An acorn cannot be anything but an oak tree.

You cannot be anyone but your authentic self.



Listen to the longing of your soul.

Let your Inner Sage hear the voice of your soul and be the translator of its messages.

Most spiritual traditions perceive of the tree as a symbol for the process of living life and evolving in consciousness. The symbol of the tree contains many life lessons within its trunk, roots and branches. Trees not only provide the breath of life, but they also role model the healthy, balanced life of spirit. In essence, trees provide us with oxygen for the soul.

In countless ways, trees have come to my rescue, provided me comfort, inspiration, and much knowledge at every stage of my life. When I write, I sit at my desk and stare out my window to the trees. I see gingko, magnolia, beech, hemlock, oak, maple, sycamore and so many more through my gateway of glass. I daydream with trees through the seasons of my life. I am continually captivated by the spaces between their branches, the carvings in their bark, the way they sway in a storm, the wind in their rustlings. Trees are dear guardians and I feel sure, that before all others, the tree is the first guardian of humans, animals, and the wee elemental beings of creation.

When I am stumped and in need of answers, I look up and out of my abode, scanning the trees in my front yard. I pay attention to the movement of sunlight and shadow within the energy field of each tree. I watch for bird sightings, wind, and clouds. In response to her many paintings of cottonwood trees at her beloved Ghost Ranch, Georgia O’Keefe said, “When I paint, I am trees”.

When I write, I often feel that I am the trees in my front yard, hearing their guiding voices carried on the wind. I commune with their sacred spirits and I receive spiritual food, sustenance to help me write an answer to a seeker’s question, dialogue for a fictional character, text for an online course teaching. Trees’ bodies stand strong, reaching for the dome of the sky, their roots like straws, drawing up mysteries from the depths.

Many a great master found enlightenment under a tree. From the Egyptian anhk, to the garden of Adam and Eve, to Christ’s cross, to the Buddha’s bodhi tree, there are libraries of traditions on the mystical properties, teaching stories, and mythology of the Great Tree of Life. The bevy of tree lore is beyond my scope to recount here. For now, let’s consider the tree to be the symbol of balance at the center of our wheel of life. Tree represents steadfastness, loyalty, truth, and enduring love.

Reaching and rooting, reaching and rooting, reaching and rooting.

The tree represents the doctrine of correspondences, ‘As Above, So Below.’ Tree symbolizes our spiritual evolution, for like the human, the tree bridges the earth and sky. The human, like the tree, represents the middle ground between the upper and lower worlds. The chakras flow with kundalini life force up the spine of a human, as sap flows from deep roots to the uppermost tips of a tree’s branches.

Tree reaches her branches to the sky above, so she can become one with the angelic beings, while her roots probe deeply into the underworld realm of the power animals and ancestral beings who house histories of knowledge. Trees can take you to the above and below worlds of the wisdom beings who reside in these realms of spirit.

Like humans, some trees are natural healers; others are guardians and teachers. Trees teach us about having a strong sense of self, of remembering who we truly are. Trees take us to our instinctual roots, reminding us that we too, grow with the cycles of the seasons. All that we dream of creating and finding and pursuing in life has this same cyclical flow to its energetic configuration. We channel our dreams from our source in formless spirit. Like trees, we shape our dreams into form in physical reality by creating in sync with this primal cycle of birth, growth, death and rebirth.

Trees are like humans in so many varied ways. Humans often identify with a particular type of tree. I remember the infamous Barbara Walter’s interview that was the brunt of many jokes when she asked Katherine Hepburn what kind of tree she was. Katherine made reference to being an oak tree, steady and strong during the trials of her life. Many people did not understand Katherine’s metaphor, but many more did understand, despite the comic twisting of her statement.

It is an interesting question, what kind of tree are you? Another interesting question is -- are you a deciduous (looses her leaves in autumn) or are you an evergreen (holds its needles in every season) tree?

Ted Andrews says that if you are deciduous, you are a person who changes with the seasons and experiences rebirth each year. A deciduous person knows intimately the process of budding, blossoming, bearing fruit, and shedding her leaves to then winter in a blanket of dreams. If you are evergreen, Ted says you are amenable to being quite adaptable, using what is available. As an evergreen, you are able to create boundaries because you can insulate and protect yourself. Your thick insulating bark can survive harsh climates, living fully in desert, mountainous or tundra landscapes.

Most people are drawn to a particular type of tree, a favorite. What is your tree? Mine is the beech tree. There was a magical and mysterious beech tree that lived in the forest of my childhood. Often, I would venture the long path in the deep woods that led to her shade. I knew her spirit intimately and later in life I wrote about her as the Moon Tree of Artemis in my book, Wisdom Walks In Circles, and again as the tree of refuge and life for Jesse’s inner girl, in Landings. As I sit now at my desk, filling this page with words for you, I look to the beech tree directly out my window, my friend and guide whose branches are often the perching place of the peregrine falcon who lives in my neighborhood. I look to this tree and immediately, I feel one with her spirit. Often her beauty inspires my writing, revealing truths that appear to be beyond words.

What is your tree? Is there a tree in your yard that you feel a kinship with? Is she living on your street, outside your office window at work, or in a nearby park? Where is she? Take a moment and find her in your memory. I know that you know who she is, even if she may not appear in your conscious searching, she lives in the underworld of your unconscious, so take a moment and find her. Envision her fully in your mind’s eye. What is her lesson for you?

Margaret Hart Lewis is a Spiritual Author, Educator, Counselor, and Ceremonialist

As a Spiritual Author,

Margaret has published two books - Wisdom Walks In Circles, The Spiraling Journey of Your Inner Voice, Authorhouse, 2004, and Landings, The Spiritual Return to Living Fully in the Body, Authorhouse, 2006. Margaret's books offer readers storylines that touch the soul, open the heart, and expand the mind.

As a Spiritual Educator,

Margaret offers her unique curriculum of exciting online courses and in person workshops and lectures. While generating highly stimulating discussions with participants, Margaret acts as a powerful catalyst for spiritual healing and personal development.

As a Spiritual Counselor,

Margaret's personal consultations provide assistance for releasing internal resistance from achieving your goals and vision of fulfillment. A session with Margaret consists of instruction for accessing personal pathways of spiritual guidance, inner journeys for self-healing and soul retrieval, intuitive coaching, trauma and abuse recovery, and self- development tools for personal empowerment.

As a Spiritual Ceremonialist,

Margaret conducts sacred gatherings to celebrate the Feminine Rites of Passage (puberty, motherhood, menopause), Spiritual Naming, Marriage, Soul Passing, and Fire Ceremonies of Initiation and Transformation.

Margaret has a new companion website to wisdomwalks.com! Please come visit her new addition to the web -- www.margarethartlewis.com!