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The Wish Tree - A Wish for Peace

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Create Your Own Wish Tree

The Wish Tree is a lovely concept to create for your family at the holidays or any day. Everyone writes down their wishes and then hangs the wishes on the Wish Tree

Since the 1990's the Wish Tree has been a part of many peace-promoting art exhibitions staged by Yoko Ono. With the Wish Tree, people are invited to write their wish on a piece of paper and hang it to a tree branch. Some wishes of the wishes are deeply personal, others global wishes for peace and better future for all of humankind.

Yoko sees the Wish Tree like a collective prayer in a way. People are encouraged to keep wishing as they participate:

    As a child in Japan, I used to go to a temple and write out a wish on a piece of thin paper and tie it around the branch of a tree. Trees in temple courtyards were always filled with people's wish knots, which looked like white flowers blossoming from afar.
She had been collecting Wish Tree Wishes for years.

In 2007 year the wishes were all place in the Imagine Peace Tower that was unveiled in October on Videy Island in Reykjavik, Iceland in memory of John Lennon.


Image of Wish Tree by Mosieur J..
Quote Source: Yoko Ono. Imagine Peace. Wish Tree.

Make Your Own Wish Tree

Make an Imagine Peace Wish Tree in your your school, workplace or community.

You will need:

    *Tree (or bush)
    * Pencils
    * Wish tags
    * IMAGINE PEACE sign
    * Wish Tree Instructions - next section
For wish tags you can just use paper and string.

Let people write their wishes and add them to the tree by tying or hanging the wish tags.

If you want when the tree is full of wishes, you can put all the wishes in an envelope and send them to:

    IMAGINE PEACE TOWER
    PO Box 1009,
    121 Reykjavík, Iceland

You can also send the wishes by email to stories@imaginepeace.com:



Image of Wish Tree created Modified Microsoft Clipart.

Imagine Peace. 2007. Send Your Wishes.

Make a Holiday Wish Tree and Start a New Tradition

Another article that I wrote about making a Wish Tree part of a family holiday tradition.
Make a Holiday Wish Tree with Your Children: Start a New Holiday Tradition by Making a Tree full of Wishes
A Wish Tree is a wonderful concept promoted by Peace Activist Yoko Ono. The idea of writing and sharing wishes is a meaningful tradition you can share with your children.

Write Your Own Wish

Wish Piece

    Make a wish
    Write it down on a piece of paper
    Fold it and tie it around a branch of a Wish Tree
    Ask your friends to do the same
    Keep wishing
    Until the branches are covered with wishes

    Yoko Ono
    1996 / 2007

Photo Source:
Joshin Yamada. 2007. Sample Wish. Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved. Public Photo.
Wish Trees IMAGINE PEACE TOWER - IMAGINE PEACE TOWER
Instructions for Making an Imagine Peace wish tree from the Imagine Peace website.

The Wishing Tree on Amazon

This book is going on my gift list for my girls. Not only does it teach children about the Wishing Tree, but also about coping with aging Grandparents.
The Wishing Tree

The Wishing Tree

by: Roseanne Thong

Amazon Price: $10.07 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

The Wishing Tree tells the story of one family's tradition of writing wishes on special paper, tying them to an orange and tossing up into the branches of the tree each Lunar New Year.

Ming learns an important message when he finally realizes all of his wishes had been granted except for one: that his grandmother recover from a grave illness.

Yoko Ono's Wish Trees

The Wish Trees are designed to be a participation work of hope and longing. Yoko Ono has said that, "all my works are a form of prayer or a wish."
Wishing in Yoko Ono's Art
About the Wish Tree from aiu: a yoko ono website.
Wish Tree 1996
Photo of a Wish Tree from 1996.
Wish Tree in Detroit - 2000
In front of a small tree, a boulder bears a plaque stating: "Wish Tree for Detroit/ Whisper your wish/ to the bark of the tree/ yoko ono/ 2000 spring." Yoko Ono has dedicated Wish Trees to cities all over the world.
Wish Tree in Helsinki, Finland March-April 2005
A series of Photographs by by Chris Gurney from the 2005 Wish Tree exhibit at the Rikhardinkatu Library in Helsinki, Finland.
Yoko Ono's Peaceful Message Takes Root
Yes, that was Yoko Ono whispering into the bark of a cherry tree at the Tidal Basin yesterday morning. The artist, performer and widow of John Lennon visited Washington on Sunday and Monday to bring her "Imagine Peace" project to the city.
Oklahoma City Wish Tree
A wish tree created at the 21st annual Peace Festival in Oklahoma City, sponsored by the Peace Education Institute.
Peace tree at Minnesauke Elementary School
A Peace Tree created by two elementary students for their Elementary School., Minnesauke, in Setauket, New York.
MoMA | From a Whisper to a Scream: Following Yoko Ono’s Instructions
MoMA | From a Whisper to a Scream: Following Yoko Ono’s Instructions
Yoko Ono Wish Tree will stand in the Uni | The Uni
I'm pleased to announce that we'll have a Yoko Ono Wish Tree in the Uni when we open next weekend at the New Amsterdam Market.

