When I first stood under a white birch, I was puzzled to find that I could not detect the usual flow of energy through my body, even after twenty minutes of meditation. I directed a question at the tree, inquiring as to the reason for this situation. I shifted my attention a few inches out from my body, and soon I felt movement that brightened my mood and my sensations and made me more receptive to the subtle beauties of the forest around me. It seems logical that the white bark would reflect light and energy more strongly than dark bark. Silver or yellow birch, of a slightly darker shade, has a slightly different quality, sparkling and playful, but similarly projecting more toward the surface of the body than toward the interior.
Sweet birch has dark grey bark.
I find its expression to be cheerful and humorous, more grounding, but with the same uplifting quality as the lighter birches. Cedar, on the other hand, is very serious and is felt deep at the core of the body, not near the surface. Tulip tree is intoxicating and wildly expansive. Spruce soothes with compassionate whispers. Willow lightens a heavy mood.