Maureen Squires, a follower of Treewhispers, sent me this lovely note that I’m copying below with her permission.
Hi Pam–the following is an excerpt from my unpublished manuscript My Father’s People. The passage is part of the story of two trips I took to Ireland to find my “roots”–tree imagery?? Use it or not–thought you might enjoy the ritual–try it…Maureen
This morning Aiseling had me read the myth of the Green Man from Caitlin Matthews’ book of Celtic Meditations. She first told me of a man she met yesterday in the garden by the nun’s cemetery at Diseart. He started talking to her about the ancient copper beech tree that covered the garden with its widespread and many protective arms. He told her if you place your left hand on your head while leaning against the tree and rub your stomach in circles with your right hand, the strength of the tree will fill you, somehow transferred. Then my mind wandered a bit to past Celtic stories. Caesar reportedly ordered the burning of the sacred groves of the Celts when he finally defeated them during the Gallic Wars. He seemed to believe the source of the druid’s powers lay in the sacred groves. Could that fear have also grasped Cromwell in his push to denude Ireland of her great oaks and groves, I pondered? Were shipbuilding and charcoal the only motivations? Christianity was long established but the old ways remained a presence especially in the west.
…and yes, I’ll definitely partake in the ritual!
