Reiki and Trees
Giving Reiki to the trees, even when they are healthy and green, can help keep them healthy and happy all year long.
Reiki and the Neighborhood Pine Tree
Years ago, an old pine tree stood not far from our house. Our neighbor, a little girl, used to spend many quiet afternoons sitting under that tree. Often, I saw her looking at the tree with love, as if the tree was a grandfather she respected and looked up to for solace. For years, she shared a quiet relationship with the old pine. Then she and her family moved away. The pine stood steadfast and, often, I sent it Reiki from my window. I watched as the energy around the tree changed and expanded whenever I gave it Reiki.
Because it was such a tall tree, it never went unnoticed by other neighbors passing by. Indeed, the tree seemed like a sentinel, keeping watch over our small neighborhood.
Then one night a storm plowed through our area and the winds buffeted the old pine so that it fell with a loud crash like a resounding bass note.
The next morning the tree lay on the ground, having fallen in a direction away from our homes, so no damage was done to our housing. There the tree lay, and I reached out and touched it, then began giving it Reiki, thinking that it still might be partly alive.
As the days passed, other neighbors “paid their respects” to the fallen tree. And one afternoon, as I came back from retrieving the mail from our mailbox, I noticed an older man standing before the tree, with his hat in his hands. He turned to me and said, “Fallen soldier.” Then he turned back to the tree and saluted it respectfully.
I knew the HOA would soon learn of the tree and call a company to saw it up and haul it away piece by piece. I dreaded that day, knowing it would be hard for me to hear the horrible squeal of the chain saw cutting through the tree’s trunk. But the area needed to be cleared.
One day, as I was driving back from the grocery store, I wound up right behind a truck with tree-cutting gear in the back of it. And I knew. They were coming for our pine. How I ended up right behind that truck on the very day, I didn’t know.
I parked and watched the two men get their saw and equipment ready. I knew they’d be there for a few minutes, so I went over to the tree for the last time and whispered, “Go to the light. Thank you for being here for us all of these years.” Then I gave it Reiki one last time.
The men started walking my way, so I turned and walked toward the house. But before I went inside, I turned once more to the tree, and what I saw amazed me. A layer of energy much like the ectoplasm we have come to associate with spirits, rose gently upward from the tree trunk and disappeared into the air. It was very light and soft.
Then I stepped inside the house. When the chain saw started up, I went into a room at the farthest part of the house so I couldn’t hear it. I meditated and gave myself some Reiki. As I did, silently, I wondered if the energy of the old pine could see me as it passed over our rooftop, rising higher into the sky.
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Start your Reiki Practice with Trees 
Some Reiki practitioners begin their journey by giving Reiki to their favorite tree rather than to people. Trees aren’t judgmental, and therefore may seem less intimidating for a first-timer who just wants to slowly wade into the experience of giving Reiki.
Since all living things are energy, trees can respond to the Reiki when it’s being sent from a distance, as well as when it’s being given hands-on. For those of you who may have been too young to join the “tree-hugger” generation, now you can hug a tree with the intention of giving it Reiki. Practitioners are easily able to learn what the flow feels like as it goes to the bark on the tree trunk, or to a leaf or a bud, or even to the barren winter branches that hold the promise of buds deep inside.
Just like with people who don’t need to feel sick in order to reap the benefits of receiving Reiki, so it is with trees and plants. Reiki can be given to a healthy tree in all seasons. In the summer when the tree is all leafed out, giving it Reiki is a way of saying “Thank you for providing oxygen and shade.” In the Spring, Reiki can help coax forth the new leaves in a welcoming soft layer, which in turn will provide a nesting place for birds who will soon be needing those nests for their babies. In autumn, Reiki can help the tree transition as leaves release their hold on the branches. Most of all, no matter what season, giving Reiki to a tree sends a message of unconditional love and appreciation which may be felt on an energy-level by all of the other plant life around it. There are other situations when giving Reiki to a tree may be beneficial.
When to Give Reiki to a Tree
- When a sapling has just been planted or transplanted from one location to another
- Before and after pruning limbs
- When a tree has fallen
- Before a tree is cut down, and to the stump and felled tree afterwards
- When a tree is diseased
- When a tree experiences climate or weather changes
- Before a storm
We know that plants thrive when classical or uplifting music is played around them. Music is energy. You may have read how plants also grow and respond when we quietly and caringly talk to them. Our words and emotions are energy too. Reiki is Universal energy. When it’s sent for the good of the plant or tree, it responds to the Reiki in a positive way.
Giving Reiki to Other Forms of Nature 
Giving Reiki to trees, plants, ponds and streams is a respectful way of honoring the earth we temporarily inhabit. There are some Reiki practitioners who feel a real calling to give Reiki to nature, and in that way, become stewards of the earth. Some are even called to give Reiki to land that has been torn asunder by war, or oceans that have been tarnished by oil spills.
Some Reiki practitioners feel embarrassed about giving Reiki to a tree in a public place where others can see them, so they send the Reiki with their eyes in a soft gaze, allowing the Reiki to flow softly to whatever plant or tree they feel guided to reach out to in that moment. And they trust that the Reiki will be received for the highest good of the tree or plant.
If you see energy around plants, it’s fun to watch their energy respond and change whenever they are given Reiki. I’ve experienced the energy field around a leaf reaching out to touch my fingers as I gave it Reiki. Definitely a moment of awe for me! Some say the whole atmosphere around the tree that receives Reiki changes to a more uplifted feeling with a less dense quality. Even if we can’t see it, like our breath, the energy is there.
I think the earth as a whole benefits from the Reiki it receives from so many practitioners across the globe. And, in turn, we benefit from a healthy planet. Perhaps, somewhere, an old pine or a maple sapling is just waiting for you to give it Reiki!
Many Reiki blessings on your journey,
Yvonne P. Gleason
Reiki Sanctuary of Northern Virginia
