The Healing Power of Trees

Trees are the most spiritually advanced living beings on the Earth who are constantly in a meditative state and subtle energy is what they speak as a language. I have always loved trees. I love walking through the forest, and sitting under trees to meditate and connect with their energy.

Trees have a long and rich history of sharing the spiritual path with humanity.

Trees have been involved in a number of religious and spiritual practices. Many mythologies around the globe have stories of a “world or cosmic” tree. The roots, trunk and branches of the tree represent the underworld, earth, and heavens respectively.

Even biblical scriptures mention trees as in the “tree of life” and the “tree of knowledge of good and evil” in the book of Genesis. Buddhism has connections to the Bodhi tree where Buddha was known to have reached enlightenment as he sat and meditated. Druids were known to practice worship among sacred groves of trees.

The Kabbalist recognize the fifteenth of the month of Aquarius, the day known as Tu B’Shevat, the birthday of the trees. It is the 24 hour window in time in which the trees receive their energy for the entire year–whether they will grow and whether fruits will grow from them.

Tree: Healer and Friend

Trees are a source of energy on many levels. Physically they help people and the planet by providing oxygen and shade. They can provide shelter and habitats for animals. Some trees also give their fruit and wood to help ensure our survival.

The energy of trees can also affect our mental, emotional and spiritual bodies of energy. Consider for example the peace and serenity people feel when they sit under a tree or walk through a forest. And what about the feelings of joy and excitement that children feel when climbing a tree or the magic of spending time in a treehouse?

Trees like all living things have an energy frequency or vibration and an aura. Trees are quite intelligent and they do have a sense of touch and feel and they have conscious emotions too. 

With roots reaching deep into the earth, they have excellent grounding energy. Their vibrations are slower, deeper and more concentrated compared to some other living things. Essentially they give out the energy vibe of safety, security and stability.

By coming into contact with a tree you will pick up these vibrations whether you are consciously aware of it or not. You begin to resonate with the tree’s energy and you become more centered and grounded. This can help explain the comfort many people feel when next to a tree.

Through the time in history, trees have been used for various healing and medicinal purposes.

Trees can help open your energy channel and help them reciprocate with healing their blockages. A relationship with the tree is a mutually beneficial one which needs to be nourished.

They radiate Chi, nourish the blood system, strengthen the nervous system and ensure longevity. Trees fill the soul and our spirit. Pines are the immortal trees. Although pine trees are mostly the best choice, many other trees or plants can be used. 

Establishing a communication with a tree

First of all, each tree, like each person, has a personality, desires, and a life of its own. Trees differ widely in their taste for human contact. Some are very generous and want to give you all the energy you can take. Others are weak or ill and need your comforting and healing energy. Some are just friendly souls who enjoy human company. You can learn and grow by working with all of them. 

There is a certain size range within which trees are most accessible to human beings. When a tree is too small, it does not have enough energy to make much of an impression on you. When the tree is too big, you have the opposite problem, so it takes more persistence to get large trees to take an interest in you. As a source of healing energy, it is best to choose a large, robust tree from within the accessible size range. 

Among the most powerful are trees growing near running water. Some trees feel warmer or hotter than others; some feel cooler or colder than others.

Sit under the tree that calls out to you. Place your back against it if you can… You can also stand in front and place your palms on the trunk. Close your eyes and breathe.

Be patient and listen, as the guidance from trees sometimes comes slowly, but when it does it is incredibly helpful and profound. You may hear guidance from the tree, or receive mental images, which is a common way for trees to communicate.

In addition to asking for help and healing from the trees, ask what you can do for them.

Trees operate on a longer time scale than do human beings. You can help to bridge this gap by returning again and again to the same tree, so that a relationship develops. Visit regularly so that the tree knows when to expect you and can look forward to seeing you. Spiritual communion with trees resembles love more than any other human activity. Let the tree lead you into the wonders of its own inner life.

They have the power to unlock your intuition and help you in your spiritual journey.

Does hugging trees really improve your well-being? Science says YES!

This ancient practice has been confirmed to have advantages that improve health issues ranging from concentration levels and reaction times to depression, ADHD and other forms of mental illness. The studies conducted can be found in Matthew Silverstone’s book, Blinded by Science, where his research even indicated a tree’s ability to relieve headaches.

The studies conclude that children function better cognitively and emotionally when they interact with plants. Although many believe it’s the green open spaces that contribute to the effect, Silverstone demonstrates that the vibrational properties of trees and plants offer health benefits. 

Hugging a tree increases levels of hormone oxytocin. This hormone is responsible for feeling calm and emotional bonding. When hugging a tree, the hormones serotonin and dopamine make you feel happier. 

There is one other school of thought are in alignment with this remarkable theory: Taoism. 

Taoists observe that trees not only have the power to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen but they have the capacity to absorb any negative energy and convert into something useful. 

For example, the Taoist master Mantak Chia teaches students to meditate with trees, as a way of release “negative energies.” In his Cosmic Tree Healing Qigong method, Master Chia teaches how to align one’s body with the “aura” (or energetic field) of a tree. He explains that trees are natural processors that can help you transform your body’s sick or negative energy into positive, vital life force energy. As you connect your energy with the tree you facilitate your own physical and emotional healing. The Taoist theory is that because trees stand very still, they are better at absorbing the Earth’s Energy and the Universal Force from the Heavens. Trees and all plants have the ability to absorb the light frequencies and transform them into physical food; and they do the same with energetic food. The Taoist view of trees is to see them constantly in meditation, with subtle energy as their natural language.

One other fascinating laboratory that studies plant vibrational energies is Damanhur, an intentional community in Italy. In this peaceful and spiritual ecovillage there is a laboratory in the woods that offers a beautiful choir of singing trees. Yeah, you read that right… Singing trees. Since 1976, researchers at Damanhur have invented and developed equipment that can capture electromagnetic changes on the surface of leaves and roots, transforming them into actual sounds. The best part is, these trees seem to control their electrical responses via a feedback mechanism, and demonstrate a kind of awareness and preference for types of music. The singing plants and trees of Damanhur have sparked off such a worldwide fascination that the people began organizing “Plant Concerts”, where musicians perform to the music created by the trees.

Watch this 15-minute video of a beautiful demonstration singing plants while one of Damanhur’s researchers explain the phenomenon.

