Beech

I spent some time digging through my notes, books, and researching online about beech trees today.

One site listed it as the feminine counterpart to the oak. While the birch is the maiden or Lady of the Wood, beech is the Queen.

Beech was used to make early writing tablets, thin slices were bound into books, and later beech was used to make paper. The beech tree made the first writing tablets for the runes, and is associated with the God Ogmah (creator of the ogham). It is a symbol for the written word, and the wisdom within ancient teachings. Beech teaches us to write, and preserve knowledge for future generations. For these reasons it is a tree of wisdom, lore, understanding, and knowledge - especially old, hidden, or forgotten knowledge.

Beech also aids in the retrieval and rediscovery of these ancient secrets and lost bits of wisdom, allowing the practitioner to cross the threshold into the otherworld and bring back the wisdom there. It is the tree for one who thirsts for knowledge, who has a questioning spirit.

Because of it's association with ancient knowledge and secrets, it is used to help commune with ancestors and ancient spirits and guardians.

The beech is rooted in the knowledge of the past, sustained by ideas of the present, and always continued to grow into the future.

Beech is a tree that doesn't get talked about a lot. After all this, I truly have no idea why, it carries some very powerful symbolism.