The oak tree is a shrub from the genus Quercus.
Oaks are native to the Northern Hemisphere and this includes species present in cool, temperate, and tropical places of the American continents, Europe, Asia, as well as North Africa.
Oaks are spread all over the world, and there are over 600 known species of oak. Mexico has the most species of oak and is followed by the United States and China.
Oak trees form symbiotic unions with many species of mushrooms and other plants. Many plant and animal species are dependent on oak trees for their existence.
Unfortunately, many oak species are endangered and are on the verge of extinction. Oak forests are mostly destroyed to create free land for plantations and cattle.
Oak tree spiritual meaning and symbolism
Oak trees and their symbolic representations have been appropriated by various human societies, religions, and political systems, especially in the earth’s Northern Hemisphere.
For centuries, oak trees have been present in celebrations and traditional rites, often of a religious nature.
The oak symbolism has been since ancient times related to strength, endurance, fertility, longevity, stability, power, robustness, etc.
Some of the most significant spiritual meanings and symbols of the oak trees are:
- Longevity
Why is the oak tree symbolically related to longevity?
Simply said, this tree has a very long lifespan. Oak trees can live for hundreds of years. There are many examples of oak trees in public places and parks, but also forests that are remembered by generations of people.
Oak trees are a symbol of things that last. The oak inspires you to create something of lasting value that will benefit others or even future generations.
Even though our life might be much shorter than the life of an oak tree, we are reminded by them to respect and treasure every moment of our precious life and give our best to make it as perfect as possible.
- Robustness and protection
Besides being long-lived, oak trees are very robust as well. These trees can endure a lot. They can grow to a very large size and some of these trees are real giants which also contributes to their image as a symbol of strength and protection.
Throughout history, they were used as a building material for houses and ships. For example, oak columns have supported the houses of the city of Venice for centuries.
The oak tree reminds you of your resilience and robustness. Even though you might think of yourself as weak and incapable of enduring tough times, the oak is there to give you inspiration and courage to face your challenges and overcome them because you have what it takes.
- Honor
The oak tree also represents honor. It was used since ancient times by royalty, kings, and rulers, on their emblems to represent their sovereignty and authority.
The oak tree symbolizes honor, dignity, and nobility.
This tree is a reminder to value ourselves and not allow anyone to undermine our self-esteem and look down on us. If we appreciate ourselves then others will do the same.
- Strength
Oaks are a symbol of strength as well. These trees are very firm and durable and can withstand a lot. The strength of the oak tree is the reason why they were used as building materials for centuries.
Oak is a great material for building houses, support columns and boats, but also house flooring. We have evidence of hundreds of years old oaks embedded in houses, boats, and floors of historic and cultural remains.
Also, the oak is capable of enduring the harshest storms and this is also one of the reasons why it is a symbol of strength.
The oak tree is therefore a reminder of the strength we all possess within. This tree reminds you to believe you possess the necessary strength to overcome your obstacles and achieve your goals.
- Healing
The Druids believed that oaks and sticks made of oak trees had strong healing powers.
The oak has many healing properties. It is believed that the leaves can reduce high blood pressure. They contain substances that are effective for hypertension.
Oaks are also used for alleviating fever. The leaves can be used as bandages when real bandages are unavailable.
Oak bark prepared as tea is good for digestion. The leaves can be used as an antiseptic and are good for reducing cholesterol.
The tea made from oak bark is good for sore throats. It is also used for skin irritations.
Obviously, the oak also has healing powers and that is why it is the symbol of healing.
If you are experiencing difficult emotional or physical times, the oak is there to remind you to take your time and heal. If you feel called to, sit under its big treetop, and absorb its healing energy.
The oak is a strong reminder of your ability to overcome any challenge, even the ones that affect your physical wellbeing. Use the power that our ancestors knew about and turn to the oak for help in your healing process.
- Stability
Centuries pass and the oak is still standing firmly. These trees are a symbol of stability and groundedness. For generations, they have stood unchanged and strong. They give us reassurance and comfort.
The oak tree is a reminder of the need to be firm, stable, and grounded. You cannot let the streams of life throw you everywhere and choose the track of your life without your consent.
You need to be the one choosing your path and always know where you are going and why.
The oak is a sign that you should find more stability in your life and become more organized. Maybe things have been chaotic lately and you feel as if you are losing the ground beyond your feet.
If you feel like you are losing direction in life or that you are letting the flow of life lead you, and you encounter the oak tree symbol, in real life or just see an image, this might be your sign to begin making the necessary changes to introduce stability back into your life.