Also read:

• Doctors explain how hiking actually changes our brains
• Shinrin-Yoku: Forest Bathing Therapy
• Where Do You Find Your “Waldeinsamkeit”?
• Silence is much more important to our brains than we think

A list of Magical Grimoires

A Grimoire is an ancient manuscripts used in High Magic and the Black Arts to conjure Celestial, Olympic and Angelic beings. It provides formulae together with instruction for the creation of magical tools, sigils and symbols of the Deity the Magician wishes to work with. Many Grimoires can seem very confusing and therefore useless to the student, but for the experienced Magician, they are a great asset and may provide a unique path to spiritual enlightenment. 

Below is a list of well known, and some not so well known Grimoires and Magical texts:

The Book of the Secrets Of Enoch / Slavonic Enoch - Forgotten Books of Eden (Circa 8 CE):

Not strictly a magical Grimoire, recently fragment of this early book was found in Russia and Servia. Little is known of its origin except that it was probably composed in Egypt at the time of the formation of Christianity. Although not a book on magical practices its value lies in its possible influence upon Christianity and as a most valuable document in the study of the forms of early Christianity.

The following is taken from Chapter I introduction (edited):

“An account of the mechanism of the world showing the machinery of the Sun and Moon in operations. Astronomy and an interesting ancient calendar …… What the world would be like before creation …… A unique account of Satan was created.”

The Testament of Solomon (Circa 200 CE):

The Testament of Solomon is a Grimoire classed as a Pseudepigrapha, or text or a collection of texts, written between 200 BCE and 200 CE that has falsely been attributed to King Solomon.

It is the earliest known compendium of demons and describes Solomon as a Magician. Translated by F.C Conybeare in 1898 who has stated that it may have been re-worked by a Christian, as many Christian passages may be found in certain sections.

The manuscript contains 130 sections, according to Conybeare's translation. Within the text Solomon states that he wrote his testament before his death so that the children of Israel would know the powers and shapes of the demons, and the names of the angels who have power over them.

The story described by Solomon in the Testament provides a framework into which magical formulae and names could be inserted without destroying the content, and therefore due to this, the text has grown over the centuries, so that it is now very difficult to identify original text from later additions.

The Grimoire of Honorius / Grimoire of Pope Honorius (Circa 1216 CE):

The Grimoire of Honorius was credited to Pope Honorius III, who succeeded Pope Innocent III in 1216. The Grimoire of Honorius is full of Christian benedictions and formulae for the control of the fallen angels and gaining their assistance in accomplishing certain magical requests.

Translated by Ms Kim Ch'ien from the old German of 1220. The Grimoire not only instructed priests in the arts of demonology but virtually ordered them to learn how to conjure and control demons, as part of their priestly duties. It therefore purportedly gave the sanction of the papal office for priests to practice ritual magic.

The Sword of Moses (Circa 1250):

Not much is really known about the Sword of Moses except that it was a Hebrew Book of Magic which was edited by Moses Gaster in 1896 from a 13th or 14th century manuscript. 

The Book of Raziel the Angel / Sefer Raziel HaMalakh (Circa 1250 CE):

The Book of Raziel the Angel is a medieval Hebrew Grimoire originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic. We understand that there is a Latin translation titled Liber Razielis Archangeli, produced under Alfonso X in the 13th century. Like many other mystical manuscripts the Book of Raziel has suffered from the production of many versions.

The Grimoire contains five Books which cover such secrets as, the mysteries of creation, the production of magical talismans, the angels, the Zodiac, Gematria and the names of God. It draws heavily on the Sepher Yetzirah and Sepher Ha-Razim. 

The Book was reputed to have been given to Adam by the Angel Raziel in order to teach Adam the spiritual laws of nature, knowledge of the planets, stars and the spiritual laws of creation. Raziel also taught Adam the knowledge of the power of speech, thought, the Hebrew alphabet and how to co-exist harmously with the physical and spiritual worlds.

The Book is still available today, and a Hebrew version may be obtained from any good Jewish bookshop for it is still believed that the book has power. However, it is forbidden to open the book or read it because of its inherent power. Therefore many keep their copies sealed. Finally, by tradition no charge may be taken for the book!

The Picatrix / Ghâyat al-Hakîm fi'l-sihr (Circa 1256 CE):

The Picatrix "The Goal of the Sage” is a Grimoire of uncertain origins, probably written circa 1256 CE. No author has been identified. The originally text was written in Arabic, with a Latin translation appearing approximately 1256 during the court of Alphonso X of Castile.

The work is divided into four Books. Book I contains a preface, information about the author and a summary of the material found in the four books. The chapters of Book I, delves into occult philosophy and astrology which is its main occult theme.

Book II continues, but in more dept with the mysteries of astrology, the talismanic art, the planets and the method of invocation of the spirits.

Book III continues with a discussion on the magical tools, inks, incense, perfumes, robes and metals, which are related to the planets. From a magical perspective this is an extremely important Book, as it also covers prayers and invocations of the seven planets and the gifts that can be gained from each, the ceremonies related to each planet, and the talismans of the planets themselves. (Click here to read more about The Picatrix)

Errores Haereticorum (Circa 1290 CE):

We have little knowledge of this particular manuscripts other than it is a medieval treatise of magic, but actual production date is unknown. Belief during the time held that the Devil (Satan) demanded the kiss of shame in forms other than human, including rams, black cats, and toads. This practice was produced as evidence (?) during the English witch trials. According to the Errores Haereticorum, Cathars took their name "from the term cat, whose posterior they kiss, in whose form the Devil (Satan) appears to them."

As the Cathars flourished in the 12th and 13th it is therefore assumed that probably the manuscript was produced during the late 1200 CE

The Sworn Book of Honorius / Liber Juratus (Circa 1300):

The Sworn Book of Honorius, (Liber Juratus) was probably written in the thirteenth century. It contains many instructions on how to conjure and command demons. Like many Grimoires, it has lengthy dissertations for proper operation and seals to be used. 

In the Solomonic Grimoire tradition due to its use of angelic powers and seals similar to those found in The Greater Key of Solomon. 

Reputed to be the work of multiple magicians, who condensed all their knowledge into one Grimoire. This book is one of the oldest existing medieval Grimoires and probably one of the most influential. 

The Black Raven / The Threefold Coercion of Hell (Circa 1490):

The Black Raven by Dr. Faust also known as The Threefold Coercion of Hell is a Grimoire associated with the production of various talismans.

The actual book's introduction:

“This is Doctor Johannes Faustis Miracul Art and Magic Book, or The Black Raven, or also named The Threefold Coercion of Hell. With this book I, Dr. Johannes Faust, have coerced all the spirits so that they had to bring to me whatever I desired: be it go ld, silver, treasures large and small, also the spring-root, and whatever else is available on Earth. All that did I get with this book. I was also capable to dispel the spirits after they had done what I asked them for.”

