Product Description

Written by an Arch-druidess, this guide to the magic and healing power of trees contains all the practical information needed to identify each tree as it changes throughout the year. It also describes the healing powers and magical properties of individual trees.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #146308 in Books
• Published on: 1996-12-02
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 356 pages

From the Publisher
This beautiful illustrated book is the result of eight years exhaustive research into the myths, magic and healing power of trees and is seen as the definitive guidebook.

About the Author
Jacqueline Memory Paterson has lived most of her life in the West Country, developing her unique understanding through an intense relationship with Nature. She is deeply involved with alternative educative theatre, and as Archdruidess of Glastonbury she has campaigned for the right of people to worship at Stonehenge. She currently holds the Bardic Chair of Avebury.

Customer Reviews

Treelore
as someone recently discovering treelore I found this book very beneficial and very interesting. It is a book I find that I refer to constantly and wonder how I got by without it! It is definitely indispansable to any druid or witch in their learning and discovery. There is a smaller version available or at least similar that you can take with you when your out but, this one has more information and I definitely got more out of it than I thought I would have.

Would love to see one about herbs too in this format.

Not Bad but...
I really wouldn't call it "definitive". If you want a book on Celtic-ish treelore then it's a lot better than most but I found myself wanting to get hold of the author and go "what about all the Germanic treelore of Northern Europe?". She includes a bit but according to the bibliography only consulted ONE book on Germanic mythology. It shows. Her descriptions of the Vikings and Saxons are cartoony - not to mention offensive in that they subscribe to the horrid macho stereotypes that those with no knowledge of Germanic culture often subscribe to. She includes a wee bit of Norse lore on apple trees but omits the Goddess Idunn. She also claims that Wassailing apple trees is a Druidic custom, which is laughable!

The author also includes runic associations with trees but gives no explanation of these or why they are chosen. Such associations might appeal to the New Age crowd who wouldn't dream of questioning the Archdruidess of Glastonbury
but some of us want to know why they contradict known primary sources such as the Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem!

If the author knows so little about tree-lore outside that which is "Celtic", perhaps she should have stuck to what she knows and this book would have been a lot better for it.

One that's hard to do without
This book is one of the few books I wouldn't want to be without. I'm not tree hugger so I was a bit wary of this book, but instead I found it to be dense with information, inspiration & ideas.

I believe there is more to be learnt in this book about paganism than most of the "learn paganism in a week" books, and it has enhanced my divination with ogham no end.

I don't think anyone would be able to use this book to identify the trees, so you still need a decent tree book to go with it. However, in content I have yet to find another one book that covers the physiology, folklore, healing uses, magical applications, physical uses & inspirational qualities of trees in such detail, and in such an easy to read style.