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

Aspen
The Trees

Anyone who’s appreciated the clean, otherworldly majesty of a grove of aspens knows that these trees possess a potent magic all their own. Indeed, the shimmering effect created by the constantly quivering leaves, paired with his elaborate root system that links an entire forest of genetically identical specimens, contributes to the singular wonder and spectacle that is the aspen (members of the genus Populus, or poplar).

Magical Uses

Ancestry and Heritage

As mentioned above, the aspen—unlike other trees—reproduces by cloning himself at the level of his root system. This means that every tree in an aspen grove is not only genetically identical, but is also linked to every other tree in the grove via the roots. So while seemingly individual trees live for approximately 40 to 150 years, the entire living entity that is the grove can live tens of thousands of years. (The Pando grove in Utah is believed to have lived for somewhere in the vicinity of 80,000 years!)

Clearly, the aspen is a wonderful teacher when it comes to feeling connected to our ancestry and heritage in a way that nourishes us and gives us a sense of expansive continuity. Magically, we can draw on this power when we feel particularly called to research and/or reconnect with our ancestors and the traditions, beliefs, and customs that make up our heritage. Many of us feel this pull when we reach middle age, and it’s often felt by people who were adopted or who have been uprooted in some way from their family’s place of origin.

If reconnecting with ancestry and/or heritage is important to you right now, consider making a pilgrimage to an aspen grove and performing the following:

ASPEN ANCESTRY ALIGNMENT PILGRIMAGE

Visit a thriving aspen grove and spend some alone time in quiet contemplation. Become aware that there is a vast root system beneath you, interconnecting all the aspens that surround you as far as the eye can see. Just as this root system has been around long before the aspens you see, it will be around long after.

Know that even if you’re not as consciously aware of, or connected to, your ancestry as you would like, it’s all there anyway. Your foremothers and forefathers have not only propelled you to precisely this point in time, they’re also encoded within your very DNA. Know that no matter what they were like in their physical incarnations, in the realm of light, where they currently reside, they’re everlasting and beneficent, and they support you thoroughly and with profound love and approval.

Take as much time as you need to really feel and know that this is true. Before you leave, be sure to thank the aspen grove from the bottom of your heart.

Cleansing and Healing

While in the past some have associated the constantly quivering leaves of the aspen with fear or shame, this is absolutely not energetically accurate. Rather, this quivering indicates the tree’s alignment with the air element and with all the invigorating, fresh, cleansing energy that is within his domain. In much the same way Archangel Raphael is associated with both the air element and healing, the aspen’s sparkling clean energy is extremely healing to the mind, body, and spirit. Like an immaculate breeze in sunlight, it instantly whisks away all that is heavy, painful, festering, or stuck.

In fact, aspen bark (like willow bark) contains salicin, and has been employed medicinally for its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving qualities. Magically, simply spending time in the presence of aspens—particularly on a clear, breezy day—can bring about a deep and thorough energy clearing.

Family and Community

Humans thrive—physically, spiritually, and psychologically—when we feel connected to a mutually supportive network of other humans. We also thrive when we feel connected to nature: to the earth and the non-human living beings around us. Aspen has much to teach us in this regard. In addition to the fact that every aspen grove is like one giant, enduring entity connected underground by a network of roots, the aspen is quite the team player from the perspective of the ecosystems to which he contributes. His bark is a host for moss and moth larvae, as well as food for hares, beavers, and other animals. The cover of aspens facilitates the growth of grasses that feed livestock and big game such as deer and elk. Aspens are amazing for reforestation efforts because they grow so quickly and support so much life.

To bolster every aspect of your well-being by strengthening your sense of connection to All That Is, create the following charm:

ASPEN CIRCLE OF LIFE CHARM

Lovingly collect a bit of aspen wood or bark. Draw a circle on it to represent the circle of life with which you’re connected and by which you’re surrounded, supported, and protected. Place it on your altar.

Mitigation of Heat

Aspen has a very interesting and intimate relationship with fire. Groves of aspen have historically relied on forest fires in order to thrive. While the root system of the grove remains intact during a fire, the tall trees are destroyed, making room for new saplings to grow—something they are only able to do in full sun. In fact, astonishingly, fire prevention is a major contributor to the dwindling of the aspen population in the United States.

On the other hand, the energy of aspen is very cool, and it’s been used medicinally to clear heat in the body and relieve fevers. Not to mention, aspen wood is one of the less flammable woods.

Magically, this means that spending time in the presence of aspen can bring about a cooling effect on the mind and emotions. Say you’re feeling very passionate, angry, or rushed, for example. Before behaving like a hothead, it would behoove you to take a moment to relax, breathe, and observe aspen leaves as they perform their delicate dance.

Magical Correspondences

Element: Air

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Jupiter