According to Karl Hans Welz, January 1984, “The book of Doctor Johannes Faust is one of the best known Grimoires in the German realm. German magicians usually referred to it as “Doctor Faust’s Threefold Coercion of Hell.” They ascribe its origin to the Jesuits, perhaps a result of the style of the book. Magicians used this Grimoire in the main for its talismans. For the person who knows how to read between the lines, this Grimoire offers a lot more. It opens up the access to magical powers of an enormous potential, especially when the student has also access to the Faustian Tarot. This deck of cards is not a tarot deck in the strictest sense, but rather a representation of the energies that slumber deep within ourselves, ready to serve the person who has the courage to awaken them.

The Magical Elements / Heptameron – Seven days (Circa 1496):

Translated by Robert Turner in 1655 and attributed to Peter de Abano (1250-1316), it first appeared as part of appendix of Agrippa's Opera, following the publication of Agrippa's Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy. First appearing in the Hebrew Key of Solomon under the title the Book of Light and may have been the source for the Lemegton.

The Heptameron gives instruction for invoking the archangels of the seven days of the week. And the manufacture and concentration of such ritual implements as the required perfume, holy water, vesture, pentacle, and a sword. 

Although a stand-alone manuscript it is traditionally attached to the end of Agrippas works. The Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy.

Verus Jesuitarum Libellus / Libellus Magicus or The True Petition of the Jesuits (Circa 1508 CE):

The Verus Jesuitarum Libellus (Libellus Magicus). Translated by Major Herbert Irwin in 1875, with its first publication by Scheible in 1847. The manuscript is now held in the John G. White Collection, with the latest edition being transcribed and edited by. Stephen J. Zietz.. Purported to have been published at Paris in the Latin in the year 1508, however this has not been established.

The Libellus Magicus is a Grimoire which presents the dark arts in a Christian context: demons find their proper place in hell, and angels are called on to appear to give assistance to the magician.

According to A.E Waite. “The Verus Jesuitarum Libellus", or "True Magical Work of the Jesuits", containing most powerful conjurations for all evil spirits of whatever state, condition, and office they are, and a most powerful and approved conjuration of the Spirit Uriel; to which is added Cyprian's Invocation of Angels, and his Conjuration of the Spirits guarding Hidden Treasures, together with a form for their dismissal.

The "Citation of St. Cyprian” is interesting as it is designed to gain the help of angelic forces, and this request for help apparently appropriate for every situation that we experience in life.

Grimoirium Verum (Circa 1517 CE):

Reputed to have been translated from the Hebrew by Plaingiere, a Dominican Jesuit and published by Alibeck the Egyptian in 1517. The book, like many others, claims a connection to Solomon, but many believe that it was really written in the 18th century. Author unknown.

The work concentrates on rituals for summoning of demons, and gives "Characters" for some of these demons and therefore has gained the reputation of being one of the most notorious Grimoires of Black Magic. 

The book draws on material from the Greater Key Solomon and the Lemegeton.

The Secret Grimoire of Turiel (Circa 1518 CE):

Translated from the Latin version of 1518, this famous Grimoire is well illustrated with the sigils, signs and symbols of medieval magic. It came to light in 1927 after being sold to Marius Malchus in Spain by a defrocked priest and was then translated into English from the original. There is some opinion that the text may have been taken from an older magical manuscript, which one? Is not known.

It is interesting to note that the Angel Turiel (Rock of God) is mentioned in the 1 Book of Enoch as one of the angels who fell from grace

The Grimoire gives the magician instructions on how to contact Turiel. 

The Grand Grimoire / Red Dragon (Circa 1522):

The Red Dragon or Le Dragon Rouge is a black Grimoire, also known as a Grand Grimoire. First published in 1822, it is said to have been originally produced around 1522, however this cannot be substantiated.

From a practical perspective its only value, if you can call it that, is a way of making a pact with the Devil.

The first part of the Grimoire, gives instruction for finding hidden treasures by the evocation of an evil spirit. In the second part the magician is required to fully submit himself, body and soul, to the demon who will serve him! 

Three Books of Occult Philosophy (Circa 1533 CE):

De occulta philosophia libri tres (Three Books of Occult Philosophy,) by Cornelius Agrippa (1486-1535), published in Cologne 1533. Agrippa was one of the most influential writers on the occult during his lifetime, and still today his work is acknowledged as a major contribution to our occult knowledge. Unlike other Grimoires these books are not do-it-yourself manuals on magic but a collection of philosophical thought.

The first Book focuses on natural magic. The second Book focuses on Celestial Magic and examines such concepts as the Cabbala and Gematria. The third Book concerns celestial entities, Angels, Angelic beings, their names.

From a Pauline Art perspective this work is important as it introduces the seven magical squares, or planetary kameas and the four philosophical Elements, the gnomes, sylphs, salamanders, and undines. 

Agrippa magical philosophy therefore combines angelic elements with the natural sourced were the power comes from God. 

Finally, a fourth book appeared call the Book of Magical Ceremonies, for which some this book supplies the “how” to the first three books of Agrippa. This Grimoire was not produced by Agrippa but compiled by Robert Turner from various sources. 

De Nigromancia / Concerning the Black Art (Circa 1550 CE):

De Nigromancia, or, Concerning the Black Art, is a Latin manuscript attributed to Roger Bacon. The manuscript first appeared in the 16th century. The text is concerned with Goetic summonings, especially of wraiths or the conjuration of infernal spirits and demons.

Nigromancia (Necromancia) is a branch of magick, generally considered black, which consists of divination by consulting the dead and their spirits or corpses. 

The point of Nigromancia (Necromancia) is the study of death and the raising and controlling of the dead. 

Arbatel of Magick / Arbatel de Magia Veterum (Circa 1575):

The Arbatel of Magic (Arbatel de Magia Veterum) first appeared in Latin in 1575, first being published in Basel Switzerland and translated into English by Robert Turner in 1655. Thought to have been originally produced in nine volumes, the available text is the first book called Isagoge, or, A Book of the Institutions of Magick, which is the only book found todate, the remaining may have never been produced or have been lost. The Arbatel introduced the concept of the seven planetary Olympic Spirits, whose names are Aratron, Bethor, Phaleg, Och, Hagith, Ophiel, and Phul. 

