Garden Witch's Herbal (19 page)

According to flower folklore, the solid green-colored ivy denotes friendship and constancy. It was also rumored that ivy was used to decorate fertility wands—so if you're looking to conceive, you may want to take that into consideration.

The magickal associations for the vine are the planet Saturn and the element of water. Finally, along with holly, these two magickal plants are traditional herbal symbols for the God and Goddess, with the holly representing the male aspect and the ivy representing the female aspect. The ivy plays a prominent role at Yuletide, as the ivy is classically linked with the holly; think of the line from that Old English carol, “The Holly and the Ivy.” The Irish name for the ivy is Gort.

Reed (
Phragmites communis
)
October 28–November 24

Yes, you are correct: the reed is not a tree. However, the reed was an important product for ancient people. Reeds were used for thatching, woven into mats, crafted into pipes, and burned for fuel. During hard times or famine, the reed's roots and shoots could be eaten. While this may sound incredibly unappetizing to a modern person, if your family was starving, you foraged and gathered whatever you could.

The magickal associations of the reed are action, strength, and power. Its planetary association is the sun, and since the reed grows along wet banks and in marshes, its elemental association is water.

There is the story of Pan, who pursued a nymph named Syrinx who was so anxious to get away from him that she turned herself into a reed. Hiding among the other reeds on the riverbank, she was hidden. Since Pan was unable to figure out which reed was his beloved, he cut several reeds and fashioned them into a musical pipe—the panpipe that he carried with him always.

According to old flower folklore, the reed symbolized music and complaisance. It also carries the message “You have bewitched me with your song.” (Well, I guess we can stop wondering how the reed earned its magickal association.) The deities associated with the reed are Pan, Taliesin, Osiris, Isis, and Horus. At this dark time of Samhain, the reed represents the mysteries of mortality and is also a symbol of royalty. The royal connection comes about from an ancient tradition that tells how a sacred king often held a scepter crafted out of reeds. When the king died, the scepter of reeds was broken. The Irish name for the reed is Ngetal.

Elder (
Sambucus canadensis
)
November 25–December 23

An extremely old and powerful magickal tree, elder is a member of the honeysuckle family. This popular hedgerow tree also made an appearance in our last chapter and has the astrological correspondence of Venus and the elemental association of water. The elderberry, as it is also called, is sacred to many goddesses, many of whom are aspects of the Crone. Leave this tree to grow happily in nature, for it is believed to be a benevolent tree that is zealously guarded by the faeries and the Goddess.

If you plant an elderberry tree in the yard, you will invite the elves, nature spirits, and the faeries into your life. However, give the tree its own wild little corner of your property if you want the tree to flourish. This is a faerie tree, and they like their space. The elderberry tree is rightly thought to have a strong feminine spirit, which may explain its strong connection to Witchcraft. Folktales warn never to burn the wood of the elder tree—“Burn it not or cursed you'll be”—or to even bring elder flowers into the house. According to German folklore, bringing a leafy elder branch into your house was thought to invite ghosts. Conversely, in Scotland, the elder branches were hung over doors and windows inside the home to keep evil spirits away.

The creamy white flowers of the elderberry tree have been used in bridal bouquets for centuries. These flat heads of star-shaped flowers are arranged in clusters of blooms. They have a pleasant musky scent, and in the language of flowers, they signify both kindness and compassion. During the summer months while the tree is in bloom, it is thought that if you gently gather elderberry blossoms and breathe in the scent on Midsummer's Eve, then you will be visited by or receive a vision of the faeries. If you should discover this tree while on a ramble, or nature walk, then be kind to the tree, and greet it with respect and affection. The Irish name for the elder tree is Ruis.

Mystical, Magickal Trees

I am a willow of the wilderness,
loving the wind that bent me. All my hurts
my garden spade can heal. A woodland walk,
a quest of river-grapes, a mocking thrush,
a wild-rose, or rock-loving columbine,
salve my worst wounds.

ralph waldo emerson

With the elder, we finish our Celtic calendar of trees. The elder has an extensive magickal history, so it was featured in the previous hedgerow chapter as well. Overall, the elder tree is a symbol of both endings and beginnings, so it's very appropriate to close up both this tree year calendar and the chapter with this tree.

