Willow

 

Willows which by water stand
Ease us to the Summerland.

 

  

Salix alba

Tree of Enchantment, Tree of Witcheries

Fifth month of the Celtic Tree calendar, 

April 15th - May 12th

Fifth consonant of the Ogham alphabet - Saille


Saille Ogham


 

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Symbolism: Resonance and Harmony

Stone: Moonstone

Birds: Hawk, Snowy Owl

Color: Silver

Deity: Persephone, Hecate, Cerridwen, 

Artemis, Selene, Luna, Diana, Brigit

Sabbat: Beltane

 

"I am a willow of the wilderness,

Loving the wind that bent me."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

Folk names: Osier, Pussy Willow, Saille, Salicyn Willow, Saugh Tree, White Willow, 

Witches Aspirin, Withe, Withy

 

Medicinal properties

Willow bark contains salicin, or Salicylic acid, used to make aspirin. 

Infusions from the bark have long been used as a remedy for cholls, rheumatism, and fevers. 

Willow sap applied to the skin can remedy acne, and a strong decoction of boiling 

the bark and leaves in water can be rubbed into the scalp for dandruff.

 

Magickal properties

New Moon magick, creativity, fertility, female rights of passage, inspiration, emotion, binding. Love, Love divination, protection, healing.

 

Also known as the tree of immortality because of its ability to 

re grow from a fallen branch in moist ground.

 

A wand made from Willow wood has many uses: 

sleep with it and have more vivid dreams, use it to draw down the moon, 

protection for underworld journeying

 

Magickal Brooms, witch's brooms are traditionally bound with a willow's branch.

 

 

There once was a Willow, and he was very old,

And all his leaves fell off from him, and left him in the cold;

But ere the rude winter could buffet him with snow,

There grew upon his hoary head a crop of mistletoe.

All wrinkled and furrowed was this old Willow's skin,

His taper finger trembled, and his arms were very thin;

Two round eyes and hollow, that stared but did not see;

And sprawling feet that never walked, had this most ancient tree.

~Julianna Horatia Ewing, "The Willow Man"

 

The Faces of WomanSpirit, a Celtic Oracle of Avalon

 

 

 

The Faces of WomanSpirit

A Celtic Oracle of Avalon

by Katherine Torres, Ph.D.

 

Trust All is here and now.

Know it.

Connect with the Hand of Goddess.

Let Divine Mother Transform you.

Be an Example in the World.

 

Willow asks you to bend with her into the path of retrieval. 

Follow the labyrinth trail, connect with the power of wisdom and the rhythm of your soul, and return to your ordinary world strengthened. You will find that your awareness of your purpose is stronger and your intent cannot be broken by the spell of someone else's desire.

 

Alone with myself
The trees bend
to caress me
The shade hugs
my heart.
- Candy Polgar

 

 

Spell for Love:

Take three long supple branches of willow, braid them together and then fasten it into a circle with pink, red or white ribbon.  Place a picture or the name of the person you love in the center and then put it next to your bed. 

Whispers from the Woods, by Sandra Kynes

 


  

The Celtic Tree Oracle by Liz and Colin Murray

THE CELTIC TREE ORACLE 

by Liz and Colin Murray

The Willow in the tree alphabet stands for the female and lunar rhythms of life. She is water-seeking, thriving from preference on the damp margins of lakes and streams or across the low-lying water meadows. Water and the tidal movements of the sea are governed by the pull of the moon. The moon in its monthly rhythms is female, contrasting with the male sun's daily and yearly turnings. In several ways, the Celts held women in higher regard than we do today. On the material level, women were property owners, and whoever controlled the property controlled the marriage. Women of all types and appeared in the Celtic pantheon, the spiritual strength and life-giving qualities given by both female and male recognized equally.  There were many colleges of Druidesses - learned women and teachers - respected especially for their gifts of seer-ship, often expressed through dreams, or night visions.

 

 

Willow Wife

 

Heitaro loved the willow tree that grew close to his hut. As the world judged riches he had none, 

but the tree was treasure and temple and company enough for him, and each new season of the year seemed more beautiful than the last. When the wind blew through its branches, no music was finer.

 

One day the villagers came with their choppers, claiming they needed the wood to build a bridge. Heitaro offered to find them some other wood, if they promised not to touch the Willow. He scoured the land and returned with some wood, and the villagers left, leaving the Willow unharmed.

 

That night as the moonlight shimmered on its leaves he stood beneath the willow branches and gave his thanks to the gods that the tree had been spared. As he prayed, he saw something move in the shadows. He turned for a closer look and saw a beautiful young woman standing there. He bowed and apologized for disturbing her, backing away, 

believing she was there waiting for her lover.