Dr. John Dee is reputed that have owned a copy of the Artbatel. (Click here to read more about The Arbatel)

Mysteriorum Libri Quinque (Circa 1590 CE):

The Five Books of Mystical Exercises of Dr. John Dee, containing an Angelic Revelation of Kabbalistic Magic and other Mysteries Occult and Divine revealed to Dr. John Dee and Edward Kelley.

"Enochian" is not a term used by Dr Dee in any of his works. The word Enochian was applied to the philiosophy of Dee by the Golden Dawn, no clear reasons. For Dee and Kelly they used to refer to they work as the language as "Angelical", the "Celestial Speech", the "Language of Angels", the "First Language of God-Christ" and the "Holy Language". 

Five Books of the Mysteries (Quinti Libri Mysteriorum), covers the years from 1581 to 1583, and covered the magic of the seven Archangels who stand before the throne of God. It focuses upon the seven planets, the days of the week, and the seven Biblical days of creation. 

Dee identified forty nine planetary angels, whose assistance could be obtained, through various rituals, in order to gain thinks as knowledge (of the occult arts) and other necessities of life.

Dee was heavily influenced by existing magical Grimoires such as the Arbatel of Magick and the Almadel of Solomon, which he wove into his philosophy and magical practices. However, one cannot dispute that his works have profound power and contributed greatly to our understanding of Angelic Magic.

Lesser Key of Solomon / Lemegeton (Circa 1640 CE):

This is a collection of five magical manuscripts; Ars Goetia, Ars Theurgia, Ars Paulina, Ars Almadel, and Ars Notoria. Some practioners have suggested that the five books were once separate texts, which were combined to form the Lemegeton. 

Ars Goetia: The Goetia is concerned with the Spirits of Evil the evocation of 72 demons associated with the Shemhamphorash, those which Solomon bound to his service. It is worth considering that if it were true that the original Grimoire was in fact five books it has also been suggested that the Goetia is the oldest book. It has also been suggested by Elizabeth Butler that the manuscript the Liber Spiritum, and the Liber Officiorum, were earlier names for the Goetia itself. This may then place the Goetia well before the seventeenth Century. (Click here to read more about The Goetia)

Ars Theurgia: Theurgy literally means High Magic, the tradition which deals with the methods of working with good spirits, especially the conjuration of 32 Ariel Spirits and their servants, who govern the points of the compass.

Ars Paulina: The third book deals with the Zodiac, the planets and the related angels and spirits and is divided into two parts:

The first part deals with twenty-four Angels who rule the hours of the day and night and the angels are listed with several serviant Angels. 

The second part concerns the finding of the Angel of the degree of one’s own natal Ascendant, your Sun and Moon angels which are so important in the Pauline Art. Your moon angel is therefore reputed to hold the mysteries of one’s destiny, career and fortune. The text ends with the full invocation of the petitioners Holy Guardian Angel.

Pauline Art was revealed to the Apostle Paul after he had ascended the third heaven, and was then delivered by him at Corinth. Again the true date of publication is not known, current versions appear to have been published around the year 1641. Possibly a precursor of, or inspiration for, Dr John Dee's Heptarchia Mystica. 

Ars Almadel: The fourth book deals with the evocation of the angels of the four "Altitudes" which has been interpreted as the angels of the four cardinal points. These angels also rule the equinoctial and solstice points, the seasons, and the signs of the Zodiac.

The fourth book also introduced the Almadel a magical technique of using a wax tablet, to contact the celestial spirits. In the production of the Almadel, correct colours of the angels had to be applied to be successful.. The fourth book has a major effect upon Dr. John Dee (circa 17th Century), which he developed into his renowned “Enochian” or Angelic system of magic.

Ars Notoria: The Ars Notoria is the oldest portion of the Lesser of the Keys grimoire. It, in particular, was not a book of spells or potions, but a book of prayers and orations that are said to strengthen and focus one’s mental powers, by beseeching god for intellectual gifts. Among these intellectual gifts is the concept of a “perfect memory.” (Click here to read more about Ars Notoria)

The Red Book of Appin (Circa 1640):

Translated by Scarabaeus, but the date of the original manuscript is unknown. The Grimoire, primarily a dark Grimoire, is in two parts. The first part concerns the requirements to become an adept who follows a wizard (evil spirit) who initiates the adept into the secrets of the book. The second part of the book introduces Superior Demons and evil spirits together with their seals and invocations.

The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage (Circa 1700 CE):

Translated by S. L. Mathers, who indicates that the text was probably produced between the end of the seventeenth and beginning of the eighteenth centuries. 

The Book is divided into three parts. The first part gives detail about Abraham the Jew, who is the author of the book, who lived during the years 1368 -1437 CE. According to Abraham he produced the book for his son, after being given the secrets during his travels in Egypt by Mage called Abramelin.

The second part gives the aspirant magician detailed instruction on a purification process that the Magician must undergo prior to invoking his Guardian Angel. Having contacted and communicated with your Holy Guardian Angel, Abraham assures the Magician that having secured this contact and assurance from his angel he may the summon and control certain demonic princes such as Astarot, Belzebud and Lucifer, to name a few.

The final part is a comprehensive collection of magical squares which has the unique ability to command certain spirits to perform what the specific task of the square has been designed to achieve. (Click here to read more about Abramelin)

The Black Pullet / The Science of Magical Talismans (Circa 1790 CE):

This Grimoire is unique from the perspective that its main purpose is to introduce the Magician to the “science of magical talismans and rings". Apparently the Grimoire was written in the late 18th Century by a French Officer, but its actual origin is unknown.

During one of Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt, the French Officer managed to survive an attack by Arabs apparently near one of the pyramids, which one was not identified. The Grimoire then explains that from the pyramid, appears an old man, who takes the French Officer into a secret chamber, were he attends to his wounds. Once recovered the old man discloses the secrets of this Grimoire.

The Grimoire describe the various rings and talismans and what may be achieved by their application. The talismans assure the individual the use of unique powers such as proficiency in all spoken languages, the power to discover hidden secrets, and invisibility.

The ability to master this “Secret Science” the Magician is granted the ability to conjure a Hen that lays Golden Eggs, along with the power to discover hidden treasures, a source of unlimited wealth!

Some have associated the Black Pullet with The Red Dragon (or The Grand Grimoire).

The Magus / Celestial Intelligencer (1801 CE):

Produced by Francis Barrett, and first published in 1801 this work was to be the basis of teachings that Barrett use in his occult school, he ran with the ultimate intention of establishing an occult order.

