improve student
academic performance, it can be used with various trees for a wide range of
personal empowerment goals, including losing weight, quitting smoking,
building self-esteem, and rejuvenation, to mention but a few.
Hercules, the Tulip Tree
Near the end of my graduate studies at the University of Alabama, I had a
lucid recurrent dream in which a third-floor office window framed the upper
branches of a large tulip tree with a squirrel scurrying among its branches.
Occasionally the squirrel leaped playfully from the tree onto the windowsill.
Since recurrent lucid dreams are often psychically significant, I was not
surprised at soon discovering the dream's precognitive relevance.
Upon accepting a professorship at Athens State College and entering my
assigned office on the third floor of Founder's Hall, I saw framed by a
window behind my desk the familiar tulip tree with a squirrel scurrying among
its branches. Over the several years I occupied that office, the squirrel I
named Henry often leaped playfully upon the windowsill exactly as in my
recurring dream.
Because the tulip tree is a multipurpose tree that can be used for almost any
personal empowerment goal, I introduced it to my students as a potential
empowerment tool, though I was hesitant to refer to the venerable tree as a
tool. Using Tree Power Infusion as previously discussed, my students soon
discovered the magnificent power of interacting with the massive tulip tree
they named Hercules. They discovered that building self-esteem, promoting
academic success, reducing stress, breaking unwanted habits, enriching social
relationships, and even gaining admission to their preferred graduate schools
were all within the range of possibilities.
The Differential Powers of Trees
Certain trees seem to be uniquely designed to promote particular empowering
effects through our interactions with them. For instance, the pine tree is
known for its capacity to instantly energize, though the dramatic infusion of
energy is typically short-lived. The cottonwood, on the other hand, is known
for its long-term energizing effects, particularly in facilitating
productivity, endurance, and adaptability. The oak and beech are all-purpose
empowerment trees, with mental, physical, and spiritual empowerment
properties. Here are some other differential empowering properties of
particular trees:
Black Walnut: Promoting independence, determination, and practicality
Elm: Facilitating self-understanding, inner awareness, and problem solving
Gingko: Promoting psychic development, wisdom, and creativity
Hickory: Facilitating personal achievement, self-discipline, and career
success
Poplar: Promoting physical fitness, rejuvenation, and attunement
White Birch: Promoting spirituality, emotional stability, and compassion
Trees Bearing Flowers: Promoting creativity, flexibility, and expanded
awareness
As already noted, you can access the empowerment properties of a particular
tree by simply being in its presence. The interaction is spontaneous but
nevertheless potentially empowering. But through structured procedures that
include physical contact and deliberate interaction with a selected tree, you
can increase its empowerment effects and activate its specialized potentials.
The power of trees as earth's antennae can be amplified even further through
the use of such additional tools as the quartz crystal. The crystal is first
programmed and then buried at the tree's base where its energies join those
of the tree, amplifying them and targeting them to your stated goals. To
program the crystal, first hold it briefly under warm running water and let
it air dry on a soft cloth. Next, hold the crystal in your hand and while
stroking it gently, specify your empowerment goals, limiting them to no more
than three. Finally, while holding the crystal in your hand, invite it to be
your empowerment partner in achieving your stated goals.
Aside from its effectiveness when used with tree empowerment strategies, the
programmed crystal can be a highly effective tool when worn as an ornament or
simply carried in one's pocket or purse.
Conclusion
The magnificent power of trees is available to everyone. The tree can become
your antenna to the loftiest power of the universe. Beginning now, you can
access that power to achieve your highest goals. At the same time, you can
experience the wondrous joy of interacting with the oldest and largest plant
on earth. Beyond that, a tree can become a trusted friend that inspires and
energies you mentally, physically, and spiritually. Who could ask for more
than that?
RECOMMENDED TITLES:
CELTIC TREE MAGIC:
Celtic Druids of Western Europe and the British Isles devised a mystic system of thought based on trees and the human hand in order to create beauty and divine the future.
CELTIC TREE MYSTERIES:
Trees are living aspects of the Green World and so is the magic associated with them, handed down since the days of the ancient Irish druids.
TREE MAGICK SET:
Trees are spiritual guardians of ancient wisdom and possess legendary powers of healing and insight. As intermediaries between heaven and earth, they can convey messages from both realms.
TREE MEDICINE, TREE MAGIC:
An in-depth presentation of 19 North American Trees with their herbal, magical and practical uses.
TREES FOR HEALING:
Experts on spiritual qualities of gemstones and crystals, Pamela Chase and Jonathan Pawlik have now identified and catalogued the spiritual and healing qualities of trees.
These title and others can be found at Isis Books & Gifts! With over
500 Wicca and Witchcraft book titles in stock, your sure to find one right
for you!
Click here to
receive a free 90-page catalog.
[ Top ]