Properties
of WoodProperties
of Wood
The symbolism of the woods are very important in the construction of any
magical tool. Below are some of the
more common ones. As is mentioned
in the Wand Section of this site, do not kill a productive tree for your wand,
take the piece of wood to be carved into a wand from a tree that has already
felled or is going through a winter period of dormancy and is not productive. If
the branch is to be cut, get to know the tree first. This may sound silly but if
the spirit of the tree and you do not get on then the wand you make will not
work with you. Never steal from a tree. The backlash would be the same as if
someone stole from you! Ask the tree's permission first. Sometimes, the tree
will deny you permission but this could be for reasons of disease, infestation
of bugs or that someone else has been there before you and harvested from this
tree. Always cut the branch or leaves with a sharp tool. Do not use shears as
these crush the wood and hinder re-growth. After the tree has given you your
gift, return the favour with an offering of water, wine, herbs, tabacco or
copper pennies in gratitude of the tree's gift to you.
If using felled or fallen wood, it needs to be fresh as deadwood will
only be useful for firewood.
Oak for the God
Birch for the Goddess
Fir for birth
Willow for death
Rowan for magic
Apple for love
Grapevine for joy
Hazel for wisdom
Hawthorne for purity and for May
ALDER
In Faerie Lore, the Alder is associated with water. The catkin bearing alder resists decay in its watery habitat. The water spirits, the undines love this tree as well as the unicorn. The leaves of an alder tree can be made into a tea to treat kidney problems.
Alternately,
according to Celtic tradition and the Celtic Tree Calender, the Alder is the tree of fire.
In the battle of the trees, the Alder fought in the very front line.
It is described as the very "battle witch" of all woods, the
tree that is hottest in the fight. From
Alder, you can make three different dyes, red from its bark, green from its
flowers, and brown from its twigs. This symbolizes the elements of fire, water
and earth. The Alder wood is the
wood of the witches. Whistles may
be made of this wood to summon and control the four winds.
It is also the ideal wood for making the magical pipes and flutes.
To prepare the wood for use, beat the bark away with a willow stick while
projecting your wishes into it. The
Alder is a token of resurrection.
Properties: Controlling the four winds,
banishing and controlling elementals, resurrection. Making magical dyes.
ALMOND
Almond has a very sweet natural being.
Aids in self-protection.
Properties: Fruitfulness, virginity
APPLE
The Apple Tree
is the custodian of wisdom and sign of the soul and is sacred to Aphrodite.
Freya, the goddess of wisdom walks through heaven dispensing golden apples to
the gods which will give them the gift of wisdom and understanding. To grow an
apple tree in the garden is a happy omen. The druids believe that apple trees
grow in the Celtic paradise. The day of the apple tree is Friday (Freya`s day)
and it`s star is Venus. King Arthur was taken to the Vale of Avalon, the Apple
Vale to heal his wounds. The apple tree man dwells in the middle of the apple
trees. He is the guardian of their fertility and the fairy protector of the
spirit of the goddess. It is an old English custom to drink to the health of the Apple tree with
a good glass of cider all in hopes of encouraging the tree to produce a good
crop next year.
Properties: Fertility, Healing, Love, Attraction, Seduction
ASH
The Ash is sacred to Poseidon and Woden.
The Ash is considered to be the father of trees.
The Ash is the tree of sea power, or of the power resident in water.
Special guardian spirits reside in the Ash; This makes it excellent for
absorbing sickness. The spirally carved druidical wand was made of Ash for this
purpose. The Ash is said to be an ancestor of humankind. In Greece powerful
families were believed to have come from ash trees. Norse Gods populated their
sublunary world with a newborn race by breathing a human soul and spirit into an
ash tree. In Norse myth, the most sacred ash is Yggdrasil, which is believed to
be the entire support structure of the universe. Today in certain places people
will leave tokens of human hair hanging from an ash tree in the hopes their
wishes, hopes and desires will be granted.
Properties: Sea power, karmic laws, magical potency, healing, protection
from drowning.