- Nobility
Oaks have been used as a symbol of nobility since the most ancient times. The power of this tree was recognized a long time ago and the most noble people in every society often chose the oak tree or oak tree leaves to represent them in their glory and power.
Oaks are a reminder of our power and dignity. They remind us of our self-worth and the need to nurture ourselves and do things that make us happy.
The oak reminds us to put ourselves first and not allow people, especially those who don’t deserve to take advantage of our time and energy.
- Knowledge and wisdom
Since ancient times, the oak has been considered a symbol of great knowledge and wisdom. It was the sacred tree of the Druids, an ancient priest class in France and England.
This mysterious group of people valued the oak tree very much. For them, the oak was a symbol of great wisdom and healing.
The Druids considered oaks a cosmic source of universal wisdom and they performed their rituals in the vicinity of these trees.
These trees were also considered an entrance to the other world.
The oak tree is a reminder to tap into your well of knowledge. You are also the source of infinite wisdom if you allow your higher self to open and connect with the knowledge of the Universe.
If you have doubts and dilemmas about a situation or a decision you need to make, the oak is a reminder to seek guidance within yourself. You have all the answers you need; you just need to allow yourself to receive them.
- Love and commitment
Oak trees are also a symbol of love and commitment.
The oak is a tree for the 80th wedding anniversary. Do we need to add anything to explain this symbolism?
The oak is a symbol of longevity, stability and endurance, and love and commitment require exactly that.
Being married for 80 years requires a long life and a lot of love and stability. This is the best tree to represent such a union.
The oak also reminds you of the need to nurture your love and relationships. It takes effort to maintain the union stable and loving. Treasure your love and express your gratitude to your partner for being there for you as you are for them.
- Power
Oaks are symbols of power. There’s no need for detailed explanations of this symbolism considering the previous. The oak is a true power tree. Its longevity and endurance speak about its power.
This tree can withstand storms and still keep thriving. It is a great example we should all follow.
The oak is a reminder of our power to go through various challenges and storms that life puts before us. We all have the power inside ourselves to deal with whatever obstacle life puts before us and become stronger as a result.
The oak also reminds us of our power to have everything we want. This power is within us and lies in our thoughts and beliefs. They are the only power we need because if we learn how to use this power nothing will separate us from our desires and goals.
- Fertility
The oak is known as a symbol of fertility. The tree has a huge number of seedlings that are growing under its canopy. This is one of the reasons why it is considered a symbol of fertility.
In ancient times acorns were worn on jewelry because it was believed they would help women conceive.
Symbolically, the oak tree appearing in your life can indicate becoming a parent soon. It might also indicate your fertile nature and inspire you to use your creativity more to produce something of value for yourself and others.
Oak tree metaphysical properties
The oak tree is one of the favorite trees for Light Workers and people getting in touch with other realms of existence.
For them, the Spirit guides of the oak tree are guides on the path between the Earth realms and the Divine.
Oaks are also considered portals for the spirits of our ancestors, aliens, Akashic records, and ancient spirits.
There is a known legend that the legendary King Arthur’s round table was made from one piece of oak tree, which symbolized sacred unity.
People who are involved in manifestation work often burn oak wood to raise their energy and energy in some space.
Oak appears in ancient charms, amulets, and spells. Oak wood is also a symbol of good luck and this is why people used to carry it with them.
Making a cross from a fallen oak branch and binding it with red threads is considered a powerful talisman that protects the wearer from harm and gossip.
Oak tree in different cultures
Because of its incredible symbolism and traits attributed, many countries throughout the world have chosen the oak to be their national symbol, for example, England, Germany, United States, Bulgaria, France, Croatia, Estonia, Jordan, Cyprus, Serbia, Lithuania, Romania, and others.
The pre-historic tribes of Indo-European origin worshiped the oak tree. They related this tree to the good of lightning and their beliefs were introduced into other classical cultures.
The oak was the tree dedicated to the Greek god Zeus, who was the king of gods, and the god of thunder. The reason was probably the fact that oaks somehow can attract lighting strikes.
The ancient Greeks also had a belief that oaks were inhabited by the beings hamadryads.
Since ancient times it was considered a mortal sin to destroy an oak tree.
The Celts also worshiped the oak tree. This tree was a sacred tree to the Celtic priests, Druids. They considered it a tree sent from heaven.
They performed their rites under these trees, and they also used the oak wood to make their magic wands. They believed oak had healing powers.
The oak tree was a very important tree for the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Celts, and they considered wearing oak tree leaves as a sign of high status and respect in society.
