Is It Bad Chi To Cut An Xmas Tree?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 30 Nov 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

jlbvt	30 Nov 2002
Is it Bad chi (sha?) or bad Feng Shui to cut down a pine tree and bring it inside a hot, dry house for about a month while it dies slowly, possibly in pain? I can't decide between a fake tree and a real one, bot the thought of cutting a fresh one gives me the same feeling I get when I eat meat. Does anyone know?

RedWood	30 Nov 2002
I think there a couple ways you can look at this... Feng Shui wise..yes it is bad chi..according to feng shui..anything dead in your house is bad chi.. If you are uncomfortable then i would say a fake one.. Personally..I eat meat..I thank the animal that gave me its life so i can eat it..I also think the plants and minerals for there contribution to my well being.. Have you considered asking the tree?

jlbvt	30 Nov 2002
I eat meat too, but I used to be vegetarian untill I went to live with my dad in Vermont. The neighbors raised meat cows on his land, and instead of paying rent, they gave him meat. I know it's strange, but after the first year (two slaughters) I sort of got used to the idea that I could go be friendly to the calfs, and watch them grow up, and then eat them. I guess loving them, even a little, is similar to thanking them for their sacrifice. Now I live in a different state, and all the meat I eat is anonymous. Sometimes after I start eating it, I get a little nauseous and it's hard to finish. I am new to Paganism, but I always felt more comfortable in the woods and mother nature than in church. I think I would rather have a live tree, and I may try asking the Tarot for advise. I Think thanking the tree would help. Thanks, RedWood!

RedWood	30 Nov 2002
Glad I could help..i understand your aversion to meat..I grew eating anonymous meat and goats my dad raised..I too prefer being in nature..I am new to paganism and mostly Shamanism..

jlbvt	30 Nov 2002
I guess I should clear something up- I am not Christian, and I don't celebrate Jesus' birth at Christmas. But my whole family does Christmas, even my Jewish Grandmother. I also have a 1-year old and the thought of not having Christmas seems wrong. Didn't the Pine Tree for Christmas come from a Pagan tradition anyway?

RedWood	30 Nov 2002
I believe so about the tree..i admit, I do not know much pagan history...I wasnt exactly raised christian..well kind of lol..but we never celebrated xmas and still dont..when we have our own place...We will celebrate the season..probably skip the tree...Go with what feels right for you..Nobody judges you..I like to keep my holidays simple..my personal preference...

Phoenix	30 Nov 2002
Fake. Fake is the way to go. Not as much trouble. Limbs are a lot sturdier than real trees.

Diana	01 Dec 2002
I could not imagine Christmas without a real Christmas tree. My mother used to tell me when I was little that the souls of Christmas trees looked down from the stars where they went to, and would look with joy at the tree they used to inhabit, knowing that they were filling a little child's heart with sheer happiness and magic. When a child looks at a Christmas tree, then the whole world receives a blessing. I don't know if it's true. But it may be.

Silverlotus	01 Dec 2002
I'd like to add my opinion too, if that's alright. My family has always had a fake tree, but one year we decided to try a real one. Never again. My hands were torn up pretty badly putting on the lights (I like lots of lights :) ), and it just didn't look as pretty. The idea of having a rather large lump of plastic in your living room may not be very romantic, but I think in pratical terms it's a little better. Less work, more fun decorating, and prettier to look at over all, imho. And really, for me, I don't like the idea of cutting down a tree. We may have large forests and untouched wilderness here in Canada, but I'd still rather see the trees outside then in my house. If it matters, I'm Wiccan and don't celebrate Christmas as a Christian holiday. My family is Christian, but Christmas to us is mostly a family occasion to get together and celebrate making it through another year. :) And I have a lovely Christmas tree decorated with lots of lights and Victorian style decorations in my living room. :) Thank you for reading my mini-rant. :) I'll be quiet now.

RedWood	01 Dec 2002
Also i would like to mention..haveing a real tree..means you have to make sure it stays watered..Can be a very bad fire hazard and you get pine needles everywhere! many fires have started because people cant keep the trees watered properly.

Indigo	01 Dec 2002
This year, we're getting an artificial tree for inside the house, and we also ordered 10 baby spruces from the Arbor Day Foundation to plant outside. I hope they get here in time for Yule!

