East Bay Slimes

ANCIENT OAK //

✋Leca pebble x soft pulpy jelly
👃Roasted acorns, vanilla custard, oak leaves, moss, spiced plum
➕acorn, mushroom, leaves, flowers, moss crumbles

The oak tree is revered in many cultures as a symbol of strength and wisdom, as they live long lives (centuries!), boast sturdy wood, belong to a lineage of trees thought to be over 85 million years old, and play an important role in keeping balance in their environments. In Celtic folklore, they are a gateway to the Otherworld, where spirits, ancestors, and gods live. Tall and imposing, they are a prime target for lightning strikes, connecting them with Taranis, the Celtic god of thunder, as they withstand nature’s blows.

Druids, spiritual leaders in ancient Celtic communities, performed rituals and called upon spirits and faeries under oaks, and used their wood and leaves in sacred tools, talismans, altars, and fires – in magic as well as healing remedies (for example, the bark of the oak was a good astringent and used to treat wounds, diarrhea, and inflammation). The acorn, the seed of the oak tree, was powerful when used in rituals for fertility, protection, and growth and continues to be used to this day by modern pagans. Because of oak trees’ importance, they could not be felled without a specific ritual that would prevent harm to the natural order of things and ensure that the energy of the oak would live on in some other form, be it through the planting of another oak or through the use of the oak wood for sacred purposes.

In some neopagan traditions, oaks are personified by the Oak King, who is defeated by the Holly King each winter solstice, shedding his leaves as summer yields to winter, and then reborn during the summer solstice as the seasons change. Modern neopagans honor the oak during Beltane and Midsummer festivals, times of renewal and abundance, and oak saplings may be planted or crowns of oak leaves worn.

During the winter months, oak trees are dormant; leaves absent, branches bare, they rest while roots deepen and gather nutrients for spring’s awakening. They are a reminder that after the darkness of winter, the promise of light and renewal is inevitable; the cycle always continues.