Under

UnSer
CORINNE
B oyer
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WitcbinaTree
А Yolk Grimoire o f Tree Yore
and Yracticum
Corinne Boyer
Disclaimer
The content of this book is based on historical information

along with the author’s own experience. As such, any
medicinal or ritual use of the trees and plants involved is
the sole responsibility and choice of the reader. It is their
responsibility to be educated on proper plant identification,
harvesting and recommended dosages, which is beyond
the scope of this book. The author and publisher therefore
take no responsibility, legal or otherwise, for any misuse
of the plants that comes as a result of poor judgement or
misinformation by the reader.
Illustration and Photo Credit Information:

All photographs taken by Claude Mahmood
Western Red Cedar Illustration by Nicole Graf, 2016
All other illustrations are copyright free and taken from
the Handbook of Plant and Floral Ornament- Selected
from the Herbals of the Sixteenth Century, by Richard G.
Hatton, Dover Publications, 1960 (1909)
This book is dedicated to all practitioners, be they personal

or professional, that use plants in their magical, healing
and ritual work. To those that are now, to those who have
been and to those that will be.
Contents
Introduction 13
The Black Earth Medicines of Autumn 16
Elder 19
Ha2 el 33
Rowan 47
Apple 59
Walnut 71
An Altar of Winter Charms 78
Yew 79
Pine 87
Holly 99
Spruce 107
Western Red Cedar 115
Springtime Forest Rite- 122
Birch 125
Willow 137
Alder 149
Blackthorn 161
Cottonwood/Poplar/Aspen 171
The Deer Sorceress of Midsummer 180
Hawthorn 183
Oak 197
Ash 209
Linden 221
Maple 229
Appendices-
A; Plant and Tree Visitations 239
B; Drying and Storing Plants 243
C: Rendering Animal Fat at Home 250
D: Infusing Fats/Oils with Plants 255
E: Making Wine and Mead 259
F: Making Salves/Ointments 268
G: Making Ehxirs, Cordials and Infused Wines 271
H: Making Fumigations 275
Bibliography 277
Index 281
About the Author 288
Photoplatcs
between pages 144-145
1. Л п alta r o f E lder tree medicine

2. Leaves and flowers o f E ld er in bearf a t
3. Л п EJder Charm f o r Second Sight
4. Hasêl catkins
5. Λ length o f twisted Haiêl
6. Λ cross o f Rowan, bound in red, and threaded Rowan berries;
traditional charns o f protection
7. M aking a Rowan tree protective charm
8. A p p le tree blossom
9. A p p le tree with spirit p o rtal
10. English Walnut
11 . Charms made from crosses o f Yew wood with quarts^
12. The author peeling pine bark
13. A charm o f Cedar, Raven and Deer
14. The author in the Birch tree
15. European White Birch tree
16. A ld e r tree with hollow split
17. Black Powder with hare’s fo o t
18. The author holding Cottonwood buds
19. Divination incense
2 0 . The Hawthorn in flow er
2 1 . The mighty O ak tree
2 2 . O ak leaf. Tern and Moss
2 3 . A n A s h tree charm to keep away fire
2 4 . A Linden sweeping tool
2 5. Big L e a f Maple Flower
2 6. Maple trees in the moonlight
2 7 . Maple Faerie tree
2 8 . A bove: an altar o f tree materia magica
2 9 . Witches’ H a ir lichen in the forest
3 0 . Forest o f Enchantment
All photographs taken by Claude Mahmood

Specific Recipes and Charms within the Book, created by
die Author:
Alder Wood Binding Spell 157

Alder lilixir 158
Alder Leaf Wine 15 8
Crab Apple Syrup 68
Wassail Recipe 68
Birch and Lodestone Love Charm 134
Birch Healing Poppet 13 5
Cider Tree Charm for Second Sight 28
elder I'lower Ointment 30
Cider Berry Mead 29
1 lazel Interred Oracular Powder 43
I lazel Wood Divination 44
Cutting the Cord- A Holly and Oak Severing Rite 10 5
f unerary Fumigation 96
Pine Bark Elixir 96
Protective Charm for Newborn Babe or Child 56
Rowan Hawthorn Berry Spiced Wine 57
Spruce Tree Ancestor Offering Rite 112
VVintcr F’orest Balm 113
Yuletide Spruce Tea 114
Walnut Leaf Wine 76
Midsummer’s Eve Walnut Liquor 77
Western Red Cedar Smudge Bundle 121
Cedar Tip Solar Infused Oil 121
Yew Ancestor Talisman 85
Willow Charm for Turning Back Grief 14 5
Witches Fever Break Oxymel 14 6
Cottonwood Pain Salve 17 9
Divination Incense 179
Black Earth Protective Powder 16 8
Sloe Gin 16 9
A Witch Bottle to turn back a Jealous Enemy 194
I lawthorn Berry Honey 19 5
I lawthorn Elixir 19 6
Divination by Oak Spirits 207
VV'ood Wife Ointment 237
I,iiulen Sweeping Tool 227
Linden Flower Mead 228
A Charm to Keep Away F’ire 218
Acknowledgements
I wish to acknowledge and thank my dedicated teachers and

friends: Carol Trasatto, Joyce Netishen and EUse Krohn. You
have aU supported me and taught me much about the ways
of plants. You have aU inspired me. And to my teacher, the
late Bob ‘Sandman’ Coalson, for the pipe, the drum and the
dreams. Thank you to my many students, friends and plant
lovers in the Olympia area w’hom have supported my work
over the years, it has been such a joy to share the magic
together. A special thank you to Marcus and Catamara, for
their enthusiasm and commitment to the incredible world of
plant magic. And I am grateful for Troy Books, my publisher,
for their commitment to traditional ways, preserving folklore,
and to producing beautiful books.
Perhaps most importantly, I want to thank my family. It is
they whom have been so directly supportive in the day to day
during the years in creating this book and in creating our life
together. To my children Samuel and Violet for their patience
and tolerance, and for their many walks in the forest. To my
father David for his wisdom, ever helpful eyes on my work,
understanding and acceptance of my wild ways. To his kindness
I am forever indebted. To my Uncle Steve for his passionate
love of the forest that met my own, since I was a child. To
my incredibly patient, helpful and supportive husband Claude.
Words will never express my gratitude. Without you, this work
would have never been possible. And to my late mother, Jo
Ann. You knew all along. Your strength and fortitude stiU
inspire me every day. Your love of words and good writing do
as weU.
And thank you to the beings unseen, to the trees wild with
deep roots, to their immense beauty. After aU, it is they whom
have inspired me for many moons, they who saved me in their
magical shelter aU those long years ago. To the horseshoe in
the tree trunk in the Indian woods. x\nd lasdy, to Rebecca,
Lady of Snakes. Your hand is on every page.
11
...an old trunk shattered with age or storm,
moss-grown or hoary with lichen,
would, to the primitive wanderer in the forest,
assume a supernatural aspect,
especially i f seen when the shades o f night were falling,
or blurred by mists.
Alexander Porteous, The Forest in Mythology <&Folklore
Deep in the darkest part o f the forest, fra il blackberry bushes

and pale violets grew in patches o f sunlight, hut Marusia could
not fin d what she was loo king fo r... Marusia remembered what
her mother had said: “Never enter the forest on the fa r side o f the
village, fo r that is the forest o f Baba Yagal
Ernest Small & Blair Lent, Baba Yaga
12
f INTRODUCTION f
hat magic is gathered from the old trees, from the

spirits there, from the forest itself? The haunted
pathways that lead into the dark forest have always
been shrouded in mystery and fear, evoking a timeless
curiosity. I remember as a child the way the woods behind
our house called to me, they spoke to me, the trees had
such presence, such personalities. Trees do mark the passage
of time and memory. Guardians of forgotten homesteads,
old apple trees gnarled and thick with lichen hold rainwater
pools in hollows. Alder copses next to the cemetery fill with
mist and are still, during windy midnight hours. Lightning
struck oak trees transform spirit paths on twilight evenings
of the full moon nearest solstice time. Trees of all sorts not
only offer incredible material for one’s own folk apothecary,
they offer direct instruction and tutelage for those seeking to
learn about seasonal and earthen mysteries. Once discovered,
a wild place hosting a dominant tree in the landscape can
be visited again and again, offerings made and intentions
spoken. While it is true that not all trees are safe or friendly
to a human companion, their roots do grow through an
ancient substratum and feed upon the enchanted ways of
old. The intention of the present volume is to touch on
these old ways and draw upon them even still, in a modern
time and place.
( )ne of the reasons to work with trees is that they, along
with all of the natural world and her resident spirits, bring
both light and dark medicines for the altar, for the amulet
Itouch, for the cauldron. The powers that trees hold are
not only healing, protective and whimsical but also fierce,
frightening, deadly, and elusive. The New Age tendency
to sugar coat aiul while wash traditions has certainly been
Under the Witching Tree
veneered onto the realms of the plant world. Folklore

graciously sheds Ught into the darker corners of these ways,
ever helpful that they are even now during modern rimes.
Let us then peel the veneer aside and peer into the full
complexity of the history of tree lore and magic, into the
rustic folkways that hold blood, bark and branch wrapped
in red cloth.
Those folks of the past sought out trees and plants for
many more appUcations than the typical modern herbal
medical practitioner. Not only for tinctures and salves,
but for charms, amulets and for use in hearing or cursing
rituals, for love magic, for divinatory aid were trees once
employed. Not only for common colds and coughs were the
trees of value, but for the transference of complicated and
little understood childhood diseases, for the cleansing of
ghosts, for the conjuration of spirits, for the mourning of
the dead and for the protection of newborn babes, pregnant
women, and animals. The remedies involved extended far
into the human condition. The reliance on forests was made
more intimate by those seeking magic and cures, rather than
materials alone. The trees were respected and feared for
their powers. They were an interface in which to relate to
and contact spirits of the Other world. That they remain.
The trees of old have long stood and witnessed great
changes in the landscape. The occasional charmer or Wise
Woman no longer visits the forest with knife and basket,
with cakes and cream, muttering incantations under her
breath —at least not in the modernized world. Few people
even recognize different tree species or know of any use
for them beyond industrial and production based purposes.
Their magical and medicinal history is obscured and hinted
at only in works of fiction and media. These ways of haunted
trees and hearing charms are not so very far behind us -
this is a pertinent time to salvage and reawaken the almost
lost lore, to bring it to rife once again. For those people
interested in the ways in which trees were not only utilized
for the practical use of everyday folk medicine, but also the
14
Introduction
ways in which they were apphed in traditional magic, this

book is written.
The lore and ways presented in this volume primarily come
from Northern and Western Europe and North America. I
have been selective -vvith the material, including what is most
related to medicinal and magical/spiritual matters, excluding
the many material uses of the trees. I have included some
folk tales and Umited mythology, where I beUeved it was
insightful for the particular tree at hand. I have also included
my personal ways of working with the trees, along with some
recipes and charms that I have created and formulated over
the years for numerous purposes. This book is the first part
of three volumes, and represents my work of nearly two
decades of experiencing and learning from and about many
trees and plants. My poetry is included at the beginning of
each section to encompass the powers of the seasons, relating
to not only plants, but to the materia magica of those times
and their energies. My hope is that this volume, along with
the subsequent ones relating to wayside and garden plants
that are forthcoming, becomes a working grimoire for those
interested in using the trees directly, working with them in
their natural settings and experiencing their potent powers
and capabiUties. My hope is that it will inspire old magic that
is operative in nature, in the mysterious enchanted world
of the forests, woods, edges and hedges. May you seek out
the trees, spend time in their shade, and hear their stories
firsthand.
One will notice that I do not include any information
pertaining to botanical description or plant identification, as
there are ample resources out in the world dedicated to this
information. It is assumed then, that people will seek out
the appropriate resources to make sure to properly identify
the plants and trees, before using them for any magical or
physical work.
Folklore is a living body of knowledge, always shifting
and changing depending on the people that are interacting
with the material. Once the methodology of folk magic and
15
medicine is learned, once the parameters are understood, one

can apply this while learning directly from the tree spirits,
and understand the ways being taught. Working with the
materials that the land itself offers up, in combination with
working directly with spirits, be they ancestors, deceased
practitioners, plant spirits, animal spirits, and/or land spirits,
is a most effective and empowering way to inform a personal
and professional practice. I do believe that you, the reader,
will find the material enclosed as interesting, intriguing and
as helpful for your personal work as I do. May you breathe
Ufe into the remedies, rituals and recipes within these pages,
may you find ways to make them your own.
Corinne Boyer, Maple Mist Wood of Western Washington,

Midwinter 2015
The Black Earth Aledicines of Autumn
Waiker o f Caves, black wool

And obsidian glass ornaments
Wearer o f midnight fu r and
Kavens feather cloak,
The ancient beings among us
Dangle with the claws o f crow

The wings o f bats, the charred bones
A ndJarred seeds —poppy, Datura,
The fru it o f dark elderberry wine
Fixed offerings lost in a deep pool
Flack soil carries the breath

O f the Dark moon, her age old
Medicines are upon my altar
They are beneath my foundation
Stones accursed and blessed with night
16
Introduction
Black butterflies and owl talons

In Dreams, the cauldron o f water
Λnd dark poison leaves
This is m j becoming —I see
And I am born from this place
Where the moths live and feed

In the shadows o f rotting leaves
The darkness o f the womb
It holds me and form s me
It is my long lost sanctuary
Gifts from the Tady hooded and cloaked

The fru it o f the blackberry, my wine
The heart o f the blackbird, my food
The darkened Indian pipe, my fam iliar
The silvery coal, my amulet
The Shroud that will carry me

Into the starless night, brings
Medicine o f the serpent, my ancestor
Who resides in the dark watery crypts
And creates from sleepless darkness alone.
17
ELDER
Samhucus spp
n the forgotten meadow, long stands the brittle bone

, elder tree, which graces the rustic country person’s
kettle with heavy blue and black fruit for healing
syrups and wines. But what other magic comes from this
tree that shimmers in the darkness, whose wood is ensouled
by the witches of old? Old crone tree of the dark edges
with her pungent perfume__The elder tree, a spirit of the
witch’s realm, watches from her autumnal home, her roots
in the swamps. Tales told of this shapeshifting spinster
and magic maker are dark and strange. Marked by Saturn,
the elder tree is connected to death and severe protection.
She was both respected and feared by country people in
times past.
The elder tree has been associated with folk medicine
for ages. Every part of the plant has been used medicinally
and the whole tree was considered to be a supernatural
nature spirit since ancient times. The classic European
species and the tree most referenced in herbal medicine
and folk magic is Samhucus nigra or the black elder. The
berries are a distinct shiny black, evoking a mysterious
curiosity.
Here are some older beliefs surrounding this gracefully
dark tree. Old country names for the elder tree include
Pipe Tree, Frau Ellhorn or Ellen, Bore Tree and Bour
Tree. Because of its shiny black berries, an old Romany
name for elder was ‘Devils Eye.’ The Latin name Samhucus
derives from the word for ‘harp’, which was thought to
be an ancient use for elder wood. The common name
‘elder’ may derive from the old Saxon word, eller, meaning
‘to kindle.’ The hollow stems were used in olden times
19
to blow onto dying or sparsely lit embers, reviving the

smoldering fire. It is interesting that we refer to older
people as ‘elders’ in English. The elder tree was previously
classified as being in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae,
but has recently been moved to Adoxaceae family, a newer
category that certainly may change again.
The belief that a spirit inhabits this tree has survived
even into relatively modern times. Specifically, a witch
spirit was thought to inhabit the tree. There are numerous
references to the belief that a witch lived in the elder
tree and could shape shift back and forth from human to
tree. An old name for this nature spirit was ‘Hj/demoer,'’
which means ‘Elder Mother’ in Danish. It was considered
unlucky to cut the wood down for fire wood or building
material in different parts of Europe. In England, it was
said that burning elder wood would bring the devil into the
house or that the person burning the wood would become
bewitched. If you wanted to cut down the tree, you had to
ask permission to escape possible ill fate. The appropriate
way to ask was to say something like ‘L adj elder, give me
some o f thy wood, Then I will give thee some o f mine, when I
become a tree. ’ Another way to say it: ‘T ady Ellhorn, give me
o f thy wood, and I will give thee o f mine when it shall grow in the
fo rest’. A Danish custom was to spit thrice before cutting
or trimming an elder tree, to drive away evil beings. Hedge
cutters would refuse to trim an elder tree for fear of being
followed by bad luck. Spirits were believed to dwell in
these hollow trees, specifically in the joints. This wood
had a will of its own - if it was placed on a burning fire,
it would cause it to go out; if it was used for furniture, it
would bend and warp; if skewers were made from elder
for roasting, it would turn the food bitter.
The old earth Gods of Prussia were believed to live
under the elder tree and if offerings were made to it, little
men would come, bringing grain and doing housework. If
one stood under the elder tree on Midsummer’s Eve, the
Faerie king and his fellow faeries could be seen riding by.
20
Elder
This mysterious tree was never touched after dark in the