Much of the contents of the Magus is taken directly from De occulta philosophia libri tres (Three and Fourth Book About Occult Philosophy,) by Cornelius Agrippa, including the Magical Elements (Heptameron). And other sources as indicated by Barrett himself:

"we have collected out of the works of the most famous magicians, such as Zoroaster, Hermes, Apollonius, Simon of the Temple, Trithemius, Agrippa, Porta (the Neapolitan), Dee, Paracelsus, Roger Bacon, and a great many others...." 

The Magus actually comprised of two main volumes covering the main occult work with the third volume being a biographical section. It is not certain if Barrett intended the inclusion of this volume or if it was added by the printer. Today it is available as one volume.

Transcendental Magic (Circa 1830 CE):

Eliphas Levi (the pen name of Abbé Louis Constant, 1810-1875), French occultist whose works have been appraised as being highly interesting.

Levi is well know for four main books, The Dogma and Ritual of High Magic, A History of Magic, Transcendental Magic and the The Key of Great Mysteries, and other occult books. Levi "believed in the existence of a universal 'secret doctrine' of magic throughout history, everywhere in the world."

In The Dogma and Ritual of High Magic, Levi devoted 22 chapters to the 22 trump cards, or Major Arcana, of the tarot. He linked each to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and to aspects of God.

Levi’s most well known work covers Transcendental magic which is a far more practical from text an occult perspective than Levi’s other works. The work is split into two parts. Part 1 covers theory, and examines traditional interpretations of magic and religion. Part II covers the practical aspects of ritual magic.

His other works are:

Clefs Majeures et Clavicules de Salomon

Dogma et Rituel de la Haute Magie Part I

Dogma et Rituel de la Haute Magie Part II

Elements of the Qabalah

The Conjuration of the Four Elements

The Key of the Mysteries

The Magical Ritual of the Sanctum Regnum.

The Sixth & Seventh Books of Moses (Circa 1849):

Of the books ascribed to Moses the manuscripts know as the Sixth and Seventh books of Moses in particular important to the occultist.

This was a German magical Grimoire first published in Stuttgart in 1849, with an English translation of the Books first appeared in New York in 1880. Subsequent reprints have suffered from a number of deficits, poor editing and poor reproduction of the drawings and Hebrew lettering. Therefore a caution is given to those that intend to apply the principle of the Grimoire. 

It teaches how to conjure spirits, how to make and use healing amulets, charms and talismans. Contains over 125 seals reputed to have been used by the Egyptians.

These Books became extremely popular in the Americas particularly amongst Dutch and German communities, reaching even to the West Indies where it became entrenched into American folk magic and voodoo.

Oupnekhat (Circa 1882 CE):

According to Lewis Spence in An Encyclopaedia of Occultism, the Oupnekhat or Oupnekhata (Book of the Secret) is a work written in Persian providing the following instructions for the production of wise (Machqgui) visions. These vision will unite the practitioner with Brahma-Atma or the Divine.

Spence also suggests that this book is possibly a revision of one of the Hindu Upanishads. 

Oupnekhata and was introduced into Europe probably from a nineteenth-century German translation titled Das Oupnekhat; die aus den Veden zusammengefasste Lebre von dem Brahm in 1882. However, there are some who believe that it was derived from an earlier Latin edition of 1801.

The Grimoire of Armadel (Circa 1890):

The Grimoire of Armadel translated from the original French and Latin of a manuscript in the Biblotheque l'Arsenal in Paris. This is classed as a Christian Grimoire and contains many important seals and sigils of the various demons and planetary spirits. First translated by S.L. McGregor Mathers in the late 1890’s. The Grimoire of Armadel remained unpublished until 1980.

What follows is an unabridged introduction taken directly from the version of the Grimoire by Frator Alastor:

“…….When Mathers made his translation he notice that the title page was the last page of the Grimoire, so he moved to the front but keep the rest of the chapters in the same order. He also notice that this Grimoire began speaking about the magick circle like if it where something that the reader should already know. Now it is my believe that the whole Grimoire was written backward, this is to say that you should read the last page first (the title page) then the last chapter and so on. If you read it this way you will see that make a lot of sense. In Mathers version the first chapter is a reference to the magick circle and the License to depart, it make no sense to begin a Grimoire that way since the license to depart is the last think that a magician read. Also if you fallow the Latin titles in Mathers version the text begin with the Sanhedrin, Jesus and go on to the creation of Adam and the demons and the angels etc. This order is completely the opposite of that one on the bible this is god first, then the angels, the demons, Adam, Jesus, the Crucifixion and the Sanhedrin. So neither to say I had inverted the orders of the chapters in Mathers version under the believing that this is the way that the magic was intended to be read.”

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Seidr, Women and Magic in the Sagas

Seiðr is believed to come from Proto-Germanic saiðaz, cognate with Lithuanian saitas, "sign, soothsaying" and Proto-Celtic soito- "sorcery", all derived from Proto-Indo-European soi-to- "string, rope", ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root seH2i- "to bind".

Seidr was a type of sorcery practiced in Norse society concerned with discerning the course of fate and working within its structure to bring about change, which was done by symbolically weaving new events into being. Connected with Norse religion, its origins are largely unknown, although it became gradually eroded following the Christianization of Scandinavia. 

Accounts of seidr later made it into sagas and other literary sources, while further evidence has been unearthed by archaeologists. Various scholars have debated the nature of seidr, some arguing that it was shamanic in context, involving visionary journeys by its practitioners.

Practitioners of seidr were predominantly women. A woman practising Seidr would sometimes be called völva (old Norse vǫlva means "wand carrier" or "carrier of a magic staff). She would also sometimes be described as Spá-kona or Seið-kona, meaning prophecy-woman and magic-woman, respectively.

There were also accounts of male practitioners, known as seidmenn, but because Seidr was viewed as a feminine practice, men who engaged in it were associated with a concept called ergi, the designation of a man in Norse society who was dishonest, slothful, soft, cowardly, unmanly, feminine and possibly homosexual. That is to say, all the things a man was not supposed to be, according to Norse notions of gender, and were sometimes persecuted as a result. 

Surprisingly the feminine form örg, does not mean “lesbian”, but “nymphomaniac”. When women are accused of ergi, it is because of lacking sexual self-control or loyalty, not any apparent magical association – as the case is with men.

Strength and traditionally manly qualities were highly valued in Old Norse societies. This is exemplified in the attitudes surrounding Seidr and its place as a feminine craft.

