Can Trees Be Evil? What’s Going on When a Tree Feels “Off”, and What to Do

When you stand before an ancient tree, it’s easy to feel its presence. Majestic and powerful, trees have long been revered as symbols of life, wisdom, and endurance. But what about trees that feel evil or cursed? Can trees truly harbor bad energy, or is something else at play?

Ever since I launched my 2019 book If Trees Could Talk, I have gotten a lot of emails from people telling me their own stories about their favorite trees and how they connect with them. Trees can be so important to people! But some people write to me because they’re concerned about certain trees that feel negative or bad. There’s something “off” about the energy.

If you’ve read If Trees Could Talk, you might remember a strange experience I had when I visited King of Limbs in Savernake Forest for the first time. That kind of vibe.

I understand why some people think that trees can harbor bad energy: they’re often large, imposing figures, and when a place has dense or negative energy, it makes sense that a person would assume the tree is responsible. However, I believe trees themselves are not inherently evil. Instead, the perception of bad energy surrounding a tree either stems from the land’s history or events that may have taken place nearby. Let’s take a look at what I mean by this.

Image by Tom from Pixabay.

Negative energy

Trees, like any other part of the environment, exist within a broader energetic ecosystem. When we encounter a tree that feels “off,” it’s rarely the tree itself but rather the energy of the space around it. Negative energy can linger in a place due to traumatic events, such as violence, accidents, or even prolonged human suffering.

For instance, a tree that was the site of a tragic event—such as an ancient hanging or other act of violence—may seem to “absorb” the emotions tied to that event. However, this isn’t the tree becoming evil; it’s the land and its history imprinting an emotional or energetic residue on the space.

You may have noticed this yourself when out for a walk in nature: there are certain places that just feel good, and there are certain places that feel “off.” These are the places we may hurry past, or even look nervously over our shoulder to make sure there’s no one behind us.

Signs of negative energy in a place

People often associate certain signs with bad energy around trees or areas, such as:

• Feeling uneasy or anxious when near certain trees.
• Experiencing sudden cold spots or temperature changes.
• Noticing strange animal behavior, like birds that avoid a tree.
• Feeling like someone is watching you or following you, even though there’s no one else around.
• Hearing strange sounds that don’t seem to have a logical source.

While these sensations might suggest lingering energy, they could also have natural explanations. Geomagnetic anomalies, underground water, or environmental factors could contribute to these sensations. That’s why I think it’s essential to approach these types of situations with both an open mind and a critical perspective. Maybe there’s negative energy on the land, or maybe there’s something practical going on that we just can’t see or understand.

Image by Michał from Pixabay

Cleansing and healing the land

When we sense bad energy, the solution (as I see it) is not to view the tree itself as an evil entity, but to focus on cleansing and healing the land. Rituals or ceremonies aimed at restoring balance can be profoundly effective. If the land in question is your own, feel free to proceed with cleansing or healing the land.

Before getting started, you might begin by researching the history of the space and documenting its stories to honor its past and promote understanding. That will give you some context for the practical reason why the tree or the space feels “off.”

If this feels like a big job, it might be best (and safest) to hire a professional to do the land or space clearing. If you’d rather deal with it yourself, here are a few suggestions:

• Smudging the area with mugwort or other herbs to clear negative energy.
• Holding a blessing or prayer ceremony to honor the space and encourage healing.
• Planting new plants around the area to symbolically and energetically renew the space.
• Creating an altar at the base of the tree once you’ve done the energy clearing.

You might find further ideas in my blog post Cutting Down Trees: Compassionate and Spiritual Practices to Honor a Tree’s Life. Many of those practices can also be good to shift the energy of the space. Healing the land helps create space for renewal and positivity. Trees, as neutral and resilient beings, often play a role in this transformation.

Photo from Pixabay. 

What to do if the land isn’t yours

Personally, I believe in getting permission from the landowner before performing any kind of land cleansing ritual. However, if the land is not your own, you can try some of these lighter, non-invasive practices:

• Singing songs or humming to change the vibration of the area.
• Dancing around the tree or in the space to move the energy.
• Practicing gratitude for all the lovely things that are growing and living in that space.
• Visiting the space regularly and quietly setting positive intentions through meditation or prayer.
• Picking up litter in the area, which can energetically contribute to the land’s renewal.

Get help if needed

If the energy is very dense or if the area has a particularly dark past, you might need to seek help from a professional.

Trees are witnesses to history, silently observing the cycles of life and death around them, and many of them can live for hundreds or even thousands of years. While they may carry an energetic imprint of the events that happen in their vicinity, I believe that the trees themselves are not inherently evil or cursed.

So, the next time you feel uneasy around a tree, take a moment to consider the history of the space. The tree itself is likely not the source of the discomfort but rather a witness to events that call for acknowledgment and healing.

Resources

Related Articles

• Cutting Down Trees: Compassionate and Spiritual Practices to Honor a Tree’s Life 
• Mourning the Loss of a Dead Tree: How to Cope with the Emotional Impact and Honor its Life 
• How to Talk to Trees: Communicating With Tree Spirits
• When a Tree Dies, What Happens to its Spirit? 

Related Podcast Episodes

• 394 Suneet Kaur ~ Plant Spirit Healing (with transcript)
• 392 Kerriann Mackenzie ~ Normalizing Tree Communication (with transcript)
• 312 Holly + Eva Leenknegt ~ Animism: Open Up to New Ways of Connecting With the World (with transcript)
• 307 Cara Wilde + Holly ~ How to Connect With Nature Spirits (with transcript)

Learn to Channel

• Cara Wilde’s Channel Your Guide online course
• Opening to Channel: Connecting with Your Guide Audio Course, by Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer

Recommended Books

• Opening to Channel: How to Connect with Your Guide,  by Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer
• How to Read the Akashic Records: Accessing the Archive of the Soul and Its Journey, by Linda Howe

Related reading

I’ve  spent the last few years talking to trees – the birches, the oaks, the beeches and the sycamores.

Trees have thousands of years of wisdom that we’re able to tap into. Talking to the trees can bring us back to our true selves and can reflect back to us the things we need to see in ourselves. It can also be a space for deep healing.

Living in the technology age, however, we spend our lives connected to computers, mobile phones, and video games. Consequently, we’ve become increasingly disconnected from ourselves and from Nature.

This book is meant to gently encourage you to get back to Nature and turn to the magic and the wisdom of the trees. By reconnecting to Nature, you can improve your relationship with yourself, which will help you make better, more aligned choices in your life.

Learn more

Save to Pinterest!