Fens in England. In Denmark, elder trees were believed
to move around at night and could be found peering into
windows of those sleeping. It was also said that faeries
in the form of ancestors lived in the tree. If a cradle
was made of elder wood, the baby sleeping in it would
be either stolen by faeries or the Elder Mother. Or the
baby would be pinched blacked and blue by the faeries.
Elder was a tree associated with witchcraft from early
times, from around 900 AD or before. In Ireland instead
of an ash broomstick, witches rode on broomsticks made
from elder wood. Country folks would sometimes refer
to it as ‘witch wood’. A name for the berries was ‘Holda’s
Berries’, which refers to the trees connection with Mother
Holda or Hulda, an ancient winter death spirit from old
Germanic culture.
There were other associations with elder and death. If
an elder stick was planted over a grave and it grew, it was a
sign that the deceased was happy in the afterlife. The old
Jewish Cemetery in Prague was planted with elders. It was
considered dangerous to sleep under an elder tree because
the leaves apparently let out a fragrance that if inhaled,
resulted in death. The flowers were known to attract
snakes and it was reported that adder snakes slept in the
dry roots of the elder tree. Polish people were known
to bury their sorrows and sins under elder trees, so that
they passed into the underworld to where they belonged.
Some sort of incantation was used to pass the energy into
the elder tree, into the earth, then into the realms of the
dead. An old saying goes: Hawthorn blooms and elder flowers
f ill the house with evil powers. This is a connection to not
only the white flowers of both plants, which in times past
were highly unlucky to bring indoors as they were often
used for funeral rites, but also to the supernatural energy
associated with both trees.
There are many examples of the elder tree being used
in folk magic. Here is an old spell for using elder bark, for
21
healing a skin infection called Erysipelas (an older name

for this was St. Anthony’s Fire), which causes acute fever,
chills and raised red patches on the face, arms and legs: The
blood of a bullfinch is put in a new vessel with scraped
elder bark, then the whole is laid on a cloth, which is bound
over the eyes overnight. The person suffering repeats this
incantation: I have two eyes, I have two feet, Tain from my eyes go
into my feet! Go from my feet, go into the earth! Go from the earth
into death!' x\nother elder remedy for the same ailment was
to find a piece of elder wood onto which the sun never
shone and cut it betu-een two knots and wear it on necklace,
as an amulet.
To make an enchanted walking stick that would never
break and would bring protection to the one who used it,
one could harvest elder wood on All Souls Day and hollow
out the pithy branch to enclose these magical ingredients
—seven vervain leaves, powdered wolves eye, a dog’s heart
and tongue, three green hzards, three swallows hearts and
the fillings from ironstone. The stick was then capped with
an iron ferrule.
Carrying an elder wood amulet was used to prevent
rheumatism and silently sticking a piece of elder wood in
the ground was done to rid of fever, by way of transference.
A Danish remedy for toothache: Take a stick of elder
wood and put it in your mouth. Then stick it in the wall
while reciting the words: Depart thou evil spirit. Nine pieces
of elder wood were strung onto a necklace and worn was
a cure for epilepsy, as long as the necklace never touched
the ground. A charm to cure convulsions in children was
to find a magical elder that had been seeded by birds on
the top of a pollarded willow. The father of the child
must then, on a full moon, gather the twigs and make a
necklace for the child. A wart could be cured with elder
by pricking until a drop of blood came forth. This was
dropped onto an elder leaf and the leaf was then buried,
a simple transference charm. It was known in some parts
that leaves gathered on the auspicious May Eve were used
22
Elder
for wound healing specifically. Interestingly, horse people

would sometimes carry an elder twig as an amulet against
saddle sores.
Elder wood was historically used for protection,
exorcising illness and for spirit conjuration. It is a tree that
falls under Saturn’s dominion. Whistles made from elder
wood were used to summon spirits, magical pipes that
they are. Elder was also used for darker magic, the leaves
and bark were included in hex powders. The flowers and
berries were used in protective mixtures. A very intense
counter curse included making a ‘frog’ out of grave dust,
powdered black spiders and elder sap. This poppet was
to be bapti2ed in the victim’s name and pricked daily with
pins for nine days to make them very ill.
Elder was thought to protect the home and farm as
well. It was used as a charm against lightning, wreaths
of branches were hung up in Germany after sunset to
protect the farm. On the Isle of Man, elder wood was
fixed above windows and doors to protect the house.
An elder tree planted next to a cottage was supposed
to protect a home from witchcraft, lightning and flies.
Peasants would make wreaths of elder to put up on the
infamous Walpurgis night in Germany so that they could
see witches riding on brooms, dragons or goats. One
protective rite using elder came from Styria, Austria. On
Bertha Night Qanuary 6th), the Devil was known to have
great powers. If a magical circle was made, one could
stand in the center of it with elder berries that were
gathered on St.Johns Night, thus being protected against
his influences. It is likely that these berries were green
and under ripe, however their powers were for magical
rather than medicinal use.
Elder was used in different ways to find malefic witches.
A German belief w’as that an elder stick burned on
Christmas Eve would somehow reveal who the witches
were in the nearby neighborhood. A Colonial American
belief was that if a piece of elder pith was dipped in oil.
23
lit and floated on water, that it would point to any witch

present. Another interesting belief was that anyone who
was baptized and anointed with the juice of green elder
bark around the eyes could see witches.
Folk Medicine ^
Older folk medicinal uses of elder were many. It has
been called ‘the medicine chest of the country people’
and we can see why, with such a long history and so many
applications. Elder flowers and berries have been used
for centuries for colds, flus, fevers, and stomach troubles.
It was thought that because the flowers bloomed around
the summer solstice, that medicine had some of the
warming powers of the sun. An elder flower decoction
was a country remedy to take at the first signs of sickness.
People have used the berries for wine, in particular brewed
or infused with warming mulling spices, such as clove,
cinnamon and nutmeg. The flowers and leaves were often
used in infused lard for topical purposes such as repelling
insects, burns, wounds and eczema. A rustic split for a
wound could be made from a hollowed out elder branch
filled with moss. An old Irish remedy for helping to
prevent a scar after a burn was to apply a salve made
from green elder rind (bark) mixed with sheep suet. Elder
flower water was used cosmetically to remove freckles
and help with sun burns.
The Native Americans had many medicinal uses for
the red and blue elder in the Pacific Northwest, and in
other parts of North America. Generally speaking, with
the blue elder Samhucus cerulea, the leaves were used for
a wash externally applied for blood poisoning, taken for
new colds and as a purgative. An infusion of the flowers
was taken internally for fevers, headaches, measles, colds
and stomach troubles. A decoction of the bark was used
as a wash for pain and for swelling, old sores, itching
skin and also for bruises. Some specific information gives
more of a range of the uses. The Houma tribe used a
24
Elder
decoction of the bark as a wash for pain and an herbal

steam bath was made with the leaves and flowers by the
Kawaiisu tribe for headaches and colds. Similarly, the
Okanagan-Colville tribe took the dead stalks and used
them in a steam bath for rheumatism and arthritis. The
fresh bark could also be applied topically for toothache.
The Karok tribe used a wash made from the branches
in a ceremony for a sick child, called the Brush Dance.
The Montana Indian tribe used an infusion of the flowers
taken internally for lung troubles. The Yokut tribe used
fresh bruised leaves as a poultice for burns. An infusion
of the flowers was given to babies with a fever and for
teething by numerous tribes.
With the red elder Samhucus racemose var. pubens generally
speaking, a poultice of the leaves and bark was applied
for pain, rheumatism and swellings. A poultice of the
pounded leaves was applied for boils and abscesses. An
infusion of the roots and bark was taken as a purgative
and for colds. A few more specific uses of note —the
Quinault tribe used the bark applied as a poultice when a
woman started breastfeeding. The Nitinaht tribe combined
red elder bark with black twinberry Eonicera invulucrata for
nervous breakdowns. The Quileute used the bark or roots
for women during labor, taken internally in an infusion. A
medicine was made for those affected by witchcraft out of
red elder bark, juniper roots juniperotts spp. and cow parsnip
roots Heracleum spp., by the Gitksan tribe. The Kwakiutl
tribe used the bark in a steam bath for women to help relax
them after child birth.
Personal Practices ^
Magically, when working with the unseen, the elder spirit is
exceptional for aid in seeing into the Other realms. When
used for divination work, dream work, trance work or
during ritual where spiritual aid is sought, elder wood as
talisman or charm is revealing. She is a truth teller. Calling
to the elder tree witch during night time walks or sits
25
brings her wisdom into the present situation. Elder can

be used for sorrow, a very comforting companion when
trauma or loss arises. Grief is hfted and this old wise tree
spirit lends her helping hand or maybe a bony shoulder to
cry on. Seek out this tree for that purpose, drinking the
flower tea and taking naps in the elder mother’s shade to
promote prophetic dreams.
Elder leaves and flowers, if they are still in bloom, can be
gathered after dark on Midsummers Eve, with appropriate
offerings made. These can be dried and used later for
fumigations, amulets pouches or protective powers where
wisdom and access to hidden realms is sought. Also, the
earth from around the roots of an old elder tree can be
‘harvested’ with permission from the tree and intentions
explained. This earth can be used in charms, powders or
any magical preparation where the aid of the elder tree is
needed. The berries can be burned in fumigation mixtures
during the winter months when extra protection and
information is sought.
The local blue elder S. certilea is the elder that I use
most for medicine, the creamy honey scented flowers
and the heavy clusters of lavender dusted berries. The
flowers stand in stark contrast to black S.nigra and red
elder 5. racemosa flowers, which have more acrid and
sour undertones, though can be used just the same.
Remember that the leaves, bark, stems and roots of elder
are considered toxic to take internally in modern times.
Elder flower and berry tea can be used for any kind of
cold and/or flu, before, during and after. The flowers and
berries are both diaphoretic (promotes sweating), diuretic
and slightly laxative. Both the berries and flowers make
a delicious syrup and/or wine. An elder flower infusion,
mixed with rosehips and sage leaves, is most helpful
for seasonal allergies. When using the dried berries in
tea, decoct them for 10-15 minutes to bring out their
full medicine. A favorite combination includes dried
elderberry decocted with rosehips, Douglas fir tips (pine
26
Elder
or spruce could be substituted), stinging nettles, clove,

allspice, cinnamon and orange peel. x\nother tea that I call
‘Dark Hollow Tea’ combines dried elderberries, roasted
dandelion roots and stinging nettle leaves. This decocted
for a time with milk and honey added is excellent for cold
rainy nights.
The infused fat or oil made vdth freshly wilted elder
leaves and flowers can be made into a salve. This salve
can be used for skin irritations and sensitive skin. It has
the ability to take the itch away and sooth inflammation,
also being excellent for chaffing, and eczema. Fresh elder
leaves rubbed on the skin (though not the face) make a
quick and helpful insect repellent.
The berries of the red elder are known to be toxic unless
cooked and the seeds strained out before consuming,
though they were traditionally dried and eaten in small
quantities mixed with other berries by Native American
tribes. I do not make medicine with these. The berries
of the blue or black elder however can be made into
an excellent elixir simply by covering the fresh berries
that have been frozen and then thawed with brandv and
honey. This mixture is to be infused and stirred daily
for 1-2 months. Whole spices can be added, such as
cloves, cinnamon, ginger and allspice if desired, but it is
wonderful on its own.
To harvest the elder flowers, wait until they are fully open
and fragrant, often in early June. There is a three-week
window roughly. Snip the flower heads into a basket. To
reach the high clusters, use a fruit hook or a trimming tool
that has an extended pole. Remember to leave a significant
amount of flower clusters for berry production. The leaves
used for external purposes only can also be harvested
at this time as well. Lay your flower clusters to dry and
in about three weeks, strip them from the largest stems
and store them in glass jars in the dark. The smell will be
intense with some species during the drying process, it will
lessen in a week or two. If you are going to make an elixir
27
or wine with the flowers, I personally prefer to dry them

first, the flavor is better.
To harvest the berries, wait until they are fully ripe,
with no green on the fruit at all. Use the same method as
for the flowers, but watch them closely, as you will often
be competing with the birds and other creatures. Either
dry the berries on the stems and strip them off when dry,
or freeze them immediately to make into other potions at
a later time. Always remove the stems before processing
them into medicine, as they are known to be toxic. A
few remaining tiny stems in the flowêr bunches are of
no worry, but it is important to remove as much of the
larger and obvious ones as possible without taking hours
to do so.
M a n y th an k s to the E ld e r W itch,
She who sees in the d ark , may we be so inspired to learn fro m
h er ways and M id nigh t A r t s ever towards the truth. Λ tree th at
o ffers everyth in g for o u r healing an d m agical apothecary, may we be
alw ays respectful o f her pow ers a n d potency.
Hlder Tree Charm for Second Sights

This charm brings together both the serpent and the
elder tree, Unked they are in folklore and in fate. On an
autumn full moon, go to an old elder tree in some wild
place. Pour on libations and offerings (elderberry wine or
mead is appropriate here) and ask the tree spirit for some
of her wood, in return of course for the wood you will
grow when you are a tree someday. It would be ideal to
take a branch without the use of metal, but this requires
leaving a nasty open wound to the tree, so I use sharp
pruners. Make sure the branch is about the thickness
of your thumb. Upon returning home, cut out an elder
‘crossroads’ piece for the main amulet by choosing the
spot where the opposite branches come out - a four way
split in the branch essentially. Set this aside. Then cut the
28
Elder
rest of the branch in roughly one inch chunks. Take a

leather awl and hollow out the pithy centers —only use live
wood, not any dead pieces. String them on black ribbon,
the older the better, and knot them three times betvceen
the pieces. Sew a pouch from black wool and make it with
a flap to attach a button to keep it closed. Attach the string
of elder ‘beads’, making sure it is long enough to go over
your head.
Now take elder earth harvested from around the roots
of an old tree and dried elder leaves harvested in darkness
on Midsummer’s Eve (ideally midnight) and pass them
through the smoke of dragon’s blood before placing them
into your pouch. Similarly fumigate your crossroads amulet
piece and a snake skin. If found near an elder tree, all the
more powerful. Wrap the elder piece with the snake’s skin
while reciting this incantation:
E ld e r crone, elder crone, lies sleeping m th the snake.

