Always standing guard back there.
Every season: tall, full of needles & the skittering of squirrels who run their circles up & down the trunks, gossiping.
Pine.
The ones pictured here, that I am reminiscing on, are Pinus echinata, specifically. But any pine, I am certain, will bear these exact same if not very similar qualities.
Though they are evergreen, pine has its seasons, too.
In spring: Everything… everything covered in a thick, resinous yellow. Leave the windows open & the windowsills will be thick with it. Pine pollen. On a still day, you can see it hanging in the air. People think they’re allergic to it. But they aren’t, there’s nothing allergenic about pine pollen, its the oak you need to be on guard for.
In summer: A hummingbird had made its nest in one of my yellow pines, very high up, so high I could not see. Every summer though this hummingbird returned, feasted on some nectar from the garden, & then darted straight back for those fringy branches to nap for a nanosecond before growing hungry again.
In autumn: The caw of a crow up on one of the top-most branches, the one closest to the moon. And the mulberries who lose their leaves & the mallow which dies back & the dogwood with its tightly closed clusters of cymes. It is only the pine which glistens with rain, catching the sun in its evergreen leaves, long thin sharp leaves which we call needles.
In winter: Bring a branch inside to remind you of the sun, of the green that is yet to come, of the hummingbird that will return to it again. Gather some in your pocket to simmer on the stovetop for a medicinal decoction. Admire their leaves covered in ice after the rain storm that froze over, crystallizing the needles in structured water.
𓄥
One can drink the aromatic, citrus-like needles of pine trees.
Rich in vitamin C, they act as gently warming, circulatory stimulants which help to keep our bodies warm & spirits bright. Like all trees in the Pineaceae (the Pine family), pine has an affinity for the lungs: helping to thin mucous & clear-up coughs, especially wet & boggy coughs. Pine purifies the lungs (the forest of our bodies), & helps us to clear out, bring balance, & restore tone to this area of our bodies.
Pine is also a fantastic guide, protector, & guardian, not only in the forest, but for our spirits as well. It brings stability, center, & balance in thought & in action.
And oh, the resin of pine. If you find it: only take the smallest amount. Maybe the size of a nickel or a dime.
It is the tree’s natural bandage. And it can be burned in one’s home to fill the room with pine scent & the scent of liquid sunshine. It can be turned into an infused oil, & placed upon wounds & scrapes of our own that need healing.
But let it sit long enough & you know what it becomes? Amber. Amber comes from this resin, from the succinum of the pine.
𓄥
My friend Suzanne taught me that in Scotland, pine was called the “Dreaming Tree,” & those who wanted to see visions of their future partner needed only to place some needles under their pillow & fall asleep.
Suzanne makes a fantastic tisane with Eastern white pine (rowan, hibiscus, & rose hips, too) called Space Travel. If you ask her, I am sure she would make some for you. And maybe you’ll sip it. And maybe you’ll see the cheek of your lover in the future, or maybe you’ll notice the space that has grown between you & your partner & how to remedy it, or maybe you will dream of kisses.
𓄥
Horoscopic Reading
Poems & tidbits divined for each of the signs on the New Moon at 20° Aquarius. Read for your rising, sun, & moon sign if you wish. See what lines, symbols, or images ring a bell in you. Take them with you throughout the lunar month.
Aquarius: “The Hanging Garden” by Les Murray
Wear primary colors for twelve days straight (more heavy on the blue & red). Stretch in a reverse pigeon pose at the end of each day, imagining that you are a bat or a raindrop or the sprout of a rooted flower. Whatever you have brewing right now— share it with none other. Hedera helix perfume, like this one.
𓄥
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Moon Drops to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.