Every year I have had a Christmas tree—the holiday season simply would not feel complete without one. When I was old enough to drive I took over the job of choosing from my father who simply did not enjoy the task as I did. To find it I would walk the tree lots for as long as it took. Getting cold did not matter, getting the “right and perfect” tree, did.

I was famous in my family for bringing home the largest tree our budget could buy. We still talk about the year that my youngest sister Claudine and I found the perfect tree for middle sister, Francine. Not only was it really tall it was the most gloriously full tree we had ever seen, and by some miracle it was only $20!

When we surprised Francine with it we discovered that I needed to saw about two feet off the base in order to fit it in, and when the tree was finally upright it filled half the living room! The tree was so large that it turned out that there were not enough ornaments to fully decorate it. My sisters and I still speak of that Christmas tree with awe.

In years since there often has not been room for a full-sized floor tree in my home, so I have enjoyed decorating a table-top size. There are often less choices than with a full-size tree, but the ritual of choosing has still taken time.

Until this year—with the help of a friend, I discovered the perfect method.

Let me back up a little. In the past few years, as my awareness of energy and my shamanic relationship with the Stone People, Plant People and Animal People has evolved, I have been approaching the choosing of the tree differently.

Last year I asked each tree if it wanted to go home with me, but was not getting clear guidance. After a while I wondered what I was doing wrong, and discovered that I had been asking the wrong question. They all wanted to go home with me! So I changed the question and immediately discovered the perfect match. And it was a match based on energy rather than visuals (although it was a lovely tree), which seemed to make a difference.

This year I again went tree hunting with Debbie, the same friend who had witnessed last year’s a-ha! moment, and the most amazing thing happened. I rounded the corner and instantly felt the energy of the tree that was waiting for me in my heart. The feeling was so strong that I actually rushed forward and hugged it, and it hugged me back! If it had been one of those sappy commercials we both would have been running, arms outstretched toward each other, through a field of flowers.

With a huge grin on my face I turned to Debbie who then informed me that she had sent Reiki ahead to the situation so that I would know which tree was exactly the right match. As I basked in the glow of my newly found friend, I idly wondered how popular Reiki might become if this technique were used for dating. Can you imagine walking into a party and immediately knowing Mr. or Ms. Right or Wrong?

But I don’t think that it was the Reiki alone that made the heightened awareness possible. Credit also belongs to Windwalker and the other animals of Earthfire Institute, and the ceremonies that we shared. This year’s A Walk on the Wild Side: Answering the Call of the Wild opened my heart in ways I have never experienced before, and my intuition and ability to walk between worlds has increased as well.

Still grinning like the Cheshire cat, my tree and I made our way back home. As I explored this new way of relating to a cut tree I learned that the spirit of the tree was very happy to be chosen.

I have always blessed my Christmas trees with Reiki (it helps them last longer), but this year my newfound way of relating caused me to send Reiki to the time of my tree’s gathering, not out of sadness, for it was not sad. Rather, the desire came from wanting to honor and respect the tree and its giving nature; the spirit of the tree was happy to be with me and share joy with me, and I wanted to reciprocate.

I discussed this with the tree, and also offered to build a Reiki Bridge of Light for its spirit when it was ready to go, and it accepted.

And so, adorned with twinkling lights, rustic wooden and sparkling glass ornaments, my beautiful Christmas tree sits on my desk in the window overlooking the street where all can see and share in its joy. Every time I look at it I smile and it sends love back to me. O Reiki Tree, how wonderful you are to me!

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A WILD WAY TO HEAL
Rose De Dan, Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing LLC, is an animal communicator, Reiki Master Teacher, shamanic energy healer, and author. Her classes, sessions and ceremonial work are inspired by wild and domestic animals who have issued a call to action for personal and global healing.

Her book Tails of a Healer: Animals, Reiki and Shamanism features heartwarming stories about animals and their role in her evolution as an energy worker and shamanic healer.