Post by ivymoon on Apr 7, 2008 11:38:38 GMT -5
The Willow
Keyword:
Enchantment
Physical Goal:
To encourage a comfortable relationship with the material world, which is full of lessons and cycles of changing values. Change is paramount
for growth.. and values are no exception.
Mental Goal:
To gain understanding of a particular concept.. a steady accumulation of facts is the foundation of understanding. Not everything
may be learned in one lesson.. the key is reception.
Spiritual Goal:
To learn that there must be periods of rest rather than continual activity.
Keywords: enchantment
Ogham: Saille
Color: Known as to be ''bright''
Letter: S
Magical Properties:
Romantic love, Healing, Protection, Fertility and Female Magick, magical wands for Moon Magick, Moon, Water, guard against evil,
brooms traditionally bound in Willow, line burial places, symbolic association of death.
Month:
Febuary, the fourth month in the Celtic Ogham.
Flower: Primrose
Deity: Cerridwen, Hecate, Circe, Persephone. All death aspects of the triple goddess.
Animals:
The Adder, the Hare, the Serpent
The Willow symbolizes the female and rhythms of the circle. This tree was sacred to the Moon, and in Celtic lore, the Universe was hatched from two crimson serpent eggs hidden among the boughs of the Willow. Hen's eggs were later substituted for those of serpent and symbolically eaten as part of the Beltane feasting.
This ritual was eventually transferred to the celebration of Easter with the eggs becoming Easter Eggs.
Both Willow Bark and the Primrose were ounce used as analgesias, particular in the treatment of arthritic diseases.
The Willow is a sign of intuition, imagination, and sometimes even deception. It is the unfoldment of psychic powers. The Willow is the gift of cunning, of the skillful and subtle use of mental powers to have your aims met.
Saille may indicate that there may be unseen forces or danger for you or those you love. You have something to learn from an unseen or as yet unknown person.
(Possibly a woman). This lesson may be unpleasant, but it will be of great benefit. You are urged to seek out the hidden forces in your life.
The challenge of the Willow is the tendancy to ignore the uncounscoius, hidden aspects of the personality.
You're urged to seek out the hidden forces in your life.
This lesson maybe unpleasant, but it will be of great benefit.
Folklore & Myths:
The Willow tree is particularly rich in folklore and mythology, and has many associations with gods and goddesses, such like: Proserpina, Orpheus, Hecate, Circe, Belenus, Artemis and Mercury. One of the main properties of the Willow is fertility, and due to its slender branches and narrow leaves it also became associated with the serpent; the serpent in turn was sacred to the goddess Proserpina. In Athens it was an ancient custom of the priests of Asclepius to place Willow branches in the beds of infertile women, this in the belief that it would draw the mystical serpents from the Underworld and cure them, the connection being the phallic symbolism of the snake form itself. However in later times this was turned around, and the Willow became protective of snakes by driving them away. Asclepius himself was depicted with a serpent wrapped around one arm, and so came the belief that he had power over snakes. The ancient Spartan fertility rites of the goddess Artemis also demonstrates the Willows connection with fertility and fecundity. Here male celebrants were tied to the tree’s trunk with Willow thongs, they were then flogged until the lashes produced an erotic reaction and they ejaculated fertilizing the land with their seed and blood.
The Willow was also sacred to poets, for the sound of the wind through the Willow is said to have a potent influence on the mind which results in inspiration. Orpheus the Greeks most celebrated poet is said to have received his gifts of eloquence and communication from the Willow by carrying its branches with him while journeying through the Underworld. Due to his talents as a poet the god Apollo presented him with a lyre and asked him to make music, he in turn instructed the Muses in its use. It was said that when he played music he not only enchanted wild beasts, but also that the trees and rocks of Mount Olympus moved from their places to follow the sounds of his harp. Upon his death with the intercession of Apollo and the Muses, Zeus placed the lyre of Orpheus amongst the stars. Orpheus was depicted in bas-relief in the temple at Delphi leaning against a Willow tree touching its branches.
There is a darker side to the Willow however, for it is also associated with grief and death. The Greek sorceress Circe is said to have had a riverside cemetery planted with Willow trees dedicated to Hecate and her moon magic. Here male corpses were wrapped in un-tanned ox-hides and left exposed in the tops of the trees for the elements to claim and the birds to eat. From this association with grief and death came the practice of placing Willow branches in the coffins of the departed, and the planting of young saplings on their graves. Old folklore advises that to plant a young Willow and watch it grow, would ease the passage of your soul at death. The ancient Celts believed that the spirit of the dead would rise up into the sapling planted above, which would grow and retain the essence of the departed one. Throughout Britain many cemeteries, particularly those situated near rivers, lakes or marshes, are often to be found lined with Willow trees to protect the spirits in place.
The Willows connection with water links it directly with the moon goddess who is revered by contemporary witches and pagans alike. One old tradition concerning the Willow is still celebrated today by Rumanian Gypsies. This is the festival of Green George which takes place on the 23rd of April. A man wearing a wicker frame made from the Willow represents the character of Green George which is then covered in greenery and vegetation from the land. This is symbolic of the Willows association with water that fertilizes the land bringing fruitfulness to the fields. On the eve of the festival and in a gay and lively manner, everything is prepared in readiness. A young Willow tree is cut down and re-erected at the place of the festivities, there it is dressed and adorned with garlands. That same night all the pregnant women assemble around the tree, and each places an article of clothing beneath it. The belief being that if a single leaf from the tree falls on a garment over night, its owner will be granted an easy child delivery by the Willows goddess.
