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- | A long time in the future… after events that changed our world, a silent political Party of Trees was formed. Not to rule the world or make laws for the economic profit of selected individuals but to advise, feed and protect all species of this earth. | + | A long time in the future… after events that changed our world, a silent political Party of Trees is formed. Not to rule the world or make laws for the economic profit of selected individuals but to advise, feed and protect all species of this earth. |
- | With their heads high in the sky they stood for the rights and duties of all beings, and the natural patterns of life and death. Rights that every living creature deserves equally. Duties that many of them performed | + | With their heads high in the sky they stand for the rights and duties of all beings, and the natural patterns of life and death. Rights that every living creature deserves equally. Duties that many of them perform |
- | The silent political Party of Trees was formed | + | The silent political Party of Trees is formed |
* love and beauty | * love and beauty | ||
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* symbiosis… | * symbiosis… | ||
- | Chosen | + | The chosen |
Are we ready to allow and embrace the necessity? | Are we ready to allow and embrace the necessity? | ||
- | You can join the silent political Party of Trees by completing one of these walks and by listening to the stories | + | Any one of us can join the silent political Party of Trees by completing one of these walks and by listening to the stories |
- | ===Tree walk in Forêt de Soignes=== | + | ---- |
- | in the framework of [[http:// | + | |
- | [[http:// | + | |
+ | ===Tree walk in Forêt de Soignes=== | ||
+ | Initially developed in collaboration with Z33 and Heath Bunting and performed in the framework of [[http:// | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Itinerary** | ||
+ | |||
+ | with many thanks to Open Street Map | ||
+ | |||
+ | click on the image for large view | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{: | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | **Start**: Entrance Drève du Comte/ | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Accessibility**: | ||
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+ | **A little introduction** | ||
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+ | During this walk you will meet the trees who gave birth to the Silent Political Party of Trees. These trees are part of the Forêt de Soignes/ | ||
+ | |||
+ | The trees that belong to this forest enjoy exclusive rights compared to other trees in the Brussels' | ||
+ | |||
+ | That made them decide to found the silent Political Party of Trees. The first idea they whispered in their leaves was to consider them as ' | ||
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+ | You can read more on the construction of the arboreal persona [[http:// | ||
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+ | |||
+ | **Walk & become a member of the Silent Political Party of Trees** | ||
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+ | |||
+ | By chosing to walk and become a member of the Party of Trees, you're not joining any regular type of political party you know. Trees are networked species. They aim for their own survival, but they will always realise this in collaboration with others. | ||
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+ | Giving your trust to trees is very easy: they will not abuse your rights, you will still have the right to cut their limbs, when that seems to be necessary for your own survival. | ||
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+ | By giving your trust, you choose to connect with the energy of the trees, and to live and think with them as they will become your close friends. In return you will regain the connection with the nature and become the unseparable entity of it. You will rediscover the wisdom and instincts inside you. They will empower you as a human being and as a part of the living society on earth. | ||
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+ | So if you're happy with all this, just put one foot in front of the other, and take the Sentier des Endymions/ | ||
+ | |||
+ | The best way to listen to the oak, is to stand against it, touching its strong scarred skin. | ||
| | ||
- | | + | ** * Oak** |
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+ | {{: | ||
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+ | Please meet the oak, the father, priest and the guardian of the world. | ||
+ | Three of the past, the present and the future. This oak has lived more than 100 years and will survive us by another 150 to 200 years if the climat does not change too drastically. | ||
+ | Oak grows as deep as it grows tall. | ||
+ | It provides shelter and food to millions species in the forest. | ||
+ | One grown oak is equivalent to a metropole as big as New York. It can have up to 350 species living in, on, around and from him. | ||
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+ | Among the sacred trees in many legends, the mighty oak stands noble and tall as The Tree of Life. The oak tree in folklore and myths represents great symbolic meanings to the pantheons of mythology, to the druids, the faeries, and many cultures around the world. | ||
+ | |||
+ | It is a slow grower. So it is all about time. | ||
+ | Just imagine growing trough your life so slowly that 500 years can fly by. Imagine species, landscape situations you could witness. Well Oak does. It is a time machine. If we learn its language maybe we we could learn a very different history from the one we know now. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | **// | ||
+ | Throughout the major cultures of Europe the oak tree has been held in high esteem. To the Greeks, Romans, Celts, Slavs and Teutonic tribes the oak was foremost amongst venerated trees, and in each case associated with the supreme god in their pantheon, oak being sacred to Zeus, Jupiter, Dagda, Perun and Thor, respectively. Each of these gods also had dominion over rain, thunder and lightning, and it is surely no coincidence that oak trees appear to be more prone to lightning strikes than other trees, whether because of their wood's low electrical resistance or the fact that they were frequently the largest, tallest living things in the landscape. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The Druids frequently worshipped and practised their rites in oak groves (the word Druid was probably a Gaelic derivation of their word for oak, Duir, and meant men of the oaks). Mistletoe, probably the Druids' | ||