Druids were not only priests but were highly intellectual, and also served as judges, philosophers, teachers, and mediators in ancient France and Britain.
The oak tree was so important to them, and this confirms their name, Druids, deriving from the Greek word drus and Latin druides, meaning oak. The suffix ides means “sons of the oak”.
Druids were considered the possessors of the highest wisdom and knowledge.
In Norse mythology, this tree was also considered the tree of the thunder god Thor.
The oak was sacred to some Germanic tribes as well.
In the mythologies of the Baltic and Slavic people, the oak tree was also considered a sacred tree.
Like in Greek mythology, the oak was also dedicated to their gods of thunder, Perun, the Slavic god of thunder, and Pērkons, the Baltic god of thunder.
The Slavs had a belief that gods lived in oak trees. They had their holy places in oak forests and created their worship figurines from oak trees. They considered the oak as the world.
This relation to the god of thunder for many cultures probably stems from the fact that it is scientifically proven that it is more likely that lightning will strike an oak tree before another tree of the same height.
Also, the oak is a sacred tree in the Bible.
The oak is sacred in the Serbian Orthodox Church. It is a custom to burn leaves and branches from a young oak tree on the morning of Christmas.
There is also a Serbian tradition called the “zapis”. This means a tree which has a cross inscribed on an oak tree by a local priest.
These trees are gathering points of worship for the local population. Cutting down such oak trees is considered a great sacrilege.
Oak in the Tree Zodiac
The Oak sign is ruled by the 7th lunar month and rules the dates 10th June – 7th July. Its ruling planets are Mars and Jupiter, the element is water, and its ruling season is summer.
The symbolic meaning of the Oak sign is strength, wisdom, nobility, caring, and intuition.
It is believed that people born during the reign of the Oak sign are very connected to their ancestors and history. They are also strong-minded, noble, and possess great dignity and poise.
These people have a tender and caring nature and will do anything to protect those they care about. They always offer their help to everyone in need and they don’t hesitate to share their knowledge and resources with others.
They are great friends and are admired and respected by many people. They know how to inspire others and fill them with optimism. They are very enduring and not afraid of hard work.
These people have a calming nature that invites people to seek shelter from them.
They love helping wholeheartedly but they also need to be aware that giving without replenishing their energy can deplete their resources and they might feel drained and exhausted.
They need to be surrounded by people they can interact with on an equal level, people that will give to them equally as much as they give to them.
These people are very competent and people often rely on their help for advice and solutions. They are very stable and reliable and people can freely rely on them.
They are family oriented and love the stability of marriage and committed relationships. They love the company of friends and family and enjoy spending their time with them. They are loyal and devoted.
They can be stubborn and lack flexibility which are their negative traits. They might be prone to imposing their will onto others and people might find that annoying at times.
Usually, that doesn’t represent a problem because people naturally incline towards their support and help and love their guidance and advice.
Many of them might possess an almost royal demeanor and act a bit cold and distant. This is just their façade, and privately they are very caring and gentle people.
They are very dignified and demand to be respected by others. Truth be told, they deserve such respect because of their many qualities.
They are very helpful and generous. They don’t mind sharing their blessings with those who are less blessed than they are.
People can count on them in various situations, and this doesn’t only refer to their family and close friends. These are people that offer their friendly and helpful hand to anyone that needs it.
Oak tree superstitious beliefs
The importance of oaks for many cultures in the world created many different superstitions related to these trees.
According to one of these superstitious beliefs, knocking on an oak tree calls the spirits of the oak to help you in some way or bring you good fortune.
Another superstition about oaks says that sitting under an oak tree will invite an angel that will bring some important message to you.
One belief says that when you listen to the sounds in the hollow trunk of the oak tree you can hear fairies.
In medieval times there was a superstition stating that hammering a nail into a trunk of an oak tree would help heal a toothache.
Conclusion
Oak trees have been valued and considered sacred since ancient times. People have been fascinated with the enormous power and endurance of these trees.
Their canopies were place of gathering where people performed their religious rituals and paid respect to their gods.
The oak was a tree dedicated to the god of thunder in many cultures, likely because it tends to attract lightning strikes opposing to other trees of the same height in the vicinity.
In ancient times this was surely considered a fact that would link these trees to the gods of thunder.
The oak is a majestic tree, a symbol of longevity, endurance, and power. It is also the symbol of life and fertility, honor, and dignity. The oak is also a symbol of stability and groundedness.
These trees can outlive many generations of people. They are true witnesses to the history of our civilization and this is why they are so admired and respected.