Beech

Beech Fagus grandifolia
Tree of Learning The Tree of the Whole Year Round
Additional consonant of the Ogham alphabet - Phagos
Planet: Mercury, Saturn Element: Air, Earth Symbolism: learning, knowledge, understanding, sustenance, preservation Birds: Bluebird Color: light blue Deity: Ogma Sunface, Thoth, Hermes, Mercury, Odin, Cronos Folk Names: copper beech, white beech
The Green Man Tree Oracle
by John Matthews & Will Worthington WHAT LIES BEYOND THE THRESHOLD?
Crossing thresholds is a way of moving from one state of being to another, but they can be frightening places, confronting us with uncertainty and change. Being creatures of habit, it is easier for us to stay with the known and familiar, yet if we refuse to confront what lies beyond the threshold we can remain in a stagnant condition. What is on the other side may be actively enticing you into a new experience, a lesson that will help you develop your skills.
Beech can signify the death or end of something, but also stands for the changes that arise through realization. Since its gift is the relevance of experience, the presence of Beech in a reading suggests you should cross the threshold that is challenging you, gain experience from the unknown, seek revelation and increase your knowledge. The Green Man Tree Oracle The Green Man Tree Oracle

Das Baum Tarot
Medicinal properties: Much of the Beech was used for skin disorders; the tar was used in an old remedy for excema and psoriasis, a poultice made from the leaves helped to heal scabs, water collected from the hollows of ancient beeches was thought to heal many skin complaints, and stuff your mattress with beech leaves to speed up the healing process. Bark preparation was used to help reduce fever. Beechnuts have served as food for humans and animals. In aromatherapy, the essence of beech helps to boost confidence and hope. Flower remedy enhances sympathy and tolerance.
Magickal properties: Carving the words of a wish into a beech stick will make your wish come true (if it is meant to be.) Bury it into the ground to manifest as the wood decays and gets reabsorbed into the Mother Earth. Use a beech branch as a wand to open channels for communication with spirits and God/dess. It will enable you to quickly draw down divine energy into your circle. Carry small pieces of beech bark in your pocket for luck and success. Place a powder of beech wood in your right shoe to lead you toward your fortune.
In Westphalia, Germany, in the 18th century, it was believed that babies were picked out of a hollow beech tree (rather than delivered by the stork.)




'Oh Rosalind! These trees shall be my books, And in their barks my thoughts I'll character; That every eye, which in this forest looks, Shall see thy virtue witness'd every where. Run, run, Orlando; carve on every tree, The fair, the chaste, and unexpressive she.'
'As You Like It' : William Shakespeare

The Celtic Tree Oracle
THE CELTIC TREE ORACLE
by Liz and Colin Murray

As the wisdom and beauty of the past and tastes and ideas change or are discarded, the thirst for knowledge of the questioning spirit will always continue. You will often need to turn to the past and its works in order to rediscover lost wisdom and to find a firm basis on which to construct further ideas and interpretations. If a writer or craftsman has felt the urge or commitment to express his feeling in a tangible way, you too have an obligation to observe this work and further it in your own time.
LESSON OF THE BEECH
from The Wisdom of Trees by Jane Gifford

Year in and year out, the beech tree reminds us of the importance of learning and of the need to preserve our knowledge in writing for the benefit of generations to come. Just as lovers carve their names into the trunk of the beech so their love will grow with the tree, so must we continue to record our wisdom and understanding for future benefit. Rooted in the knowledge of the ancients and sustained by the ideas of the present, we will continue to reach for the stars.



Beech is a symbol for the written word, and for the wisdom within ancient learning. It is the sum of the wisdom of all the other trees. It was used to make writing tablets, and thin slices of Beech wood were bound together to make the first book. A great deal of paper is produced from beeches. The bark is excellent for carving, this practice dates back to Roman times. The Beech tree reminded our ancestors of the need to preserve all knowledge in writing for the benefit of future generations.

Beech Fairy

Like the Birch, the Beech fairy is a strongly feminine presence, but while birch is a "lady," beech is a queen. Sometimes known as the Mother of the Woods, she stands in stately feminine counterpart to the kingly oak. Her gifts are prosperity, but also wisdom, and she may grant wishes to those who are aware of her presence. She can help you let go of rigid ideas and move forward in faith and openness.

Beech is certainly the most graceful of the larger trees, forming beautiful woodland. And beech woods are perfect for ritual, offering shade and seclusion, but also providing clearings with space to work. The beech fairy encourages the recovery of ancient knowledge, and is especially helpful in creating a gentle, magical atmosphere.

If you feel that you are fettered by old ideas and habits and cannot see a way forward, relax in the presence of beech trees and the beech fairy will reveal a way ahead. Beech will also foster a true connection with the past, which means learning from it and retaining what is useful, without feeling confined.
The Fairy Bible by Teresa Moorey

The Fairy Bible The Great Goddess SESHAT




Seshat is an Egyptian Goddess who helps us realize the importance of recording our experiences and learning from the past. History, writing, and books are sacred to Her, and Her themes are Honor, Learning, Time, and Karma. To honor Seshat, you can write in your journal, research your genealogy, or plan out a sacred space or ritual. If you know someone who may be curious about magick share your knowledge to help educate them of the old ways. Read, write, tend to your magick books, and ask Seshat to help you understand and see the bigger picture.

Tree Magick by Gillian Kemp
Tree Magick
by Gillian Kemp

The beautiful Beech tree, elephant-gray with light-brown buds in Winter, predicts a wonderful, budding phase for you. Because its copper-yellow leaves fall only when new leaves begin to sprout, the Beech advises that you make certain of your future rather than leave things to chance. You may need to push, like leaves pushing out from their buds in Springtime. Perhaps you should search out the best opportunities, just as the leaves twist around to catch maximum sunlight. The shadow cast beneath the tree deters wildlife, implying solitude. It is time to secure your base, just as the main root supports the base of the trunk.


The tops of the beech tree
Have sprouted of late,
Are changed and renewed
From their withered state.

When the beech prospers,
Though spells and litanies
The oak tops entangle,
There is hope for trees.
excerpt from "Battle of Trees" by the Bard Taliesin,
interpreted by Robert Graves




I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech-tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines.

Henry David Thoreau, 1817 - 1862

Pray Peace