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Norway Spruce (Picea abies)
Norway spruce is a mountain tree of highland Europe, growing from the Balkans to Scandinavia. Before the last Ice Age the tree grew in Britain but disappeared until it was reintroduced in the early years of the 16th century.
The young trees are familiar to us as the Christmas tree, but left to mature it can become a large timber tree up to 130ft (40m) living for about two hundred years. The leaves are bright green needles growing on all sides of the shoots. The fruit are large cones, hanging down like cigars, with rounded scales. Upper branches sweep upwards whilst the lower branches are either level or descending, both in graceful sweeps. During the 18th century Norway spruce was widely planted as a major forestry tree, but these days it is mainly limited to frosty or exposed sites where Sitka spruce does not do so well. Spruce is used for building timbers and makes good paper pulp. The resin can be made into turpentine and pitch, while the young shoots and leaves make a tea rich in vitamin C.
The Essence:
Keywords: “Trust”; understanding change; lightness; open to experience; seeing clearly; axis; beacon.
Change is the one fundamental quality of life. It is the one constant in the universe of energy. Understanding this allows change to happen, and along with it comes transformation and purification. Letting go and knowing that you will fall into something more interesting is the essence of Norway spruce. The acceptance that everything that happens is the potential for new beginnings helps us to focus on what we have rather than what we may lose.
The Triple Warmer meridian is particularly stimulated. This allows a flow of protecting energy to circulate through the main organs of the body. The reduction of fear and tension eases internal communication and so reduces wear and tear, as well as stress, on the physical body. There is an increased sense of hope and lightness and the feeling that it is possible to be much more self-sustaining.
With this tree energy comes delight in exploring new avenues. There is a sense of ease, a natural happiness and an ability to share at the level of the feelings and the senses. This change is focused on the activity of the sacral chakra. When unbalanced or over-energised, this energy centre can create a hedonism or profound selfishness, but with Norway spruce it is possible to remain true to one’s own feelings without insisting that your point of view is the only right way to live. There is confidence to acknowledge personal experience without denigrating other’s feelings. So there is a balance in the feelings – they are not given too much priority (hedonism) nor is there a suppression of emotional energy (puritanism) .
The Etheric body, so important to the integrity of the body as a whole, is helped to remove the problems caused by aggressive emotional patterns. Fragmented parts of the self are unified in self-healing.
The mind becomes clearer and it is easier to communicate information. At the finest spiritual level comes the ability to access deep intuitive flows of inspirational knowing. Possibly even the communication of profound teachings.
Norway spruce helps us to experience the nature of universal energy, and learning from this we are able to transmit it to others.
Signature:
Despite living in harsh conditions the tree is graceful and relaxed. The Christmas tree: a symbol of new starts, regeneration, transformation.