F o u r w ays an d hack again to see the m irrored lake,
A n d on th a t lak e a gn arled hand, be sure to p o in t the truth.
F o r under worlds an d over worlds I seek to see —fo rso o th !
Then put the wrapped piece in the pouch and seal, w’hile
passing through the aforesaid smoke. Wear this pouch
when seeking to see into other worlds during any ritual or
ceremony that requires such, also sleep with it under your
pillow for prophetic dreams and use during any sort of
divination work.
Elder Berry Mead

To make 1 gallon of mead, you need about a gallon zip
lock bag full of berries in clusters. Freeze the berries, and
then thaw them; it makes stripping the stems off easier
and starts the process of breaking down the berries. Strip
all of the larger stems from the berries and as much of
the smaller stems as you can. Place the prepared berries
in a medium sized stone crock. Take 3 pounds of honey
29
and about 3 quarts of water, boil them on the stovetop

for about 10 minutes, stirring to dissolve. Add it to the
crock and stir in the berries. Now add a selection of
spice, if desired; a little fresh orange peel, allspice berries,
cinnamon chips, whole cloves etc...But go easy, you can
overpower this. You can also infuse the spices later, after
the wine is done.
Wait until the wine is completely cool (overnight),
sprinkle wine yeast on top of the mixture and wait 15
minutes before stirring it in. Cover the crock with a linen
cloth that is tied on with a string and rubber band, to keep
out fruit flies. Stir twice a day with a wooden spoon that
is not used for cooking. After about 10 days, filter and fill
within 2 inches of the top of a clean gallon glass jug and
fit with an airlock. Store this in a place that is not too hot
or too cool, in the dark. Bottle after 6 months and wait a
year before drinking. If it doesn’t taste good, keep waiting.
This wine is a tonic in the winter months and during wet
cold weather. It is also appropriate as a libation offered
for when working with ancestor’s, dark moon magic or for
ritual use on All Hallow’s Eve.
Elder Elower Ointment ^

Take fresh elder flower clusters and elder leaves, equal
parts. Wilt them for 12 hours and infuse these in either
rendered lard or coconut oil in a double boiler. The key
is to really saturate the fat with the scent and light green
color of the plant, without having any mold troubles by
remembering to stir and strain it out after your infusion.
Heat the double boiler up every day for about 10 minutes,
stir the mixture, then turn off the heat and let it sit out
another 24 hours. Strain the plant material out within
three-five days. Add chopped or grated beeswax to it,
heating to melt it all together in a double boiler to make
a salve. A typical ratio is to add 1 oz. beesw’ax to every
1 cup of fat. This salve can be used for skin irritations
of any sort such as eczema, itchy rashes, bug bites.
30
Elder
chaffed skin, mild burns and chapped lips. It can also be

used for anointing candles, tools or oneself during the
winter months or rituals that focus on death aspects or
divination.
r \ ^ ^
■ if
31
HAZEL
Corjlus spp
’he hazel tree enchants and divines with an old

Ipower connected to both whispering water and
serpents with gleaming golden eyes. O ld Mother
Hazel’ I like to call her, for when visiting the large
moss covered clusters of hazel in our forest, I can see
her hearth and cauldron, I can see her cottage or ‘Hazel
House’, welcoming me for a spell at her mossy stump
table, for a drink of brackish water and hazelnut bread. A
beautiful bush-like tree that dangles golden tassels in the
early spring, follow-ed by green then brown smooth nuts
wrapped in protective green husks in the autumn time, this
tree of the faerie tales has both light and dark attributes, a
mystic of the forests and woodlands indeed.
In my home here in the Pacific Northwest, there is the
native hazel, Corjlus cornuta. She is more sprawling and
eerie looking than the European hazel, definitely evoking
a supernatural presence and wisdom. The cultivated
European hazelnut trees Corjlus avellana and/or Corjlus
maxima are often to be found on old farms and in gardens,
which are also called filbert and cobnut. They grow into
very large and handsome clusters, dropping their golden
tassels about a month earlier than the native trees here,
just in time for Candlemas. Their straight poles at varying
stages of growth have been used in coppice crafts in
Britain for thousands of years by woodsmen and even now
there is a growing revival in managing a woodland in the
traditional way. All species of hazel trees have delightful
secret, if one takes the time to find it. After the tassels
have unfurled, look above some of them for a tiny and
beautiful scarlet flower, like a starburst. It is incredible
33
and conjures up joy for springtime after the depths of

winters sleep.
Ha2el was known as a Ufe-giving tree from old Irish
beliefs and also thought of as a faerie tree. Irish legend
tells that nine ha2els grew over a sacred Celtic well and
over the River Shannon, which is the longest river in
Ireland. At certain times these ha2 el trees produced red
nuts. If the salmon came up the river and ate the nuts that
fell into the water, they would get red spots. If one could
catch and eat these salmon, they would acquire wisdom
and supernatural knowledge, as the mythical warrior Finn
McCool did. Another folk tale example featuring ha2el
as having otherworldly powers comes from the original
Cinderella fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm. It tells of
how a haxel sapling grew up from the mother’s grave and
her bones had transformed it into a powerful wishing tree
that sheltered doves, whom acted as Cinderella’s protectors.
The tree also brought her the magical slippers and a golden
dress to wear to the ball. There was no fairy godmother,
but a ha2 el tree instead.
Two incredible old recipes for engaging with Faerie spirits
included the ha2el tree. I will share them here.
From the 1600’s: To Enable One to See the Fairies: A pint

o f sallet oyl and put it in a vial glass; anjd first wash it with
rose water; the flowers to be gathered towards the east; W^sh
it till the oyl becomes white, then put it into a glass, and then
put thereto the buds o f hollyhock, the flowers o f marigold, the
flowers or tops o f wild thyme, the buds o f young hac(el, and the
thyme must be gathered near the side o f a hill where fairies are
use to be; and take the grass o f a fairy throne(ring); then put all
these into the glass and set it to dissolve three days in the sunne
and keep it fo r they use. ’ —taken from A Witches Guide to
Gardening, Dorothy Jacob, 1964.
Another one from 1406, contained in Bodlein Ms.

Ashmole: Fairy Spell —First get a broad square crystal or
34
На^е/
Venus glass in length and bredth 3 inches, then lay that glass or
crystal in the blood o f a white hen, 3 Wednesdays or 3 Fridays,
then take it out and wash it in hioly aqua and fumigate it.
Then take three hasêl sticks or wands o f a yea r growth, peel
them fa ir and white, and make so long as you write the spirits
name orfairies name, on every stick being made fla t on one side,
then bury them under some hill whereyou suppose fairies haunt,
the Wednesday before you call her. And the following Friday
take them up and call her at 8 or 3 or 10 oclock, which be good
planets and hours fo r that turn. But when you call, be in clean
life and turn thy face towards the east, and when you have her,
bind her to that stone or glass. ’ —taken from The Anatomy
o f Puck, Katharine Briggs, 1959.
Folklore and magical use abounds with the hazel tree.

This tree has a connection to water, its wood was the
traditional forked stick of the douser or ‘water witch’ as
they were called. Other woods for dousing included willow
and alder. Dousers are certain people that have a special
ability to find a deep water source using the forked wand
in a specific way, to show where to dig a well, they still exist
today. It was said that by using a hazel wand specifically,
one could locate buried springs or even silver or gold. If
a rod was cut on Midsummers Eve, while approaching the
tree backwards and done with both hands between one’s
legs, one was ensured to be able to find hidden treasure
with it.
Another source of instruction on how to cut and use
a divining rod, is presented here, taken from Secrets o f
East Anglian Magic, by Nigel Pennick. It comes from an
eighteenth century country almanac:
Cut a haêl wand forked at the upper end like a Y. Peel o ff

the rind and dry it in a moderate heat; then steep it in the juice
o f Wake-Kobin or Night-Shade, and cut the single lower end
sharp, and where you suppose any rich mine or treasure is near,
place a piece o f the same metal that you conceive is hid in the
35
earth to the top o f one o f the fork s bj a hair or very fin e silk or
a thread, and do the like to the other end. Pitch the sharp single
end lightly to the ground at the going down o f the sun, the moon
being on the increase, and in the morning at sunrise, by natural
sympathy you w illfind the metal inclining, as it were, pointing
to the place where the other is hicT.
The hazel tree has a connection with snakes from old

times. In Sweden it was believed that a snake could not
approach the hazel tree and it would lose its venom if
touched by a hazel wand. There was another belief that St
Patrick drove snakes out of Ireland by using a hazel wand.
A cure from Dartmoor for when a dog is bit by a snake tells
that a circlet made from hazel should be placed around his
neck. A magical cure from the Balkans was to cut a young
hazel twig at sunset on St. Georges day (April 23), then
use it to rub a snake bite wound and draw a magical circle
around it. In general, if a circle was drawn around a snake
with a hazel staff, the snake could not leave it. Children
travelling in the Black Forest in Germany were given hazel
sticks to keep them safe from snakes. Related to this, a
German belief states that a crowned white snake, the hazel
serpent, lives beneath the hazel tree. From Wales —if a
snake is found under a hazel tree on which mistletoe grew,
a precious stone could be found in its head.
The snake is a traditional symbol of wisdom and the
hazel tree also has been called a tree of wisdom in Celtic
mythology. Here is a traditional English charm for an adder
snake bite: Make a cross out of hazel wood and place it
upon the bite, while reciting these words three times:
‘'Underneath this has(elin mote, theres a braggoty worm with

a speckled throat, nine double is he: Now from nine double to
eight double, ^ n d from eight double to seven double, and from
seven double to six double, A nd from six double to fiv e double.
And from fiv e double to fou r double. And from four double to
three double. And from three double to two double. And from
36
Ηα;ζβΙ
two double to one double, Λ n d fro m one double to no double,

N o double hath he Г
Along with snake lore, there is also a bit of lightning lore

associated with this tree. Hazel had a connection with Thor,
the Nordic God; it was thought to be the actual embodiment
of lightning (along uith rowan, hawthorn, holly and
mistletoe). There was the belief that hazel trees are never
struck by lightning and therefore often give protection from
it. A belief from Somerset tells that you should make a cross
in the hearth ashes with a hazel tu'ig on May Day and put
the branch outside the house to protect it from lightning.
After the first thunderstorm broke in the spring, German
farmers would make the sign of a cross with hazel twigs and
place them over every heap of grain as an act of protection.
Branches of hazel were often put in window frames during
a heavy rain to protect from lightning. West of France, both
the Robin (a bird symbolic of fire) and the hazel were used
in a lightning charm of sorts. On Candlemas day February 2,
a cock Robin was killed and a hazel stick was driven through
the body and the whole placed into the fire —this gruesome
custom was done to keep the home safe from lightning for
the following year.
To fall asleep under a hazel tree would give one prophetic
dreams. A German alchemist once said that connecting with
nature spirits is ‘easily gained beneath hazel branches’. Hazel
twigs could be used for weather magic, with an excerpt from
a seventeenth century witch trial reading ’the d evil gave a ha^ el
branch to a witch an d told h er to beat a stream with it, upon which
a downpour fo llo w ed .’ Another part of the document reads:
Λ witch-boy flogged the w ater with a hasêl switch u n til a sm a ll
storm cloud rose up fr o m it. N o t long thereafter, a rainstorm began ’.
A wood spirit inhabited the hazel tree and the nuts were
thought to be connected to witches from olden times. An
old saying ‘'Sorceress, W'itch, H a ^ e l S tic k ’ was a taunt directed
at women who paid attention to magic and witchcraft. In
German ballads, the hazel tree was addressed as ‘Lady Hazel’,
37
and children were threatened with Lady Hazel coming to get

them if they dared to pick unripe nuts.
From the Balkans, hazel wood was revered and used in
traditional witchcraft. A hazel wand was and is still often
carried by witches. From ancient myths come the use of a
hazel stick to kill the Devil, revive the deceased, and to turn
people into other creatures. From this area also mentally ill
people were made to walk three times around a hazel tree
to help cure them and people made confessions of their
transgressions to the nearby hazel trees rather than to a
priest.
A ritualistic amulet made in the Balkans is called the
‘Mihtary Hazelnut’. This is a brilliant and detailed example
of operative folk magic. It was traditionally made by the
man who needed it, when he was summoned to war or on
a long and dangerous journey. This information is relayed
from Balkan Traditional W'itchcraft, Radomir Ristic, 2009.
The folk ritual involved the man in need going to a hazel
tree the night before Ascension Day between midnight and
cock crow, clean shaven and dressed in clean clothing. He
is then to undress and face the east, and bends down near
a previously chosen hazel branch and attempts to pick one
or even better three flowers (catkins I assume, though by
May they would hkely be passed) with his buttocks. Then
he finds the first nearest fern bush and picks one ‘ flower’
(Possibly a frond with spores) again with his buttocks. Upon
returning home, he waits until the follo-vydng morning and
assembles the amulet while sitting on the threshold of his
home. A healthy hazelnut is chosen, including the shell, and
a hole is drilled into it, to help remove the insides. Then
he places within the shell the following; a httle mercury, a
duck’s feather piece, incense, a marble, a piece of grass that
was not cut during harvest time, a piece of gold, clipping
of a fingernail from an illegitimate child, a small bone from
a wren and the flowers that he picked with his buttocks.
The flowing words are then recited: ]ust as no one can catch
mercury, as the scythe couldn’t cut this grass, as the water didn ’t wet
38
На^е/
this feather, as the rust cannot harm gold, the bullet cannot harm
me— let it go to blooming ferns. ...just as the marble is strong, and
cannot be harmed bj the knife, let me be strong. Just as the incense
chases away evil, let it stay away from me. Just as the bastard is
born happy, so I want to be lucky. Let me stay alive, clean and
sacred like the stars in the sky and the morning dew. This amulet
is sewn into the man’s clothing or he can carry it wrapped in
something in his pocket.
Necklaces made of hazelnuts have been found in
prehistoric tombs, thought by some to be amuletic in nature.
Hazel rods or a rosary made from hazel nuts was believed
lucky and could be hung in the home as a protection charm.
Welsh customs also beheved that keeping the nuts would
bring prosperity and good fortune. Specifically burning the
nuts in the hearth after they became old was a way to keep
the prosperity in the home. Hazel was a fertihty symbol in
Medieval times. The nuts were thrown at Greek weddings
and in Devonshire, brides were given httle bags of hazelnuts
as they left the church. The Romany bridegroom carried
with him a hazel wand decorated with ribbons to ensure
fertility of the marriage. Torches of burning hazel sticks
were carried at Roman weddings to bless the marriage with a
peaceful union. A piece of hazel wood that was found made
into a spiral byway of the honeysuckle Ijonecerapericlymenum
or ‘woodbine’ was used for love magic and after being cut
and kept, it was thought that this wand would ensure and
bring good courting circumstances to the person in need.
An old saying was ‘A good nutting year, plenty of boy
babies’. There was the superstition however from Somerset
that if you ‘go nutting’ on a Sunday you would meet the
devil and surely have a baby before the wedding. ‘Going-
a-nutting’ was another way to say ‘lovemaking’. Hildegard
of Bingen wrote that hazel was used for male impotency
—good sympathetic magic at work here. Hazelnuts were
given to animals occasionally in their feed was a way to
boost production. Children who were born in the Autumn
time in Scotland were considered lucky, as green hazelnut
39
‘milk’ could be their first food and give them the power of
prophecy. An ehxir of hazel milk was given to weak children,
mixed with honey, also from Scotland. In Cambridgeshire,
bringing hazel twigs into a nursery would ensure that the
baby’s eyes would turn brown —remembering here that blue
eyes in some places were thought to be wholly unlucky and
able to cast the Evil Eye upon others.
Hanging hazel twigs with catkins on them around the
fireplace in early spring was thought to help sheep at lambing
time, as the catkins look like Little lamb’s tails, imitative magic
at work here. Soil from under the hazel was given to cows
that had lost their cud, thought to be helpful in bringing it
back up. Hazel was used to protect horses in Ireland, and
there are different magical cures for both horses and cows
involving hazel. For a horse that had overeaten, twigs and
branches could be twisted around its legs and feet to relieve
the discomfort. And for calves that were sick and near death,
a length of hazel made to match the length of the calf could
be twisted into a collar and placed around its neck - a Welsh
cure. It is certainly true that goats and cows love dried hazel
leaves as fodder during the winter months.
Wands made of hazel were the classic magician’s wand,
another name for hazel being the ‘wishing rod’. The
Scandinavian God Odin was believed to have a sacred hazel
wand decorated with reddened runes. To draw a magical
circle, the sorcerer had to use a hazel wand that was 19 Vz
inches long, cut with the magician’s blood stained athame at
sunrise. In some lore, the wand had to be cut from a tree that
had never fruited and made during the first night of the new
moon, an hour before dawn. They were wrapped in a silken
cloth when not in use and a slim wand, not a thick chunky
one, was desired. This hazel wand, along with a bloodstone,
was used to summon spirits, originally a Medieval practice
found within the ‘Black Books’. Also from Medieval times,
a hazel wand could be used in court somehow to find out
murderers and thieves. A charm to bring back the ghost of
a hanged man specifically used a hazel wand topped with
40
На^е/
both St. Johns wort and an owl skull. A ha2el rite from a
Cyprianus dating from 1858 describes a way to use a young
hazel branch to obtain magical words by conjuring spirits
of the dead. Carrying a hazel stick was an Irish protection
charm against faeries and evil, and a simple protection act
was to draw a circle around one’s self with a hazel stick.
There have been hazel rods and leaves found in gravesites,
used for protecting both the dead and the living. Celts who
had died from Germany were sometimes laid to rest on
hazel branches.
Double hazelnuts were considered very lucky. If shared
with a friend, and eaten in silence, both people could make a
secret wish. Double nuts were used for throwing at witches
in Scotland, probably on account of their protective virtues.
Carrying the double nut with one was a simple amulet for
toothache and rheumatism both. A wart cure for hazel that
involved transference magic advised to go to a Uve hazel tree
and cut notches in the tree, for as many warts as one had, and
as the notches then grew closed and healed, the warts would
disappear. Swedish folklore claimed that carrying hazelnuts
would make one invisible. A Welsh wishing cap could be
made from hazel twigs and leaves, constructed quickly at
midnight on the new or full moon and worn for good luck.
Weather lore of the hazelnut said, the thicker their shells,
the harder the winter to come. Hazel is known to be under
the dominion of Mercury, according to astrologers of the
past.
Hazelnuts were associated with All Hallows Eve. Mong
with apples, there were different love divinations in Avhich
they were utilized. In England this night was called ‘Nut
Crack Night’. One way to use them in foretelUng was if the
nuts were placed in a fire and jumped up in the air, it was
a sign that one’s lover is unfaithful. Another interpretation
was that the hazel nut named after the destined suiter would
glow the brightest. The following rhyme comes from Λ
Suffolk Calendar and gives some instruction: Two haêl nuts
I threw into the flame, And to each nut I give a sweethearts name;
41
Under the W'itching Tree
This with the loudest bounce me sore amas(^d, That in a flam e o f

