It is said that the home of a shaman can always be known, by the presence within it of the invisible Tree of Life, and it is indeed inside that Tree that the house itself is situated. This Tree of Life shelters and encompasses the home, like a cathedral dome.

It is also said that mages and wizards create such trees themselves, in order to shield their homes from unbeneficial influences, as if by enveloping them in a protective cloak, and also so that they might use the roots and branches of their Tree to penetrate into other worlds…

The Tree personifies the earth’s connection to the cosmos. It grows roots into the depths of the earth, while its branches reach out to the sky – thereby linking the earth, the heavens and the subterranean realms. In virtually every culture, the Tree is recognized either as a symbol of life or as a symbol of the Universal Axis. The Tree’s trunk is regarded as the central axis around which revolves the universe…

 Your own personal central axis is your spinal column. Observe and watch for its movement, sensing its action, noting the unfolding and spiralling outward of your inner energy as it infuses your personal domain, your inner and outer sphere, filling you with strength. This is an ancient, most ancient secret, as old as the trees themselves…

A certain celebrated Native American sage used to say, that he can always see the ancient Tree, because it is always with him… right on his head. “Note the headband worn around the head. It is a sacred garment, because it represents a closed circle, the symbol of infinity. Thanks to this band of cloth, all the energies of a man are mobilized and combined into a single force, and this continues unto infinity. And from the center of this sacred circle rises up the sacred tree.”