Key Note: Growth free of controls and constrictions. The unconscious mind.

The forest and the woods are similar to each other. The difference being thickness and amount of trees. Forest are large in area and thicker than the woods. Many animals live in the forest. Larger animals like the big cats like the thickets of the forest. The woods usually have smaller animals because they are smaller. Birds will live in both forest and woods. How thick the forest is, the plants that are predominate in that forest, all have significance Is it a pine tree forest or woods? Or is it a maple tree forest or woods? Trees have significance also and messages. Have you ever felt the aura of a tree? A good book I discovered on trees from a European stand point is; " The Wisdom of Trees" by Jane Gifford.

Forest are places where animals and plants thrive free of controls of society and man. The symbolism here is our own conscious and subconscious mind is freed in the forest. This is symbols of the unconscious mind. In the forest our own creative forces can be awakened and thrive without limitations of society and other people. Many sages have gone off to the woods and forests to free themselves from oppressive societies in order to find the Force (God). Forest have rich soil. Plants in the forest thrive well. For us this is symbolic of a place that encourages new growth.

Forests and woods are very essential because they produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. When you get rid of too many forests, you feel like there is not enough oxygen in the air. This is why when a city or town cuts too many trees you are gasping for breath. Not enough trees to get rid of pollutants Forests aid the water cycle and they are keepers of water adding to the water table in an area. In forested and wooded areas it rains more often than in areas with little trees. If you remove the forests, you turn once lush lands into deserts. I have noticed this in my own life. When I first moved to Florida, there were more trees and the rains came like clock work. 4.00PM every day in the rainy season the rains came. In the dryer season rain still came just not as frequent. Today we do not get that every day rain fall in the summer rainy season. The results is the summers are hotter and the Gulf of Mexico waters get hotter. We get monster hurricanes more often. The hurricanes cause more destruction more often than in the past. The difference is Florida has become an asphalt jungle.

There are three types of forests based on the predominate trees in that forest. There is the Deciduous tree forest which shed their leaves during the fall season. Before these trees shed, they have brilliant colors. These kinds of trees are in more moderate or temperate climates. When the leaves fall, this creates a rich soil and is a natural fertilizer for the earth. Because the leaves drop, this gives lessons of fertility from past efforts and sacrifices.

The other kind of forest is the Coniferous. Conifers or evergreens, as they are called, keep their leaves year round. The leaves are needle like. These trees live in harsher climates, like scorching deserts, mountain peaks and even the Arctic Tundra. They produce pine cones as their way of reproducing Their trunks have a sap that acts like an anti-freeze and an extra thick bark for insulation Conifers teach us how to survive harsh life conditions These are versatile survivors since they are found in both extreme heat as well as cold.

The third type of forest is the rain forest. These are humid moist forests. Lots of times you see this mist around the trees in these forests. Rain forests are often in tropical regions. In the rain forest "There are many plants and animals not yet discovered. The rain forest is the realm of mystery of the secrets of life. They produce tremendous amounts of oxygen for the planet and create their own climate conditions. These forests recycle their nutrients through their own bacteria and insects. Connection to rain forests is often a reflection of hidden wonders and mysteries about to unfold." Nature Speak by Ted Andrews.

What season you see this forest is important as well especially in a dream. Is it spring, summer, fall or winter? Like all totems there is a positive message and a negative message. There is always duality because symbols mean Yin or Yang depending on other things happening around you when you got the totem. Your instincts and communion with the Force (God) will help you determine the message for you. As with all guides that I write, these are aids but the final translation is up to the individual that receives the totem.