bright color blafd, A s b la fd the nut, so may the passion grow, For
twas thy mit that did so brightly glow ?.
Folk Medicine ^
There is not much in the history of the ha2el tree that lends
itself to more medicinal purposes. The dried husks and
hazel nuts were mixed with red wine and given for menstrual
problems, according to one source. The nuts when roasted
and sprinkled with pepper were recommended as a cold
treatment, being eaten before retiring at night. From Ireland,
the bark was used for treating cuts and boils, with an old
remedy for burns involving the application of ashes of the
burnt wood.
Among Native Americans, within the Iroquois tribe,
hazelnuts were eaten for hay fever and for prenatal strength.
Nut oils mixed with bear fat were used to improve the hairs
condition and a wash of the bark was used for loneUness,
among some other interesting uses. The Thompson tribe
ate the buds to improve singing. Other tribes used poultices
of the boiled bark for heahng wounds and as an astringent
wash for infection.
Personal Practices
In my personal practice, hazel has connected me with my
distant ancestors in particular when used in a ritual way in
the autumn time, when the veil is thin between worlds. In
this circumstance, by developing a relationship with the
tree by giving it offerings and sitting with it on numerous
occasions, much wisdom can be gleaned. Owls are also a
bird of the second sight and when combined with hazel in
a ritual space, often doorways open that wêre unperceived
previously. This can be achieved by working on the dark
moon in November and setting the altar with hazel branches
and yellowting leaves, hazel nuts in the husk along with an
owl skull and feathers on black cloth. A fumigation of
hazel leaves, alder leaves, mugwort and frankincense can
42
На‘^1
be used and trance achieved by whatever means be of

the practitioner. Visiting the owl in the ancient ha2el tree
in non-ordinary reality is called for with the intention of
seeking one’s distant ancestors, if the land mass they are
from is known, all the better. Information will unfold and be
gleaned from this act and recognized uithin the practitioner.
Hazel wood can be carried successfully as a potent amulet
for anxiety and for fear during times of stress. Hazel is
also one of the important trees for divination work. It
certainly has oracular powers and the ability to clarify
muddy situations. This tree of plenty can also be used in
fertility magic for when trying to conceive a child, by having
the male partner eat the nuts regularly and using the nuts as
part of a fertiUty ceremony. Hazel staffs encircled by honey
suckle, not only can be employed for love magic but also
for a walking staff that combines the hazel with the serpent
symbology —these tuisted staves are of much value.
ΗαϊζβΙ trees watch from the forested hillside ravine and bless
wisdom among the birds, animals, babies and fortunate humans.
Many thanks to this tree o f knowledge and insight, may the Eye
be clear when drawing upon her powers o f old, hidden and divine.
ΥίαΐζβΙ Interred Oracular Powder^

This powder is to be compounded while the moon is waxing
during the autumn months. Gather and pulverize in a brass
mortar (or iron - ceramic will break) —Holly berry (5)
dried. Opal raw, Rattlesnake vertebrae (5), Dragons Blood
powder. Grave Yarrow dried. Petrified Wood, Poppy Seed,
Mistletoe Berry dried. Clear Quartz, Fertile Earth. When
fully pulverized. Place in a glass vial with a horse tooth and
cork. Seal the cork by dipping it into beeswax. Pack the
whole within dried hazel leaves in an animal horn and seal
with clay dug from the earth by your own hands.
When the next moon is full, take the horn and go alone
to the forest to find an old hazel tree, off the paths. Tell no
one of your errand. Bury this horn, pointed side upwards.
43
under the ha2el tree during twilight. Give offerings to the

tree and ask it to enhance the concealed powders interred.
The ha2el tree interment will bestow clear seeing wisdom
upon the powder. Return in one full year, on the full moon
to unearth this magical powder and use in divination rites
of all sorts, by sprinkhng it around the working grounds or
wearing in a pouch around one’s neck, and also by sleeping
with the substance under the pillow. Never take the tooth
out of the vial. When the powder is gone, return to the same
ha2el tree and bury the tooth. Use a different tree for the
next batch of powder.
Hatêl Wood Divination

When the moon is full and you have need to sort the truth
out from many possible truths, do this. Have already cut
and dried a single slender piece of ha2el wood, after making
appropriate offerings and stating your intentions to the tree,
this done ideally on a previous full moon. With the dried
wood, hght a single candle in the dark and debark the wood,
cutting it into nine pieces about 2-3 inches in length, using
some force, as the wood is tougher when dried. Pass each
of the lengths of ha2el wood, along with a wooden box
big enough to hold them through an oracular smoke, such
as frankincense, St. Johns wort, muguOrt, dandeUon leaf,
yarrow flower, marigold (calendula) and bay leaves. In the
box place the blank pieces and close it, imagining all of the
possible outcomes to your situation for a time. Then remove
the pieces and in black ink transcribe each possibility on a
different haxel piece, leaving one intentionally blank. Close
the box and sav these words thrice:
Haêl divine, oracle come

Bring me truth where there is none
Sort the staves from clouded shield
Uet there be one truth revealed
From wisdoms eye behold the truth
Unveiled in dark, by light forsooth!
44
На^е/
Shake the box and draw one piece out with closed eyes.
Whatever truth be revealed, save the one hazel piece and
burn the rest. May the selected truth be recognized and
come to fruition. If it be the blank one, then none of the
possibilities within are the truth. Burn the whole lot and try
again the next full moon.
45
ROWAN
Sorbits spp
о come upon a large old rowan tree within a wild edge

jof woods is to go back in time, to a place uncanny
and ‘in between’ worlds. This magic charm tree boasts
grey lichen encrusted bark, often with many trunks that
eventually grow tall and offer up scarlet berries to the birds
and stars. The deep green fern Uke leaves are truly striking
and the buds themselves look Uke dragon claws might, while
curled up and at rest, covered in a white fuzz protecting
maroon pointed clusters. No doubt Otherworldly, the fiery
rowan tree gives much for the magical formulatory, based
on the folkloric and magical uses of the past.
‘Rowan’ or ‘Mountain Ash’ this tree is often called. Sorbiis
is the genus of the rowan tree, the name coming from
Greek/Roman times. It originates in the Latin Sorbum,
which refers to the fruit, the ‘sorb apple’. Rowan is in the
rose family, Koseaceae. Older common names for this tree
included: Quicken, Quick Beam, Rune Tree, Sorb Apple,
Thors Helper, Whitty Tree, Whispering Tree, Witch Wood,
Witching Tree, Witch Bane and more...the name ‘Care’
comes from Cornwall. The word ‘rowan’ comes from an
old Norse word meaning tree or charm, raun. The origins of
that word stem from Germanic language and are thought to
mean ‘turning red’.
The European species is S.acuparia and the American
species is S. Americana. The species in the Pacific Northwest
is L. sitchensis, the Sitka Rowan. Often the European species
is planted ornamentally and it is delightful to find these trees
all over neighborhoods. Little do people see the value of
them beyond their attractive flowers, berries and foliage —
they would indeed be surprised by their magical history.
47
Rowan is unrelated to true ash trees in the Fraxinus genus,

but the common name ‘Mountain Ash’ came from the leaves
looking somewhat similar to ash tree leaves in the way they
are divided. Also, importantly, both trees were believed to
be very protective, particularly from fire and evil magic.
Historically, the rowan tree was seen as magical throughout
many European cultures and was endowed with exceptional
supernatural powers. Some Irish lore —there was one Irish
legend that believed that the first woman sprang from a
rowan tree and the first man from an alder tree. The rowans
red berries were believed in Ireland to be the food of Tuatha
de Dannan, the mythical people from early Irish mythology.
The berries had the power to sustain for nine meals, and
some sources state that eating three berries would give a
person aged one hundred years back their thirty-year-old
self. On Christmas Eve on the North coast of Ireland, there
was at one time an ancient rowan tree full of torches that
could not be extinguished by wind or weather, so powerful
the protective properties of the tree were.
Row’an was associated with lightning, thought to be the
actual embodiment of lightning and had a strong link in
Scandinavian mythology to the God Thor. It w-as sacred to
Thor because in legend, it helped him cross a flooded river,
as he clutched a branch of it. The wife of Thor herself
was thought to be conceived in the form of a rowan tree.
There was an old custom to include a plank of rowan when
building a ship, to bring in the protective powers of Thor
while at sea.
There are many protective charms associated with rowan
wood. It was thought that rowan trees were revered by
Druids, as old stumps are often found near stone circles
and places that were believed to be ceremonially used by
them. Rowan trees still grow near ancient stones and burial
places according to some sources, long have they given their
berries and barks to the magical arts. In Scotland, there was
an old custom when building a house to use rowan wood
for the cross beams of the chimney. It was protective from
48
Rowan
not only lightning but also fire. In Ireland rowan wood was
incorporated into the roof thatch for protection from the
same. European Romany people and circus show folk alike
would often incorporate a piece of rowan wood into the
building of their caravans, for protective properties while
travehng. Rowan wood was also hung on cradles or fashioned
into the cradles rockers themselves to protect babies and
infants from being ill-wished and from dark faerie spirits
who might abduct them in exchange for a changeling.
Another old protective custom —it was important to stir
the fire on Good Friday with a rowan stick, no iron should
touch the fire on this day.
There are many references to rowan being hung in barns
to protect Hvestock from witchcraft and disease. It is hard
for modern folks to imagine that losing one cow or even a
pig could spell disaster and starvation for a whole family.
Even 150 years ago in rural areas unless a family was well to
do, they were largely dependent on what they could put up
for the winter, hence the many protective spells and charms
found for animals uithin the lore. One old custom tells that
a circle of rowan was used as a collar for securing cattle after
nightfall and that every time the cow was visited by a bull,
this collar was to be passed around the chimney crook three
times. In Strathspey Scotland on the first of May (Beltane)
and on November first (Samhain), sheep and lambs w'ere
made to pass through a hoop made of rowan wood for extra
protection during this time when the faeries and witches were
believed to be more present. Mares w^re fed a handful of
rowan berries to help them birth their foals without harm or
misfortune. The handle and cross of the butter churn staff
could be made of rowân wOod to avoid the milk from being
bewitched. A charm to help Hft a curse upon a milk cow w’as
to heat whatever milk was available from the animal and stir
it with a rowan stick, w’hile adding pins and rusty nails as the
milk came to a boil —this is similar to ‘witch bottle’ charms
in its rationale. When a cart (or an animal) was stopped
on a road b\wvay of magic, it could be restored to travel
49
by whipping it lightly with a rowan stick. From nineteenth

century Sweden, money could be protected from thievery by
placing two rowan sticks that were cut in May over it, in the
form of a cross, along with salt and some rye bread. This
was done to ensure the money could not be taken without
the owners knowledge of it. Similarly, from the eighteenth
century Swedish speaking part of Finland comes the use
of laying two rowan sticks in a cross in the place where an
object was missing from. The power of the rowan would
bring back the missing object immediately.
This tree was specifically associated with averting the
powers of the dark witch. An old saying from Herefordshire
tells: The witty (Rowan) is the tree on which the devil hanged
him self. Many people are also famihar with the old saying,
this variation from Teesdale, England: Шаек luggie, lammer
bead, Rowan tree and red thread, Put the witches to their speecf.
The ‘black luggie’ was a dish made of black oak and the
‘lammer bead’ was an amber bead —both substances, along
with rowan and the color scarlet, were protective in nature.
In Scotland, a protective amulet was made by wrapping
this same written rhyme on paper around a rowan twig and
tying it with a red silk thread. Rowan wood could be laid
over the door threshold to keep witches from entering,
particularly around May Eve. On ‘Witchwood Day’ May 2 in
Yorkshire(though many references state that May 3 was Holy
Rood Day or Rowan Tree Day), rowan wood was cut in a
ceremonial way and placed above the doors of the home for
protection from witches for the following year. In Cleveland
UK, in order to procure the rowan wood for the protection
on May 3, one had to find a rowan tree that she/he had
never seen before. Then twigs and branches had to be cut
with a knife from the household, and the route home had
to be different than the one taken. On May Eve in Ireland,
a rowan stick could be stuck in the midden (the muck heap
symbolizing fertility) or in the four corners of the corn field
to protect the farm. In parts of Scotland, rowan branches
were burned in front of homes in an unspecified ritual to
50
Rowan
keep witches away. Rowan wood was fashioned into a rustic