BAY
The Bay Tree-
the tree of healing. It is associated with masculine principles (and therefore a
tree of the Lord), and medicine, music, and the rays of the sun. The bay
protects dwellings and gardens. Bay leaves crowned poet, heroes and important
men. Grow a bay tree near your house for it protects your dwelling and wards off
illness. When a baby is born it is lucky to celebrate by planting a bay tree for
the baby`s sake. Never plant a bay tree where vines grow.
BIRCH
With the exception of Elder, the Birch is
the oldest of the forest trees. The
Birch is used extensively in cleansing rituals and those connected to new
beginnings. It is know as the Lady
of the Wood and is sacred to Thor, hence why wood is only harvested from trees
that have been struck by lightning for to harvest inappropriately could anger
this God. Gaia also takes an interest in the Birch tree and it is said that
requests made when calling on her name using this wood will have a speedy
answer. Throughout Europe, Birch twigs are used to expel evil spirits.
Birch rods are also used in rustic rituals to drive out the spirits of
the old year. The Silver Birch is associated with Lammas tide on August 2, the
light of the stars, the moon and the sun. It is a symbol of summer ever
returning. It is said the birch is the mother of the oak tree because in
prehistoric times it was the birch that prepared the earth floor for the
majestic oak to be born. It is said the fairies love this tree in the
springtime.
Properties: Controlled by the Lunar influences. Birth, healing, Lunar workings, and protection.
BRAMBLE
Fairies love the bramble tree because it is wild and protects the
penetration of secluded sacred fairie clearings.
BROOM
Properties: astral travel and flight.
COCONUT
The Coconut is feminine and very fertile.
The shell represents the womb, and the milk, fertility.
Properties: Protection from negative
psychic forces.
ELDER
A waterside tree, the Elder has white
flowers that bloom to their peak in midsummer (as is also true for the Rowan)
thus making the Elder another aspect of the White Goddess.
The Elder is also said to be the crucifixion tree. The inner bark and the
flowers have long been famous for their therapeutic qualities. The Elder Tree-
People used to think it was unlucky to bring any part of an elder tree into the
house because it would bring a death in the family. It actually has a feminine
soul. It is magickal, healing and fragrant. If planting an elder tree in the
garden remember it likes to be protected and hidden. In fact all the fairy trees
like to be planted at a distant from others.
Properties: Witchcraft, banishment, magical art, waters of life.
FIG
The Fig is androgynous. The fruit
representing the feminine and the triple lobed leaves suggest the masculine
force.
Properties: Balance
HAWTHORN
The Whitethorn or Hawthorn or May Witch
takes its name from the May. It is
considered by some to be a generally unlucky tree and its name, translated from
the Irish Brehon Laws, had the meaning "harm".
Alternately, it has been used to purge places from evil and negativity.
It is used to break old habits and rid yourself of negativity. The Goddess,
under the name Cardea, cast spells with the Hawthorn. In many cultures, the
month of the Hawthorn (May) is a month of bad luck for marriages except for
Pagans/Wiccans who hold handfasting ceremonies at Beltane.
The Hawthorn blossom, for many men, has the strong scent of female
sexuality and was used by the Turks as an erotic symbol.
The monks of Glastonbury perpetuated it and sanctified it with an
approving tale that the staff of Joseph (it is said that when Joseph of
Arimathea came to Glastonbury he brought a white hawthorn with him and planted
it in Wearyall Hill) and the Crown of thorns were made of Hawthorn. Also known as Whitehorn or May tree, this is the most sacred
tree to the fairies probably because it is so wild, uncompromising and fragrant.
If you sit under the thorn tree on the Eves of Beltane, Midsummer or Samhain,
you can commune with the fairies. Alternately, make an amulet from hawthorn
flowers when seeking friendship with the fae. Make a ball of last years foliage
tied with a white ribbon and burn it in a bonfire on New Years day to rid
yourself of troubles. Start fresh in the New Year then by making yourself a ball
of fresh thorn branches and leaves and keep it to be used in the next years
bonfire.
Properties: Purification,
banishing negativity, enforced chastity, male potency, cleansing, breaking old
habits.
