A Field Guide to Forest Spirits: The Stargazer

The idea for this field guide began with a handful of sketches made during long walks in the woods.

At first I wasn’t trying to catalogue anything in particular. I was simply recording small things that caught my attention: the way certain leaves curled, or an interesting mushroom. Occasionally, though, the sketches were of something harder to explain. Certain beings appeared again and again in particular places. Sometimes near old trees, sometimes in clearings filled with bluebells. The more I looked, the clearer it became that the forest held a layer of life that rarely drew attention to itself.

Over time, I’ve built up a collection of sketches and observations on the spirits that inhabit the woodland along with everything else, and now I’ve collected my notes, drawings and questions into a field guide of sorts. The first entry I’d like to share is The Stargazer, one of the rarest and most distinctive spirits I’ve been lucky enough to find.

I first spotted a Stargazer atop a pine tree in Glen Affric, in Scotland. It’s an area of old growth woodland, the Caledonian pine forest, with plenty of hills and ridge lines that I now know Stargazers love. I saw something glinting at the top of the tree (which must have been the energy crystallising in the spirit’s hand). The spirit itself was very hard to see in the sun, against the blue of the sky, like it wasn’t entirely solid.

I’m amazed now that I saw it, considering it was a lovely sunny day! They’re much easier to spot at dusk, when the first stars are coming out, which is why I call them Stargazers.

Glen Affric, May 2023

So, here’s the page of my notebook about Stargazers, with some of the things I’ve learnt about them and some tips to help you spot them as well. I’m collecting my notes about the other spirits too, so the Field Guide to Forest Spirits will keep growing!