The Hollow Tree - One-Time Box Purchase

In August 2022, subscribers met the Hollow Tree.

Crows, Foxes, Bees, and Squirrels:  all of them make occasional journeys to honor the Hollow Tree.  The Hollow Tree is both living and dead. Her heartwood has decayed but her cavernous center is scaffolded by vigorous, growing sapwood.  Existing in the space-between, she possesses knowledge of mysteries both beautiful and dark.

Her visitors whisper to her about their hopes, fears, and questions.  They bring her precious tokens: feathers, pebbles, seed-casings.  Some bring those offerings
to thank her for her insight.  Others bring them to declare a deep affection which words cannot express.

The Hollow Tree Box includes an abundance of beautiful objects; a surprise that hints at the next box; a mysterious document; a sheet of instructions; and a lore card.  

Some items are available for individual purchase.

• Mysterious Document
• An instructional document is augmented with marginalia which will help you interpret clues.  It is available only in the Hollow Tree Box.

• Lore Card
• The Hollow Tree is introduced in a full-color collectible 4x6 inch lore card.  The artwork for this month's lore card was created by Joanna Rzepecka, a Warsaw, Poland-based illustrator. She says, "My work is inspired by biodiversity, mainly animals. Through my work, I'm trying to capture moments where nature is untouched by humans. Peaceful scenery, colors, and rough textures are some things that I enjoy the most."

• Colorful Garland
• As you approach the Hollow Tree, you hear a gentle hubbub of bells, chimes, and rattling seeds. The Tree is adorned with weather-worn flags and hangings. A colorful garland of birds catches your eye.

• Nuthatch Brooch
• The Tree is host to some permanent residents, in addition to the many sojourners who pass through. A legacy of Nuthatches tend to the Tree, feeding on the ants that traipse in swirling patterns between the outside and inside of her trunk. They cache their seeds and nuts in her bark, creating dotted-line patterns. One bold Nuthatch alights on your collar, then investigates the folds in your clothes.

• Nest of Moss
• In this part of the Forest, silvery moss drips from the trees. Sometimes called "Crone's Hair," it is used by the Nuthatches in their nesting rituals. They stuff it inside holes in trees to create living, growing nests, imbued with protective properties. It calls up the wisdom of crones; the oversight of ancestors; and the abiding love of the Hollow Tree. You receive a generous portion of Crone's Hair, as well as a wooden hoop and length of cord to help you display it.

• Tiny Egg
• In one of the nests, you discover a tiny egg. It is empty and light as a feather. There is a bit of liminal magic in all hollows, even one as small and fragile as this one. You could speak one precious wish into the egg, and then keep it safe so that you wish has a place to come to life. Or, crumble it into a protective powder to dust the cracks in your home.

• Rough-Hewn Bowl
• Earlier this year, during a thunderstorm, the Hollow Tree dropped a limb. Because every part of her is precious, the wood scraps were salvaged to make small bowls. They are rough-hewn and knotted. However, the holes, cracks, and ripples have their own beauty. They are the bits that remain of decades of memories: foraging birds, burrowing creatures, jostling winds, droughts, lightning strikes, voices raised in song, tinkling bells. If you choose, you can use your bowl to share an offering from your own world with the Hollow Tree.