 

Each night after she was there, waiting for her lover, and Heitaro at last realized that is was he himself she came to be with. They were married, and a child soon followed.  Every night they prayed together by the willow tree.

 

One day, the emperor To-Ba ordered that a temple to Kwannon, the goddess of mercy, be built for the villagers. 

They wanted the wood of the willow tree, and this time they would not be convinced otherwise. This made Heitaro very sad, however he realized how blessed he was with his wife and daughter, that he believed he could endure the loss of his willow tree. The villagers began to cut down the willow tree.

 

The willow wife cried out "Husband, the room is growing dark!" She fell to the ground and covered her face with her hands. Heitaro saw her limbs twisting and turning as though to avoid blows. He found he could do nothing to help her. He and his daughter watched as the willow wife lay dying. When the last blow on the tree was struck, he was alone with his daughter.

 

Adapted from "Myths of the Sacred Tree" by Moyra Caldecott. 

Based on a Japanese folktale, retold by Iyanaga Mitsuyo, 

and quoted in Meinrad Craighead, The Sign of the Tree: Meditations in Images and Words.

 

 

Tree Magick by Gillian Kemp

 

Tree Magick  

by Gillian Kemp

 

Your fertile inner strength, like that of the Willow,  is your inexhaustible flexibility to bend around obstacles.  Your desires can be woven into shape, as the Willow's pliable shoots are used to make baskets.  Magic wands are made from Willow, so what you have in mind has all the magical ingredients for success.  You can tell your secret to a Willow and make wishes.  The male and female catkins, which grow on separate trees, signify a lovers' meeting for you.  The bright-green leaves of Spring forecast celebrations, fresh opportunities, and speedy growth.  The honey-bearing catkins symbolize the wisdom of spiritual self-improvement, and sweet things for you.

 

 

 

Willow Fairy

 

Willow Fairy by Cicily Mary Barker

Cicely Mary Barker

 

The Fairy Bible by Teresa Moorey

 

The willow fairy can be grumpy and tricky. The Hobbits in The Lord of the Rings were lulled to sleep and almost killed by Old Man Willow, and while fairies are rarely so ill- intentioned, the willow fairy is not always kindly.

 

The willow fairy may leave the tree at night and follow travelers, muttering and mumbling, which can be rather frightening to those who do not understand.

 

Willow has profound wisdom to offer, which humans rarely appreciate. It is deeply mystical and in tune with the music of the waters, all around the globe. Salicylic acid, which is used to make aspirin, comes from the willow, and the willow elves are associated with knowledge of medicinal herbs and healing.

 

Approached with respect, willow is a wonderful teacher and will whisper to us if we listen. It is important to be still, and to understand that human perceptions are shallow. Imagine the questing roots of willow, seeking the underground streams that flow to and from the earth-girdling oceans. Nighttime is best to commune with this spirit in meaningful dreams.

 


The Leaf on the Water

by Ouan Tsi (1007-1072)

 

The wind tears a leaf from the willow tree;

it falls lightly upon the water,

and the waves carry it away.

Time has gradually effaced a memory from my heart,

and I watch the willow leaf drifting away on the waves.

Since I have forgotten her whom I loved,

I dream the day through in sadness,

lying at the water's edge.

 

But the willow leaf floated back

under the tree,

and it seemed to me

that the memory could never be effaced

from my heart.


Green Man Tree Oracle

 

Willow Knot Spell

from Herb Magic for Beginners by Ellen Dugan

 

To have your spell wish granted, you are to stand under the graceful branches of the willow on the night of a full moon.  Blow a kiss to the moon and state your wish out loud, as you gently tie a loose knot in one of the supple branches.  Then, while gazing up at the rising moon, repeat this verse:

 

Under the Lady's moon, shining so bright,

Willow tree, hear my request on this night.

In this willow tree, I now leave a marker,

Grant me love and happiness, and bring much laughter.

 

Close the spell with these standard Craft lines:

By all the power of three times three,

And as I will it, so mote it be.

 

 

The Great Goddess
Flora

 


Flora is a Roman Goddess of Flowers, Love, youthful pleasure, and Spring. 

Her name means "plant life" because of her connection to the plants, 

especially blossoming flowers in Spring, 

which are also symbolic of the human spirit that respects and appreciates beauty itself.
The Floralia, or Florales Ludi was a six-day festival in her honor.