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Keyword:
Enchantment
Physical Goal:
To encourage a comfortable relationship with the material world, which is full of lessons and cycles of changing values. Change is paramount
for growth.. and values are no exception.
Mental Goal:
To gain understanding of a particular concept.. a steady accumulation of facts is the foundation of understanding. Not everything
may be learned in one lesson.. the key is reception.
Spiritual Goal:
To learn that there must be periods of rest rather than continual activity.
Keywords: enchantment
Ogham: Saille
Color: Known as to be ''bright''
Letter: S
Magical Properties:
Romantic love, Healing, Protection, Fertility and Female Magick, magical wands for Moon Magick, Moon, Water, guard against evil,
brooms traditionally bound in Willow, line burial places, symbolic association of death.
Month:
Febuary, the fourth month in the Celtic Ogham.
Flower: Primrose
Deity: Cerridwen, Hecate, Circe, Persephone. All death aspects of the triple goddess.
Animals:
The Adder, the Hare, the Serpent
The Willow symbolizes the female and rhythms of the circle. This tree was sacred to the Moon, and in Celtic lore, the Universe was hatched from two crimson serpent eggs hidden among the boughs of the Willow. Hen's eggs were later substituted for those of serpent and symbolically eaten as part of the Beltane feasting.
This ritual was eventually transferred to the celebration of Easter with the eggs becoming Easter Eggs.
Both Willow Bark and the Primrose were ounce used as analgesias, particular in the treatment of arthritic diseases.
The Willow is a sign of intuition, imagination, and sometimes even deception. It is the unfoldment of psychic powers. The Willow is the gift of cunning, of the skillful and subtle use of mental powers to have your aims met.
Saille may indicate that there may be unseen forces or danger for you or those you love. You have something to learn from an unseen or as yet unknown person.
(Possibly a woman). This lesson may be unpleasant, but it will be of great benefit. You are urged to seek out the hidden forces in your life.
The challenge of the Willow is the tendancy to ignore the uncounscoius, hidden aspects of the personality.
You're urged to seek out the hidden forces in your life.
This lesson maybe unpleasant, but it will be of great benefit.
Folklore & Myths:
The Willow tree is particularly rich in folklore and mythology, and has many associations with gods and goddesses, such like: Proserpina, Orpheus, Hecate, Circe, Belenus, Artemis and Mercury. One of the main properties of the Willow is fertility, and due to its slender branches and narrow leaves it also became associated with the serpent; the serpent in turn was sacred to the goddess Proserpina. In Athens it was an ancient custom of the priests of Asclepius to place Willow branches in the beds of infertile women, this in the belief that it would draw the mystical serpents from the Underworld and cure them, the connection being the phallic symbolism of the snake form itself. However in later times this was turned around, and the Willow became protective of snakes by driving them away. Asclepius himself was depicted with a serpent wrapped around one arm, and so came the belief that he had power over snakes. The ancient Spartan fertility rites of the goddess Artemis also demonstrates the Willows connection with fertility and fecundity. Here male celebrants were tied to the tree’s trunk with Willow thongs, they were then flogged until the lashes produced an erotic reaction and they ejaculated fertilizing the land with their seed and blood.
The Willow was also sacred to poets, for the sound of the wind through the Willow is said to have a potent influence on the mind which results in inspiration. Orpheus the Greeks most celebrated poet is said to have received his gifts of eloquence and communication from the Willow by carrying its branches with him while journeying through the Underworld. Due to his talents as a poet the god Apollo presented him with a lyre and asked him to make music, he in turn instructed the Muses in its use. It was said that when he played music he not only enchanted wild beasts, but also that the trees and rocks of Mount Olympus moved from their places to follow the sounds of his harp. Upon his death with the intercession of Apollo and the Muses, Zeus placed the lyre of Orpheus amongst the stars. Orpheus was depicted in bas-relief in the temple at Delphi leaning against a Willow tree touching its branches.
There is a darker side to the Willow however, for it is also associated with grief and death. The Greek sorceress Circe is said to have had a riverside cemetery planted with Willow trees dedicated to Hecate and her moon magic. Here male corpses were wrapped in un-tanned ox-hides and left exposed in the tops of the trees for the elements to claim and the birds to eat. From this association with grief and death came the practice of placing Willow branches in the coffins of the departed, and the planting of young saplings on their graves. Old folklore advises that to plant a young Willow and watch it grow, would ease the passage of your soul at death. The ancient Celts believed that the spirit of the dead would rise up into the sapling planted above, which would grow and retain the essence of the departed one. Throughout Britain many cemeteries, particularly those situated near rivers, lakes or marshes, are often to be found lined with Willow trees to protect the spirits in place.
The Willows connection with water links it directly with the moon goddess who is revered by contemporary witches and pagans alike. One old tradition concerning the Willow is still celebrated today by Rumanian Gypsies. This is the festival of Green George which takes place on the 23rd of April. A man wearing a wicker frame made from the Willow represents the character of Green George which is then covered in greenery and vegetation from the land. This is symbolic of the Willows association with water that fertilizes the land bringing fruitfulness to the fields. On the eve of the festival and in a gay and lively manner, everything is prepared in readiness. A young Willow tree is cut down and re-erected at the place of the festivities, there it is dressed and adorned with garlands. That same night all the pregnant women assemble around the tree, and each places an article of clothing beneath it. The belief being that if a single leaf from the tree falls on a garment over night, its owner will be granted an easy child delivery by the Willows goddess.
www.controversial.com
blueroebuck.com