Larger injuries may never heal over completely. Still, if you have helped the tree partially heal itself, you have improved its chances for a longer life.
Sometimes putting the bark back in place isn’t an option—perhaps the bark has been stripped by an animal or a storm has blown it away. In these cases, surgery is the next option. Using a sharp knife, carefully trim the damaged bark away. Go all the way back to clean, healthy inner bark. Try to make rounded cuts. A circle is better than a diamond or an oval with sharp points. Rounded repairs facilitate the movement of nutrients down the trunk and water up the trunk.
Whether you have replaced or removed damaged bark, keep an eye on the wound. It may become necessary to treat the damaged area with an insecticide to keep bugs at bay. We ooze blood when our skin is broken; trees ooze sap. Sugar is a main component of sap, and sugar is a powerful attractant for bugs.
An insecticide is the only thing that should be used on a wounded tree. Tree paints and homemade patches made of roofing tar or cement will interfere with the tree’s ability to heal itself. If you have done your job of assisting with a quick repair, that is enough. Have faith and allow Nature to manage the rest.
The next best thing you can do is share some of your energy with the tree in a meditation. Many of us have felt the beautiful, mysterious energy that courses through the plants in our own little world. A meditation under an ancient oak can be a wonderful experience, especially when you work with the tree to travel out into the Universe.
Pick a time when you are calm and well rested. You can’t help another entity if you’re frazzled yourself. If possible, let this be a time when all other human traffic around the tree is gone (unless you are doing a group meditation for the tree). When doing this practice on property that does not belong to you, such as a public park, make certain you will be safe.
If you have a portable music player, select music that can facilitate your meditation. Bring appropriate stick incense such as rosemary or rose. Both of these scents are powerful healing ingredients.
Begin the music and safely light the incense. Ground and center in the manner of your tradition. If this is your first effort and you have not found a tradition, simply settle yourself under the tree. Breathe deeply, becoming aware of the surroundings. Pull your focus to the tree. Experience the surroundings as you imagine the tree does.
Reach out and touch the tree. If possible, touch the damaged portion. Feel for the energy. If you don’t sense the tree’s energy, just be aware it is there. All life is energy. Sometimes we sense it in a particular place, sometimes we don’t. Nevertheless, it is always there.
Do not try to “feel” the tree’s pain. Your focus should be on positive, healing energy. Let your energy flow from your hand to the tree. Let it merge with the tree’s energy. See the tree as a complete, healthy entity. It is full of vigor. It is a whole being. Animals thrive in its canopy. People are happy down below. Every day, the tree draws on the cycles of Nature, unfolding under the vibrant sun, challenging the wind, drawing sustenance from the earth, soaking up the rains.
Enjoy this sense of oneness, this bond with the tree, for as long as it feels right. As you begin to pull back to an awareness of yourself as a separate being, give the tree your wish and hope for its full recovery. Come back to yourself.
You can repeat this meditation as many times as it feels necessary. This kind of connection can create a special bond between you and the tree. If you feel welcomed by the tree, you may find it a strong partner in future meditations.
Even if you never connect with the tree again, chances are that as time goes by, you won’t walk past it without a smile. Revel in the feeling, your special secret friendship with an enduring entity in Nature.
JD Hortwort currently resides in North Carolina. She is an avid student of herbology and gardening, a professional writer, and an award-winning journalist.
Illustrator: Tim Foley
Witchcraft On a Shoestring
Deborah Blake
One of the complaints I hear the most often from other witches is that it costs a lot of money to maintain an active witchcraft practice. Cloaks and garb, athames and wands, crystals, books, candles, herbs, tarot cards, and statuary can all add up to a major drain on your wallet—and that’s before you have everyone over for the big Beltane feast!
But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, I not only believe it is possible to practice the Craft for very little money, I’ve been doing so for many years. Heck, I even wrote a book about it. Like this article, it is called Witchcraft On a Shoestring (Llewellyn), and it is full of suggestions for how to save money while still having an active and fulfilling witchy life.
Witchcraft on a shoestring isn’t just a cute title, though; it is an attitude and an approach to how you practice. What’s more, it is simple to learn and easy to apply, regardless of which form of Paganism you follow.
Attitude and Approach
At the heart of witchcraft on a shoestring is one basic realization: all the essentials of a deep and rewarding witchcraft practice are free.
No, really.
If you think about it, what do you really need to be a witch (or Pagan or Wiccan—I’m using the names interchangeably here, since this approach applies to everyone)? You need faith, of course, in whichever god/goddess/gods you worship.