charm by making an equal armed cross that was wound
with red thread, worn between the seams of the clothing
by Scottish highland dairy maids ‘against any unforeseen
danger’ and also tied to the tails of cows on those most
auspicious nights of the year. The scarlet berries were strung
onto red thread and worn as protective necklaces as well.
In Herefordshire England, the rowan was planted near a
dwelUng to avert the Evil Eye. Even carrying a piece of the
wood in a pocket could protect a person or traveler. Since
it was believed that no evil spirit could approach a rowan
tree, people that were carrying out dangerous errands could
place the bark in their pockets in hopes for extra protection
during their journey. It was beUeved that if a branch of
rowan touched a witch, the Devil would appear and drag her
back to Hell. Another older belief was that the first smoke
that came up through the chimney on the morning of May
first was able to be used by witches to bring bad luck to the
family of the home. One way to avert the witch’s power
on the smoke was to burn a bunch of rowan leaves up the
chimney before kindling a fire. Yet another belief associated
with rowan and witches —one could shake a branch of rowan
at witch cats to make them disappear. Having a rowan tree
planted in the garden was supposed to keep dark witches
away. A first hand saying from Lincolnshire tells: ‘There’s a
special twig on a Witchin Tree, which, i f you can get it an ’ keep it
allers on you, then you can witch, as well as being safe from being
witched’. A rowan stick driven into a grave could stop ghosts
from rising and rowan trees were planted in graveyards to
prevent witches from disturbing the dead.
All of these protection charms and properties are further
concentrated and enhanced if the tree was what was known
as a ‘flying rowan’. This is where the rowan was planted in
another tree trunk by some bird or animal, and is growing
out of it. It then was thought to be endowed with extra
supernatural power. Amazingly, there is a flying rowan here
on our Httle forested homestead, so I can attest that it is
51
possible to find one! It is small but powerful, growing out of

a cedar stump, wild and almost unnoticed, save for the bright
red clusters of berries that come on during late summer.
In Scandinavian folk magic, the flying rowan featured
in many charms and spells. It was (and still is by some)
believed in Sweden that a piece of flying rowan harvested
on Midsummer’s Eve was the most protective thing against
trolls (ancient supernatural beings) and dark magic.
Rowan berries on the tree acted as a predictor of
sorts. An interesting piece of lore from Scotland tells
that too many rowan berries on the tree foretells a poor
grain harvest. A German belief is that many rowan
berries means many children born that year. Rowan is
ruled by the sun or Mercury, depending on the source
cited. In the language of flowers, the creamy clusters of
the rowan tree symbolized protection, hospitality and
beauty. This tree is a good omen all around. A firsthand
account from the book P/ant Lore - by Roy Vickery,
tells of a woman in England who was taught that the
rowan tree was the home of the good faeries and that
it was a lucky tree to plant in the garden — she was
gifted with a rowan tree by her mother after she got
married. Some years ago a student of mine told of her
Latvian grandmother who planted rowan trees on the
four corners of her property for protection here in the
US. This is a lovely example of plant magic that is still
alive within living knowledge.
Rowan could be used to rescue people who had been
taken by the faeries. The method was to take a long
rowan pole to the faerie ring and place its end in the
middle of the circle. When the invisible captive is felt to
pull on the rod, two strong people should pull with all
of their strength to pull the person back to this world.
The rowan wood was believed to be disliked by faeries,
carrying a rowan wood cross was a good way to keep
away their unwanted attentions, though there was a
belief that good faeries were kind if a child would carry
52
Koivan
rowan berries in their pockets. From Ireland, a walking

stick made of rowan was supposed to protect from the
faeries as well, as was wearing a sprig of rowan in one’s
hat. To get rid of a changeling, a child ‘of the faeries’,
a fire of rowan wood could be made and the suspected
child passed through the smoke; the changeling would
then disappear up the chimney and the real child would
be returned to the family. On account of the rowans
white flowers, bringing them into the house would bring
in bad luck. It was also considered bad luck to transplant
a rowan tree or to cut it down.
Making charcoal from rowan and using it for the
transcription of magical symbols comes from an old folk
tale. The Maid of the Golden Shoon. Another magical
protocol comes from a Scottish legend about a man
named Willie Millar, who went to explore the Dropping
Cave, a place that was believed to lead to the Underworld.
He sewed rowan sprigs and w)xh-elm into the hems of
his jacket, took a bible and a bottle of gin, along with a
staff of Blackthorn that was harvested on a full moon. He
wore no iron. These protective measures surely could be
undertaken nowadays, w'hile going to any haunted place
full of uncertain spirit power.
There was a Scandinavian charm for finding buried
treasure that used a rowan twig. It was to be harvested
without the use of iron on the Eve of Maundy Thursday
at dusk, or on a Sunday before the sun came up, at dawn.
It was not allowed to touch the ground, else its powers
would be lost. Using a needle or awl that had been pierced
through a black toad, the blood of a white hen was applied
and magical/planetary symbols were written upon the wood
with it. (See Scandinavian Folk Belief and Fegend, by Kvideland
R. and Henning K. Sehmsdorf, University of Minnesota
Press, 1988 p.319, for the specific sigils) Then, if this magic
wand was placed over where treasure was buried, it was told
to twist and turn, giving a sign to the practitioner to indicate
wealth under the ground.
53
Fo/k Medicine ^
In folk medicine, the rowan tree had its uses as well,
though they are much fewer than its magical uses. The
bark was considered purgative, the berries were used for
scurvy and cleansing of the blood. An infusion of the
leaves in Ireland was a remedy for rheumatism, the dose
being one wine glass full. Also, carrying a rowan tvdg was
an amulet used to ward off rheumatism. \ Polish remedy
states that rowan berries that were frost nipped (to remove
the sourness) and infused in vodka for 6 months could be
taken for upset stomach. A Romany remedy for unwell
children was to give them little cakes in which rowan
berries were dried, ground up, and incorporated into. The
berries were also eaten to rid of worms, so this could be
the logic here. The leaves have been used as a poultice for
sore eyes from older practices as well.
The plant was considered astringent, sour and bitter.
The berry juice was diluted and gargled for sore throats
and laryngitis. It was also diluted and used as a wash for
cuts and as a disinfectant for wounds, as was a decoction
of the bark. Generally speaking. Native Americans used
the S. sitchensis berries to rub on the scalp for dandruff,
used an infusion of the bark and branches for rheumatism,
weak kidneys and for stomach troubles and used the
warmed wood for earaches.
The berries themselves are sour, slightly bitter and sharp
tasting but despite this have been used in European countries
in different preparations for food and drink. Traditionally in
Britain, they were made alone into a jelly or jam for serving
with red meat or wild game. There are warnings about eating
too many berries; apparently they can cause upset stomach
and diarrhea when eaten in excess —the very ailments that
they are known to help with in smaller amounts. They seem
self-regulating to me, as the berries are not something that
one would just eat off the tree for the pleasure of it; they are
quite intense tasting when eaten raw.
54
Rowan
This incredible tree is for extreme protection, in particular
while traveling and for any sort of protection for the home
and family. Branches of it can be gathered while in full
berry and dried, then hung above windows and doors of the
home, with one being hung safely near the chimney as well.
They can also be hung above the bed, along with St. Johns
wort and a hag stone tied with a red ribbon for protection
while asleep, whether from nightmares or from any creepy
energies that remain in a bedroom from some forgotten
time past. If one feels that the ill-wish or Evil Eye is upon
them, rowan is the first plant that comes to mind. An amulet
made from the wood, leaves and berries is certainly called
for to be worn about the person at all times.
Every late summer is a wonderful opportunity to make
rowan necklaces strung on red thread to hang in the home
and to give to loved ones for the year. Scarlet wool thread
can be used to string them, it is easy to pierce the ‘sorb apple’
through the pretty' star on the bottom of the fruit. Hang
them to dry in a warm kitchen, out of the light. Wear the
necklace when extra protection is needed, taking care to
remove it from getting wet. Rowan crosses suspended by
the strung berries on red thread can also be hung around the
home, in particular near windows. Hanging one in the vehicle
is a good charm wltile traveling, applied with an appropriate
incantation. The red berries can be given to a woman in labor,
wrapped in scarlet silk for protection against evil influences.
All the better if the rowan tree they are harvested from grows
next to a hawthorn. Dried rowan leaves are helpful for adding
to outdoor ritual fires on the auspicious nights of the year,
before beginning a ceremony or divination.
The berries can be made into wine, liquors, and preserves
or dried and incorporated into foods. They offer their own
special earthy flavor to preserves and wines, not to mention
extra protective powers to these preparations as well. The
berries can be harvested in early September, when they are
55
fully scarlet, before any discoloration occurs. They should

crush easily and be relatively juicy. Some of the ..\merican
varieties and native trees have orange berries, rather than
red, and I do not find them as palatable, if you could call it
that! When eaten fresh, the berries are so sour and bitter, it
is hard to imagine enjoying them. However, when processed
with heat and some sort of sweetener, the sharp berries
add a delightful earthy flavor from the hedgerows and wild
edges to the winter palette. I personally find that they taste
best when mixed with apples and spices such as cinnamon,
cloves, allspice and/or star anise.
Alanj thanks to the enchanted rowan tree, with its wood and
berries in our pouches may we stand unaffected bj the ill-wish and
the faerie stroke, by the dark touch o f enemies. Alaj safe passage
bless our journeys long and short while the rowan lends its branches
to altars, hearths and charms, the burnt orange wine scattered on
the earth fo r offerings during those transition times o f year.
Protective Charm fo r Newborn Babe or Child

Rowan wood is very protective for newborn babes
and children, in particular these little ones that are so
vulnerable to the Evil Eye (modern people call this ‘bad
energy’). On the full moon, make a small equal armed
cross of rowan wood bound with scarlet thread. Make a
grey pouch from real wool and embroider on it one of the
signs for the Holy Trinity. Braid a cord with red wool yarn
and introduce seven blue glass beads, to be attached to
the pouch in order to hang it. Into the pouch place a piece
of real amber, a completely intact snail shell, the rowan
cross and a rabbit’s foot. Ask the powers of the protective
ingredients to keep safe the specific name of the babe
or child, using the middle and last names as well, ideally
if known. If possible, enclose also a piece of the babies
dried umbilical cord. Close the contents with a silver bead.
Hang the charm above the baby’s cradle or child’s bed.
Never open or take the pouch apart and keep the pouch
56
Kowan
from being lost, eventually to be given to the child when

they are an adult for safe keeping.
Kowan HaiPthorn Berrj Spiced Wine ^

To make 1 gallon of wine, you need about a gallon bag
full of berries, roughly half hawthorn half rowan berries.
Freeze the berries, and then thaw them; Place the prepared
berries in a medium sized stone crock with 3 pounds of
organic cane sugar, smashing all together vhth a wooden
pestle. Bruise about 10 cloves, 12 allspice berries and 1
tablespoon of cinnamon chips and add it, also a few star
anise crushed Ughtly. Add about 4 quarts of boiUng water
and stir to dissolve.
Wait until the wine is completely cool, sprinkle the wine
yeast on top of the mixture (champagne yeast is good or
KlV-111) and wait 15 minutes before stirring it in. Cover
the crock with a hnen cloth that is tied around the edge
with a string. Stir twice a day with a wooden spoon that is
not used for cooking. After about 10 days, filter into a clean
gallon glass jug and fit with an airlock. Store this in a place
that is not too cool or too warm, in the dark. Bottle after 6
months and wait a year before drinking. If it doesn’t taste
good, keep waiting. It is a delicious wine for drinking and
for offerings both. Especially indicated for All Hallows Eve
celebrations.
57
APPLE
Mains spp
fhen approaching old apple trees, one gets a feeling

■of nostalgia mixed with reverence. The gnarled
trunks with ashy peeling bark are often home
to a large hole, a portal to another world. A few large
lonely trees are sometimes the only visible remaining
evidence of a long forgotten homestead, with a handful
of scarlet but deformed fruits remaining long into the
winter months. To see an old orchard of apple trees
conjures old farmsteads, root cellars full of apple butter,
apple cider, dried apples and winter keepers. Crocks
of apple cider vinegar, apple brandy and apple wine...
The apple blossom itself in the springtime is one of the
most beautiful flowers. The pink bud surrounded by grey
green downy leaves, opens with ice white flowers, tipped
with pink blush. No doubt, this tree has been held in
high esteem in mythology, religion and poetry for ages.
In the witch’s garden, it belongs as healing wood and
enchanted fruit of love, such a simple sweet offering for
many applications of folk ways.
The modern apple Mains domestica as we know it was
brought to North America by European colonists. Its
parent was originally a wild Asian species. Mains sieversii.
There are more than 7,500 apple cultivars that exist. The
wild crabapple Mains sjlvestris is native to Britain and
both the wild crab apple and the domesticated apple can
both be used for food or medicinal purposes, though
the crab apple is more astringent and less sweet, also it
is much smaller. Apple is in the rose family, Koseaceae,
the flowers themselves resembling something of a wild
rose.
59
Apples have long been celebrated in myth, story

and poetry. They are one of the most common plants
mentioned in fairy tales, as magical and enchanted fruit and
trees. The witch’s poison apple in the classic tale of Snow
White certainly comes to mind. Apples were particularly
important to Northern peoples of Europe. Golden apples
are common in these old tales. It was told that when one
of the people of the Sid appeared to invite a human to visit
the Land of Youth and Paradise, he would bring a bough
of apple wood, either laden with golden fruit or silver with
flowers. Apples have associations with long hfe, wisdom
and immortality. A Scandinavian Goddess Iduna was
associated with apples that grew on the Tree of Life. It
was told that Iduna guarded a magical box of apples and
when the Gods felt old age approaching, they had only to
taste the apple’s juice to become young once more. At one
time, the dark fire spirit Loki assisted in abducting Iduna
and stealing her box of magic apples. The Gods became
old and were unable to conduct the lands as before, so
threatened Loki to restore Iduna and her apples, which he
eventually did.
Another Polish tale tells of an adventurous young man
who uses the sharpness of the Lynx’s claws that he fixes to
his hands to find the golden apple tree. He climbs to the
summit of a glass mountain with the Lynx claws to where
the golden apples grow, in order to free the princess that
he loves from an enchantment. In a German folk tale, a
girl happens upon a dwarf babe in need. The dwarfs ask
her to help care for the baby for a time and she consents.
After her time is up, they gift her with an apron full of
apples, which turn to gold as she leaves the threshold of
the underworld. Apple as a gift of wealth or longevity
features in so many old tales, we can understand what an
important symbol it has been.
It is believed that the magical and mysterious Druids
had a reverence for the apple tree, as their sacred
mistletoe grew on its gnarled branches covered with
60
Apple
lichens (and also on oak trees). They were told to have

cut their divining rods from the apple trees. To dream of
apples foretells a long and healthy life, success in trade
and a lover’s faithfulness. It was a lucky omen to see the
sun shining through the branches of an apple tree on
Christmas day, meaning a good apple crop to come. On
another note, some old gardener’s lore tells never to plant
an apple tree next to a rowan tree Sorbus spp., because one
will kill the other.
A line from William Shakespeare, ‘'When roasted crabs hiss
in the bond, then nightly sings the staring owld gives testament to
the crab apple ripening in late fall, as the lonely owl returns
to its winter home. There was some superstition about
apples that are still on the tree at this mysterious time of
year, that were not gathered at the initial fruit harvest. It
was best to leave this last bit of fruit to the pixies, and it
was thought that they belonged to the land of Faerie. To
see an apple blossom on a tree in fruit was a death omen,
usually foretelling a death in the family.
Apples had a deep connection with love and lust from
early times, due to the Forbidden Fruit asociation in
popular Christian culture. There are a few interesting
bits of lore relating to both apples and eggs, the two
being symbols of fertility. During Medieval times, it
was believed that the Devil would visit young women
and copulate with them in their sleep, either unwillingly
or willingly, depending on the woman. As a token, he
would leave either an apple with a worm in it, or an egg
next to the bed in the morning. This magical gift could
be used to procure great wealth. A Central European
belief was that gifts of eggs and apples were given to
faeries after they had intercourse with the Devil. In
Germany, it was unlucky to take either apples or eggs
on a journey, probably because of this circulating lore.
Apples were known as a Faerie fruit in the Northern
countries, auspicious in their own right because of this
connection.
61
Apples were used in times past for divination games

