Dancing Around the Oak, Would it Be Better on the Full Moon?

It appears that Joan of Arc was fascinated with Pagan Druidism, trendy during her era. The church put her through an inquisition. One of the questions Joan was faced with was about an oak tree in the village where nature worshippers hung mistletoe. Joan admitted to joining in that tradition. She may have believed in the little people that the Druid’s believed lived in their sacred oak trees. If you can imagine an oak woodland with people dancing around an oak tree and hanging mistletoe on its branches, you’re picturing the Druid ceremony. If you let yourself get carried away, you may even envision the little people, the fairies and the elves that the Druids believed lived in the branches of the great oak that provides so much to both the human and animal kingdoms. In the spirit of nature… relax and let yourself go.

Suellen Ocean is the author of Acorns and Eat’em, a how-to vegetarian cookbook and field guide for eating acorns. Find it here:

http://www.amazon.com/Acorns-Eatem-How–Vegetarian-Cookbook/dp/1491288973

The Druids and Their Oak Trees… What Was That All About?

The Druids were Pagans and Druidism was a religion practiced throughout Europe. Their worship centered around oak trees, which they believed were sacred. I agree with them there. A big oak tree provides shade, habitat for birds, and acorns to eat. The ancients knew that the balance of nature was important. For heaven’s sake, they hunted the birds and animals that grew fat on the acorns. They rested under the trees that brought relief from the sun. When they sacrificed the oak tree, they used the base of the tree as a foundation for their homes, like we use cement today. In England, some of those foundations lasted for hundreds of years, outlasting those made of stone. They built homes out of the lumber from the tree, oak is a wonderful wood. What’s not to like? The oak was paramount to the Druid’s existence. They got it. Next time you gather acorns, see if you can find a spot to plant a few. Sudden oak death has taken thousands of our California oak trees we need more of this beautiful, sacred tree.

Suellen Ocean is the author of Acorns and Eat’em, a how-to vegetarian cookbook and field guide for eating acorns. Find it here:

http://www.amazon.com/Acorns-Eatem-How–Vegetarian-Cookbook/dp/1491288973