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Soul Gardening
The sacred art of relating harmoniously.
Quercus species, Fagaceae
Oak
Plant essence guidance for the soul:
Tenacity; perseverance; truth.
The oak is the doorway, gatekeeper to the wisdom; like going into an elevator and being shown the area of knowledge. The entry to knowledge-wisdom. Like a font of knowledge; great depth. A tree of great wisdom; grandfather type; holder of knowledge. A feeling of sacredness; vastness, but warmth of feeling. Encompassing all; a depth of feeling, of sacredness; the door opening to vast knowledge.
The beginning of understanding as understood centuries ago by those who held the key to the door of knowledge. The tree accepts you into its depths to show you its inner truth. A great feeling of acceptance and strength; wisdom. Grandfatherly. The oak’s essence has great fortitude. It has developed to show great strength in adversity. The oak has a wonderful sense of justice. All things that come upon an oak shall leave knowing more. An oak shall impart great wisdom for humankind. The oak tree is one of great virtue. It likes people. It likes being around people. The oak tree likes to foster learning from the people of the Earth.
The oak is able to be of assistance on many levels of understanding. When it is on a playful level, it likes to enjoy children laughing and playing. It likes to be around many different people, much laughter, and much learning. It is a fun-loving tree. More wisdom can be learned in a fun way. It does not have to be serious. It is teaching the child within to have fun while learning. This is a great wisdom. The oak surrounds you, leads you. The oak has been around a long time. It has the patience to understand that there are many things that are happening. It is patient with many plants.
The oak is a teacher, showing through its understanding, through being passive but showing inner strength. To be able to show this through its many ages, it will eventually evolve at its own pace. At this time having patience just to “be” is an important facet of its spiritual knowing. This is the understanding that the oak tree has to share with humans.
Interesting tidbits:

     Oaks are native to the Northern Hemisphere, either in temperate regions or in tropical or subtropical areas of Asia and America, usually at cooler (higher) altitudes. The thick trunks and massive limbs of many aged specimens are awe-inspiring. They form some of the world’s most impressive trees.
     Quercus is the Latin name for oak. Some authorities derive the word from the Celtic quer, meaning fine, and cuez, meaning tree.
     The mighty oak has always been a symbol of strength and durability.
     It is known as the Druid holy tree. The oak was the king of trees in the grove.   Wands were made of its wood, and oak galls were called “serpents’eggs.” According to Druid belief acorns gathered at night held great fertility powers.
     The Greeks also held the oak sacred. The Romans dedicated it to Jupiter.
     As a timber tree the oak is known for its hardness and toughness. The wood’s elasticity and strength is particularly advantageous in shipbuilding.
     The bark is used to tan leather.
      The Scottish highlanders used it to dye yarn.
      Acorns were used to feed swine.
      Insects persistently attack oak trees.
      Oaks are extremely long-lived. Trees living five to seven centuries are by no means exceptional.