HAZEL
The Hazel
Tree, tree of wishes and tree of the star goddess. It is associated with the
Celtic goddess of the stars, Arianrhad, whose image was seen in the stars of the
constellation we now know as the constellation of the Corona Borealis. The hazel
is called the tree of wishes because it has the power to grant the hearts
desire. The Hazel is a tree of wisdom.
In England, all the knowledge of the arts and sciences were bound to the
eating of Hazel nuts. Until the seventeenth century, a forked Hazel stick was used
to divine the guilt of persons in cases of murder and theft.
We have retained the practice of divining for water and buried treasure.
Use Hazel to retain wisdom and to cut through deceit. If you make your ritual
tool, it will help with your comprehension of the Mysteries.
Properties: Wisdom, intelligence,
inspiration, wrath.
HOLLY
Holly means "holy". The identification of the pacific Christ
with the Holly is poetically inept as it is the Oak king, not the Holly king
that is crucified on a T shaped cross. The Holly has many uses from making a dye
from its berries to being used as an aphrodisiac. It is the symbol of the life
force, vitality and immortality. It is considered a lucky tree to grow in the
garden because it wards off negative energies. The shiny green leaves represent
the vitality of life even in the coldest of times and is used in Yule for this
reason. It is lucky to burn dried holly branches but not if they are still
green. The male holly tree (the prickly one) and the female holly tree (the
smooth variegated one) are inhabited by respectfully the holly man and the holly
woman
Properties: Holiness, consecration, material gain, physical revenge,
beauty
IVY / VINE
The
Ivy was sacred to Osiris as well as to Dionysus.
Vine and Ivy come next to each other at the turn of the year, and are
jointly dedicated to resurrection. Presumably, this is because they are the only
two trees that grow spirally. The
Vine also symbolizes resurrection because its strength is preserved in the wine.
Properties: (VINE) Faerie work, Joy,
Exhilaration, Wrath, Rebirth.
Properties: (IVY) Fidelity, Constancy,
Love, Intoxication.
JUNIPER
Juniper is considered a protective tree
and it is unlucky to cut one down. The tree has an abundance of healing
properties. Infusions can be made to treat kidney and liver troubles, arthritis,
dropsy and help the elderly.
LILAC
It is the fragrance of the lilac tree
that is considered magickal. The fragrance is believed to carry humans into
fairyland and the supernal world. English tradition considers the lilac to be an
unlucky flower to be brought into the house because it is associated with death.
This was perhaps fear of the power of the fragrance of the lilac. It is really
quite a beneficiary tree. Its flowers can be eaten and used as a tonic for the
nervous system.
MISTLETOE
The mistletoe was sacred to the Druids
and to the Norse. It was considered to be the great healer and has both male and
female qualities. It was so
well regarded by the Norse (because it was sacred to Freya) that they refused to
fight in the vicinity of Mistletoe. The
custom of hanging Mistletoe in the house to promote peace comes from this.
Generally regarded today as a symbol of love and purity.
Properties: Love, fertility, sexual
potency.
OAK
The
tree of truth. It is ancient and wise and has an old spirit. An important tree
for the druids. The mistletoe of the oak tree has many magickal properties. It
is also a marriage tree. Symbolic of the marriage between the god and the
goddess. If you dance around the oak tree and wear some of its leaves you will
have a long and happy marriage. It is said that if there is a question in your
heart that you cannot find the answer to then go to an oak tree and embrace it
and ask the spirit of the oak tree to answer your question. The oakman will send
you a prophetic dream if you are meant to know. The oak tree is the tree of
Zeus, Jupiter, Hercules, The Dagda (The Chief of the Elder Irish gods), Thor and
all other Thunder Gods. The royalty
of the Oak needs no enlarging upon. The
Oak is the tree of endurance and triumph, and like the Ash, is said to count the
lightings' flash. The Oak is a male
wood which is ideal for the construction of any tool that needs the male
influence such as Athames, certain wands and staffs. Bare in mind that in some
countries, Oak is a protected tree. Collect acorns for your rituals involved in
protection and money.
