lorilanefox 's review for:

To Speak for the Trees: My Life's Journey from Ancient Celtic Wisdom to a Healing Vision of the Forest by Diana Beresford-Kroeger

5.0

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I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, To Speak for the Trees: My Life’s Journey from Ancient Celtic Wisdom to a Healing Vision of the Forest by Diana Beresford-Kroeger. After finishing it, I wasn’t disappointed, but I was saddened by the references to the Druid’s lost medicinal formulas and uses of trees. The Penal Years under British rule and their occupation of Ireland destroyed much of Druid culture and knowledge. However, the author, who was schooled as a young girl in the remaining knowledge of the Druid’s Brehon Laws in western Ireland, has combined what she was taught there with her study of trees as a 21st century botanist to create a compelling book of Celtic wisdom. The book includes discussions of forest bathing and a short but detailed chapter on each of the 20 trees of the Celtic Ogham alphabet. Anyone with an interest in Druids, Celts, and Ogham will find the book well-written and interesting. Furthermore, the author believes that if each person alive today were to plant a total of six trees over the course of six years, we could halt the progress of global warming long enough to find a solution to save our planet. She explains her reasoning, and I for one am determined to plant more than my share of trees. 5 stars.