Plane – Counsel – Tree Spirit Wisdom

Plane – Counsel

Genus: Platanus – Family: Platanaceae

Plane is advising us to be impartial as we study all aspects of a situation and to seek truth based on facts. This is a time of allowing our intellect versus our emotions to lead when providing counsel.

Platanus orientalis, oriental or eastern plane was cherished by the greatest minds of ancient Greece. Homer, Hippocrates, Socrates and Plato all sought the shade and counsel of plane trees that were venerated as sacred and divine. In their presence one could explore matters of the soul, love and truth. Platanus is derived from the Greek word platys, meaning wide or broad, describing the planes wide leaves and broad canopy. In Plato’s Phaedrus, he chronicled a discourse between Socrates and Phaedrus where Phaedrus swears a solemn oath in the presence of a plane tree, as a god. In Plato’s Timaeus, Plato portrays humans as heavenly plants. Planes trees were planted throughout Plato’s Academy in Athens, Greece – as trees of higher truth and integrity.

Around 486 BCE King Xerxes of Persia was captivated by a plane tree on his quest to conquer Greece. This distraction cost him the war, which allowed the Athenian Empire to flourish. Beloved planes, known as chinar or cenar were planted in Persian gardens, shrines and holy places. The Kashmiri name for chinar is booyni; the sacred tree of the goddess Bhavani, “giver of life”.

Platanus is an ancient genus of trees native to the Northern Hemisphere, fossil records date them back 115 million years. Plane trees can reach heights of 98-164 feet and live to be 2000 years old. As they age, they often become hollow thus creating space for other life to grow.

Platanus occidentalis or western plane, commonly called American sycamore or buttonwood, is native to eastern North America. Platanus racemosa or clustered plane, commonly called California sycamore, because this is where it grows. Platanus acerifolia or London plane is a hybrid of Platanus orientalis and Platanus occidentalis. The highly mottled bark of London planes inspired the use of camouflage on clothing. All plane trees feature distinctive bark that sheds in patches.

Its ball-shaped seed pods and large canopy were inaccurately associated with the Egyptian sycomore fig Ficus sycomorus, which is why many planes trees are inaccurately known as “sycamores”. Because its lobed leaves resemble maple leaves the type species of the maple genus is botanically named Acer pseudoplatanus or “false plane”; commonly known as sycamore maple in the United States and sycamore in Europe, this adds to the confusion over the plane tree’s true identity.

The beloved plane, which inspired some of the greatest minds on earth asks us to seek the deeper meaning of life to find our hidden truth.

Message: If plane has appeared in our life we are being asked to provide an objective point of view to those in need of advice or help. This is a tree of diplomacy and education that guides us to seek truth based on fact and logic. The appearance of plane tree could also indicate a time to pursue higher education or to apply our knowledge in a new way. Now is a time to engage in intellectually stimulating conversations that expand our worldview. Plane may be encouraging us to seek counsel if we are struggling with a decision.

Challenge: Not feeling intellectually stimulated or shutting ourselves off from the world.

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