Whispers from the Woods: The Lore & Magic of Trees

by Sandra Kynes

A walk in the woods makes it easy to understand the awe and reverence our ancestors had for trees. It speaks to something deep and primal within us-something we don't hear as often as we should.

By exploring a variety of mysteries and traditions of trees, Whispers from the Woods helps readers get reacquainted with the natural world and find their place in the earth's rhythm. Covering more than just Celtic Ogham and tree calendars, this book includes meditation, shamanic journeys, feng shui, spellcraft, and ritual. In addition, it has a reference section with detailed information on fifty trees, which includes seasonal information, lore, powers, attributes, and more.

Finalist for the Coalition of Visionary Resources Award for Best Wiccan/Pagan Book

Genres: Nature, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Paganism, Witchcraft, Folklore, Magick

288 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2006

About the author

I describe myself as an explorer of myth and magic. My inquisitiveness has led me to investigate the roots of my beliefs and to integrate my spiritual path with everyday life. I like to develop creative ways to explore the world, which serves as the basis for my books. I have written nine books; numbers ten and eleven are in progress. In addition to writing, I am a yoga instructor and Reiki practitioner.

Reviews

[Hannah Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely book for anyone looking to either add something to their current spiritual practices, or for people who subscribe to no particular faith, but who are seeking guidance through nature. There is a nice mixture of things from different faith traditions both east and west, and the author has an easy, conversational style. I really liked the creative ritual ideas she included because she left whether to include deities as an option, not a requirement, therefore making it more accessible to more people. This would be great to use all year long. I also found the tree dictionary/index that forms the second half of the book very interesting. The trees are in alphabetical order and the author has written a short section for each one discussing it's symbolism, significance, and relevance to various religions. There were many interesting anecdotes that I was not familiar with that would be of interest even to a seasoned tree scholar.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author does an excellent job with the history and folklore of trees and other woody plants (e.g., gooseberry).

I was particularly fascinated by the descriptions of what it means when you dream of trees (and I never do).

For example, dreaming of resting under an oak tree means that you will have a long life and wealth.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this on vacation from a used book store so I could have a tree guide and HOLY SHIT this book is way better than an average tree guide. The first half of the book was such a good read and the second half, which contains the tree guides, is soo detailed and concise. If you like a mix of science and spirituality this is the PERFECT book. Sandra my life is yours.

[Nancy McKinley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well brewed but not my cup of tea.

[Joseph H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, very helpfully, introduced me to the idea of the "tree calendar," an ancient Celtic concept that has been greatly romanticized and even misrepresented in various places (especially by Robert Graves in The White Goddess). Kynes acknowledges the historical problem with knowing exactly what a tree calendar was in ancient times and how it was used, but she focuses instead on the question "what might a tree calendar look for you?" Inspired by this question and her helpful guidance, I ended up assigning twelve "trees" (including bushes and other plants) to the solstices and equinoxes, and two other trees for each of the four cross-quarter periods in between. Most of these are indigenous to my (Seattle) environment, with a few important imports (like grapevine and rowan).

This cycle of trees has become an important part of my daily meditation practice, and I'm grateful to Kynes for making this and many other lovely concepts and practices related to trees more accessible to me. Both inspiring and practical - a rare combination!

[Danyelle La Pookette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my green Goddess! This book is amazing. I LOVE it! It's like an encyclopedia, a magic book, and a collection of lore and legends. This book is a must-have if you're a dendrophile, or a Green Witch, or a Druid, or a Shaman, or a wandmaker, or a woodworker, etc. It's fully illustrated, not with just pictures of trees' leaves, flowers, and fruits, but also diagrams, charts, lists, and all kinds of visual aids. There's more things to do with this book than you can shake a stick at: meditations, tactile experiments, feng shui, spells, and art &crafts (using wood, the ogham alphabet, staves, fews, cards, etc.).

First of all, I have to say that I adore the in-depth chapters on fifty (50) trees. This section is immensely important to me as a wandmaker. I like to gather fallen branches after windstorms for wands, and this section is my primary tree and wood encyclopedia. I have had so many woodland adventures with this book!

This is one of the books that I would grab if my house was on fire. (I don't recommend risking life and limb (heh) for a book.)

[Denielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate to give this book such a low rating but I have very high expectations when it comes to tree magic. This book just didn't do it for me. It didn't give me that mythical forest feeling that I get when I think about trees. It felt like it jumped sporadically around. Which sadly I felt this way about another of her books and then read two others that I really enjoyed. Was very disappointed in this one.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very neat book about trees, their symbolism, energy, qualities and the like. I did skim thru the tree species section, reading only about the trees that are either on my property or that I see regularly.

[Sandra L. Place · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent resource for all things trees. Organized well and thorough.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic reference book about trees and their stories that my Wiccan tree whisperer recommends.🌳

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the latter two thirds of Whispers from the Woods fascinating. The section on the individual trees, historical, energetic, medicinal,spiritual, and healing properties is fascinating and highly detailed. I shall be rereading this book and have already recommended this book to my best friend Jonnie. The brief descriptions of the deities was both educational an useful. Sandra Kynes has truly done her homework and research. Sandra has an excellent reference section and foot notes. Whispers from the Woods makes my A++ list for having an index and being well researched. Lovely cover art. One of my new favorite references

[Brenda Jenkins Kleager · Rating 5 out of 5]

In addition to the excellent information about each tree related to the Celtic Ogham, the chapters I also found fascinating were: Trees in Ritual and Spellwork, Wood as Elements of Change, The Tree Calendar, and Exploring the Range of Oghams.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has given me some really good ideas for working with tree energy

[Rabbit {Paint me like one of your 19th century gothic heroines!} · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting book. I learned a lot about tree lore and how to incorporate trees and tree leaves, etc to your spiritual practices. This will be useful to me.

[Doris Raines · Rating 5 out of 5]

I. Love. This. Book. I. Also. Love. The. Cover. Too. Thumbs. Up

[Claudia Loureiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful reference book for my Ovate studies :)