PAGAN ALLIANCE

with Don McLeon

Silver Wheel, the newsletter of the Pagan Alliance of South Australia & Northern Territory, January, 2006

Don: I enjoyed reading Whispers from the Woods, particularly because it looks at the spiritual and magickal qualities of trees from a pagan perspective. Did membership of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids give you a fascination for trees, or did the interest in trees draw you into Druidry?

Sandra: Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed reading my book; I certainly enjoyed writing it. Trees played a part to draw me into Druidry, but it was also my English and Irish heritage. I have wonderfully vivid childhood memories of the trees around the house where I lived, and I think I remember them so well because I was probably tapped into their energy without realizing it. As children we’re so open to receive, but unfortunately as we get older we’re trained to become less in tune with nature. One of the exercises I suggest in the book is to make a list of all the places you’ve lived and then write down the trees that grew in your yard or nearby. I found it easy to recall the trees because I think I’ve just always had this special feeling about them. Trees have helped me understand a very important tenet of Druidism and that is service, which is about social responsibility as well as simply making life less difficult for others.

Don: What impact do you feel trees have on our consciousness?

Sandra: I believe that the green world is the gateway to the Otherworld/the world of spirit and that trees are a major conduit for spiritual energy. Trees have so much to teach us, but we humans are generally in such a rush that we that we don’t make time for the “inner” issues. If you want to learn about meditation don’t pick up a book, spend time with a tree. It will help you slow down, get grounded and experience that shift in consciousness where you feel part of everything else that exists. This isn’t necessarily how we might want to go through daily life, but meditating/taking part in the altered state gives us a different perspective when on the mundane level. Personally, it helps me be more mindful in all areas of my life. Eventually it all becomes like a Mobius strip: a ring in which one twist was made before the ends were joined so that the interior surface flows into the outer surface and vice versa around the ring.

Don: Which trees have been of particular value to you?

Sandra: Maple comes to mind first perhaps because of that huge one that stood outside my bedroom window when I was a small child. Maples may seem rather common and ordinary, but in the autumn they blaze with color as though they are taking the last hues of summer to the heavens, and given the right conditions, they produce a sugary treat. I think this has helped me appreciate myself and other people and see that no one is ordinary and everyone has a color to add to the palette of life, and with the right environment we can do wonderful things. And then there’s oak which really brings me right into that other/spiritual consciousness. Whenever I need healing, I go to an oak. I am extremely fortunate in living near a forest where the oaks are 350-400 years old. Their energy is amazing, which is probably true for any tree that has lived so long (or longer).

Don: In what context have you used the energy of trees in ritual work?

Sandra: Like many Pagans, I have found that incorporating the Celtic Ogham and Robert Graves’ idea of a tree calendar into my rituals has helped me keep in tune with the cycle of seasons. It was when I began to tinker (as I tend to do) and use trees that held personal meaning rather than the standard selection in the Ogham that I felt a deepening of my spiritual practices. That’s why I always encourage people to follow their intuition because everyone’s energy is unique; one size does not fit all. I like to think that the different ideas and methods I present in the book are a starting place for people to explore the world around them as well as their interior worlds. I hope people are encouraged to create their own meaningful Oghams and tree calendars.

Don: Have you been to Australia to visit our trees? If so, was there much of a difference in the feel of their energy to those of the Northern Hemisphere? If you haven't been to Australia yet, do you have plans to visit soon?

Sandra: I have not been to Australia so I cannot comment on the energy of your trees. I was aware when writing my book that it might be perceived as ethnocentric to the Northern Hemisphere, but since I’ve not been south of the equator it didn’t seem appropriate for me to do otherwise. I would love to visit your beautiful continent some day.

Don: What is your main message to our readers regarding the value of building a relationship with trees?

Sandra: First and foremost, I think it is vitally important for each of us to perceive our place in the web of existence and realize that it is a web; everything is connected. We must change the prevalent mindset from being “master” to being “steward” of this planet, and we can each do this in our own way by living what we believe. We must come to understand that destruction of the natural world not only hurts us physically, but mentally and spiritually.

I believe that connection with nature is significant to deepening one’s spiritual path, and trees are a key for accessing the green world. This doesn’t mean that you have to live in the middle of an enchanted forest; you can do this wherever there are trees (even in New York City where I lived for quite a while). The important thing about working with tree energy is to be patient; don’t be in a hurry for results. Allow yourself to be open. When in doubt, follow your intuition. Information comes softly from the natural world; be attentive and you will hear the voices that call. Listen for whispers from the woods, and wisdom will come

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