Magic is abroad in the world! What connects the Witch, Druid, Heathen, Shaman, Pagan…? A yearning for magic. We long for mystery. We need a deep connection to join magical to mundane in our lives. And so, we become followers of the nature religions. Intuitively, we know that the path to enchantment is through nature. Most of us long for a teacher. As we weave our way with spell craft, study, divination, weather work, and meditation, we remember the old saying: "When the student is ready, the teacher will come." Maybe you have been waiting many years. I believe a slight change in perspective will reveal at least one teacher waiting, just as patiently, for you to learn the esoteric rule—you must go to the teacher, not wait for them to come to you. In fact, a whole forest awaits. Our teachers, quite literally, are the trees. Maybe that seems so simple that you feel a little let down. But bear with me, for the portals to enchanted living really are standing in plain sight. Using the simplest form of your usual practice—no incense, no robes, no equipment, just breath and awareness—let's share a quick exercise. You can even read it as you do it.
Then…
For many students, this is a real stress-buster. It allows them to step back from the immediacy of mundane problems. Bringing the forest scene to mind and imagining the cloak of deep green wisdom brings space and perspective. It lets us view problems in a more measured way. This is not wish-craft, withdrawing from reality, but real magic, which is relevant to every area of our lives. If imaginal contact with ancient trees can do this for us in just a few minutes, just imagine how we might benefit from visiting them throughout the year. Like all good pupils, we can literally sit at their feet! So, let's start—at whatever season—by making a connection. Let's go into a park, a wood, the tree in our backyard. If you can't get out, look to the tree outside your window. Remember, we are reaching to the spirit in the tree, through observance of its physicality. Just as with making friends with humans, we notice, feel the vibes, introduce ourselves. Just go on a thoughtful walk. Notice that trees are large and long-lived, they look at home, they are happy in their diversity, and each claims its own space. Remember always they are essential to our lives: as you breathe in the oxygen they produce, sit on wooden furniture, warm yourself with fires, and eat the nuts and fruits they gift. There are many courtesies involved in making relationship, and I go through a suggested staged process in Nine Ways to Charm a Dryad. On your introductory walk, activate and rely on your intuition to sense welcoming trees. Spend some time with them, until one becomes more open. You sense a more intimate connection—not as you would with another human, but unmistakable to your inner senses. It may come as a feeling of welcome, of rightness, of joy as you come near it. Being with your tree should leave you optimistic and grateful. So, you have found a tree that feels friendly. Now start regarding it as a teacher. It's an odd way of thinking, maybe, but, "What can you teach me? How can I learn?" are good questions to whisper when you next visit. All learning starts with observing and imitation. Imitation? Why not? Nature spirituality is embodied: we celebrate our mobility and grace, no matter what our physical limitations. So, in your home, feel your feet strong-rooted, sway with the winds, imagine your deepest longings as beautiful fruit hanging from your fingertips, falling to nourish the world. And then get back outside to your actual tree. If the feeling from your tree changes from "welcome," to "go away now," and if your response changes to anxiety, notice and stop—always with a thank you. After all, sometimes we all feel antisocial. Perhaps another tree will be more ready to communicate. The good news is that you can start right away! We can enter the Wheel of the Year at any time, whenever is right for us. Always, the continuity of the seasons is there, and we can learn to attune to it: something that our tree does naturally. Here are some pointers to start you off. Winter—Spring (Winter Solstice to Imbolc) Walk to a sleeping tree; stand with it; feel its strength and how it resonates within you. Questions for the Season: Lessons from the Trees: Spring—Summer (Imbolc to Beltane) Walk to a budding tree. Stand under it, feeling its awakening and how it also flows through you. Questions for the Season: Lessons from the Trees: Summer – Autumn (Beltane to Samhain) Walk to a glorious tree; gaze at its colours and shape: fill your senses with every breath with its stored sunlight. Questions for the Season: Lessons from the Trees: Autumn – Winter (Samhain to Imbolc) Walk to a shedding tree and stand on the crisp multicoloured leaves it has discarded. Lean against the trunk and relax into quiet acceptance of the season. Questions for the Season: Lessons from the Trees: And now you've reached the end of another year of natural magic. You've attuned yourself to it by noticing, gratitude, and response. You've experienced the fascination of trees and have discovered that we must go out to magic, not wait for it to come to us! And when we go to the trees, they show us how our lives can be more connected: they introduce us to the spiritual current of the sentient earth. I love the phrase "living in enchantment:" this is what we are all yearning for. And enchantment comes through the senses. My book Nine Ways to Charm a Dryad is designed to help you enter the green world: to create a relationship with the spirit of a tree. The nine stages take you on a journey. Experiencing nature through all the senses, what gradually emerges is an understanding of yourself as a magical being. One chapter explores Arcady, ancient place of wildness and magic. It's the home of Pan and his nymphs, where the lost are saved and nurtured by star-nurses; where shape-shifting heroes and mythic beings people the land. We can all "live in Arcady." We are on the way when we begin to explore the magic that is active in our world. It is the journey we make with the trees, through the year, to align ourselves with enchantment, here and now. In the book I invite you to help to co-create the enchanted world, step by step; to experience the Charm of Arcadian dreaming. Your passport to Arcady is ready for you—is it time to get it stamped? |
Penny Billington is a Druid teacher, speaker and author. She is an active member of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids and has edited the Order's magazine, Touchstone, for nineteen years. She regularly facilitates ...