pertaining to matters of love, in particular around Halloween
time. We still see threads of the apples importance in
American culture with the game ‘bobbing for apples’,
usually done around harvest festivals or Halloween parties,
this comes from an old Scottish folk custom where the one
to get a mouthful of the floating apple would be married
within the following year. From Cornwall, large red apples
known as ‘Allan Apples’ were given to friends and familv
members to bring good fortune and luck in matters of
love. On the Eve of Allantide or All Hallow’s, the apple
was placed under the pillow to bring prophetic dreams
of marriage possibilities and then eaten in the morning
to ensure the dreams omen. Another more widespread
example of a love divination game was for a person to peel
an apple, keep the peel in one piece and to throw it over
the left shoulder. The shape of the peel should foretell the
initial of one’s future mate. An American version of this
game was to hang the peel on the door threshold, the first
person to enter afterwards being the future mate. If the
peel broke, it was bad omen; spinsterhood or bachelorhood
would follow. Another version of this game was played
on October 28th, a double Saints day. Holding the whole
apple in your right hand, speak these words: ‘St. Simon and
Jude, On you I intrude, By this paring I hold to discover. Without
any delay. To tell me this day. The first letter o f my own true loved.
The peel is then cast over the left shoulder, and interpreted
as stated above.
The apple seeds were also used in divinations, called
pips. If a woman cannot decide on a suitor, she can take
apple pips, and name them one by one as she drops them
into the fire. Whichever pip ‘pops’ will show the man’s
bursting love for her, and give her a clue on who to best
pursue. The appropriate rhyme to speak is ‘I f you love me,
pop andfly; I f you hate me lay and die\ This applied of course
to the apple pips. Counting the seeds in an apple could
also give valuable information pertaining to love. The old
62
ΛρρΙβ
rhyme goes: ‘One I love, Т ш I love, Three I love I say; Four I

love with all m j heart and five I cast away; Six he loves. Seven
she loves. F ight they both love; Nine he comes and ten he tarries;
Eleven he courts and twelve he marries. ’
Apple is still a token of love in many places, associated
with love and family. According to astrologers of the past,
it is ruled by either Venus or Jupiter. In Serbia, if a maiden
accepted a gifted apple from a man, she was then engaged
to be married. Also from the same region, metal coins
were pierced into an apple tree during a wedding by the
couple, so that they would not have financial problems.
On Midsummer’s Eve in Sicily, a good day for divinations,
girls would throw apples into the street from their above
windows and watch to see who picked up their apple. If
a woman picked it up, it was a sign that the girl would
not marry that year. If the apple was not picked up at all,
it was an ominous sign that the woman would become a
widow eventually. If a priest picked up the apple, the girl
would remain a virgin for the rest of her life. Only if a
man picked up the apple was it a good omen of love to
come.
Here is an old Love charm:
‘On Friday early as may be. Take the fa irest apple from the
tree. Then in thy blood on paper white. Thy own name and
thy true loves write. That apple thou in two shall cut, Λ ηά
fo r its cure that paper put. With two sharp pins o f myrtle
wood. Join the halves till it seem good. In the oven let it dry,
and wrapped in leaves o f myrtle lie, Under the pillow o f thy
dear. Yet let it be unknown to her, Λ nd i f it a secret be. She
soon will show her love fo r thee’ (Paul Huson, Mastering
Witchcraft, 1971)
It comes as no surprise that apples were used in different

love charms from Scandinavian folk magic as well. One
spell from the nineteenth century Swedish speaking part
63
of Finland told to throw an apple between the legs of a

stallion mating a mare, or a ram mating a ewe; this apple
was then to be pierced with a nail or a needle that had been
dedicated to the Devil. If given to a girl, it would compel
her to love and lust for the practitioner. Another example
was to take an apple and make a small unnoticed hole in
the flesh, then dripping three drops of blood from the left
finger into this opening. This was then given as a magical
charm, and once consumed, would bring on intense love
from the one whom it was given.
Toasting and offerings to the apple trees in the fall
or winter is an ancient practice, originating in Europe.
Another word for this is ‘Wassailing’ and it was often
done on Christmas eve or Epiphany eve. The purpose of
this ritual was for fertility, helping to keep the orchards
productive and fruitful for the following season. Often the
largest and most productive apple tree was saluted and the
offering was usually wine, apple cider, or beer with roasted
apples in it, sometimes with cakes in it. Everyone in the
household was to be present for the rite to be successful,
including pets and sick people. Certain words and rhymes
were spoken and the toast made to the tree, ensuring next
year’s plentiful harvest. There are other traditional customs
that go with the folk ritual of Wassailing, depending on the
place and time period, such as making loud noises after
the toast by clanging metal pots and pans or in later times,
shooting muskets or guns. This was done to frighten away
any evil spirits that might blight next year’s crop.
There are different magical remedies involving apple
trees and apples. A New England remedy from 1879 for
curing ague, recommends that a person take a piece of
yarn made from three colors and go alone to an apple tree.
The person should then tie the yarn loosely to the tree and
their left hand, and while using their right hand, quickly slip
their hand out of the yarn and run away without looking
back, this being an example of transference magic. Another
transference charm for curing warts from Devonshire was
64
Apple
to cut an apple in to two pieces, rub half on the wart and

give it to a pig to eat, eating the other half yourself. A
simple charm for rheumatism was to carry half an apple in
your pocket. An interesting remedy comes from Irish wise
WOmen and faerie doctors —the roots of an apple tree that
bears red apples and the roots of an elder tree, together
boiled in water if drunk fasting had the power to expel any
spirit that has possessed a person’s body or soul.
A simple transference spell involving the apple tree
taken from the American grimoire Long Lost Friend, John
George Hohman, 1820:
Ά Good Kemedj f o r the Toothache —Stir the sore tooth with

a needle until it draws blood; then take a thread and soak it
with this blood. Then take vinegar and flou r and mix them so
as to form a paste and spread it on a rag, then wrap this rag
around the root o f an apple tree, and tie it verj close with the
above thread, after which the root must be well covered with
ground’
An old apple magic story: A man from Warwickshire

knew of a woman who supposedly had magical powers,
and on one snowy morning he visited her. She offered to
prove herself by fetching her sister, who lived ten miles
from the cottage. She took an apple and pushed 12 pins
into it, while muttering a charm that he could not hear.
Around noon time, her sister walked into the cottage
saying something brought her there, something she could
‘not resist’.
¥olk Medicine ^
Apples were a medicine food, in particular during the fall
and winter months, ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’, as
the common old saying tells. Apple fiber and pectin were
known to be cleansing to the intestines and whole system.
The type of apple used is not usually specified in folk
practices, whether it be crab or domestic. Apples were
65
used to regulate both diarrhea and constipation. This use

points to apples having a normalizing effect on intestinal
imbalances. The tradition of eating applesauce with pork,
beef or goose comes from the belief that apples help with
digestion. It was thought that cooked apples were more
laxative and raw ones more astringent.
Rotten apple pulp was used as a poultice for sore
eyes, weak eyes and styes. It was also used topically to
treat frostbite and to treat mumps. A Suffolk remedy
used crab apple juice (verjuice) for treating bruises and
in other parts of England it was used for sprains. Green
apple cores (without seeds I presume) could be eaten
for arthritis, which was an American folk remedy. It was
thought that eating apples could cure rheumatism, such
as with arthritis. Another American originated remedy
was to use apple juice to cure dandruff, made into a hair
rinse by mixing one-part apple juice to three-parts water.
Apple cider vinegar was used topically for poison ivy
rash, to help staunch bleeding, for ringworm, shingles and
varicose veins.
An Appalachia mountain folk remedy for stomach
ailments used apple bark in an infusion and crabapple
bark steeped in whiskey was used for arthritis. For asthma,
an infusion of apples was made by pouring boiling water
over apple slices and steeped. Apples and rowan berries
were decocted and mixed with brown sugar to sweeten,
drunk for whooping cough. It resonates that apples have
an affinity for the lungs and the digestive tract, as they are
soothing and cooling for inflammation in general.
Persona/ Practices ^
Magically this wOod is healing and promotes love in the
family and home. A wand made from apple wood can be
used for love magic and fertility magic specifically, it also
can be used for protection of the home. Apple wood’s
inner bark makes a lovely incense and can be added to any
mixture promoting protection or healing. This is a perfect
66
Apple
wood for the protection of babies and children - family in

general. Hanging apple branches over a baby’s cradle is a
good way to employ it. Apples feature an important part in
our small traditional All Hallows Eve gatherings, as a tool
for divination and as offerings for the spirits.
I employ an apple doll that protects our home and
hearth named appropriately Baba Yaga. Her face is
carved with an apple (dried of course) and she has two
different colored quartz eyes and toothpick teeth. Her
body is made from hazel wood (another wood offering
great protection to the domestic realms) and she is
stuffed with linden leaves and sheep’s wool. Her hair is
braided from horse hair. She was enspirited by passing
through a blackberry briar after dark three times, with
life force and appropriate incantations breathed into
her. She is put to bed every evening and woken up every
morning and is charged with watching over our home
when we are away. Offerings of wine and pancakes are
made to her on a regular basis.
The water gathered from the hollows of old apple
trees can be used for folk healing, anointed on the skin
and the place grieved. This done on a full moon is all
the more effective. Burying charms under an apple tree
is helpful when pertaining to matters of transference or
healing the body, also for a grieving heart.
Using apples raw for their cleansing properties is
helpful during the autumn and winter months. They can
be grated and mixed with raw beet, sun choke with a little
lemon and olive oil for a liver tonic. They help keep the
mouth and gums clean —a great dentifrice. This seems
especially true for more sour and astringent apples.
Cooked for a soothing food, they are easy to digest
and loved by all. Applesauce with cinnamon and carob
powder taken for diarrhea is a great remedy for children.
For fevers, swab down the person afflicted with diluted
apple cider vinegar. Crab apple syrup can be taken and is
helpful for stomach ailments and indigestion.
67
Alanj thanks to the apple trees that come alive during the
autumn months, as darkness sets in —Crones make shadows
across the fields and forest, with hanging lichen rags and
tattered leaf cloaks, offering fru it fo r winters larder and wood
fo r protective amulets. May the spirits have their share also
o f these enchanted globes, which by firelight hold oracles o f
the hearts future.
Crab Лррк Syrup ^

Made from lovely pink crab apples the color of this syrup
is gorgeous, though any crab will do. Cut crab apples in
half, discarding any worm eaten or brown spots. These tiny
apples have a lot of great flavor when you add a sweetener.
Add water to cover and cook the apples, covering the pot
after it comes to a boil and lowering the heat. Be careful not
to burn them. Cook for about 20 minutes to help break the
pulp down. Strain through a fine sieve. Take your hquid,
add double the amount of cane sugar, warm it back up to
incorporate and bottle it for use as syrup. Use a small mason
jar, because of the natural pectin in the apples, it will gel
up in the fridge. Or you can boil hard for a while and get
crab apple jelly, which is a traditional British condiment for
meat and game. The syrup can then be taken for stomach
troubles, such as indigestion or diarrhea. Mixed warm with
sparkhng water, it makes an excellent crab apple soda,
special for All Hallows Eve festivities.
Wassail Kecipe ^
Adapted from Celtic Folklore Cooking, Joanne Asala, also
called ‘Lambswool’.
12 small tart apples, 6 pints ale, 1 cup brown sugar, 1

teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon
nutmeg, 6 whole cloves crushed, zest of 2 lemons, 2 pints
of red wine —Core the apples and roast dry in an oven,
until soft. Combine about 1/3 of the ale with the spices,
sugar and lemon peel, simmering over low heat for about
68
Apple
15 minutes. Add the remaining ale and wine to incorporate,

heating to warm but not boil. Pour in mugs and spoon in
the roasted apple pulp, serving with a spoon or cinnamon
stick. Make offerings to the orchard trees during the tu’elve
days of Christmas or on Christmas Eve with appropriate
incantations.
69
® WALNUT ®
juglans spp
(îth strength and dark beauty, the walnut tree with

•fragrant leaves and nuts has a mysterious and
ominous history, as related through folklore. The
dim shadows beneath the large branches creep and change
during twihght hours, the twisted roots enhanced with a
venomous patina. The old magic that lies sleeping is at
times awoken, on certain eves of the year, for the ghosts
of witches and wizards haunt this tree, as it is told in the
old tales.
Walnut giants adorn many an older homestead. Both
the black Juglans nigra and the English walnut J. regia are
commonly found here in North America, often in pairs.
The English walnut J. regia is not truly native to Britain, but
is thought to have been introduced from the Romans and
grown there from ancient times. The black walnut is a tree
of my childhood, the fragrance of the green bitter husks
rotting on the earth still remains potent in my memory.
Associations with love and fertility are plain enough, but
as the tree of the Devil, we can wonder at the walnuts
magical workings of old. The observance that other plants
will rarely grow in the walnut tree’s shade (particularly the
black walnut) certainly contributed to its more sinister
associations.
Within the realms of love, walnuts themselves were
associated with marriage, the nuts were strewed at Roman
weddings in times past. A German custom was for the
bridegroom to plant a certain number of walnut trees
before a marriage could place. There is an old receipt for
separating the two halves of a walnut and placing within
the marriage bed before consummation occurs. Then the
71
nut halves were to be placed back together, cracked and

eaten by the couple to assure resulting fertility. However,
from Romania comes a magical use of walnut for a bride
who wished to avoid being with child too soon. During
the wedding, she could secret into her bosom however
many roasted walnuts as years that she wished to remain
without child and after the ceremony bury the nuts. A love
divination concerning the walnut tree - on All Hallows
eve, at midnight, one is to walk around a walnut tree
three times. Then looking up through the branches, the
person concerned should ask out loud for some nuts. At
that moment, the face of their true love should appear
to them. Another marriage divination from Belgium to be
done on Michaelmas day concern the nuts —some nuts are
emptied and the shells put back together and are placed
with an equal number of whole nuts still in their shell. A
blindfolded girl then randomly grabs a walnut, and if it is
a full nut, St. Michael has blessed her with an approaching
happy marriage.
The ancient Greeks ascribed the walnut tree to
Persephone, Queen of the underworld. Though the nuts
were lucky and used for love purposes, the tree itself was
accursed in many parts of Europe. In Germany the black
walnut was thought particularly sinister. Witches were
said to favor meeting under walnut trees in foul weather
and from Italy the walnut tree was the gathering spot for
witches on Midsummer’s Eve. Witches were believed to
sleep under walnut trees and demons to dance in their
branches. Sometimes demons could be heard whispering
and snickering within its shade. From Somerset, this
tree was one belonging to the Devil and was not to be
approached after dark. The walnut tree had associations
with the serpent in some places. Pagan rites in Benevento
Italy were performed under a certain old and haunted
walnut tree, one that had the effigy of a viper beneath it.
Eventually, when the tree was uprooted, a serpent was seen
crawling out of its roots and was believed to be the Devil.
72
Walnut
A large ghost tree was said to take its place in later years
when the witches Sabbat wâs held there, after dark.
In Serbian culture, the Enghsh walnut tree was and still
is considered a portal to the UnderuOrld and often planted
in graveyards. The nuts themselves are used as offerings
for the dead and male witches in particular perform magic
under the trees. It is an essential tree in the cult of the
dead and for ancestor communion. It is believed by some
that a great horned spirit appears under the walnut tree at
noon. People and witches aUke have a great respect for the
walnut tree. The leaves were placed on graves in times past
and the walnuts themselves were used as an offering for
deceased ancestors, placed in the corners of rooms during
the Christmas season.
There are some interesting superstitions associated
with the walnut tree. Placing a walnut beneath the
chair of a witch would make it so she was unable to
move. Dreaming of a walnut tree spelled misfortune or
unfaithfulness. From Italy came the belief that he who
planted a walnut tree would die young. It was a terrible
omen if a family’s walnut tree died or was blown down
—misfortune could be expected. A Sussex belief tells
that sleeping under a walnut tree could damage the
mind or even result in death. Some lore tells that by
sleeping under the walnut tree, prophetic dreams could
be received about one’s future lover, but that the risk was
never awaking from the deep slumber. It was unlucky
to have black walnut wood or nuts at sea, risking the
attraction of storms. It was believed that planting a black
walnut in an orchard would kill all of the apple trees
around, bringing them blight.
From East Anglia, there was reputed to be a gold coin
in the roots of the walnut trees that were professionally
felled. Walnut did have some protective properties
ascribed to it. On Easter Sunday in Bavaria, fires were
made in the churchyard with flint and steel and families
would bring walnut branches. After being partially
73
burned, the families would return the branch to their