Fair Flora! Now attend thy sportful feast, 
Of which some days I with design have past; 
A part in April and a part in May 
Thou claim’st, and both command my tuneful lay; 
And as the confines of two months are thine 
To sing of both the double task be mine.
Latin poet Ovid, Fasti, v, 185, for Flora (Floralia) Apr 28 - May 3 

Beltane (April 30 - May 1) is the ancient Celtic festival of fire, fertility and love.
At the height of spring, when all of nature bursts into blossom, we celebrate our bodies, 

the pleasure we can evoke in one another, and the love that we can kindle.
"All acts of love and pleasure are my rituals," says The Charge of the Goddess. 

The Goddess blesses all forms of love, all the different modes of attraction and deep connection - sexual love of all persuasions, friendship, the love of parent and child, love of trees and flowers 

and flowing water, love of truth, beauty and justice.
At Beltane, we dance the Maypole. 

The twining ribbons of many colors remind us of the many aspects of love.
We light a fire, and jump the flames with lovers, friends, circle-mates, to bless and cleanse our relationships. We wear wreaths of flowers, to celebrate the flourishing life around us.
Starhawk and We'Moon '08

 

 

The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree,

Sing all a green willow.

Her hand on her bosom, her head on her knee,

Sing willow, willow, willow.

~William Shakespeare, Othello

 

 

LESSON OF THE WILLOW

 

from The Wisdom of Trees by Jane Gifford

 

The watery willow encourages the expression of deeply buried feelings, easing sadness through tears and grieving, and teaching the consequences of love and loss in matters of the heart. The willow reminds us of
the need to let go sometimes, to surrender completely
to the watery world of the emotions and the subconscious, so that we may be carried toward a deeper understanding of our inner-most feelings,
toward a better appreciation of our hidden motives and secret fears and desires. Any suppressed and unacknowledged emotions can be a major cause of stress and illness. Through emotional expression,
and through the sharing of feelings of ecstasy and pain, our ancestors believed they could help heal the human spirit. The willow enables us to realize that within every loss lies the potential for something new.

 

 

Celtic Moon sign - Willow Moon

 

The willow seeks out water, and is often found near streams or above natural underground wells.  Like no other, this tree is associated with the Moon, in all her phases  - and so symbolizes the change of our feelings and "moods" as time passes. 

 

Born under the sign of the willow, you are an instinctive creature - in fact, you often react primarily from your "gut response" rather than on intellectual information. Watch the rhythm of your moods carefully and pay attention to your dreams. Their symbolism will help you navigate throughout life.

Written by Kim Rogers-Gallagher, and Llewellyn's Witches' Datebook 2000

 

Weeping Willow, The Melancholy
Beautiful but full of melancholy, attractive, very empathic, loves anything beautiful and tasteful, loves to travel, dreamer, restless, capricious, honest, can be influenced but is not easy to live with, demanding, good intuition, suffers in love but finds sometimes an anchoring partner.

 

 

Ogham The Celtic Oracle Willow OGHAM The Celtic Oracle
by Peter Pracownik and Andy Baggott

Willow teaches us the lesson of life in death. Endings are just beginnings and with new growth comes change. Willow helps us to integrate change into our lives and reminds us to allow inspiration to enter our lives at such times. Inspiration can come from the smallest or most unlikely sources so keep an open mind at all times. Willow is strongly linked with the moon and you would do well to co-ordinate your spiritual practice with the phases of the moon. Start new projects on the new moon, seek inspiration by the light of the full moon and bring matters to a close at the dark moon. Go with the flow and all will be well.

The willow tree favors damp or watery places and is prolific in its growth. A cut branch, if planted into the ground, will easily root and grow into a new tree. For this reason, the willow is strongly linked to new growth, regeneration and inspiration. Willow was used in the annual purification ritual of "beating the bounds" (defining the parish boundary) and the birch twigs of a witch's broom were traditionally bound with willow thongs. It is also sacred to the moon with willow wands being favored for lunar magic and ritual. It is also thought that placing willow under one's pillow, especially around the full moon, helps promote night visions. The willow is sacred to poets and bards as a tree of inspiration.  A tea or incense of willow barck can be used to help connect with td divine feminine energy within each of us as willow is a strongly feminine tree.


Willows whiten, aspens quiver,

Little breezes dusk and shiver.

~Alfred, Lord Tennyson

The Lady of Shalott

 

 

I release that which no longer serves me. I am at one with my environment.

I honor the energy of willow for the lunar rhythms within me as a woman.

I will recognize and heed my own body's cycles.

So mote it be.

 

 

Pray Peace

 

 

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