The elder reminds us that the magick of trees continues throughout all of the four bewitching seasons. It's simply up to us to absorb the green wisdom inherent in all of nature and then to discover and work wisely with these natural enchantments ourselves.

In the spring, you can tap into all that burgeoning energy and expansion. Use this season and your tree magick as an opportunity for new growth. What wonderful things could you bring to blossom? During the summer, you can revel in the lush foliage and the abundant and thriving fertility energy that is found all around us, for as nature flourishes, sets its fruits, and grows strong and true, so, too, will you.

As the autumn rolls in and the leaves begin to lose their green mask of chlorophyll, the hidden colors of the reds, browns, oranges, and yellows begin to show in the leaves. During nature's big, colorful autumn show, you have the opportunity to work tree magick with the energies of change, bounty, and the harvest. Reap what you have sown, and be thankful for all your blessings.

Finally, when winter holds the land, look to the evergreens—pine, cedar, spruce, and the holly—for proof that life does indeed go on. Even while nature is resting, it is also gaining strength for the next season. Use the winter months and the quiet and strong magick of the evergreens to gain a deeper understanding of nature and the power of all of her cycles and seasons.

The trees can truly teach us about the cycles of the earth; they have much wisdom to share. It's up to us as green magickal practitioners to stop, to look, and to carefully listen. Most importantly, we have to be receptive and allow ourselves to learn.

Tree Spirits

That thou, light winged Dryad of the trees,
In some melodious plot
Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,
Singest of summer in full-throated ease.

john keats

If you'd like to take your study of trees and green magick a bit further, you can learn to work with the spirits of the trees, the dryads. To begin, you need an open heart and a questing mind. Then take a walk, and find yourself a nice, healthy, established tree. You are going to want to choose a tree that has some character and some age.

Walk up to the tree and get a feel for its energy and its presence. Then splay your fingers wide, and lay both hands gently upon the trunk of the tree. Close your eyes, and let your mind open to the sensations of the tree. Now, you may “see” images or you may simply feel emotions. If you sense a sort of heartbeat within the tree, don't be alarmed. That is simply the sap, or life's blood, of the tree rushing throughout and circulating through all the branches and leaves.

You should be aware that the tree is not a shell holding the dryad within. The tree and the tree's spirit—its dryad—grow together. There is a symbiotic relationship between a dryad and its tree. While the tree is young, the tree spirit is thought to flit about and move around the tree and to visit (for lack of a better term) its neighbors in the wood or garden. But as the tree grows and ages, the dryad develops as well. Once the tree reaches maturity, it raises its vibrations, and the dryad is thought to move deeper within the spirit of the tree, becoming stronger and more substantial and eventually merging with the tree so that they are one.

This is the presence, or personality, that you can sense when you bond with an older tree. For the most part, dryads are quiet, shy, and kind. They may not be very trusting of you the first time you try to connect with them, so be patient. Now, just so we are clear, I am not telling you to expect the dryad to come popping out of the tree and shake your hand. I am telling you that in time and once you build a relationship with a tree, the spirit within may send you visions, messages, and if they
really
like you, they can boost your green magick as well.

How will you know when that has happened? You'll feel it in your heart center. You might get a little flip of the stomach or a pleasant tug at your heart. This will be followed by a nice little warm rush of sensation and a feeling of contentment. That's how you will know. This type of green magick is intensely personal, so different Witches may experience a variety of sensations. You will have to carefully take notes and keep track of your experiences. Then, over time, you can see how the relationship between you and the tree spirit develops.

If, for some reason, you believe that you have encountered a cranky tree spirit—and yes, I have heard of folks who are terrified when they think they have angered a tree somehow—then casually back away from the tree, whisper a wish for the tree to grow strong and true, and leave the tree alone. I would suspect that this is your fear playing out more than a tree's supposed bad attitude, though it could be an angry land deva who is upset that the area was disturbed.

For example, if an old, wooded area was stripped bare to make room for a new subdivision, then you bet you are going to experience some angry earth spirit energy. But the sturdy old pine, elm, oak, willow, ash, magnolia, or maple tree growing in your backyard or neighborhood park shouldn't be a problem. If you think you have encountered an angry tree or land spirit, do not panic. Just be calm, center yourself, look around, and try to befriend a different species of tree. The tree spirits won't mind.