Woof	01 Dec 2002
I'm kind of suprised this hasn't been mentioned here before. Those plastic trees don't look good for ever and when you dispose of it it will sit in a landfill for eons. In our area they have Christmas tree recycling and after you use it it is chopped up for mulch or composted. It may not be good feng shui to have something dead in the house but I like the idea of a plastic tree even less. Some people feel badly about cutting up a live tree, but I believe the vast majority here in the US are raised on tree farms and not taken out of the forest. If you don't have community composting you can compost it yourself. I'm not Christian but we have a christmas tree mostly for my daughter. I'd like to can the whole thing personally I'm so sick of doing all the work myself! Bah humbug! Woof

HudsonGray	01 Dec 2002
Some of the fake trees are very, very realistic, and if they're taken apart with care & packed properly they do stay fit for well over a decade, easily. That's 10 trees saved from being cut down. Also, a resounding YES to a real one as a fire hazard, even if you do water it daily! At the end of the season, living out in the country, the xmas tree was put out in the burning barrel & set on fire. I can tell you it 'caught' immediately & went up like a torch. Knowing that it could do that inside the house also was pretty horifying. OR you could let the wind take them........seeing old trees rolling across the open fields or down the street in the wind is pretty common the two weeks after Christmas.....they end up being someone else's problem but are road hazards in the process. I vote for a fake tree. Just take care of it & it'll last longer than you think. Oops, almost forgot. Don't think about putting it in a land fill when it 'dies', turn it into a Xmas wreath instead. The wire in the branches bends easily enough & you can make a very nice one!

Eyes of Night	01 Dec 2002
My family had always had a plastic Christmas tree. I've never actually seen a real one decorated before. I personnally think fake ones are better. They seem more stable, imo. Also, it's a much smaller hasle to clean up after your done celebrating. You don't have to drag the tree outside, or vacum up all the fallen pine needles. We've used the same Christmas tree for years now. It may look a bit used, but with some good decorating, it'll look wonderful. ps. I don't have a religion. We just celebrate Christmas so we can have a big family gathering.

Sea Sprite	01 Dec 2002
I prefer real over fake trees. I usually have one every Christmas season and keep it well watered so it'll last longer. This year I may skip it altogether and just get a tiny living tree instead. I might light up the huge pine tree I have in the front yard. ;)

Demonesse	01 Dec 2002
Anything dried and dead is bad feng shui. This includes potpourri and dried flowers. Not to mention what I feel is the horrible act of killing an entire tree just so you can dress it up and put it in your living room for a few weeks.

cricket	01 Dec 2002
We used to get little bitty live ones and keep them potted. They can be decorated for 2 or 3 years that way, then planted outside when they get too big. There are less needles to clean up but you still have the real tree feeling and smell and you help the environment by planting them. My husband is allergic to real trees, so we can't do that now, but have a 2 foot fake tabletop tree instead. We've had it for something like 3 or 4 years now and it still looks almost brand new. The only bad thing about doing that instead of having a bucket tree is having to store it during the off season, though that's not too bad, either. It folds down into a pretty small box and fits easily into the hall closet.

Red raven	02 Dec 2002
My family's got a fake tree. Had it as long as I can remember, still looks fine. (Well, indoors, anyway. we put decorations on the evergreen in the yard, too.) I'm kind of uncomfortable with real trees (for indoors.) just because of the time it takes and evergreen to reach the appropriate height. It seems a bit of a waste to me. but hey, to each their own. whatever kind of tree you like, more power to you :)

Major Tom	02 Dec 2002
I've got a real live tree planted in the sawn end of an old oak whisky barrel. The barrel has castors so it can be wheeled. Every year I wheel the tree in it's barrel into the house for Xmas and back out again when it's over. A tree can stay in a barrel for about 10 years before it grows too big and needs to be planted outdoors.

cjtarot	02 Dec 2002
Hi, I get a real tree, family tradition. and there was a post once that said the trees were raised to be "Christmas trees" and when they are in our house, decorated by little hands, loved and admired, they smile down from above because they are so loved. this helps ease the pain of cutting a tree down, But, "We used to get little bitty live ones and keep them potted. They can be decorated for 2 or 3 years that way, then planted outside when they get too big. There are less needles to clean up but you still have the real tree feeling and smell and you help the environment by planting them." from cricket and Major Tom's "barrel Tree" sound so much better..Someday.. Cj

Laurel	02 Dec 2002
I like Major Tom's solution the best. Laurel

Umbrae	02 Dec 2002
Ah there is something manly and romantic about going out, and cutting down a tree that wasn’t bothering anybody. Then bringing it home so I can put it in my front room so I can watch it die a slow death. Ornaments help humiliate it further, so it can see the other tree’s outside… I have never had a tree. I love to look at them, and love the aroma – but as a meat eater, I hate to kill trees.

jlbvt	11 Dec 2002
Hmmm, a tree in a barrel! *epiphany* that is a great idea! But it turns out we will not have our house in time for Christmas after all, the closing date now looks like mid-January. So I will be well-prepared for next year. Thanks everyone for all your opinions and ideas!

The Is It Bad Chi To Cut An Xmas Tree? thread was originally posted on 30 Nov 2002 in the Spirituality board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Spirituality, or read more archived threads.