What’s Your Tree? My Tree is the Beech.

Try to Figure Out Which Forest Feels Best for You

When I step into a beech forest, it’s that “ahhh” feeling. Everything falls off of me, I light up, and I’m grinning from ear to ear. I feel amazing there. And it doesn’t matter if the sun is shining, it’s raining, and the trees are wet, or if the beech forest is covered in snow. I don’t care. At that moment, I’m home, and that’s what matters.

We all have something similar. Some people love to sit under a tall linden tree, unknowingly tear off a heart-shaped linden leaf, and rub it between their fingers. They gaze out into the countryside, lean against the trunk, slowly close their eyes, and feel wonderful. Maybe their thoughts even calm down, and they let everything go. At least for that moment... with their tree. Some people love to climb a rocky cliff, grab a hold of a solitary birch that whispers and looks out into the distance. While hugging its white trunk, they feel grateful and happy. And who hasn’t climbed a leafy apple tree, reached for a juicy apple, and bitten into it? Do you still remember how apple seeds taste? Maybe some of us eat the whole apple down to the core, leaving only the stem behind. Unlike others who throw away the core, sometimes even with some leftover flesh. These people who eat the entire apple, down to the stem, want to absorb the strength of the whole apple, including the woody seeds. Their tree is definitely the apple tree.

And how do you figure out which tree is really yours?

There have been countless articles and books written on this topic. It’s great that so many people are paying attention to trees and their meanings, and that it’s no longer a mystery. Most literature and knowledge about trees and their significance refers to the Celts and their tree calendar. The Celts followed this tree calendar, revered, and protected trees. When a new child was born into a Celtic family or village, thanks to the date of birth, the child was gifted certain abilities and traits according to the tree connected with that birth date. The tree calendar decided.

And how would the druids decide for you?

Here’s a simple overview, divided by the familiar zodiac signs:

• CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20) – beech, apple, birch, elm
• AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19) – pine, maple, poplar, walnut
• PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20) – linden, willow, maple, ash
• ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20) – oak, acacia, alder, thuja
• TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20) – elm, walnut, poplar, yew
• GEMINI (May 21 – Jun 21) – ash, chestnut, pine, hornbeam
• CANCER (Jun 22 – Jul 22) – fir, birch, apple, alder
• LEO (Jul 23 – Aug 23) – poplar, plum, pine, elm
• VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sep 23) – willow, linden, spruce, alder
• LIBRA (Sep 24 – Oct 23) – walnut, alder, larch, elm
• SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22) – chestnut, pear, walnut, cherry
• SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21) – hornbeam, ash, beech, larch

Now try to figure out your main tree.

 Maybe you already know which one is yours. You sense it. You remember different trips when you felt great and didn’t want to leave the oak forest. Or why do you always go under spruces when looking for mushrooms? Why do you carry chestnuts in your pockets all year round until the kernel inside the shell crumbles? Why does acacia bark smell so good to you? Or why do you love the scent of larch sap on your hands? Do you have those sensory experiences? If so, and I believe most of us do, try to connect them with your tree. Go back in your thoughts to your favorite places, or better yet, get up and go there in person.

And if you don’t know, pick four trees according to your zodiac sign and go find the forest or avenue you need. Sooner or later, you’ll find it, and you’ll discover which of those forests or avenues feels best for you. I can tell you from experience—it works.

Plant Your Tree

If you have the chance to plant your own tree, do it. Get a sapling and head to a place you love. A place where you like to relax in nature. Maybe it’s in the garden at your cabin or by your house. On a rock where you go to look around. On a meadow where you listen to the buzzing of insects and watch the wildflowers. Wherever it is, where you feel good. Plant your tree there and take care of it. It will be your tree, and you’ll be connected to it forever.

Our family has planted my beech, my wife Irča’s ash, and my daughter Míša’s ash at our cabin, which they planted together. We’re still waiting to plant Luke’s walnut and Irča will definitely want to plant a chestnut at the corner of the property. In one corner, together with Luke, we planted a loving linden tree as a symbol for our family. We care for our trees and look forward to seeing them grow tall, protecting our beloved spot on earth.