The Healing Properties of Trees and Flowers
Posted by msterilinn on Feb 1, 2008
I am deeply honored to share some knowledge of Ancient Wisdom concerning our beloved trees. Many thanks to the Witch of the North for sharing…
overcoming adversity. Use when wanting to make a fresh start &
ridding yourself of bad influences
the blessed, is for spiritual protection & prophecy.
water-seeking like the alder. Offers protection against damp diseases
&modern herbal Practioners extract salicin from the bark to be used
to ease illnesses like rheumatic fever. The gift of fertility is also
represented here.
chemistry of the soil, making undergrowth difficult for other
vegetation. Helps link the earthly and spiritual. Good medicine for
meditation.
cleansing & chastity, bringing protection from the inner magical
realms.
thirteen months. The Oak has protected England through the use of his
timbers for the building of ships. Oaks are used as boundary marker.
Oak medicine is best used for securing your pursuits, protecting
while attaining your goals. It is essential protection for those less
able, who require security in order to strengthen their characters.
like ivory. Holly is associated with the death and rebirth symbolism
in both Pagan & Christian lore. In Arthurian legend, Gawain
(Representing the Oak King of summer) fought the Green Knight, who
was armed with a Holly club to represent winter. Holly medicine may
be used with difficulties in sleep and to ease the passage of death.
powers of meditation. In Celtic tradition, the Salmon of knowledge is
said to eat the nuts dropped into its sacred pool from this tree
growing beside it. Each nut eaten by the salmon becomes a spot on its
skin. In Europe and North America
Hazel is used to gain knowledge, wisdom & poetic inspiration.
Apple is associated with choice. This is good medicine to use when
your are having difficulty in making decisions, whether they are work
or relationship oriented.
used while trying to reach deeper state of consciousness and when
doing healing work.
maze of the labyrinth is also linked to Ivy, since it symbolized the
wondering soul, circling inward and outward, seeking nourishment from
within & without, leading you to ENLIGHTENMENT . A wonderful aid if
helping others on a spiritual journey.
when used before beginning healing work or soul retrievals.
after the first frost. The Gaelic word “staif” has links with English
word “strife”. Wood of Blackthorn is traditionally used with the
Irish shillelagh. It represents the strong action of fate or outside
influences in your life. Blackthorn should not be used by the novice.
rebirth. It represents the end/beginning and beginning/end.
Significant of creativity and renewal.. new beginnings.
lives into now. The color sliver links you to your SILVER THREAD
symbolizing your awareness of the progress of your spiritual journey.
Best used when searching for gift of INSIGHT.
with mistletoe create powerful healing medicine in both spiritual and
physical aspects.
Also with finding the spiritual determination to face hardship we
have to endure. This tree has the ability to resist and to shield,
also an ability with languages and speech with close relationship
with the winds.
said to grow a root into the open mouth of each corpse buried in the
graveyard. This root is the symbol of rebirth. Good medicine when
used in working with past life issues and regression.
wehre all is linked and becomes clear. Helps you look beneath the
surface of things.. whether situations or people. Medicine works with
your hidden knowledge, helping you to manifest it at the appropriate
time.
end, no matter how difficult. Good for progressing in certain areas
of your life which are of difficulty to you
false, and what is of real value on your journey. The honeysuckle
will help you tread safely - remaining true to your quest.
even surface. Beech medicine can tell you about yesterday and how it
is relevant today. Handling old objects or visiting a place connected
to your past will bring understanding of people, incidents, reviving
the memories within that are needed.
Ancient Tradition of Herbs on Winter Solstice
Posted by msterilinn on Dec 22, 2007
The shortest sunlit day of the year, the Winter Solstice, is the day when the sun is farthest away and light is most remote. Celebrated the world over, and most profoundly in areas where the winter is very dark, and very long, the longest night and the shortest day of the year is when the sun who seems to be weakening and dying, is reborn, and begins to grow in radiance and renewal. Rebirth is the essence of this celebration.
At the time of the solstice on or near December 2lst seasonal plants are brought into the home to assure the woodland Spirits that they will find safe refuge during this period of darkness and cold. In many parts of the world this celebration included lighting giant bonfires to lure the sun back to earth keeping the fires burning through the night or through the dark times. Considered a sacred rite, the Yule Log is still burned in fireplaces today honoring the spirit of rebirth and regeneration.
To honor the ancient tradition in your own home try placing holly, ivy, rosemary, evergreen boughs and pine cones in areas where socializing takes place. Hang a sprig of mistletoe above a major threshold as a charm for good luck.
An ancient magical herb known for it’s life-giving powers the Mistletoe grew from the sky on the limbs of sacred oaks. Known as all-heal to the Druids, its green leaves represented the fertility of the Mother Goddess and its white berries symbolize the seed of the Forest God.
Historically Druids harvested mistletoe with golden scythes. Maidens would gather beneath the trees with bolts of white linen stretched out between them. The cloth prevented the falling mistletoe from falling to the ground. If by chance the mistletoe should touch the earth all sacred energy from the plant would pour back into the ground.
The symbolism of holly and ivy together represents the struggle for balance between the waning and the waxing Sun. Often thought a representation of the Holly King reverence for the Holly tree is much older. It was not lost on early societies that to enjoy the beauty of the lush red berries one needs both a male and female tree, only the female yields the lush fruit. The tree itself became associated with the Mother Goddess and with fertility rites.
