(I think this is in the right place if not move me please )
I am not druid myself but something interested me so much, The tree spirits!
It was not until recently I had become aware of them, as I was reading about a ritual to attract dryads,
Have You had any experiences or felt any spirits or shadows in the forests etc

I will direct Master Vigil and Natures Translator to this thread. I think they have experienced this.

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Perhaps a better question would be, have I every been into the forest when I DIDN'T feel the presence of forest spirits. The answer would be that I don't recall every being in the woods when I haven't felt them, though in some places they can be very weak (that usually has to do with the thoughtless intervention of man.) In fact, in each place that we go camping, if we haven't been there be for, we try to locate the Life Tree (or trees) in that area. Even people who are not especially sensitive can do this, just by letting themselves feel the life. Invariably, in each area, there will be a tree within a few miles that will be stronger in life than the others in the area, and this can be readily felt. (To date, I've taken 7 different people out who were decidedly "non-believers"...up until the moment when they've felt that presences. The most fun is to have them find the life tree themselves, then to tell them what it is and what they are feeling. American Indians have been aware of this for many centuries. It also isn't only the woods that have spirits.)

What else has spirits then ? Do you mean like the earth?
I always feel really upset when I see trees being destroyed but I don't think it is the spirits more my social conscience

Yes, Mother Earth has the strongest spirit, and it is from her that all other power comes, but the bushes, animals, and everything else around us, have spirits. There is a difference, though, between man and the other creatures, in that instead of having just two components to the spirit, men have three. This is what allows a man to make a shamanic journey, and it is also this that causes man to be complex (sometimes too much so). But we also feel an affinity to trees, because of the representation of the great life tree. Also, in a forest, the guardian of each section of forest is entrusted to the power of a life tree; it is exceptionally rare for this power to be held by a bush or a vine or a rock. But there are some locations where the rock contains a great deal of power, and this too can be felt. In fact, there are many such places in the American South East. The spirits may be different and feel different, but they are still there.

Interesting, I don't intend to argue this but I don't find our spirits any different than the spirit of animals, or even the energy from a star. Could you explain what the three parts are?

Now to the original topic. Ahhh.... trees.... I do more work with tree spirits than any other spirit. I'm not sure why, but I do. As Rev. Rex said, some of the trees are more "powerful" than others. And then there is the spirit of the forest in general. This is more of a protector spirit that binds all of the plant spirits together in the forest. It is usually seen as a big black shadow that moves independently of the natural shadows. Most think it is a bear or something.

Is there anything in particular that you would like to know about them?

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Your stories are amazing I have learnt so much already,
I was hoping to learn how to connect well with them any tips or things you found useful?

The names used for the 3 are different for different tribes and for different countries. I can use the terms used by the Mongolian shamans, since they are used but such a great number of people and shamans...it is just important to remember that not everyone will use the same names.

The Ami are spirits from the upper world, and are reincarnates. (Ami means "breath" in mongolian.) The Ami spirit is responsible for breathing and bodily functions that are done largely without thought. The Ami enters the body with the first breath and leaves with the last breath. The Ami spirit is responsible for genetic memories, because Ami spirits tend to reincarnate in the same genetic line. Animals also have Ami spirits.

The Suns spirits are from the lower world, and are also reincarnates, but there is no pattern to them; they don't follow genetic lines. The thought is that it is the Suns spirit that brings about the type of life one must lead. If the Suns spirit was mean and evil in a past life, then may reincarnate needing to learn tolerance and benevolence, and will thus mean that the person will lead a life of suffering. On the other hand, in the past life if the Suns was a kind presence, the new life will be one of happiness and joy. (It is also thought that Suns spirits that were especially evil, like Hitler, Pol Pot, and Stalin, are destroyed, so that they never incarnate again.) The suns spirit can also fragment, which is normal, but fragments can be lost, which leads to imballance and illness. Suns spirits are also not unique to man.

The Suld spirit is the part that is unique to man. It is NOT reincarnating...when a person dies, the spirit becomes a nature spirit. (In places that seem especially powerful, it is often because there are very many nature spirits in that place.) The Suld blends with the Ami, which is what causes the complexity that is unique to man...it is the reason that unlike animals, man cannot be satisfied with what is, they must always be striving for what might be. (In my view, it is this that makes animals superior to man.) The Suld is also the spirit that is seen as the unique personality for the person. SOME Suld spirits may turn into helper spirits, but why some do and most remain as nature spirits is a mystery to me.

Does this help?

To each person, this is going to be different. For me, I first smudge myself, using cedar smoke, for cleansing. Then I enter the forest and calm my mind. A light meditative state is what I'm striving for, where my mind isn't wandering aimlessly. I CAN however focus on the life around me, since a blank mind is hard to maintain without a deep meditation. In this state, I reach out with my mind, to feel the strength of a specific place. This will shine like a beacon, and will be from the life tree. Once I feel it, I walk to it. The walk can sometimes be quite a distance. Once I find the tree, I sit, facing the tree, and give an offering...in Indian tradition, a bit of tobacco is a good offering, but water or other offering can be used. Keep a very clear intention in your mind...this is extremely important, and it is your focus, in this case, to make contact. (Naturally, all of this is far easier if you have already found your spirit guides and have them to help you, but finding your guides is something different entirely.) Give praise to the life spirit you feel, and ask for contact and ask for the sharing of wisdom.

This is a bit simplified, and it takes much longer than it sounds...usually at least a few hours.

It does. Now I see where you're coming from. I don't agree, but I see where you're coming from. From my experience, the spirit world is not broken apart in "levels" or "worlds" but by progressive links. The flow of nature begins (metaphorically) in Tao, which is then passed onto high level spirits (which half of my spirit is) which is then passed onto physical spirits (animals, plants, humans, etc...) which is then passes onto the physical world, which then passes it back to Tao. And then the process begins again, and again, etc...

I see spirits made up of 8 spheres...



The 8 Energy Spheres

1. The Core sphere

The soul, Dan Tien

2. The Front sphere

Positive emotions: love, joy, etc...

3. The Back sphere

Negative emotions: hate, fear, etc...

4 The Top sphere

Mentality: dreaming, faith, etc...

5. The Bottom sphere

Mentality: grounding, logic, etc...

6 / 7. The Right and Left spheres

Fellowship, tolerance, etc...

8. The Outer sphere

Encompassment of them all.

The only difference I see between human and animals spirits is that animals spirits are usually ALOT bigger and more enhanced than humans. But all spirits, plants, animals, humans, the earth, the sun, etc... they all have 8 energy spheres. Keep in mind though, that the use of each sphere is not the same for each spirit. The sun has no need for love, hate, grounding, etc... But the makeup is still the same. Most spirits however, are so balanced that the recognition of each sphere is non-existent for them. They don't need to know which sphere is bigger than the other, because they are in balance. That is why we must learn from nature on how to balance ourselves, because they do it effortlessly.

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