Old Growth Tree people are bridges between heaven and Earth. They are here to use their rich imaginations and unique ability to see the wider plan to shape the direction of the planet. People who hold this archetype are grounded in both Earth and the upper realms. Often seen as sacred messengers or bridges between the worlds, Old Growth People are guided by their dreams— and yet they aren’t just dreamers, Old Growth people are here to make their visions become manifest. Old Growth Trees have deep roots, but also grow tall; if you hold this archetype you will have the oracular ability to see far, but also know how to actually land your dreams here on Earth. As an Old Growth person you are here to follow your innate visionary nature to help plan (and plant the seeds) for a healed world.

Old Growth Tree people have an innately strong hun spirit. In Chinese medicine the hun is the spirit responsible for anchoring our vision, dreams and imagination— they take the pure energy of qi and translate it into matter and form. The hun are seen as messengers who fly between heaven and earth, learning how to work with the energy of pure possibility to make dreams become manifest. The hun, which is associated with the wood element and the third eye, is responsible for peaceful sleep, emotional balance, and our ability to make clear decisions. When we have a strong hun we can see the bigger picture and make long-term plans for our lives.

Gifts

Old Growth Trees are here to bring deeply grounded benevolence and wisdom to the Earth. They have the ability to tap into ancient knowledge systems, see connections between ideas, and ground philosophical concepts in a way people can understand. Old Growth Tree people are strong dreamers and strong conceptual thinkers. If you hold this archetype then you are here to be someone who can dream for the Earth— and make those dreams a reality. Because you have the oracular ability to see far and actually translate your visions, you have the potential to leave a legacy of meaning-making and philosophy for humanity to follow far into the future.

People who have this archetype make natural teachers, scholars, writers, philosophers, poets, and thought leaders. If you are an Old Growth Archetype you are here to be nourished by your own imagination and let your dreams guide you to build something that is both sustainable and truly visionary here on the planet.

Challenges

Old Growth people are meant to be balanced in both Earth and the Other worlds, so they might feel at times as though they are seesawing between the realms— vacillating between being lost in a daydream and overly focused on the details of their goals. Old Growth people have a naturally giving energy, and yet their role in this lifetime is not to be a caretaker. Because they have access to such ample, grounded energy, they can get sidelined in supporting other people’s healing or visions at the cost of their own. Old Growth people are particularly vulnerable to feelings of guilt and self-judgement. When they get overwhelmed by emotional commitments or stress, they can lose their ability to see the forest for the trees. Old Growth people are here to learn how to be responsible to their own visions and allow the sap of their inspirations to move through them at its own pace. Letting themselves be nourished by their own creativity, before they share their ideas with the world, will be a lifelong practice for them. When Old Growth people allow themselves to be the dreamers that they are, their visions and manifestations have the potential to change the world.

Guided Activity: Planting Idea Seeds

Old Growth People are natural dreamers— making time for peaceful sleep, dreamwork and daydreaming is incredibly important for the health and wellbeing of those who hold this archetype. This exercise harnesses your innate ability to dream as a way to tune into your gifts.

1. Turn off your phone and all electric lights at least an hour before you go to sleep. Gather a candle, notebook and pen. When you are ready, snuggle into bed and place a candle on your bedside.

2. Settle into a comfortable position and, if it feels good to do so, close your eyes. Bring your attention to the center of your being— your heartwood. Staying connected to your center, take ten deep breaths. Every time you inhale imagine that you are expanding, adding a ring onto your heartwood. Every time you exhale, visualize sending roots deep into the ground, through layers of soil and earth, until you hit the bedrock.

3. Now that you are grounded, bring your attention to your third eye in the middle of your forehead. Imagine that there is a small disc there and spin it clockwise. While you feel the energy moving, bring your awareness to the top of your head and visualize your branches reaching out into the sky above, beyond the clouds and to the stars.

4. Anchored both below and above, clear your mind now and see what visions arise. Your ideas never go far, they are always waiting for quiet spaces in which to return. Sitting in the perspective of the observer, be curious which visions or ideas float to the surface. Are they new, or old? Are these ideas you’ve acted on yet, or those that are still in the dreamtime? Watch them come and go like the clouds.

5. When you are ready, open your eyes and take up your pen and paper. Write down a question you would like to be answered in your dreams tonight. The question could be about a specific project or idea, or could be a more general question about the nature of your gifts.

6. Place the paper and pen by your bedside and blow out your candle. When you awake later that night or in the morning, write down whatever you remember from your dreamtime. Don’t disparage any detail, no matter how small. Even if all you wake up with is a feeling, write it down. Let yourself rest in bed, feeling connected to your dreams, as long as you can.

7. Later in the day, dedicate at least 30 minutes for some active daydreaming time to ruminate on what you might have received. Go for a walk, knit, or lay outside; whatever helps you tune in to the mythic part of your mind. See if your daydreaming brings more clarity and know that the seeds you planted through this dream will come to fruition.