Wreaths of holly and ivy were originally used during Yuletide - Saxon geol, meaning wheel, their circular shape symbolizing the Wheel of the Year with its completion and continuity. Holly was regarded as the resting place for elves and fairies who would lodge within the leaves and keep the house goblins from doing mischief. In a similar way, planting holly outside the home brought protection for the inhabitants. Ivy in turn was especially used for the protection of flocks and domestic animals. Wreaths or magic hoops of ivy with rowan and woodbine, were woven and placed near milk containers to protect the contents from invading sprits. Rosemary was spread on floors at Christmas as people walked over the herb releasing the fragrant scent filling the home with blessings and protection. The name rosemary is associated with the Virgin Mary, as is the Rose.
Evergreens were known for their supernatural powers as they remained green and alive during the dead of winter. Pine was used in abundance during the solstice season, and still is. The pine cone represents the continuation of life in its spiraling form, the basis for the divine mean, the essential matrix for all Life and assurance of rebirth and regeneration.
This holiday season take some time to remember the ancient traditions as you collect your seasonal plants from nature. Remember too, when you cut a live plant you are transmuting its life force. Do this with reverence. Whenever possible offer something in return by sprinkling tabacco, cornmeal, sage, or sweetgrass as an offering of your gratitude.
A very cool site about Winter Solstice.. School of the Seasons
Love, Light and Blessings this May Day.. the Earth Renews
Posted by msterilinn on May 1, 2007
Handfasting couples
the great marriage
the uniting of spirit
of all things combined
I dance for the earth
I dance for the air
I dance for the fire
I dance for the water
I dance for the Goddess and the God
I dance for the universe that we share
I danced for you my friend and wished you were there.
…Let the winds lift your banners from far lands
With a message of strife and of hope:
Raise the Maypole aloft with its garlands
That gathers your cause in its scope….
…Stand fast, then, Oh Workers, your ground,
Together pull, strong and united:
Link your hands like a chain the world round,
If you will that your hopes be requited.
When the World’s Workers, sisters and brothers,
Shall build, in the new coming years,
A lair house of life–not for others,
For the earth and its fulness is theirs.
Walter Crane, The Workers’ Maypole, 1894
Well, it is a fact that May Day, which the children do enjoy with all vibes, is not an overly prominent holiday in America. Yet, it does have a long and notable history as one of the world’s principal festivals. The origin of the May Day as a day for celebration dates back to the days, even before the birth of Christ. And like many ancient festivals it too has a Pagan connection.
For the Druids of the British Isles, May 1 was the second most important holiday of the year. Because, it was when the festival of Beltane held. It was thought that the day divides the year into half. The other half was to be ended with the Samhain on November 1. Those days the May Day custom was the setting of new fire. It was one of those ancient New Year rites performed throughout the world. And the fire itself was thought to lend life to the burgeoning springtime sun. Cattle were driven through the fire to purify them. Men, with their sweethearts, passed through the smoke for seeing good luck.
Then the Romans came to occupy the British Isles. The beginning of May was a very popular feast time for the Romans. It was devoted primarily to the worship of Flora, the goddess of flowers. It was in her honor a five day celebration, called the Floralia, was held. The five day festival would start from April 28 and end on May 2. The Romans brought in the rituals of the Floralia festival in the British Isles. And gradually the rituals of the Floralia were added to those of the Beltane. And many of today’s customs on the May Day bear a stark similarity with those combined traditions.
May day observance was discouraged during the Puritans. Though, it was relived when the Puritans lost power in England, it didn’t have the same robust force. Gradually, it came to be regarded more as a day of joy and merriment for the kids, rather than a day of observing the ancient fertility rights.
The tradition of Maypole and greeneries:
By the Middle Ages every English village had its Maypole. The bringing in of the Maypole from the woods was a great occasion and was accompanied by much rejoicing and merrymaking. The Maypoles were of all sizes. And one village would vie with another to show who could produce the tallest Maypole. Maypoles were usually set up for the day in small towns, but in London and the larger towns they were erected permanently.
The Maypole tradition suffered a setback for about a couple of decades since the Puritan Long Parliament stopped it in 1644. However, with the return of the Stuarts, the Maypole reappeared and the festivities of May Day were again enjoyed. The changes brought about by the Reformation included attempts to do away with practices that were obviously of pagan origin. But the Maypole, or, May tree, was not issued in practice at the behest of the second Stuart.
Although they succeeded in doing this, Maypole with most of the other traditions, many still survived. And Maypole is one of them. In France it merely changed its name. In Perigord and elsewhere, the May Tree became the “Tree of Liberty” and was the symbol of the French Revolution. Despite the new nomenclature, the peasants treated the tree in the same traditional spirit. And they would dance around it the same way as their forefathers had always done.
Maypoles and trees:
Trees have been linked to a part of celebration, perhaps, to the days ancient New Year rites. The association of trees to this celebration has come riding on the back of the spring festival in ancient Europe. Trees have always been the symbol of the great vitality and fertility of nature and were often used at the spring festivals of antiquity. The anthropologist E. O. James finds a strong relationship between the ancient tree related traditions of the British and the Romans. According to James’ description, as a part of the May Day celebration, the youths in old Europe cut down a tree, lopped off the branches leaving a few at the top. They then wrapped it round with violets like the figure of the Attis, the ancient Roman god. At sunrise, they used to take it back to their villages by blowing horns and flutes. In a similar manner, the sacred pine tree representing the god Attis was carried in procession to the temple of Cybele on Rome’s Palatine Hill during the Spring Festival of March 22.
Roots of May Day celebration in America:
The Puritans frowned on May Day, so the day has never been celebrated with as much enthusiasm in the United States as in Great Britain. But the tradition of celebrating May Day by dancing and singing around a maypole, tied with colorful streamers or ribbons, survived as a part of the English tradition. The kids celebrating the day by moving back and forth around the pole with the the streamers, choosing of May queen, and hanging of May baskets on the doorknobs of folks — are all the leftovers of the old European traditions.