Sometimes, female practitioners of the craft would take on young male apprentices, and those who became mothers would teach the practice to their sons. Though not seen as a respectable thing, it wasn't rare for men to be involved in Seidr magic.

Male seidr-practitioners were worthy of suspicion and contempt, and they tend to be presented as antagonists in the sagas, as if their competency in magic underlined their apparent wickedness, and they are often made examples of by means of humiliating and torturous execution. 

These female practitioners were religious leaders of the Viking community and usually required the help of other practitioners to invoke their deities, gods or spirits. The seidr ritual required not just the powers of a female spiritual medium but of the spiritual participation of other women within the Norse community: it was a communal effort. 

But she could also perform the seidr alone, which was called útiseta (literally, "sitting out"). This practice appears to have involved meditation or introspection, possibly for the purpose of divination.

As they are described in a number of other Scandinavian sagas, Saga of Erik the Red in particular, the female practitioners connected with the spiritual realm through chanting and prayer. Viking texts suggest that the seidr ritual was used in times of inherent crisis, as a tool used in the process of seeing into the future, and for cursing and hexing one's enemies. It is ascribed to the conjuring of storms, making people vulnerable (or invincible), invisibility, killing, and even driving whole groups of people to suicide. With that said, it could have been used for great good or destructive evil, as well as for daily guidance. They were not considered to be harmless. The goddess who was most skilled in magic was Freyja, and she was not only a goddess of love, but also a warlike divinity who caused screams of anguish, blood and death.

Excerpt from Saga of Erik the Red about The Practice:

The seeress seems generally to have sat on a special platform or chair and to have used a staff or wand and a drum. The ritual began with a call to the appropriate spirits, inviting them to participate in the rite. The magic seems to have begun when the seeress yawned, after which questions could be put to her.

A distaff possessed magical powers, and in the world of the gods, the Norns twined the threads of fate.

In theory, invisible fetters and bonds could be controlled from a loom, and if a lady loosened a knot in the woof, she could liberate the leg of her hero. But if she tied a knot, she could stop the enemy from moving. The men may have fought on the battle field in sweat and blood, but in a spiritual way, their women took part, and for this reason that archaeologists find weaving tools and weapons side by side.

Many of the wands that have been excavated have a basket-like shape in the top, and they are very similar to distaffs used for spinning linen. One theory for the origin of the word seidr is "thread spun with a distaff", and according to this theory, practicing magic was to send out spiritual threads. Since the Norsemen believed that the Norns controlled people's fate by spinning, it is very likely that they considered individual fates to be controllable with the same method.

Some wands that have been excavated cannot be associated with distaffs, but instead appear to represent a phallus, and moreover the use of magic had close associations with sexuality in Old Norse society.

As early as 1902, an anonymous German scholar (he did not dare publish in his own name) wrote on how seidr was connected with sex. He argued that the wand was an obvious phallic symbol and why magic should otherwise be considered taboo for men. It was possible that the magic practices included sexual rites.

The vǫlur were known for their art of seduction, which was one of the reasons why they were considered dangerous. One of the stanzas in Hávamál warns against sexual intercourse with a woman who is skilled in magic, because the one who does so runs the risk of being caught in a magic bond and also risks getting ill. 

Freyja and perhaps some of the other goddesses of Norse mythology were seidr practitioners. 

Freyja is identified in Ynglinga saga as an adept of the mysteries of seidr. In the Ynglinga saga (c.1225), written by Icelandic poet Snorri Sturluson, it is stated that seidr had originally been a practice among the Vanir, but that Freyja, who was herself a member of the Vanir, had introduced it to the Aesir when she joined them.

It is said that it was she who taught it to Odin. Loki accuses Odin of practising seidr, condemning it as an unmanly art (ergi). A justification for this may be found in the Ynglinga saga, where Snorri opines that following the practice of seidr rendered the practitioner weak and helpless.

In modern times Seidr is interpreted differently by different groups and practitioners, but usually taken to indicate altered consciousness or even total loss of physical control. Diana L. Paxson and her group Hrafnar have attempted reconstructions of seidr (particularly the oracular form) from historical material. Jan Fries regards seidr as a form of "shamanic trembling", which he relates to "seething", used as a shamanic technique, the idea being his own and developed through experimentation. According to Blain, seidr is an intrinsic part of spiritual practice connecting practitioners to the wider cosmology in British Germanic Neopaganism.

Walpurgisnacht, the Second Halloween

“Walpurgis Night was when, according to the belief of millions of people, the devil was abroad—when the graves were opened and the dead came forth and walked. When all evil things of earth and air and water held revel.” ~ Bram Stoker, “Dracula’s Guest”

Walpurgis night, or as it’s often referred to in its German form, Walpurgisnacht is the eve of the feast day of Saint Walpurgis, a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. Walpurgis Night falls on April 30th and is a traditional holiday celebrated in northern Europe and Scandinavia. 

It may surprise you to know this festival has little to do with either Saint Walpurga or Christianity. The origins of this festival may be found in the period before the arrival of Christianity in northern Europe. 

Instead, it is a spring celebration with striking similarities to Halloween. Walpurgisnacht, falls exactly six months from All Hallow’s Eve, or Samhain.

As the festival falls during the period when spring arrived, the pagans conducted rituals to welcome spring and ensure the fertility of the land.

Many of the ancient cultures divided the year into just two seasons, summer and winter. The dividing line between the two seasons were Beltane and Samhain, with Beltane being one of eight solar Sabbats in the pagan calendar, its date based on the sun.

For some reason, Walpurgis Night is also associated with witches..

Picture: “Walpurgisnacht. Der Aufbruch der Hexen” (Walpurgis Night. The Departure of the Witches) (1878) by Luis Ricardo Falero.

Hexennacht – Witches Night

Many practitioners of the magickal arts believe that Walpurgis Night is a great time for powerful ritual spell work. It’s considered a day that equals Samhain; when the barrier between the worlds is thin and easily crossed. Witches and sorcerers were more powerful on this night than any other night except Samhain. 

In Britain, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, Beltane often begins at sunset on April 30 and continues through May day. 

Since the medieval era at least, it was believed that the night before Beltane equals Samhain; when the barrier between the worlds is thin and easily crossed. The night would be filled with ghosts of the dead, fairies, shapeshifters, lesser demons, and all sorts of feral magical beings, and in regards to Walpurgis, witches were at their most powerful.

Many practitioners of the magickal arts believe that Walpurgis Night is a great time for powerful ritual spell work.