Put Up Your Own Wish Tree

Black Enchanted Wishing Tree , 20x27

Black Enchanted Wishing Tree , 20x27

Amazon Price: $34.99 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

This Enchanted Wishing Tree lets you put up your own Wish Tree on the wall. Also comes with a peace dove.

Measures: 20 x 27 inches

Wish Trees for Pasadena on YouTube

Wish Trees for Pasadena is an art installation that consists of 21 living crape myrtle trees installed amongst the cafe tables and chairs in the Courtyard of One Colorado. Visitors are invited to write their wishes on pieces of paper and hang them on the tree branches. Yoko Onos Wish Tree for Pasadena is free and open to the public.

Wishes from Wish Trees for Pasadena will be joined with others from all over the world and placed in specially constructed capsules to be installed in the area surrounding Yoko Onos Imagine Peace Tower on Videy Island, off the coast of Reykjavik, Iceland.

The artwork is dedicated to the memory of John Lennon.
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What is Your Wish?


These are some of the wishes that have been left on the Wishing Trees.

If you could add any wish to the Wish Tree, what wish would you add?

1

Vote Up

No more War

5 points

2

Vote Up

Peace in the Family

3 points

3

Vote Up

Imagine Peace

2 points

4

Vote Up

Peace on Earth

2 points

5

Vote Up

Love

2 points

6

Vote Up

Everybody don't fight!

1 point

7

Vote Up

Listen to Each other

1 point

8

Vote Up

Peace in Relations

0 points

9

Vote Up

No more animals are homeless

0 points

10

Vote Up

Gross National Happiness

0 points

11

Vote Up

Put an end to poverty on Earth

Only when everyone will have everything they need more...0 points

Best Christmas Wish Ever Lens

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News from Yoko about the Wish Trees

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Washington Wish Tree on Flickr

Images from the Washington D.C. Wish Trees exhibit from Spring 2007. Images by joelogon, twbuckner, cliff1066 and karindalziel used under Creative Commons license.

Wish Tree by twbuckner
DSCF2320 by joelogon
Wish Tree by twbuckner
Wish Tree for Washington by cliff1066™
Wish Tree by twbuckner
Washington DC Trip, 06/09 by karindalziel
curated content from Flickr

The Washington Wish Tree Exhibit

Wish Tree for Washington D.C. Wish Trees are also located near the Jefferson and Vietnam memorials as well as at The ARC in Anacostia.

Yoko Ono exhibited 10 trees around Washington, D.C. for the 2007 Cherry Blossom Festival.
Yoko Ono's Peaceful Message Takes Root
Yes, that was Yoko Ono whispering into the bark of a cherry tree at the Tidal Basin yesterday morning. The artist, performer and widow of John Lennon visited Washington on Sunday and Monday to bring her "Imagine Peace" project to the city. From the Washington Post.com
Yoko Ono's wish tree
Yoko Ono presented her interactive "Wish Tree" exhibit to the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC. Watch Video Footage of the event.
Recent Acquisitions
Website with information from the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Yoko Ono on Amazon

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The Wish Tree at the Getty Center on Flickr

This piece is kindly presented by Yoko Ono in collaboration with PoNJA-GenKon as part of the Rajikaru! Experimentations in Japanese Art 1950 - 1975 conference, April 27 - 29, 2007.

The Wish Tree was displayed at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, CA.

Yoko-Ono---Wish-Tree by Marshall Astor - Food Fetishist
Yoko-Ono-Wish-Tree-Label by Marshall Astor - Food Fetishist
april2007 338 by Benjamin Forrest
curated content from Flickr

Wish Tree Vinyl Wall Sticker

Best Quality Vinyl Wall Sticker Decals - Wish Tree ( Size: 20in x 22in - Color: black ) - No: 1737

Best Quality Vinyl Wall Sticker Decals - Wish Tree ( Size: 20in x 22in - Color: black ) - No: 1737

Amazon Price: $38.95 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

Choose your own colors in this Vinyl Wall Sticker Decal Wish Tree.

Size: 20in x 22in

Yoko Ono on the Wish Tree in Finland - The Tree becomes a Forest

In an interview with by Hans Ulrich Obrist with Yoko Ono, she talks about the response to the Wish Tree in Finland in 2002.

When they did it in Finland they said one tree was not enough. Because the wish was becoming much larger than one tree.

They added so many trees it became like a mini-forest.

You suddenly see very strong emotions of people coming out. It is fantastic.

I'm keeping all the wishes from all the countries, although I never read any of them. I feel it's not right to read people's private wishes.

