The forest since ancient times has been considered a sacred land, the best place for human contemplation. The human being is attracted by the beauty of nature, and this can also be seen in jewelry. The most creative jewelry has been inspired by the secrets and spiritual symbolism of forests. Today at Planderful we will tell you why forests are so special, and why you should wear jewelry inspired by this natural landscape.
The spiritual symbolism of forests
People who read stories assiduously, will know that the forest is a predominant element in them, even essential. And this is so because of cultural-religious influence, it is the faith that we all carry inside and above all that, depending on our culture and place of birth, they try to inculcate in us. The forest transmits to us, almost without our realizing it, mystical elements that will never disappear from our mental images.
A clear example of this is the importance of the forest in the religious initiates or enlightened ones that mark our paths. Such is the case of Buddha or Krishna in their long meditations and reflections choose the forest as a retreat; the garden of Gethsemane, or the Garden of Olives, where Jesus of Nazareth withdrew to receive divine inspiration is still a natural space that could be called a forest without fear of being mistaken. It is also noteworthy, as some Christian sources argue, that John the Baptist needed long retreats in a deep forest to meditate on the future coming of the Messiah.
Mysticism and fantasy tales
Returning to the tales we all know, let us remember “Snow White” and her retreat to the forest after the queen's order that dictated her death. Beyond the literal fact of taking refuge in a lush and safe place, such as a forest, a mystical background is offered to the reader who wants to open his senses. A separate subject would be the classic tales and their messages for the initiated, although sometimes it is difficult to find them among the tangle of morals and/or basic moralities.
In “Cinderella” by the Brothers Grimm, she plants a hazel tree after the death of her mother and she waters it three times a day, symbolizing the three trials that every initiate must pass, until with patience it bears fruit and the tree blossoms. There she goes to pray three times a day, and soon a white bird will appear and, in the magical night, gives her a dress and beautiful shoes with which she goes to the dance. The mother's soul lives in the hazel tree and manifests itself in the bird (white symbolizes purity), in that beautiful harmony of nature. Everything translates into patience and perseverance, leaving aside pain and sadness for the situation with her stepmother. It is the triumph of the "fruits that make you wait".
For the Celts, trees and forests were sacred. No one can forget the councils, in the depths of the forest, of their druids that we still love so much in our days. The Celtic culture, above all, feels especially magical to Hazel, the tree that is of vital importance in these tales.
The symbolism of the forest, and all its implicit mysticism, is maintained in the stories and in such popular elements as the Christmas tree. At only 150 years old, it may be surprising how recent this tradition is. These legends also come from the Central European Protestants, from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and then spread throughout Europe. In Catholic countries it was usual to represent the birth of Christ with figures that were called, as nowadays, "crib".
Another example of the forest is collected by J.R.R.Tolkien in his mythological compendium that comprise his works, in the best known, "The Lord of the Rings", the forest is seen as something where things happen out of the ordinary and where its inhabitants, the trees, come to life and are brought to life. The trees come to life and gather in councils, symbolizing the wisdom reflected in the passing of the centuries and their acquired experience. Misnamed fantastic literature, Tolkien's work shelters its most sacred and versed characters. The elves in the forests demonstrate, once again, the full harmony of nature and the initiate.
We could also add that for the literati the forest is a place of refuge and above all an obligatory passage for wanderers in search of something important, transcendent and sometimes sacred. We could find the key in the legends of the Arthurian cycle that present us with a Perceval or Parsifal in search of the Grail traveling through magical forests.
Trees and wisdom
The secret message of the forest is best understood through the trees. For Buddhists, the tree symbolizes the supreme degree of wisdom. This wisdom serves to deliver the soul from the dangers of the world, and thus brings the salvation for which the human soul longs. The Jews have in the tree of life one of the secrets of the Kabbalah: it is from a cosmological concept a map of the divine creation. From here arises alchemy, a science that longed for the elixir of life and develops with the scheme of the tree very present.
During the period of primitive humans, trees and the forest were magical, with an infinity of mysteries. Let's think that at that time, human thought and knowledge was based on the senses, and a whole nature still to be explored. Surely now we understand their experiences with the forest and the meaning they gave to it.
Ultimately, the forest is the source of sacred knowledge. Humans find themselves, free themselves from the bonds of the environment, only in communion with nature do we learn the language of the soul. Now that you know a little more about the magic of forests, feel free to visit the Planderful website to discover the forest-inspired jewelry we have for you.
