I want to escape to this forest
A Spell in the Forest - Tongues in Trees
by Roselle Anqwin
Trees occupy a place of enormous significance, not only in our planet's web of life but also in our psyche.
A Spell in the Forest - Tongues in Trees is part love-song, part poetic guidebook, and part exploration of thirteen native sacred British tree species.
Tongues in Trees is a multi-layered contribution to the current awareness of the importance and significance of trees and the resurgence of interest in their place on our planet and in our hearts.
***Disclaimer*** I received an arc of this book through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
This was a gorgeously written book about how to connect spiritually with trees. It was divided into three parts: part 1 was about the forest and the author's connection to it, part 2 was about the ogham tree calendar and part 3 was a practical guide to working with the trees.
It is clear from some of her personal stories that the author has had a connection to trees her entire life and has had some beautiful experiences with those trees. She lives near Dartmoor(a mystical forest) part of the year and in Brittany in another mystical forest. She actually does guided forest retreats for people so they, too, can find a deep connection to the trees.
I enjoyed part 2 the most. The author gave a short background of ogham and the concept of the tree calendar, linking them to the ancient and powerful Song of Amergin and she recommends watching the video of the actor Gabriel Byrne reciting it in Irish and then English(from his own translation). I watched it and I also highly recommend it. This was a very comprehensive guide to the trees of the calendar, from their physical properties and uses, to their spiritual properties, associations, and mythology. Extremely informative.
In part 3, the author gives a practical guide on how to work with each of the trees, including what to bring with you into the forest and what to do once you have found a tree willing to connect with you and which trees to work with according to what you currently need help with. It also included a lovely meditation. The end of the book talked about climate change and what we can do personally to help the trees we have found a spiritual connection to.
Since this book was an arc, I am not sharing any quotes from the author herself, although some of them were just so incredible, I had to keep notes of them. I will, however leave you with another's quote:
"Our ordinary mind always tries to persuade us that we are nothing but acorns and that our greatest happiness will be to become bigger, fatter, shinier acorns: but that is of interest only to pigs. Our faith gives us knowledge of something better: that we can become oak trees." - E.F. Shumacher
About the Author:
Cornish writer Roselle Angwin grew up in the rural Westcountry in Britain where she was able to run free, befriending animals, birds, plants, and trees. She went to Cambridge and studied Anglo-Saxon, Norse, Mediaeval French, and Celtic languages, focusing on the Celtic and Grail mythology in the original languages before training in transpersonal psychology and counseling.
She is the author of a number of books of poetry, novels, and nonfiction. All her work focuses on personal and collective transformation, as she believes the best way to change the world is to change oneself.
She leads two programs of workshops and retreats: one with a holistic writing focus(Fire in the Head), the other working largely outdoors to bring soul into the way we relate to the rest of the natural world(The Wild Ways: ecosoul - the ecological imagination).
You can find her online at:
http://www.roselle-angwin.co.uk/