Amanda Frayer artisan // illustrator // designer

The beech tree is known as the “mother of the woods,” queen to the king oak. In fact, they belong to the same family as oaks, Fagaceae.

Beech trees have a mystical legacy. Along with oak, they were included in the sacred grove of Dodona at the temple of Zeus in Greece. Druids practiced their rituals in beech groves when oaks weren’t available. Also, forked beech branches are sometimes used as dowsing rods, and beechnuts are used as amulets.

It’s not uncommon to see a beech tree dressed in last year’s crisp, dead leaves. For this reason the beech tree is associated with cycles, change, passing generations, rebirth and transformation.

Its leaves drip something that kills weeds and makes the soil rich. This helps other deciduous trees thrive, though its not good for grass or evergreens growing beneath it. That’s probably why beech trees have the reputation for selfish ambition, the ambition of a forest queen who “bears no rival near the throne.”

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Believed to bring the wearer: patience, companionship, mental balance, second sight, stability, wisdom

Other associations: rebirth, transformation, aiding energy flow, manifesting intentions in the physical world, cleansing

Spirit animals: bluebird, deer, fox, wild turkey