Into the woods

This weekend I got to spend some time in the woods with some awesome humans. 

Being in the woods is part of my happy space. Part of what I do is to help people connect to the world around them. And then by extension to their selves. 

We went to the woods. A wood that I planted with my family 32 years ago. This is a special place for me, for many reasons. The foremost is that Lisa and I got married there. This is a wood that each tree has a story. A story in my lifetime. There are cherry trees, birch, beach ash and oak. There are hazel coppices, and chestnut. This is a little slice of nature that has foxes, rabbits, and squirrels. Robins and blue tits visit, with woodpeckers and gold finch. This is a wood where you can connect you you in nature. Safely. 

One of the things I did in the wood this weekend was to take myself and source some wood to make runes from. I find that the runes I’m able to make from them have a great resonance. 

People have asked how I go about doing it when the process is relatively simple. Importantly, for mundane purposes, get permission from the landowner to take the wood. Then you need some kit. 

I have a saw (Laplander for bushcraft geeks), Axe (I use a cutting axe, a Norse Hawk, again geekery), a good knife (More Geekery, Mora Companion or better) plus everything to make cups of tea/coffee, as that is very pleasant in the woods. Also, only act in ways with tools that you are happy using and doing activities you are confident in doing. 

With what I do, intention, intention is super important when focusing any energy, as the energy focused is what you follow to find your goal, your victory. I went into the woods to find myself some wood for runes, wood that wanted to be harvested, that was ready energetically and powerfully. It’s got to be the right size. The runes I wanted to make are square ish, and so I needed logs that are about 75mm / 3 inches diameter. So quite old trees. And I wanted birch and oak. As that is what the clients wanted for their energy. 

I started by coming to the edge of the woods and asking permission to enter. Now I know these woods, i know their energy and I know their pulse. So, I wait, i wait with the intention of asking permission to enter the woods. What happens is an event that positive, like the wind shifting the leaves just so, or a bird calling. If there is no answer, then it’s like hiding behind the sofa when someone knocks on the door. And I’ll come back later. This rarely happens. So, I give myself some time, waiting for the energies to let me in, and my energy to adjust to the woods. This is the same principle for entertaining any place. More so in nature. But building spirits appreciate it too. 

Then I follow the trails that lead me into the woods. This wood has been worked, maintained and nurtured by my Dad for the last 32 years, and has human tracks all over it. There are also fox tracks, and the badgers live under a hedge. The rabbits live in the soft soil near the water. Generally, following my feet as i search for wood that wants to be taken. There is a different feeling that the tree has when it’s time to be harvested. Different from other trees, it’s hard to explain. I went through seven birches’ asking each if they wanted to be taken, the 8th, well. the eights were an experience. 

This was a slightly smaller tree, when i asked if i could take its wood, it was happy to be taken. So out came my saw and I cut down the tree, I’ll not go into detail of the process, but the birch came down easily. Suspiciously easily. What I’d not noticed is that the top 10 feet were devoid of branches. And when the tree fell it exploded into a lot of little bits of wood. You see this tree, because it was small was not competing with the trees around it and had died a coupl eof years ago. She was quietly rotting, and letting the forest reclaim her. The ‘yes cut me down’ energy was not for me; it was for the forest. As the bottom half of this tree was dying, it had not realised yet. And by returning the nutrients and energy back to the soil from this dead tree would nurture the rest of nature around it. The bugs would feast, fungi would feed and grow. The bigger animals would eat, and the nutrients would return to the soil. 

What i did was log up the rotten tree, and pile it up. This allows the animals and life to access the trees energy effectively, and maybe give a house for hedgehogs. 

My adventure went on. 

The next tree was near the first, and had outgrown the first, and took the light. Took so much light in fact that she’d grown twice, the trunk had split and was competing against itself. With one side being more stunted. Not dead yet, but in a couple of years, it may be in the same place as the rotten tree. This tree wanted the energy to flow in one direction, and it was not flowing where she wanted it. But there was a lot of energy. This escapade needed different tools, mainly a saw on a stick. 

I’m down for a challenge, ducktape and a stick is something I’ve never done before. Honest. My dad has a saw on a stick, that allows us to cut wood that is 15 feet, (5m) up. That being with me holding it at arm’s length. I went and got the saw on a stick. We cut off the weaker branch, using a complicated system of ropes, as I got the saw stuck. After a while we got the branch down, and logged up, this wood was, and is full of energy. Life energy, healing energy. 

It was a similar process to find the oak. The oak was spreading its branches over the road, and in a few year’s time, its branches would be cut on that side, so i was able to help the oak focus his energy on growing in unimpeded ways. This was much simpler, as i could just use my saw and me. 

I took the wood I’d harvested and made a little space in the woods to share my coffee and cake with the land wights, or land spirits. 

The drive home was special, as I’d strapped my wood onto the roof rack, and driving with lots of stuff in gales was an experience. 

The logs are now drying out in my shed, as i don’t want them super green when I work them. 

I’m thinking that spending some time in the woods is a good idea, would you be interested in spending a day, or couple of days in the woods, maybe camping, maybe in a hotel. Building your connection with land, and spirit. Doing amazing connectivity and initiation things. Cooking over a fire, and generally chilling? If so, leave me a comment.

Building a Connection

This is all quite timely, as this week the festival of Imbloc brings spring energy to the world. This Celtic festival heralds St Bridget’s day. In the Nordic, this similar festival of Disthing. The meeting of the goddesses. This festival, of Swedish origins is held at Upsala (pronounced oop-sal-ah). Many sacrifices to the goddess of fertility, grain, light and life were made, from animals, to people to food. Now adays we don’t sacrifice people so much, so we can make something nice for the goddess of life, light, and fertility. 

I make these (https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/siteassets/home/members-area/kids/kids-area---anglo-saxons/eh_web_oat_cakes.pdf). 

The honey cake was a particularly powerful magic in Viking times. As they provide nourishment, and sweetness. Adding a spice like cinnamon makes it a little bit more special.