Tree Wisdom - Maple

Re-blogged from

A Journey with Art, Nature & Spirit

A Life Evolution

Tree Wisdom – Maple

by Kate Zamarchi - Artist/Naturalist in Clean Air, Clean Food, Energy, Nature, Shamanism, Spirituality, Trees

Through the ages, trees have been considered sacred and magical. An almost universal symbol – the tree of life has roots reaching the waters of the underworld and branches reaching to the heavens. Going back to a time when trees were thought to be the home of the gods and goddesses, the rustling of the leaves were messages from other worlds.   Trees not only have mythology, legend, superstition, and spiritual meaning, but they have many uses…a true gift from Mother Earth………

The first settlers to America were introduced to the sweetness of the Maple by the Native Americans who captured the dripping sap in birch bark containers. There are more than 100 species of maples throughout the northern temperate regions of the world. Many maples have sugar-rich sap, but it is the sugar maple that is by far the sweetest. The Sugar Maple is the state tree in New York, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Vermont growing up to 60 – 100ft high.  The Red Maple is the state tree for Rhode Island, growing just under 100 feet. Most folks know the maple for the sweet syrup and beautiful fall colors, but the Maple offers so much more…

I have four mature Norway Maples in my back yard and a Japanese Red Maple in my front yard.  When I first moved here, I found myself gathering many many MANY yard debris bags full of leaves in the fall then transported them to the city recycle center.  Two years ago I purchased a mulcher.  Since then I have mulched all the leaves and used them in my flower beds and under the bushes. I saved money on purchasing mulch, gave the earth some wonderful nutrient filled organic material and saved the gas. This spring I found a beautiful red squirrel munching away on a maple seed.  It made me wonder more about what the maple gave to us.

The Maple: Culture, Myth and Symbol:

Symbolically the maple stands for positive thinking, balance, promise and practicality. "People resonating with the Maple are quiet with a gentle generosity and enjoy being of service to their families."

In the Celtic Horoscope those born between April 11th – 20th and October 14th – 23rd are the sign of the Maple Tree. "Liberty and generosity are the premise for the maple-tree-born and they are true individualists." read more…

The herb of Jupiter, Maples are the Air element and brings expansive, happy energy to all situations. Sugar Maples are said to bring love and prosperity by using the leaves in love spells or to create financial abundance.

The branches of the maple are used for magic wands.

Native Americans say the Maple loves attention and love from the human.

I found some beautiful stories of the Maple online:

How Maple-Sugar Came (Native American/Salteaux)

Mishosha or The Enchante4d Sugar-Maple (Native American/Chippewa)

Gluskabe Changes Maple Syrup (Native American/Abenaki)

Charm of a Maple Wood Flute (Moldavian Folk Tale)

A Swiss folktale tells us that a number of dwarfs would sit on the branch of a Maple tree watching the haymaking. One night someone with nothing to do cut through the branch making it dangerous to sit upon. When the dwarves came to sit on the branch the next day they fell to the floor. The people laughed at them and the dwarves never returned to the place.

Planting a branch of the Maple tree in a house was said to ensure that bats will not enter.

Passing a young child through the branches of a maple tree is traditionally thought to encourage good health and a long life for the child.

Functional Uses: 

Maples are important as source of wood.  The dried wood is often used for the smoking of food. It has a fine grain making it suitable for inlays, cups, bowls, and wooden boxes.  It is also excellent for furniture and house building.  Violin cases are very often made with Maple.  The knotted roots are wonderful for fine cabinet work.

Maple is a hard wood making it good for fuel and a fine charcoal.

The bark of the red maple when added to alum mordanted wool gives an olive color.  Added to wool with copperas it gives a gray color.  The inner bark when mixed with sulphate of lead makes a black dye.

Natural Healing and Edibility 

Maple Trees will provide year around food guaranteed.

Maple Flowers: In spring when the maple flowers are out – trim off some of the flowers and add them to a salad.

Maple Leaves:   Leaves are collected in April or May and dried then brewed into a tea. Simmered in a tea, they can clean the liver and spleen.  The young leaves can be simmered into massage oils.  A decoction of the leaves can be used as a poultice for boils.  The young spring leaves also provide a healthy addition to fresh salads.  Do you get those little maple sprouts all over the lawn?  These too can be picked and added to a salad.

Maple Seeds: Collect winged seeds before fully ripe – usually June through September. Using your thumbnail squeeze out the pod (looks like a pea/bean). They can be eaten raw or in a salad.  Or you can boil the pods for about 15 minutes or until soft. Season with butter, salt and pepper.  It will taste like a cross between peas and hominy.  There is a rule…small and sweet, big and bitter.  So the smaller they are the sweeter they will be.  These seeds can also be roasted on a cookie sheet sprinkled with salt – bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.  Can also use the sun as a dehydrator till they are crunchy.  They can then be pounded or ground into a flour.

Maple Bark: In the Native American tradition, use of the Silver Maple bark to make a remedy for sore eyes, gynecological problems and cramps. It can also be used to cure coughs.

Maple sap: We all are familiar with tapping the maple for sap and then boiling it down to make maple syrup. "Pure maple syrup is precious because it contains balanced sugars, minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium and manganese, vitamins A, B2, B5 and B6, folic acid, niacin, biotin and also proteins."

In Scotland there is a Maple called "Planetree Maple" that is tapped spring to autumn to make a kind of wine.  We are gifted from Mother Earth with the strength and balance of the maple trees.

The maples on the piece of mother earth that I tend to bring a beautiful energetic presence…their grace, strength beauty…the way the sunlight shines through the leaves, the coolness of the shade they provide….the perch for the birds, squirrels and chipmunks that come to visit…and now I will benefit from eating it's seeds for nourishment!

Resources:

Flower and Tree Magic, Richard Webster. Copyright 2008- Llewellyn

Trees & Shrubs of Northern New England. Copyright 1975-Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.

Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants, Bradford Angier. Copyright 2008 – Stackpole Books.

The Meaning of Trees, Fred Hageneder. Copyright 2005-Duncan Baird

Tree Medicine Tree Magic, Ellen Evert Hopman. Copyright 1991 Pheonix Publishing