Trees and leaves have deep-rooted symbolic meaning in virtually every culture on earth. Forests are the abode of the nature spirits, leprechauns and sasquatches. Forests are a refuge from danger, a source of food and ancient healing roots, home to wild animals and singing birds. Forests provide us with wood and paper and oxygen. Forests are alive, mysterious and constantly changing. Trees, with their whispering leaves, are at the heart of Mother Nature.
The symbolism of trees and leaves is apparent in common metaphors such as the Tree of Life, our ancestral heritage depicted in ‘family trees’, how we ‘put down roots’ when we create lasting relationships, and in the phrase ‘turning over a new leaf’ when we experience significant change for the better. Trees and leaves are ubiquitous in the fabric of our lives.
“Her pleasure in the walk must arise from the exercise and the day, from the view of the last smiles of the year upon the tawny leaves and withered hedges, and from repeating to herself some few of the thousand poetical descriptions extant of autumn–that season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence on the mind of taste and tenderness–that season which has drawn from every poet worthy of being read some attempt at description, or some lines of feeling. “ Jane Austin
Mysterious tree, or Red maple leaf meaning
Red maple leaf facts
The beautiful red maple leaf has been the national symbol of Canada for over 150 years. Red and white are the official colors of Canada, proclaimed by King George V in 1921. According to historians, maple leaf began to serve as a Canadian symbol as early as 1700. Long before the arrival of European settlers, Aboriginal peoples had already discovered the food properties of maple sap – which they gathered every spring. Since the 1800s, Canadians have paid tribute to the maple leaf many times.
According to Psychologists, Maple is a tree that helps to find peace of mind for people of all types, brings comfort, and self-confidence. It is a tree of inner strength and steadiness. Therefore, maple creates barriers to Darkness. A solar disk carved from maple and hung over the door, maple steps at the entrance to the house, the doorframes of the entrance door from this tree are all defenses against evil forces. Traditionally, people used Maple to build bridges over running water. Running water is an obstacle to dark forces, and maple did not allow these forces to use the bridge.
Also, maple branches, covering the barn, or stuck in the walls, protect cattle from evil eye and spoilage. By the way, a drink from fermented maple juice is a sacred wine of sun worshipers.
“The first real day of spring is like the first time a boy holds your hand. A flood of skin-tingling warmth consumes you, and everything shines with a fresh, colorful glow, making you forget that anything as cold and harsh as winter ever existed.”– Richelle E. Goodrich
by MShannonHurst
