May – Magnolia

May (Mensis Maius) is named for Maia, the Roman “grand mother” of spring, fertility and flowers. Magnolias are considered to be the ancient “mother” of all flowering plants on earth. In Greek, Maia means “lady or elder mother. In Latin, Maia is related to the words maius, maior, majus, magnus and maiores meaning “larger, greater,…

April – Apple

April (Mensis Aprilis) the second month of the ancient Roman calendar, received its name around 738 BCE. At that time, it followed March, Mensis Martis (named for Mars, the Roman god of war and agriculture), which was the first month of the year that aligned with the Spring Equinox. The word Aprilis comes from the…

March – Fig

March (Mensis Martius) is named for Mars the Roman god of war and the guardian of agriculture. In Roman mythology Mars is the son of Juno and Jupiter and father to Romulus and Remus. Fig trees were sacred to Mars, Juno and his children. According to legend, Mars impregnated Rhea Silvia, the virgin daughter of…

February – Cypress

February (Mensis Februarius) is named for februum, which in Latin means “purify”. Februum is based on Februa, an ancient Roman purification ritual that honored the primordial Mother (Gaia, Isis, Hera, Rhea, Tera Mater, Cybele, Juno). The months of January and February didn’t exist in the original ten-month lunar calendar of Rome, for they were seen…

January – Rowan

January (Mensis Januarius) is named for Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings. Janus had two faces: one looked to the past and the other to the future, he held a staff in his right hand and keys in his left. The name Janus (Ianus) means “door” in Latin. Similarly, Rowan trees (Sorbus) were planted…

Welcome to Tree Spirit Wisdom

Welcome to Tree Spirit Wisdom. My goal is to create a nurturing, educational and inspirational place for you to remember and renew your soul. I believe trees have been silently guiding us on our journey through life from the moment we each took our first breath. We are, in fact, intrinsically interrelated and interdependent with…

Tree Facts

“But down deep, at the molecular heart of life, the trees and we are essentially identical.” – Carl Sagan There are approximately 3 trillion trees on earth as of May, 2017. (Published in Nature News, 9/2/15 – a global count of tree species was compiled by a team of scientists and databases from around the world.)…