Thank you for being here. Make yourself a tea, and watch this somewhere quiet if you can.
In this session I share where the material comes from, why I made the course, and what moving through the seven trees of the Lithuanian pirtis actually involves.
Welcome. This is where it begins.
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The seven trees
All seven, yours to keep, with no expiry.
ᛉ Birch — Beržas
The First Tree · Healing and Correcting · The Month of June
The charm of Kotryna Gailiuvienė, put on trial in the sixteenth century. Where to gather and when. Why birch always opens a session. Trees that once spoke, the gender of trees, Laima's cuckoo, and the rune that carries birch's name.
ᛉ Oak — Ąžuolas
It Will Not Comfort You · Perkūnas's Whisk · When to Hold Back
Three charms — the snake, the hidden women in the oak nest, and the moon that can never meet the giant. Gathering in August and why. Tannins, the six-hour cold soak, and the whisk that behaves like a puzzle. Romuva, the destruction of the groves, and how the pirtis became the last sacred space.
ᛉ Linden — Liepa
Laima's Tree · The Nervous System · The Art of Timing
Let it be soft as the linden leaf. The two-week gathering window. Why the leaf whisk and the flower whisk are different medicines. Phytohormones and the women's whisk. Laima, goddess of fate, and the whisk left on the bench for her after every session.
ᛉ Pine — Pušis
Orientation · The Resin · Open Hearts
Her needles grow in pairs, never alone. The Palanga charm. Why pine is gathered in winter. The resin, the amber, and the most extraordinary thread in this entire course.
ᛉ Juniper — Kadagys
Purification · Protection · Interruption
What tree bears fruit in winter and summer? Ne aš plaku, verba plaka. Why juniper works on the room, not just the person. The being present at every threshold and what that means in the pirtis.
ᛉ Hazel — Lazdynas
Discernment · Boundaries · The Practitioner's Tree
The tree of truth and justice. Air. Discernment. The forked branch that finds what’s hidden. There’s a lot inside this one.
ᛉ Maple — Klevas
Completion · Turning · Your Own Voice
The closing tree. Balance, completion, the return.
Seven trees, and what a Lithuanian healing tradition understood about each of them, through medicine, poem, folk song, charm and the heat of the pirtis. Drawn from folk archives and primary sources, most of it never translated into English before.
The seven trees: Birch — Beržas · the first tree Oak — Ąžuolas · it will not comfort you Linden — Liepa · Laima's tree Pine — Pušis · orientation and the resin Juniper — Kadagys · the tree of every threshold Hazel — Lazdynas · discernment and boundaries Maple — Klevas · completion and your own voice
Each session is around 40 minutes: a charm from the Lithuanian healing archive, the tree itself, its folklore, and how to work with it in the pirtis. Each closes with questions to carry with you. Yours to keep, with no expiry, so you can learn at your own pace.
Who this is for: Sauna practitioners and guides wanting to go deeper into the trees they work with. Herbalists and plant practitioners curious about the pirtis context. Anyone who has sat in the heat and wanted to understand what they were sitting inside. Those reconnecting with Lithuanian or Baltic heritage, wherever they are in the world. Anyone drawn to the tradition for reasons they can't quite name yet.
Curated and taught by Silvija Šuliokaitė, pirtininkė and herbalist, born in Lithuania, working from inside the tradition.
Instant access. Because the course is digital and begins straight away, purchases can't be cancelled once access is provided. If anything isn't working for you, write to me at hello@birchhouserituals.co.uk and I'll do my best to help.
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"Deeply settling and the story of Kotryna and her charm stayed with me."
— Emma
"Wonderful to listen to. I'm still feeling into which tree draws me."
— Tara
People have joined this course from the UK, US, Canada and Australia. The material is taught in English with Lithuanian charms and folk songs spoken in the original.
Questions before you begin? Write to me below:
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Around 40 minutes. Pre-recorded, so you can watch whenever suits you, as many times as you like.
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No. Practitioners will find plenty to take into their work, but the course is for anyone drawn to the trees and the tradition.
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English, with the Lithuanian charms and folk songs spoken and sung in the original.
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The moment you buy, you'll receive a welcome guide with your course page and password.
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No. It's yours to return to.
FAQ
© Birch House Rituals 2026. This series carries knowledge that has been held carefully across generations. Please treat it with the same care — these sessions are for your personal practice and are not to be shared or redistributed.