hearths to protect the home from lighting during the
following year. Another lightning association from
France, walnut leaves could be gathered on the morning
of St. Johns day, June 24, before sunrise and used as an
amulet for lightning protection. Jumping thrice around
the Midsummer fire with a walnut branch and then
hanging the charmed branch over the cowshed would act
to protect it, also from France.
From a 15th century leechdom comes this cure to
protect one from evil spirits and madness:
‘'Upon midsummer night betwixt midnight and the rising o f the

sun, gather the fairest green leaves o f the walnut tree, and upon
the same day between sunrise and its going down, distill thereof
a water in a still between two basins. A.nd this water is good i f
drunken fo r the same malady’.
Carrying a walnut with three segments was a preventative

in Italy against the Evil Eye, witchcraft, lightning and
fever. It was believed in some places that if someone gave
one a bag of walnuts, all of their wishes would come true
throughout their lifetime. Astrologically, walnut is believed
to be ruled by the sun.
¥olk Medicine ^
In folk medicine, in a charm for ague from Flanders
(Northern Belgium) a large black spider was caught aUve
between two walnut halves and imprisoned, and then worn
around the neck. Wearing a walnut in a bag around the neck
was also a charm for the pain of toothache. Poison herbs
were thought in some places to be ineffective with the
antidote of the walnut. From a twelfth century manuscript
walnuts could merely be placed among baneful herbs in
order for the poison to be destroyed. As the walnut is
likened to the brain, the Doctrine of Signatures suggests
its use for brain disorders, including madness. Using the
74
Walmtt
ashes of the nuts mixed into red wine was a cure for
baldness and was thought to turn the hair fair.
Mad dog and venomous bites were treated with the
unripened juice of walnut, mixed with honey, onion and
salt, from an old recipe. The astringent leaves were
used somehow for earache. As the shade of the walnut
tree was believed harmful because of the leaves, insects
were thought to dislike walnut. Leaves were scattered
around the home and stable to keep away mites and
fleas. Coachmen would use a solution made from the
leaves to sponge on their horses to discourage insect
problems.
In North America, skin diseases were treated with
walnut. For ringworm, rubbing the part effected with a
green walnut could effect a cure, from numerous Native
tribes. A Pennsylvanian Dutch folk remedy for warts was
to rub the wart with a green walnut and then bury it under
the eaves of the home. The Iroquois tribe used a poultice
of the black walnut bark applied to the head for madness
and an infusion of the bark was used ceremonially
somehow to bring rain. Many tribes used the bark for a
strong purgative, with the knowledge that too much was
poisonous. The Meskwaki tribe used the charred and
coiled bark, along with old bark in water as a treatment
for snakebite.
Personal Practices
Fragrant English walnut leaves dried and stuffed into
dream pillows can be used to help enhance sleep and
dreams. The intoxicating sleep that this tree is known for
makes it a prime dreaming tree. The leaves can also be used
in fumigations and incense mixtures, in particular when
working on the spirit nights of the year. Try taking the
eUxir or wine suggested below before retiring at night to
induce prophetic or clear seeing dreams. As walnut was
also a funerary tree in some traditions, it is appropriate
when working with the dead, either in a ritual representing
75
the World Tree or as an ingredient in libations, fumigations

or offerings.
The walnut tree can be used for any solo endeavor of
initiation. Sleeping under a large walnut tree for the night,
especially if located on an abandoned homestead, is one
challenge to see what dreams and fears it might inspire
while seeking to open consciousness to the old ways. The
wood of the walnut can be used as an amulet to protect
one during the twelve days of Christmas, with the solar
energy that it carries. A wand made from walnut can also
be used for ancestor work and to call spirits home during
the dark quarter of the year.
The English walnut has incredible purple tinged leaflets
that sprout during the springtime, and if brushed give
off the most intoxicating fragrance, it is distinct and very
pleasant. The leaves do lessen in their fragrance as the
summer moves on and by late in the season, there is not
much to notice. The American black walnut interestingly
does not have fragrant leaves and also is not purple or
brown tinged upon leafing out. The husks of both trees
are very aromatic, though different from each other in
their perfume. Both nuts are delicious though the black
walnut is so fragrant that very little is needed to flavor a
dish. They are extremely hard to crack open but well worth
the effort to flavor autumnal desserts.
Many thanks to these fragrant trees o f both ill-omen and

protection. For the brave, they provide nourishment and the
power to dream true, their shadow not a curse hut a blessing
o f secret gatherings —witches bound to the tree’s spirit in
memory and in flesh.
Walnut L·eaf Wine

To make an incredible wine with the fragrant English
walnut leaves, gather them when they are fully opened and
unfurled in May or mid-June. This recipe makes 1 gallon.
Take about 40 walnut leaflets and place in a 2 or 3 gallon
76
Walnut
crock along with one lemon sliced, and one vanilla bean
cut up. On the stove top bring to boil one gallon of water,
1 У2 pints of honey and 4 cups of organic cane sugar,
boil for about 10 minutes to fully incorporate. Pour the
hot mixture over leaves and whatnot in the crock and let
sit 24 hours. Fish out the walnut leaves and sprinkle on a
champagne yeast. Let sit 15 minutes to ‘proof’ and then
stir in. Cover and stir tvdce per day for 10 days. It will
not froth and bubble like normal wdne, but trust it will
ferment nonetheless. Then after the 10 days, strain the
wine into a gallon glass jug and fix with an airlock. Let sit
in darkness for 6 months at a temperature not too cool or
too warm. Then bottle in heavy glass bottles or just rack
and siphon into another glass jug. It will be ready at about
1 year. This honey wine (not a full mead) is incredible and
often a favorite of my guests. Use it for Midsummer’s Eve
or All Hallows Eve meetings and certainly as offerings to
familiar spirits and ancestors.
Midsummers Eve Walnut Eiquor

In Italy this is called Nicino and is taken as a bitter
aperitif before meals. On Midsummer’s Eve, make
appropriate offerings and gather 7 green walnuts from
an English walnut tree. Cut them in half and place
them, along with any clear liquid that comes from them,
into a quart jar. Slice and add one lemon, grate a bit of
nutmeg and add some bruised cinnamon, if desired. A
little saffron also imparts solar energy, just a pinch is
needed. Add one cup of organic cane sugar and cover
the whole with vodka or w’hite brandy. If possible use
a French canning jar with a seal, as the mason jar lids
will corrode overtime. Shake or stir every day for 6
weeks and then strain and bottle. Age at least 6 months
before drinking, the longer it ages the more amazing it
becomes. Wonderful taken before retiring to promote
potent dreams, it will be a dark brown greenish color,
much like the leaves themselves.
77
An Altar of Winter Charms
The altars o f dark Winter

Graced with oils charmed and
Earthen bowls o f grave plants,
Fingers digging roots, with hook and claw
Fashioned bj one who dreams
The last days o f autumn surely

Have ended, now with naked trees
And gray hones scattered
The brown seeds slipping
From their empty cases
Ravens feathered cloak feeds

On the ruined deer carcass.
The last offering o f meat
For the dark winter eves ahead,
The black Eye sees from up in the cedar tree
While decomposition invigorates the roots.

That starlight will breathe upon,
Those magic’s that are hidden
Under muddy baskets
And woven in the darkness. Evergreen
Immortal creations, touched by water

Stone and owl blood —all
Seekers o f the mist, watchers o f the road
Bringyour dreaming oil and yew wood cross
To the place where death and life meet
To the silver hand, she whom gifts

Dead birds in iron, in smoke.
In winter’s sleep, awake to see
Now nesting by the light.
Hag tapers burn down deep into the night
78
YEW TREE
Taxus baccata
Ihen wandering through the forests in the Pacific

■Northwest, to come upon a native yew tree, one
stops and the breath stills. Such a darkness surrounds
this tree of the underworld, it looks almost upside down
and uncanny, its eerie evergreen black foliage dead still, its
patchy red bark almost luminescent. When crushed, the
needles give no comforting smell of Yuletide celebrations,
as do other conifers, but instead offer nothing for the senses
- as would be fit in a stifling dark grave. A scentless poison
pervades, and the red berries glow with an otherworldly
light. This can be said of the European yew tree as well,
both have foliage and fruit that look
artificial and unappetizing,
thankfully. This funerary tree has
roots in the tombs of many of
our ancestors, who may sleep
forever in body, but by spirit
flight are still guides in dreams
and visions.
Yew is a toxic tree, the seeds and
needles being the most poisonous
part of the plant. Death occurs as
a result of heart and respiratory
failure. It is a slow growing tree;
there are only about 8 species in
the genus Taxus, the Latin meaning
toxic. One of the oldest living
trees is a yew tree, estimated to
be three thousand years old
in Perthshire, UK. Another is
79
Under the W itchingTree
a yew tree in Chapultepec Mexico, said to be around six

thousand years old. As the yew gets bigger and older, it
can lose part of its inner trunk and still be healthy. The old
trees look spooky with huge hollowed out trunks that could
enclose one like a tomb connected to both earth and sky.
The yew tree has more associations with death than any
other tree. It is appropriately ruled by Saturn. From ancient
times, it has been connected to the afterlife, to the world
of the dead and to the mysterious dark forces of nature.
Phny referred to it as a cursed tree. It was known to dwell in
the company of skulls, corpses, coffins and epitaphs, along
with ghosts and spirits, according to one old poetic musing.
This is because it was widely planted in graveyards and near
churches, themselves also near ancient tombs. Many ancient
yew trees are located on the supposed sites of pagan burials,
with the church yards that exist there today being a relatively
newer feature of the landscape in comparison. The yew
trees continued to be planted near churches and cemeteries,
often on the southwest corner of a churchyard, to protect
it from evil spirits as well, therefore acting as a guardian of
the dead.
The Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all associated the yew
tree with mourning and this belief has continued, however
unconsciousl}·, into modern times. Yew trees are still planted
next to funeral homes and in graveyards in the US, though
few people would recognize this ancient symbology. It was
customary in England and Wales to carry yew branches to a
funeral and place the branches into the grave of the beloved.
In late medieval funerals, sprigs of yew were tucked into the
shrouds of the dead. Garlands of yew, rosemary and willow
were placed on the coffins of unhappy lovers, some customs
tell. In churchyards in Brittany, the roots of the yew trees
were said to grow into the mouths of corpses to stop the
dead mouths from talking. Ancient poet ^firgil wrote: Old
Yew, which graspest at the stones, That names the underlying dead.
Thy fibers net the dreamless head, the roots are wrapped about
the bones’. This verse possibly gave rise to the superstition
80
Yew Tree
that the yew tree preys upon the dead and is invigorated
from the bodies of those who he in its shade. The Yew also
has ancient associations with the underuOrld, thus having
a connection with Hecate, Persephone and Proserpina (the
Roman version of the Greek Persephone). It was a plant
that grew in Hecate’s garden.
From the Balkans, yew is still used as a protective amulet
to keep aw*ay evil spirits. Crosses of yew wood are worn
or upside down triangles are fashioned from its wood and
carried. Yew sticks are also thought protective. To keep
cattle away out of harm, old cow horns are placed in yew
trees for protection. People there still beUeve faeries hve in
the yew trees.
Yew, as it is an evergreen tree, has long been associated with
not only death but immortahty of the soul. There have been
Bronze Age yew wood figures with quartz eyes discovered
in Yorkshire, thought to have religious significance. Some
authors believe that the Germanic World Tree was actually
not an Ash tree, but a Yew tree, also known as an ‘evergreen
ash’. The German hunting God Ulh built his hall in the
Valley of yews. Yew wood was associated with rune magic
of the ancient Germanic people. The Old EngUsh ‘yr’ meant
‘bow made of yew wood’ and has the same roots in the
Germanic name ‘eihwaz’, which meant yew. An old German
adage translates to: ‘Before thejew s, no harmful magic can remain’.
Yew was also thought to be sacred to Celtic peoples, with
the ancient name of Ireland being Lerne, meaning ‘Island
of Yew trees’. Yew was (and is) prized for bows, spears and
tools, its wood is very dense and hard. EngUsh longbows
were made of the hard and poisonous wood —if made from
a churchyard yew, its value was even higher.
It is believed by some modern scholars that the Druids
worshiped yew trees. Ancient Druids would carry a small
section of yew or juniper wood from which they would
shave off slivers to burn for purification, though yew wood
and foliage are reputed to produce a toxic smoke. From
Scotland, the seasonal ritual of Beltane was celebrated as
81
a sacred fire was burned in the hollow of a particularly

ancient yew tree. Yew branches were kept in houses to
protect against fire and lightning in Spain. This tree was also
associated with faerie sightings in Wales. There was a forest
where a magical yew- grew in the middle of a faerie circle. It
was said that if one walked under the yew tree, enchantment
and loss of consciousness and time follows. It was bad luck
to cut down the yew tree for fear of death could overcome
the responsible individual. To fall asleep under the yew
tree could also produce death or at least sickness. It was
bad luck to include yew branches in the festive decorative
evergreens around the winter solstice and Christmas, for
bringing the branches in the house at this time was sure to
result in a death in the family within a year. The yew tree did
have ancient connections with the both winter solstice and
Samhain, possibly because of this dark time of year - the
Greeks linked the tree to the gateway of the underworld.
Interestingly, yew branches were included in Easter chaplets
hung around the church for decoration, because of their
connection to everlasting life and resurrection.
Dreaming of yew foretells the death of an elderly
person expected to leave a considerable wealth behind. If
one dreams of sitting under a yew, this is a death omen
but if one is admiring it from afar, it can foretell long
life. In Britain, certain yew trees had fertility associations
with them - somewhat surprisingly. If you were female
and walked forwards around the yew tree, or if you were
a male and walked backwards around it, fertility would be
assured. In some places, yew was considered a wishing tree.
If one walked around it several times and made a wish,
good results would be expected. In Derbyshire, if you had
lost something, the way to find it would be to hold the yew
branch out in front of yourself The branch would lead you
to what you had lost.
Yew has been associated with witches from ancient times.
Shakespeare’s line from Macbeth ‘slips o f jew , slivered in the
moons eclipse’ gw&s clue to a possible ingredient in a Materia
82
Yeip Tree
magica, as it was an ingredient in the witch’s cauldron