Yoko Ono

We now know that those wishes were included in the Imagine Peace Tower, dedicated in October 2007 on on Videy Island in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Source: Obrist H.O. 2002. An Interview of Yoko Ono by Hans Ulrich Obrist

The Fate of So Many Wish Tree Wishes

Yoko discusses the fate of all of the Wishes:

    I have saved all the wishes people made and hung on my work, called 'Wish Tree' in many different countries.

    The number of those wishes I collected and kept has now reached over 495,000 and they will all be buried in capsules around this light tower on the Isle of Videy.

The Imagine Peace Tower on Squidoo

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Wearable Wishes Available on Amazon

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A Wishing Tree Wish

That all these wishes result in some action
I wish for secrete smiles to strangers on the train
I wish that what you say is true
I wish for cold summer rain and hot winter sun. . .

Source: Pati Gaitan. Flickr Quote. I wish on the Wishing Tree

Wishing Tree Wishes on Flickr

Wishing Tree wishes from Pati's Moment in Time, buddhasit, ocean yamaha, karindalziel and ElvertBarnes

I wish on the Wishing Tree by Pati's Moment in Time
My-Wish-on-Tree by Marshall Astor - Food Fetishist
i wish for... by buddhasit
20070808_MG_8242.jpg by ocean yamaha
Washington DC Trip, 06/09 by karindalziel
33.NCBF.Cultural.Jefferson.TidalBasin.WDC.02apr07 by ElvertBarnes
curated content from Flickr

Wearable Peace Wishes Available on Amazon

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Change the World - Wish for Peace

Each one of us has the power to change the world.

Power works in mysterious ways.
You don't have to do much.

Visualise...and just start thinking PEACE.
Thoughts are infectious.
Send it out.

The message will circulate faster than you think.

Yoko Ono, 2007

John and Yoko - Give Peace a Chance

Available on Amazon

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More Wish Trees from Around the World on Flickr

Wish Trees in Stockholm, Sweden; London; Roskilde, Denmark; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Detroit, Michigan; Portland, Oregon; Glasgow, Scotland; Paris, France and Utah.

The Wish Tree by femaletrumpet02
Make a wish... by femaletrumpet02
Wishing trees by chatirygirl
wish_tree_1 by chatirygirl
Wish Tree / Arbre à souhait by Môsieur J. [version 6.1b]
The Wishing Tree by Silus Grok
The Wishing Tree by Silus Grok
curated content from Flickr

Wish Tree Trio in Paris


Mosieur J. Wish Tree / Arbre a souhait. Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved. Public Photo.

Wishing Trees on YouTube

Two videos show the tradition in Hong Kong and China to write your wishes on a ribbon and throw it into the Wish tree and the wish will come true.

One Video shows a Wish Tree of Poems in Israel.

Two Videos show an interactive installation "One Garden One Night One Wish" created for Nuit Blanche 2006 in Toronto.

The final wish comes from Thomas the Tank Engine series, when Henry the Green Engine wishes on the wishing tree.
Wish Tree
by andyhoky | video info

0 ratings | 1,675 views
curated content from YouTube

Peace Ornaments on Amazon

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Gifts with Wishes of Peace on Squidoo

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Wish Ornaments on Amazon

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We Cherish, Laugh, Heal, Breathe and We Survive

We cherish the moment of peace and quiet
We cherish the moment of having fun
We cherish every moment of warmth and love
We laugh, we heal, and we embrace

We breathe for life
We'll survive
Remember: we are one

Yoko Ono
October 9, 2007

Wish Trees on Amazon

Books, Music, Ornament and Art Prints
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News about Wish Trees

Letter: Holiday Wish Tree collection a success
On behalf of the GFWC Woman's Club of the Denville-Rockaway area I would like to thank the many residents and local businesses who supported our annual holiday Wish Tree project. Due to the generosity of the local community, our collection was an ...
Wish tree marks Dignity Action Day and starts a year of fun at Hinton Grange
Making wishes come true is the first in a year of fun-packed activities for residents, as we celebrate national Dignity Action Day on Wednesday 1st February, by inaugurating the home's wish tree. Residents will write their wishes on leaves and then ...
ARTFAIR-YOKO 2 LAST
PTI | 03:01 PM,Jan 28,2012 The 'Wish tree' project says Ono has been inspired by her The 'Wish tree' project says Ono has been inspired by her childhood experience of visiting a temple in Japan where she would write a wish on a piece of paper and ...
Café Escadrille To Hold Wine Tasting Fundraiser for People Helping People
Purchase tickets for $40 to support the Burlington Food Pantry, the Holiday Wish Tree and all the People Helping People programs. By Richard Hosford People Helping People is very pleased to announce that the Bob Murray & the Café Escadrille will be ...
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Wishes Available on eBay

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Wish Tree Guestbook

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Comfortdoc

Kirsti A. Dyer MD, MS, FT is a respected physician, an expert in life challenges, loss, grief & bereavement, professional health educator, professor... more »

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