+ | Ancient kings presented themselves as the personifications of these gods, taking on the responsibility not only for success in battle but also the fertility of the land, which relied on rainfall. They wore crowns of oak leaves, as a symbol of the god they represented as kings on Earth. Similarly, successful Roman commanders were presented with crowns of oak leaves during their victory parades, and oak leaves have continued as decorative icons of military prowess to the present day. | ||
+ | Oak leaves' | ||
+ | If the oak before the ash, then we'll only have a splash. If the ash before the oak, Then we'll surely have a soak! | ||
+ | |||
+ | In Celtic mythology, oak is the tree of doors, believed to be a gateway between worlds, or a place where portals could be erected. In Norse mythology, the oak was sacred to the thunder god, Thor. Some scholars speculate that this is because the oak, as the largest tree in northern Europe, was the one most often struck by lightning. In Classical mythology, the oak was a symbol of Zeus and his sacred tree. | ||
+ | The Oak tree is traditionally sacred to Serbs and is widely used throughout Serbia on national and regional symbols both old and new. In the Bible, the oak tree at Shechem is the site where Jacob buries the foreign gods of his people. In addition, Joshua erects a stone under an oak tree as the first covenant of the Lord. In Isaiah 61, the prophet refers to the Israelites as “Oaks of Righteousness”. | ||
+ | The oak tree is used as a symbol by a number of political parties. It is the symbol of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom, and formerly of the Progressive Democrats in Ireland. In the cultural arena, the oak leaf is the symbol of the National Trust (UK) and The Royal Oak Foundation. | ||
+ | ** * Vlier, Elder, Sambucus** | ||
- | * Vlier, Elder, Sambucus | + | {{: |
Please meet the pharmacist of the forest. | Please meet the pharmacist of the forest. | ||
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Not only enjoying the sweet smell and the taste of the blossom in teas and syrups, but also making jams and jenever from the berries. | Not only enjoying the sweet smell and the taste of the blossom in teas and syrups, but also making jams and jenever from the berries. | ||
- | //Healing power// | + | |
+ | **//Healing power//** | ||
The entire tree is to be used for healing purposes. | The entire tree is to be used for healing purposes. | ||
Flowers and berries are used in treating the flu, alleviating allergies, and boosting overall respiratory health. | Flowers and berries are used in treating the flu, alleviating allergies, and boosting overall respiratory health. | ||
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Washing her face in dew gathered from elderflowers was believed to enhance and preserve a woman' | Washing her face in dew gathered from elderflowers was believed to enhance and preserve a woman' | ||
- | // | + | **// |
Branches from the elder are also used to make the flutes. Magic flute? Sounds can heal deepest illnesses... | Branches from the elder are also used to make the flutes. Magic flute? Sounds can heal deepest illnesses... | ||
In common with other trees with white blossom, such as hawthorn and rowan, the elder had strong associations with Faery- and Goddess-centred mythology. | In common with other trees with white blossom, such as hawthorn and rowan, the elder had strong associations with Faery- and Goddess-centred mythology. | ||
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- | * Hazelnut, hazelnoot, corylus | + | |
+ | |||
+ | {{: | ||
Please meet the witch of the forest. | Please meet the witch of the forest. | ||
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Hazel has long been a favourite wood from which to make staffs, whether for ritual Druidic use, for medieval self defence. Hazel shafts were used for water divining, and this practice evolved into the making of pilgrims’ staffs, shepherds’ crooks and walking sticks. | Hazel has long been a favourite wood from which to make staffs, whether for ritual Druidic use, for medieval self defence. Hazel shafts were used for water divining, and this practice evolved into the making of pilgrims’ staffs, shepherds’ crooks and walking sticks. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **//More stories//** | ||
Known as the Tree of Knowledge in Norse mythology, the hazel was sacred to the god Thor. In Irish and Welsh folklore, the hazel was believed to be a fairy tree, and it still grows near many holy wells. Tara, the seat of ancient Irish kings, was located close to a hazel wood. and it is said that members of the Fianna, a legendary band of Irish warriors, learned to defend themselves with only a hazel stick and a shield. | Known as the Tree of Knowledge in Norse mythology, the hazel was sacred to the god Thor. In Irish and Welsh folklore, the hazel was believed to be a fairy tree, and it still grows near many holy wells. Tara, the seat of ancient Irish kings, was located close to a hazel wood. and it is said that members of the Fianna, a legendary band of Irish warriors, learned to defend themselves with only a hazel stick and a shield. | ||
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In Roman mythology the Hazel is attributed to the god Mercury (Mercurius), | In Roman mythology the Hazel is attributed to the god Mercury (Mercurius), | ||
- | //Magical Uses// | + | |
+ | **//Magical Uses//** | ||
The use of Hazel divining rods (dowsing rod) to detect water and mineral veins comes down from antiquity, the art of which is called “rhabdomancy”. Typically a divining rod has two forks off its main stem shaped like the letter “Y”.The two forks of the rod are gripped with the fore fingers along the forks, so that the tail end of the rod points down toward the ground to begin searching. Another method was to peel the bark of the rod and simply lay it on the palm of the hand. The same method was used to find treasure, thieves and murderers. | The use of Hazel divining rods (dowsing rod) to detect water and mineral veins comes down from antiquity, the art of which is called “rhabdomancy”. Typically a divining rod has two forks off its main stem shaped like the letter “Y”.The two forks of the rod are gripped with the fore fingers along the forks, so that the tail end of the rod points down toward the ground to begin searching. Another method was to peel the bark of the rod and simply lay it on the palm of the hand. The same method was used to find treasure, thieves and murderers. | ||