Festival Of The Trees~ 59

In a magical land, long, long ago, trees grew freely with no fear of being harmed. Mystical beings roamed this land, and lived an existence that was peaceful & calm (even the trolls & dragons were pretty well behaved most of the time so long as you left them alone). Trees were respected, their wisdom revered, and all who lived there cared for the land. 'Twas a happy existence in this fairy-tale place, protected from "progress" that raced across earth. 

But there came a time, the inhabitants were worried. The balance of nature was going awry, more & more creatures & magical beings, were seeking safe harbour in this mystical place. Refugees from de-forested lands, were pouring in to seek solace. The elders & dryads conferred at length, then sent their kindred back out to the world. Their mission was vital, they must succeed... to infiltrate 'people' to spread the word, that trees were essential to the world's well-being.

sycamore

Some of the nymphs, pixies & elves chose to resemble human beings (our s-elves) to get their message through. I think Jasmine could be one of them as she spreads her Natures Whispers, sharing her wanders in a forest of dreams, and of 'wakeful green'. Valerianna must have fae blood too, for she shows how forests can heal the soul and her paintings of Ravenwood Forest are magical to behold... be sure to scroll down & look in her side-bar for more artistic treats!

Those clever creatures from long, long ago, have so many ways of helping us see & two Rebecca's show us how... Rebecca In The Woods and Rebecca of A Year With Trees. It's not really hard to be inspired by trees when we open our eyes & open our hearts. Dorothee shows us in Virtual Notes, to look in all seasons at how beauty abounds, and Clytie finds a tree wearing its heart on its sleeve! Another who speaks with a dryads voice... is a Greenwhisper of love for magical forests & woodland trails, impossible to leave without feeling at peace. Debby has undertaken a fantastic project (at least for an artist that loves trees!) drawing & discovering the history of an ancient forest.

rowan

Many fairies & gnomes hid in legends and tales... making sure that grains of truth always remain, no matter how often tales may evolve. As stories do, they snuck into our homes & into our minds... adults may need some help to see, but all children know that magic is real!  Silvia, whose name is 'of the forest', is one who remembers the magic of childhood, she tells her tale at WindyWillow. On the subject of willow... young Cathy learned how to observe & pay attention with the willow from her grandmother... a  skill she learned well as her painting 'Forest Through The Trees' shows.

oak

Fables do tell of good versus bad, carrying the torch of triumph over adversity, a theme that recurs in tales you read here. John compares his life with illness to a tree enduring a lightening strike... and these two curious trees demonstrate just how resilient & enduring they can be when lightening does strike. Gene shows some videos (worth watching all three) of a historic oak that was struck... in this case it was 'people' that got in the way of it's recovery (obviously they need some fairy dust!)
It is always sad to see a tree come down, but that is not necessarily the end... we can learn much from their spirit & tenacity as Barb explains.

rowan

Barry also speaks of the tenacity of trees & asks what we can do to help... perhaps he too has some elven blood, for he creates the most magical leaves (elves) enfolded with words that I know are spreading around the world. Those crafty pixies & co are taking their mission seriously, helping artists to weave subliminal messages into their work in diverse ways. Who could fail to be moved by a Song of Hope like this? And look at her name... Forrister... who can deny that sprites are at work here & now at the Free Spirit studio. This piece, a more abstract design, is inspired by the Tree of Life. Oh that Tree Of Life, as Stella says, 'the tree of all trees'.... inspiring our thoughts and the paths that we take. I reckon that spiralstone's sequence of events contains sprigs of that tree.

ash

Of course, in that forest, long long ago, everyone knew that trees speak to your soul, and magical beings, right here on earth, are spreading the word for others to hear. "She Speaks" says it perfectly, as does "Songs of The Loving Earth", both stories told by Little Drum of The Dreaming Tree, accompanied by the most beautiful photographs. I'm sure you will see the tree spirits as you wander through this sacred space. Laura in her gnome-mound hears them, calling with the rain and she shares a tender blessing watching leaves unfold. Another Laura also feels them call, saying 'let me count the ways'... (laura, from the latin laurus meaning laurel, hardly surprising then that these two who share a name both sense the energy).

The energy of trees is enhanced by the moon, and at Moondreamin' we see moonlight streaming through trees... the words apply equally to moon & tree. It was a full moon that inspired a collaboration of poetic reflections between karyn & steve... the energy was certainly flowing from the first email to the final poem & image.

elm

Sherry is following the progress of the dogwood tree, go see the poems she writes... of the dogwood legend; there's more as the month goes on & finally it flowers. Ash also keeps an eye on how trees progress, and has been known to undertake missions in top-secret places. His photos this month are a joy to behold. A couple of questions I just want to ask... Have you ever seen an alligator tree? (straight out of the magical forest it is!) And do you know your chestnuts? There's more in the comments on that one, fascinating to read. This month I've been photographing the progress of the elm and the sycamore if you want to see.... trees always inspire so many thoughts for me!


May 1st is Beltaine... an ancient festival celebrating the fertility of nature that is so apparent in the northern hemisphere at this time of year... Ambermoggie takes a stroll through the trees & shares her Beltaine Blessings & insights. For Kimberley at Oakmoon Studio, woodlands have inspired her to begin painting & writing again... oh, the healing energy of the trees works in so many directions! There are even trees planted to represent directions... the Compass Sycamores. Trees have inspired some of the greatest literature & Richard Horan set out to collect the seeds that inspired americas literary greats

willow

Now, humans can be.... well, strange.... they don't like to be "told", which is why the inhabitants of forests of old have had to employ these subtle ways to coax & inspire.  They even sent a delegation to hide in the words of every nation... the word-sprites are found in language & text, weaving their clues through the words & phrases we use. It's true. Just look at the word "inspiration"... inspire... = spirit, sprite, surely you can't argue with that when you can see how everyone here is inspired? I know they've been reading & are secretly pleased, that so many people are inspired by trees!

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed & taken the time to write such wonderful material. It has been a pleasure to visit every branch of this festival.... may you continue to be inspired, and to be such an inspiration.

did you spot any tree-sprites on your way through?