In much the same way that animals, stones, and stars were totemic to early peoples, so were trees. Greco-Roman spirituality had sacred groves, as did the Aborigines in Australia, Hindus in India, Germanic tribes, and the Celts of Europe. To the Celtic Druids, the oak was the major sacred totem tree.
Pliny the Elder pointed out that groves of trees were the first temples.
A wonderful way to celebrate our planet and engender the ideals of preservation and ecological sanctity of our precious resources is to return to the sacred grove. Essential elements necessary for the ritual are colored ribbons and colored markers.
Gather your friends on Earth Day, April 22, and go to a mutually agreed upon park, farm, or forest. Find the largest oak or largest tree with low-hanging branches and circle around it, holding hands while chanting:
We are the wisdom of the stars.
The beauty of this green Gaia.
To the planet that gives us life, we return the gift.
We are one
We are the stars and the stones and the sea.
We are one.
By casting the circle with voice and action, you create a boundary within which magic can take place. One by one, each member of the circle should speak a wish for universal healing, write the wish on a ribbon, and tie the ribbon on the tree. Each flutter of the breeze will speak of your hope and good wishes for our planet. If you are lucky enough to be on the property of a member of your circle, ask if you can leave the ribbons there as the mark of the sacred grove.
