Tree Meditation Outline

1.  Relaxation

(Use any type of relaxation method you feel like -- this will often will get combined with control of breath.)

2.  Controlled Breath

(Gets the person concentrating.)

3.  Awareness of Physical Body

(May include breath, heart beat, etc.)

4.  Visualization of becoming a tree.

(This can become quite involved.  You may start by visualizing a walk in the forest,  working with all senses, smell, hearing, taste, touch as well as sight.  You can either visualize becoming a tree or entering a tree that already exists in the forest.  If you do the late, you should ask the trees' permission first!!)

5.  Send roots into the earth from feet.

Send the roots down into the earth, down farther and farther into the earth.

(Trance induction--as you go further down in the ground, you may add that you are going into deeper meditation.)

This implies that you are standing, if you sit, you may want to visualize the roots
coming from the bottom of your spine instead of the feet.

    a. Feeling the dirt.
    b. Sending roots to meet water.
    c. Sensing the pulse of the Mother Earth.

6.  Sending branches into the sky from crown of head.

    a. Feeling the breeze through the branches.
    b. Sending branches up to meet sunlight.
    c. Sensing the pulse of the sun's energy.

7.  Drawing the water and earth energy from root into trunk.

8.  Drawing the sky energy from leaves into trunk.

7+8 can be done as a part of 5+6.

Note: Water, Earth and Sky are easily represented as they are natural parts of the Tree's life cycle.  You can add Fire --perhaps as your living Will? -- to correspond to the four Wiccan quarters if you wish.

9. Feeling self as conduit for energies.
    a. Sending earth and water energies out through branches.
    b. Sending sky energy through roots into ground.

10. Sensing the presence of other creatures within the web of the World.
    a. Feeling roots mingling beneath the earth.
    b. Feeling branches mingling in the sky (holding hands)
    c. Sending energy around circle through clasped hands.

11. Reversal of above 10 steps to return to human form.

Just follow the steps backwards.  It usually is quite a bit shorter than the original.

This is one of the most common meditation/visualizations in the Wiccan way.  It is also one of my absolute favorites.  This meditation can cleanse you of impruties, refresh you, and re-connect you with both the Goddess and the God.  Truly an all-purpose meditaiton!

~Ma'at