Properties: Endurance,
protection, triumph, strength, power, dominion, prosperity, sacrifice, guardian,
liberator, money.
PALM
Is regarded as particularly powerful
because of its incredible durability and because it is self renewing, never
changing its leaves. Aids in
rejuvenation.
Properties: Resurrection, and the cycle and matrix of life
PEACH
The Peach is an emblem of marriage.
Properties: Abundance, fruitfulness,
happiness
PINE
External symbol of life and immortality.
It is one of the few trees that are androgynous.
It was also worshiped by the ancients as a symbol of fire because of its
resemblance to a spiral of flame. It
is regarded as a very soothing tree to be near. It is considered to be the tree
of the sun. Its old title was "the sweetest of woods". The scent of
Pine is useful in the reduction of guilt. The pine was also sacred to the
sea-god Neptune (Poseidon) and to Bacchus (Dionysus). Use gifts from this tree
for refreshing your life, healing and invigorating.
Properties: Strength, life and immortality, rejuvenation. healing
ROWAN
This tree of
vision, healing and psychic powers is also known as, Mountain Ash, Quickbeam, Wicken-tree, Wild Ash, Witchbane,
Witchen, Witch wood, the Witch or Witch Wand and Tree of
Life. Sticks, twigs and branches of the rowan tree help in aid and protection
and divining powers. Rowan has long been associated with witchcraft. Runes were
carved with sticks from a rowan tree. It is associated with the colours, red and
gray. It is also a tree held dear by Druids and the Celtic Goddess Brigid. Rowan
is also used during rites of the 2nd moon - the vision moon for rites of
knowledge and divination. This is based on the Celtic calendar of the 13 moons
and represents the Moon of astral travel and vision, healing and empowerment.
Rowan bark will dye fabric gray. It can flavour liqueurs/cordials, and can be
used to make ale. In the British
Isles, Rowan is used as a protection against lightning and magical charms of all
sorts. In ancient Ireland, the
Druids of opposing forces would kindle a fire of rowan and say an incantation
over it to summon spirits to take part in the battle.
The Rowan is also used for many healing purposes.
The "Quickbeam" is the tree of quickening. Another use was in
metal divining. In Ireland, a Rowan
stake was hammered through a corpse to immobilize the spirit.
Properties: Divination, healing, astral
work, protection. Rowan is the wood to use for making any magical tool which has
anything to do with divining, invocation and communication with the spirit
realms. It will help you to discriminate between what will do you harm and good
and help you deal with anything that threatens you.
WHITE POPLAR
The tree of the Autumn Equinox and of old age, is the shifting leaved
White Poplar, or Aspen, The shield makers tree. Heracles bound his head in triumph with poplar after killing
the giant Cacus (the evil one). The
Black popular was a funeral tree sacred to the Mother Earth. Plato makes a
reference to the use of Black
poplar and
Properties: Hope, rebirth, divinations.
WILLOW
The Willow was sacred to Hecate, Circe,
Hera, and Persephone, all death aspects of the Triple Moon Goddess, and was
often used by the Witches in Greece. The
moon owns it. Female symbol. It is
the tree that loves water most and is sacred to the Moon Goddess who is the
giver of dew and moisture, generally. The
Willow is the tree of enchantment. Can be made into a tool to make wishes come
true. This is the tree that most newcomers make their first wand from. This is
because as the try of death, it signifies the end of one life path and the
beginning of a new. It is used in rituals of relationship separation or end and
to help the transition to a new life. For healing rituals crush new leaves and
bark and use as an oil, tea or incense.
Properties: Moon magic, psychic energy,
healing, inspiration, fertility.
YEW
The Yew is known as the death tree in all
European countries and is sacred to Hecate in Greece and Italy.
Yew wood makes excellent bows, as the Romans learned from the Greeks.
This strengthened the belief that Yew was connected with death.
Its use in England is recalled in Macbeth where Hecate's cauldron
contained:"... Slips of Yew, slivered in the moon's eclipse. " The
Silver Fir of birth and the Yew of death are sisters. They stand next to each
other in the circle of the year and their foliage is almost identical.