The Teachings of Oak

The Sacred Word

One of the Four Agreements (Don Miguel Ruiz) is The Word Is Sacred, but what does this really mean?

For me, this goes deep into my core patterns and programs. One of these is a pleasing pattern: a way I try to avoid conflict and getting into trouble. I don’t need to share the whole truth or share the facts as they are, because what if it causes me difficulty? This is also a pattern of codependency and the nice guy syndrome.

The next layer that has been showing up in my life is making promises that I haven’t been able to keep. ‘I will do it tomorrow.’

The energy from which these promises are made is usually fear of not being good enough, and it leads me into a situation where I break my sacred word and the fear becomes truth. I broke my word, so now I’m not good enough.

The continuation of breaking the sacred word eventually leads to trust issues with both myself and the people around me.

All agreements are sacred. This is where the saying ‘A man is only as much as his word’ comes from.

Do what you say, and say as you do.

Around Winter Solstice, I took a little branch of our beautiful garden Oak, and I made a deal.
If I were to take a little branch of this Majestic tree and make a Sacred Pipe from it, in return I was going to do an Oak dieta to connect deeper with the energy of Oak and become allies.

I went ahead and took a branch big enough for two pipes, and made some offerings.

In that moment, I went into an agreement with the Oak. Three months later, while on a Sacred Mushroom journey, I went over to the Oak and the energy felt strong – a sense that the Oak was not happy with me. I hadn’t kept my end of the deal, and the words that came were “You start your dieta now.”

I looked in my calendar for a good opportunity to start and I put a pin on it for a month-long plant immersion. This has now built a deep relationship, and as an apprentice of Oak, I’m still receiving many teachings.

How do you speak to yourself?

The words and language we use are so sacred that they cross the borders between humans, plants and spirits. They are a reflection of how you speak to yourself.

What environment are you creating within? Is it built on empty promises and commitments? How are your judgements and self-talk showing up in your life? How are they affecting the people around you?

The first steps come from within. Doing the work here is making an effort to create a healthy environment and ecosystem within, and not just on the external projection and creation of our life.

Practice

Start spending some time observing your use of language and the promises you make.
Reflect on this daily and see if you are able to keep up with your word or if you consistently put yourself in a situation where you break your promises.

Less is More

When I first started, I had no idea of how much to eat, how many leaves to put in my tea or how to proceed. I tried to find some resources online, without much luck. The first couple of days, I used about 4-5 leaves in a cup of tea. I ended up with painful stomach cramps because of the high tannin content in the leaves. This was the next teaching from Oak, ‘Less is More.’

One leaf is enough, and for the rest of my journey, I was on an average of one leaf a day.

Sacred Fire with Master Oak

One of the traditional reasons for doing a dieta in the Amazon is to get closer to the Spirit of a plant, to build connection and to become allies in Sacred work. During the dieta, I finished my Sacred Pipe and received a teaching on how to use Sacred Mapacho, black jungle tobacco, in Ceremonial context. I could feel the essence of Oak as I was using the pipe and the strength of my new teacher.

Throughout this month, I learned a lot. I deepened my connection with Oak through working as a Firekeeper and mainly using Oak logs and branches. I decorated my alters with Oak leaves and used Oak tincture regularly in my Ceremonies.

When I care for a Sacred Fire, I’m really conscious of which energies and qualities I’m calling in to the Fire. One of the ways I do this is through the use of the wood I choose to burn.

A few months ago during a storm, many Oaks fell near where we live and the neighbours were out harvesting the wood. We were with a client at the time so I couldn’t do much harvesting. After my dieta, we received a lot of wood as a gift from our old neighbour as he was moving house. I’m excited to work with the wood of Oak in many more Sacred Fires, and in my hobby as a woodworker.

I am Sovereign

If you have any experience with Oak and Celtic Druidry, you may have heard about the Sovereign energies of Oak. I could really feel this on the Oak dieta and slowly learned the ways of Oak. I’m the king of my own life. I make my own choices. I choose my habits and patterns. I don’t need to watch movies, scroll the internet or eat unhealthy foods. Now, I choose a morning practice and supportive habits.