"Witches, warlocks, and wizards gather for the Great Sabbath of the year. Some fly to the meeting places on their brooms or forks, others turn themselves into cats, goats, horses, and toads for the journey, some leave their bodies and attend the meeting in spirit, while others cover their bodies with a secret ointment to grow bat wings so they can fly to the gathering. In their place, they leave a vicarium daemonem, their demonic double. It doesn’t matter which method is used for traveling, as long as the meeting is honored by everyone’s presence.

They gather just before midnight at crossroads, mountain tops, and in forests, they light a roaring bonfire which they jump through and dance around, until their Horned God arrives in their middle and the true Night of the Witches begins!"

In German folklore it is said that witches from all over the land would gather for a great sabbath on top of the Brocken (also known as the Blocksberg), the highest peak of the Harz mountain range. Although not tall by Alpine standards, the peak stays very cold and is shrouded by mist and fog most of the time. The surrounding land is inhospitable with gnarly trees and strange moss-covered rock formations which have been given foreboding names such as Devil’s Pulpit or the Witch’s Altar. 

According to writings from the 16th and 17th century, witches were purported to hold a large gatherings on Walpurgis Night. This notion was first recorded during the 17th century in Johannes Präetorius’, The Blocksberg Performance, a tome about the history and geography of the mountain and the region. It was, however, during the 19th and 20th century that the witches’ sabbath on the Brocken became popular in art and literature, most notably in Goethe’s well-known play Faust.

Picture: Lewis Morrison as "Mephistopheles" in Faust! – "The Brocken". Poster for a theatrical performance of Goethe's play showing Mephistopheles conjuring supernatural creatures on the German mountain, the Brocken (or Blocksberg), which according to the tale is the scenery for the Walpurgis night, from 30 April to 1 May. 

Walpurgisnacht Traditions Around The World

Throughout Europe and the United States, Walpurgis Night is still celebrated. One common tradition seen everywhere is a bonfire. It was considered good luck to burn anything no longer useful on Walpurgisnacht fires. In many cultures, small scarecrow-looking dolls are made during the day and ritually imbued with all the back luck and ill will of the past year. They are then tossed on the Walpurgis bonfires that night along with worn-out, burnable household items.  Also, the arts of the cunning women, or wise women of the forest were especially potent during this time. Their magic often revolved around love, sexuality and fertility.

In Sweden, it seems as if the entire nation is ablaze to celebrate Valborg. Across the country, citizens gather around massive community bonfires to sing welcoming songs to Spring. As the night goes on, there will be drinking, dancing, and even fireworks. One old custom, though no longer popular, would send the children into the woods to collected branches of greenery to decorate the village houses.

In Finland, the holiday is called Vappu and people have picnics and drink homemade mead during the day, but can be seen running through the streets at night wearing masks, drinking, and screaming as loud as they can. The Finns borrow heavily from the Germanic tradition of celebrating witches. It’s one of the four biggest Finnish holidays and is the biggest carnival day of the year.

Germans often leave out a piece of bread spread with butter and honey called an Ankenschnitt. This offering is left outside to appease the phantom hounds and to order to protect people from bad weather or bad harvests. They also celebrate around great bonfires and some of the youth are known to play pranks similar to the “tricks” played at Halloween.

In Bavaria, Walpurgis Night is known as a Freinacht or Drudennacht. Young people roam the neighborhoods pulling mischievous pranks, such as wrapping cars or trees in toilet paper.

Estonia refers to the holiday as Volbriöö, and celebrates witches. It precedes Kevadpüha, the day which marks the arrival of spring. Volbriöö still sees carnivals, celebration and drinking, often with people dressed as traditional witches.

In the Czech Republic, Walpurgis Night is known as Pálení čarodějnic, which translates to the “burning of the witches” in English. Witches made of rags and straw are burned in bonfires amidst plenty of drinking. Whenever a burst of black smoke is emitted from the blaze, a cheer goes up as the witch is said to have flown away.

In America, most pagans gravitate toward celebrating Beltane as it has a broader meaning. There are still some covens who use Walpurgis Night for serious spell work or other magickal rites.

Also read:

• Krampusnacht will give you the Christmas of your nightmares

Witch museum opens in Cleveland!

A witchcraft museum has landed in Cleveland.

The Buckland Museum of Witchcraft and Magick has set up shop in a storefront in the city’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood.

As curious as the collection is — and there’s some pretty strange stuff, including a vessel supposedly containing some fur of Lil Bub, a magical cat from outer space — the tale of how it ended up in Northeast Ohio is just as extraordinary.

Much of the collection now on display was either curated or created by the late Raymond Buckland, aka Robat, a writer and historian of Wicca and the occult, and a high priest in the Gardnerian and Seax-Wica beliefs.

In the 1960s, Buckland worked for British Airlines, which gave him an opportunity to meet collector Gerald Gardner, who had an occult museum in England.

They struck up a friendship, and Buckland set off on his lifelong path of dabbling and practicing in the occult. He began amassing odd artifacts ranging from ancient Egypt to the Salem witch trials.

He began inviting visitors to view — for a small fee — the collection housed in the basement of his home on Long Island, N.Y.

As his reputation grew, so did the collection, and he eventually moved it to New Hampshire. It was displayed in Virginia for a brief stint and then New Orleans, before that museum closed for good and the collection vanished.

Steven Intermill, whose full-time gig a couple of years ago was making sure everything was running merrily at the “A Christmas Story” House and Museum in Cleveland, wondered one day what became of Buckland’s collection.

Intermill said he grew up on a steady diet of comic books and those old paperback books about oddities and strange happenings, and he remembered reading about Buckland’s museum.

After a little sleuthing, Intermill found Buckland’s then-email address — “raymondbuckland@hotmail.com” of all things — and reached out to inquire about the trove.

Much to his surprise, Buckland answered the email right away, saying that some items unfortunately had been sold off, but what remained of the collection was sitting in totes in the basement of a friend who lived in Columbus.

Intermill said he drove down Interstate 71 right away, offering to restore the collection and put it back out on public display in a space near the “A Christmas Story” house that was featured in the beloved movie.

Parts of the collection were unveiled in 2017, but Intermill said the space he had in Tremont was simply too cozy. He acquired the new digs at 2155 Broadview Road so more items can once again capture the curiosity of visitors. The new museum space will celebrate its grand opening at noon Saturday.

On a recent day, Kristina Pellegrini of Minneapolis wandered in with her sister, Moriah Pfotenhauer, whom she was helping to move from Chicago to Washington, D.C.

