The Sacred Oak - One-Time Box Purchase

In September 2025, subscribers encountered the Sacred Oak.

The very heart of the Forest is ruled by the Sacred Oak. The stories say that she was not planted, but instead she sprouted by chance and fate from the acorn of an even older ancestral Tree.

She is so ancient, and has grown so large, that it is impossible to see all of her at once. Visitors see her in glimpses, their vantage points crowded by her many children and the other Trees which encircle her.

She subsists on the fallen leaves and creatures that rot into soil.
Many in turn are nourished by her acorns or are sustained by her breath.
That is how we all gain life from the dead. Her health is the health of Birdmoss.

The Sacred Oak relays the energies and messages which pass from grove to grove. All petitions pass through her; all root systems lead to her; and the most sublime rituals are performed at her foot.

The Sacred Oak Box includes an abundance of beautiful objects; hints and additions to expand the story; a mysterious document; 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 Sacred Oak Box.

• Lore Card
• The Sacred Oak 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."

• Skeleton Leaf
• Here in the heart of the Forest, the ground is layered with old fallen logs, leaves, and bits of bark.  You marvel at the wispy skeletons of last year’s leaves.  This necklace features a delicate real skeleton leaf, electroformed to preserve its lacy beauty.

• Precious Acorn
• The wood of an oak tree has many uses: building shelters; starting cooking fires; whittling dip pens; making barrels for wine. The creatures of the Forest have similarly varied uses for the acorns. They eat the full nut raw, but also press it for oil, roast it and carve it into slices, and sometimes grind it into a polenta-like porridge.  The shell can even be carved into a tiny teapot (accompanied by acorn-cap cups), or made into a diminutive hiding place. Your acorn locket contains small keepsakes from across Birdmoss.  Quicken it by adding a charm of your own.

• Acorn Baby
• An old story tells of a lonely Goblin woman who asks the Sacred Oak for comfort and receives a little Acorn Baby to care for. Look among the Oak’s roots to find the supplies to create your own winsome infant with an acorn-cap hat.

• Pebble and Slip of Paper
• Birdmoss folktales include many other stories of petitions to the Sacred Oak.  You receive a scrap of velvety lokta paper and a pebble.  Make your own appeal to a beloved tree.

• Acorn Cakes
  • New acorns are only now beginning to collect that the foot of the Sacred Oak. The Chipmunks, Squirrels, and other small creatures will soon begin collecting their winter stockpiles.  Many acorns will be stored whole.  Some will be gathered, dried, cracked, peeled, ground, soaked, rinsed, dried, and ground again – all in the interest of creating a versatile flour. Warm, nourishing brownies will be such a treat as the evenings grow shorter and cooler.

• Autumnal Dish
  • The Mice bake their cakes in nutshells.  Larger animals use hollow gourds or even pumpkin shells.  Your pumpkin-shaped dish is the perfect size to make a portion of cake.  (It’s safe  use in a microwave, oven, and dishwasher). 

Photo props are not included.