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~ ASHERAH ~

In the Middle East, the Goddess of the Grove was Asherah, whose groves were found "on every high hill, and under every green tree" (1 Kings 14:23) Asherah was known as the Mother or Creator of all the gods, including the Heavenly Father El, whose name was used as a synonym for "God" in biblical texts. At times El even claimed to be her spouse.

Sacrificial feasts were held in the sacred groves of Asherah in Jerusalem, according to Apion.

Trees have always been recognized as Nature's best gift to the human race. Since the beginning of our time on Earth, they have provided us with food, shelter, clothing, and the power to heal ourselves. These beings were approached with awe and circumspection, for they were obviously gigantic living entities, which pagans still endow with conscious spirit. Believing in the conscious spirit then, people worshiped the tree for bestowing itself upon them, and hoped it would not resent being slain for human use. Thus solemn ceremonies were observed before cutting down a live tree. The Palatinate lumberjacks, in historical times, asked forgiveness for each tree before felling it.

The worship of trees was common, not only among the Druids who were famous for it, but also among many peoples of the world. Middle Eastern nations all had sacred groves in which to practice phyllomancy, the art of divination by listening to the rustling of leaves. Certain types of individual trees become oracular gods or goddesses, whose voices could be interpreted only by a sage or priestess dwelling beside her tree. Or as in the case of Luna and Julia Butterfly, in the tree itself.

In addition to worshiping real trees, the ancients sometimes envisioned and depicted the entire cosmos in the form of a tree. They believed that the Earth's trees were tantalizing keys to the greatest of mysteries, which made their infinite variety all the more wonderful and sacred.