She said they were looking on Google for interesting places to visit along the way, and the Buckland Museum popped up.

She explained they are not followers of the occult but do collect crystals and spent a fair amount of time looking over those offered in the museum’s gift shop to see which ones “spoke” to them. Several did and they purchased them.

The sisters also forked over their $7 admission fee to hear Intermill weave the history of the collection and its curator, and even see a fork that supposedly twisted during a seance in New York.

“We wanted to make the drive memorable,” she said. “The collection was intense and even a bit scary. It was very different.”

Among the collection’s items is a sacrificial troll doll with human hair stuck in its back.

Buckland’s personal purple ceremonial robe holds court in the middle of the space not far from a predictable collection of tarot cards.

And tucked in a corner is a demon in a box.

The story goes that a magician friend of Buckland had a ritual go awry in the 1970s and unwittingly unleashed a demon in his New York City apartment. It took them three days to conjure up the right spell to lure the demon into the wooden box, where it has remained ever since.

Intermill, who readily admits he is not a personal practitioner of the occult, said he does have a healthy respect for the collection and each piece’s backstory.

One night, he said, he was sitting at the counter when a man barged through the front door, bolted into the museum without paying and started to try to open the Demon Box. Intermill said he told the crazed man that he was going to call the police.

“The guy told me he was driving by and something called out to him and said, ‘Hey, I’m trapped in here and I want to be friends,’ ” Intermill said. “It was just weird.”

Before Buckland died in September 2017, he visited Cleveland to look over the collection. Intermill asked Buckland about the Demon Box and what he should do with it.

“He told me to never open it,” Intermill said with a laugh. “OK. I never thought I’d end up being in charge of something like this.”

The Demon Box, wrapped in crude wire to keep it shut, has since been moved to a more secure display case that Intermill keeps a safe distance from those on tours.

The cool thing about this witchcraft collection, he explains, is the craft aspect to everything.

Each piece was handmade — most by Buckland himself, like the high priest ceremonial horned helmet. Buckland used things lying around the house and found at a hardware store, from the fur to the cow horn to the stainless-steel mixing bowl to the thimbles on top.

“Some see this as a witchcraft collection,” he said. “But I see this as an art collection. All this stuff was handmade.

“It was made with a passion and fury.”

ohio.com

Doctors explain how hiking actually changes our brains

While it may seem obvious that a good hike through a forest or up a mountain can cleanse your mind, body, and soul, science is now discovering that hiking can actually change your brain… for the better!

Hiking in nature can stop negative, obsessive thoughts

Aside from the almost instant feeling of calm and contentment that accompanies time outdoors, hiking in nature can reduce rumination. Many of us often find ourselves consumed by negative thoughts, which takes us out of the enjoyment of the moment at best and leads us down a path to depression and anxiety at worst. But a recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that spending time in nature decreases these obsessive, negative thoughts by a significant margin.

To conduct this study, researchers compared the reported rumination of participants who hiked through either an urban or a natural environment. They found those who walked for 90 minutes in a natural environment reported lower levels of rumination and they also had reduced neural activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain related to mental illness. Those who walked through the urban environment, however, did not report decreased rumination.

The researchers noted that increased urbanization closely correlates with increased instances of depression and other mental illness. Taking the time to regularly remove ourselves from urban settings and spend more time in nature can greatly benefit our psychological (and physical) well-being.

Hiking while disconnected from technology boosts creative problem solving

A study conducted by psychologists Ruth Ann Atchley and David L. Strayer found that creative problem solving can be drastically improved by both disconnecting from technology and reconnecting with nature. Participants in this study went backpacking through nature for about 4 days, during which time they were not allowed to use any technology whatsoever. They were asked to perform tasks which required creative thinking and complex problem solving, and researchers found that performance on problem solving tasks improved by 50% for those who took part in this tech-free hiking excursion.

The researchers of this study noted that both technology and urban noise are incredibly disruptive, constantly demanding our attention and preventing us from focusing, all of which can be taxing to our cognitive functions. A nice long hike, sans technology, can reduce mental fatigue, soothe the mind, and boost creative thinking.

Hiking outdoors can improve ADHD in children

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is becoming more and more common among children. Children who have ADHD have a difficult time with impulse control and staying focused, they get distracted easily, and exhibit excessive hyperactivity.

While raising children who have ADHD can be difficult for parents, the usual solution — opting for prescription medication — may be doing more harm than good, particularly when natural solutions can work just as well. A study conducted by Frances E Kup, PhD, and Andrea Faber Taylor, PhD, found that exposing children with ADHD to “green outdoor activities” reduces symptoms significantly. The results of this study suggest nature exposure can benefit anyone who has a difficult time paying attention and/or exhibits impulsive behavior.

Hiking in nature is great exercise and therefore boosts brainpower

We already know that exercising is fantastic for our overall well-being. Hiking is an excellent way to burn between 400 – 700 calories per hour, depending on your size and the hike difficulty, and it is easier on the joints than other activities like running. It has also been proven that people who exercise outside are more likely to keep at it and stick to their programs, making hiking an excellent choice for those wishing to become more active on a regular basis.

Researchers from the University of British Columbia found that aerobic exercise increases hippocampal volume — the part of the brain associated with spatial and episodic memory — in women over the age of 70. Such exercise not only improves memory loss, but helps prevent it as well. Researchers also found that it can also reduce stress and anxiety, boost self esteem, and release endorphins. Many people take medication to solve each and every one of these issues, but the solution to these ills may be a lot simpler than you think!

How can you begin to start hiking?

Luckily, hiking is one of the easiest and least expensive sports to get involved in, and it can have great benefits for the whole family, including grandma! Start out small and test your abilities. Do what works for you — if that means just walking through trails in a park, that’s fine. Any exercise outdoors is better than none. You can easily find maps of trails around your home online, and there are plenty of smartphone apps to map them out, too. I recommend turning off your signal and your phone while hiking though, so you can reap the most benefits of the hike (though it may be wise to at least carry it with you in case of emergency).

Make sure you have some good sturdy hiking shoes, a hat, and a water bottle, and be sure to layer your clothing so you can take things on or off easily as you warm up and cool down. You may want to consider using trekking poles as well, which can increase your speed and take some of the pressure off your knees. Now, can you just do one thing for me?

Go take a hike!

Also read:

• Shinrin-Yoku: Forest Bathing Therapy
• Where Do You Find Your “Waldeinsamkeit”?
• Silence is much more important to our brains than we think