The Magic of Trees: A Guide to Their Sacred Wisdom & Metaphysical Properties - Tess Whitehurst 2017

Madrone
The Trees

Aligned with the fire element, the madrone’s papery, peeling, multicolored bark appears like a reddish brown and pale green blaze, and his trunk and branches twist and turn toward the sun like sinewy flames. Additionally, he is one of those special trees—like the aspen—who in many ways rely on forest fires to thrive. Also like aspen, his numbers are tragically dwindling due to modern fire control measures.

In the limited area of the west coast of North America where the madrone—also known as the arbutus—thrives, Native Americans have loved and revered him since ancient times. Likewise, to this day he is regarded as sacred by many of his magical human neighbors, including the well-known author and activist Starhawk, who named a main character after him in her excellent novel The Fifth Sacred Thing.

Magical Uses

Integrity and Sustainability

The poet Richard Olafsen, in his book In Arbutus Light, alludes to an ancient American myth that states that the madrone is a beacon of stability and that the tree’s presence on earth provides a sort of etheric fabric that holds everything together.

Indeed, the madrone’s vibration is one of deep holistic balance, and each tree sends anchoring and healing cords of light throughout the physical earth beneath his roots. As such, spending time in quiet contemplation with one can be a valuable source of energetic replenishment for those who feel called to take action on behalf of the planet. Additionally, spending time with a madrone can be helpful when you desire to fortify your own integrity and powerfully align your actions with your ideals.

Wisdom

From a magical perspective, madrone is unique: while his native fire element is rapid and dynamic, his energetic pattern is as deep, grounded, and solid as they come. This makes him extremely suited to support us in quickly and effectively aligning with precisely the wisdom that is most needed, particularly wisdom that instructs us to take instant action related to healing, balancing, fortifying, and restructuring. That’s why a madrone tree is an ideal companion when planning how to move forward wisely in these areas.

Magical Correspondences

Element: Fire

Gender: Masculine and feminine

Planet: Mars