brew. It was a tree thought to protect from the dark witch
as well, as the lore often depends on both the locale and
the subjective interpretation of what was malefic and what
was helpful. A place sheltered by yews was supposed to
protect from witches. From Germany comes a custom
of nailing yew wood behind a door to keep a witch from
entering the home. Crosses and amulets made of yew wood
were considered lucky and protective. A superstition from
northern Scotland tells that if one carried a yew branch
taken from a churchyard, that they will be able to speak,
but that the person spoken to would not be able to hear
them. This comes from the use of a Clansman denouncing
his enemy with witnesses all around, but without the enemy
hearing himself. Yew wands were thought very powerful
by practitioners of the Old Art and country wizards would
sometimes use yew wands for water dowsing, rather than
the hazel.
There is a magical story that comes from a Welsh legend
- a cattle drover cut a yew switch from an ancient tree to
use as a goad to drive his beasts to market. A week later,
on his way back from market after selUng his lot he crossed
the London Bridge. At that very time, an EngUsh wizard
was also crossing the bridge and both men noticed that the
man’s yew wand was twisting and turning over the water.
The 'vîzard inquired where the man had found the switch,
and upon learning that it was cut from an ancient yew tree,
asked the man to take him to it. The wizard knew that such
a powerful tree would have a secret passageway underneath
it, leading to gold and silver. They traveled back to Wales
to the tree, and found that it indeed was close to an old hill
fort where King Arthur and his knights were rumored to
be sleeping in the local tales, waiting to fight once again.
The wizard and cattle drover found a secret entrance under
the yew roots, while the moon was rising in the sphere of
Jupiter, the hour before dawn. Sure enough, they found a
hoard of riches and the enchanted sleeping army of King
83
Arthur and the Kang himself. They helped themselves to

the riches under the yew tree, careful to avoid ringing the
bell near the entrance and waking the knights. Of course
all was well, until the drover returned to the yew tree years
later for more spoils and was careless, evoking the wrath of
the king’s army, and getting banished from the secret tomb
for all time.
Folk Medicine ^
There was limited use of yew in folk medicine, but it still
had its few remedies despite being a toxic plant. Needless
to say, none of these practices are recommended. It was
given for certain heart complaints and in Lincolnshire,
yew twigs were steeped in tea for kidney complaints.
Small amounts of the dried bark were given to horses
to make their coats shine. In this instance, the ‘she-yew’
bark (from a yew that produced berries) was dried and
stored under the cart man’s bed in brown paper packages
for over a year before it was given. The needle infusions
were used to sponge corpses to prevent putrification,
interestingly another association with death and
preservation.
The yew tree Taxus brevifolia in the forests of the Pacific
Northwest was used for a few’ medicinal purposes by the
Native tribes. The Swinnomish tribe would rub the local
yew branches over their bodies to gain strength. The dried
bark was used as a medicine for stomach pains, to purify the
blood, and for bloody urine.
The yew tree is well suited for magical use in funerarv
and mourning rites, as well as for purposes of contacting
the dead and ancestors. The wOod of the yew tree can be
gathered ceremonially by candlelight at night for gracing
one’s ancestor altar. The dried shaved bark and needles can
be placed among grave earth from sacred sites or within an
urn of one’s beloved dead’s remains, also in an urn of grave
84
Yew Tree
earth gathered from one’s own ancestors. This earth can

then be used in one’s own personal workings of protection,
divination and heaUng.
An equal armed cross made of yew wood can be
carried while visiting cemeteries to protect one from the
evil dead, held together with white thread. x\dding a clear
crystal to this cross is an appropriate offering for the
dead, as quartz was also used as a burial stone. This rustic
charm is helpful for communication with those whom
have passed on. Yew wood is also helpful for divination
work, especially when concerning the deceased. The
month of November is a potent time to do this work,
by the dark moon. Yew wood and foliage can be buried
in the earth for use in offerings to protect the dead and
unsettled spirits.
This tree is hard to find in the forest in its wild state but
if you do come across its dark grace, scatter some offerings
at the roots and ask for good fortune and long Ufe, to be
spared from any untimely death. Many thanks to this most
ancient of trees, watcher of the graveyards and tombs of
long lost ancestors, keeper of the everlasting flame of life in
the dark shade and mystical oracle into the other worlds of
hidden treasure.
Yew A.ncestor Talisman ^

Ritually harvest yew branches during the late autumn
months and de-bark them. Once dried, create three pieces
and wood burn them each with the rune signs of the yew
tree, the gift and the sign of the alchemical sun. Keep in
black cloth. On the December’s dark moon, go to a stone
ravine. Bring offerings of animal blood and five coins. After
making appropriate offerings, on a large stone, spread the
black cloth and place the yew pieces inscribed upon it. Add
yew needles, earth taken from the graves of your ancestors, a
piece of gold jewelry ideally from a deceased family member
and a crows feather. Speak these words over the spread:
85
Blood, earth and ash, Blood, earth and ash; Blood, earth and ash;
Spirits o f an ancient tongue. Kindred and Kin
Ancestors o f Old, I name you: (names spoken now)
May you r presence be felt, may you r presence be known
(Silence now for a time)
This wood, o f death, o f gift, o f golden memory

This wood, roots in the old world, touching tombs
This wood envibe and empower, with protection and foresight.
Neper to decay, neper to whither
By the carrion crow, it is so
By the palue o f gold, it is so
By the churchyard earth, it is so, it is so, it is so!
Repeat the words three times.
Then, wrap the bundle and bind with black wool thread.
Walk five times backwards around the stone and leave the
place without looking back, leaving nothing at the site. Use
the bundle during any work to call upon your ancestor spirits
for protection, divination or healing in your own personal
fife. Not to be used in rites worked for others. Keep it in
a wooden box made of yew, if obtainable, with dried yew
needles tucked in around it. Upon the altar, crown this box
with a crow skull, facing to the north.
86
PINE
Pinus spp
)ше touches the

stars with its
many needles,
the stunted mountain
trees and giant forest
trees all. This ancient
tree holds secrets that
only the wind has
heard upon the lonely
hills and within stony
ravines. Imagine the
golden medicine sap
that runs all throughout
the trunk and branches.
Its cleansing powers
bring smoke and water,
bring prayers and healing
to the lands of the dead.
Its branches dance in
ceremony and its cones
are collected for amulets
by the young and old
alike.
The genera Pinus contains up to 120 species and is
in the pine family, Pinaceae. The Latin word Pinus has its
root meaning in the word ‘resin’. Pine trees can Uve to be
very old; one of the oldest trees in the world is a pine tree,
Pinus longaeva in White Mountains of CaUfornia, reaching
now around 4,600 years of age. Pine trees are native to the
general Northern hemisphere.
87
Groups of conifers, in particular pines, were often called

the seven sisters. It was believed that six would flourish
but the seventh one would die away, no matter how
often it was replanted. A large part of pines symbology
is associated with fertility. Pine torches were used at
weddings from olden times. In ancient Greece and Rome,
the cones had a phallic significance. The pine cone was
sacred to love goddesses symbolizing fecundity, fire, good
luck, regeneration and the male aspect. Twin pine trees
symbolized fidelity and passionate love and an unopened
pine cone symbolized virginity. As the trees were associated
with fertiUty, the Highlands of Scotland attributed the
high number of illegitimate births with the large number
of pine trees growing in the region. In a classical myth
Attis, a fertility deity, mutilated himself under a pine tree,
into which his spirit passed. The tree was then bled at the
vernal equinox for turpentine. The tree was eventually cut
down and adorned with ribbons and carried to a mother
goddess’s sanctuary, where it was decorated with violets
and fleeces.
The pine tree was beheved to give birth to wood spirits
in Germany, they were born and came out of every hole
and knot in the trunk. There is a Swedish story that tells
of a beautiful woman being born in this way. She was a tall
bright beauty with a musical and whimsical voice, ‘soft as a
murmur in a pine wood’. She helped with farm work and
strangers wondered about her origins, until one day a knot
in a pine board fell out and a way to escape back to the
forest was open. The woman put her ear next to that place
and heard the music of the Other world, then she shrank
back into the size of an elf She disappeared back to the
enchanted forest forever.
The pine has been dedicated to Pan, Poseidon, Osiris,
Neptune and Bacchus. There were old pine trees in Greece
under vchich altars dedicated to Pan were made, sometimes
including a small sacred fire. With poets, pine has been
associated with distant mountains and solitude. A Breton
88
Pine
myth tells that the magical wi2 ard figure Merlin cUmbed a
pine tree and never returned to the world of men afterward;
it was considered a sacred tree which has housed the soul
of Merlin ever since. Interestingly, the magic toadstool
fly agaric or ЛтапНа muscana, often grows under pine
trees, called ‘Scarlet GobUns Fungus’ in a translation from
Japan. These mushrooms were associated with visions and
the spirit world as well. Pine is ruled by the planet Mars,
according to astrologers of the past.
Pine was also a funerary tree, being as it is evergreen
and symbolic of everlasting life and immortality. A
Russian custom was to cover the coffin being carried to
the cemetery with branches of both pine and fir. The
pine tree was considered unlucky in the Channel Isles. In
a Guernsey belief, a family could lose their property if
they planted a row of pines. There are a few references
to the belief, similar to other trees such as hawthorn
and elder, that if you fell asleep under a pine you would
never wake up. Interestingly, the Chinese planted pine and
cypress trees over graves, to help strengthen the souls of
the deceased and help preserve bodies. These trees were
thought to have a special vitality and were associated with
the spirit world because of this. From the Balkans, it is
still believed that faeries gather in the top of pine trees.
Also, male witches fight their battles with pine wands,
blackened at both ends.
An enchanted story from Japan tells that an old couple
had a magic dog who dug in the ground in a certain spot
and uncovered gold. A jealous mean spirited neighbor
asked to borrow the dog, assuming the same good fortune
would come to him. When the dog only uncovered filth
and rubbish, the neighbor killed the dog and buried him
under a pine tree between the two properties. The tree
then grew into a large size and housed the dogs spirit and
continued to serve the old couple. The old man needed
a mortar to pound grain with and fashioned one from
a pine bough of the enchanted tree. It brought great
89
abundance and there was never a lack of food in the

house. The wicked neighbor asked to borrow the mortar,
again hoping to gain the benefits. When only worms
came into his cooking pot, he attempted to destroy it
by breaking it into pieces and burning it. The old man
gathered up the charred bits and still believing that they
were magical, cast them into the forest, and they grew
into pine trees, green and healthy, even in the winter. The
Lord of the land heard about the old couple and their
magical pine trees and rewarded them with gold, silks and
riches ever after, with his evil neighbor being whipped for
his jealously. The pine tree is often depicted in Japanese
art and was considered a sacred tree.
One way to protect a child from the effect of the Evil
Eye was to sweep their face with a pine bough. Pine was
an emblem that was fixed on poles in Italian vineyards to
protect from witchcraft and blight. The cones have often
been used to decorate gateways and also iron railings,
probably both as a protective symbol and for fertility. Pine
needles were sometimes used in divinations. An example of
this is taken from the Island of Bute, Scotland, where pine
was called a ‘dreaming tree’. Its needles were put with some
kind of ceremony under the pillow for dreams of a future
husband or wife. The cones were also used as a weather
oracle. If a cone is hung up in the house (or observed
outside), it will close when the weather is wet and cold and
it will open when the weather is dry and warm.
Some Native American tribes burned pine branches to
drive away ghosts from the houses of returning people.
They burned branches and threw the ashes in a hearth fire
when someone died in the home. Also, the smoke and a
wash made from the pine was used for protection for
someone who had seen a dead person. The Navajo tribe
used the pine needles in a war dance and the pitch was also
painted all over the dancer. The pine pollen was used in a
‘Night Chant’ medicine. The needles and wood were boiled
as a ceremonial emetic. It was used by the Navaho tribe as
90
Vine
a hunting medicine, the plant smoked. The Hopi tribe used

the pitch on the forehead as a protection against witchcraft.
They also burned the pitch as a disinfectant for a family
of one who had died. The Okanagan-Colville tribe used
the needles to spread on the floor of the sweathouse for
protection against -witchcraft. The Blackfoot tribe from the
AIontana/x\lberta area still uses the wood of the lodgepole
pine (Finns contorta subsp. latifolid) to make ‘story sticks’,
which are given to children by elders. The stories that the
children earn are represented by the number of notches in
the stick.
The pine tree was utilized in different acts of folk
magic. To tie a knot in the topmost pine shoot was a cure
for gout in Germany. Along the same hnes, retrieving a
kernel from the topmost cone of a pine tree made its
eater invulnerable to elf shot. A very specific cure for
toothache tells that the sufferer is advised to take two pine
splinters, push them into the gum surrounding the tooth in
pain and then bury them on the north side of a dogwood
tree. This is an example of transference magic, where the
pain is transferred to the pine splinters and buried to rot
away. Similarly, for a nosebleed, pine splinters dipped in
the blood were driven into a nonspecified tree. Another
transference charm: for a fever, the sufferer is advised
to break a pine branch while facing the setting sun. It
was thought that mental problems of any sort could be
improved by walking through a wood of pine and inhaling
the refreshing smell.
An early American magical remedy from Long Lost
Friend, the famous grimoire of John Hohman gives this use
for pine: ‘When You Wish Someone to Sleep fo r Twenty-Four
Hours: Take the resin from a pine tree, dry and crush the resin to
a powder. Then give it to the person you wish to sleep, in a glass o f
beer to drink. He will then sleep fo r twenty-four hours. ’
For biliousness, the sufferer would bore a hole in a pine
tree and then circle it three times, telling the bihousness to
go away. For a backache comes an interesting magical cure:
91
the suffer was to gather pine roots from a road where no

corpse had passed on, then build a fire and burn the roots,
gathering the blackened rosin to apply to the aching part.
A destructive spell from nineteenth century Sweden
utilized the pine tree to kill an enemy. When an image of
the enemy was carved into a pine tree, it was then named
after the person. For three consecutive Thursdays (Thor’s
day) the tree was visited and named after the enemy. On the
third Thursday, a nail was driven partway into the chest of
the image. The practitioner would then return once per year,
and each time drive the nail in a little deeper into the image
on the tree. On the seventh year of repeating this procedure,
the enemy would die. I have seen a similar use with the black
oak tree done in this same manner, in North American
folklore. The pine tree was also utiHzed for bringing back
stolen goods, mentioned in a Swedish Black Book. A spUnter
was to be taken from the place where the theft occurred, and
on it was painted magical sigils in snake blood. This splinter
was then taken to be buried under the roots of a pine tree, in
the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, three Thursday
mornings in a row, before sunrise. This action would send
suffering to the thief so they would be compelled to return
the stolen goods. (See Salomonic Magical Arts, by Fredrik
Eytzinger, Three Hands Press).
Folk Medicine
Pine needles and bark have been used in folk medicine
for the lungs in particular. Using the needles as a steam
and inhaling it was thought to have healing effects, as
did sleeping next to a pillow stuffed with pine needles.
From Russia comes the use of inhaling the steam of the
needles and cones specifically for asthma. The bark was
used to treat fevers and there were many topical uses that
included using the pitch. A plaster of the pitch made with
sulphur, honey and brandy was used as a pain hniment,
from an early colonial American cure. A poultice of the
bark was used for both burns and sores. Pine tar was an
92
Pine
important ingredient in many colonial American cough

syrups and wound salves. A cure for heartburn was to
chew on pine needles and an old recipe for cough syrup
tells to place the young pine shoots in a jar of unrefined
sugar and leave it on a sunny windowsill for a time. A pine
tree fungus was used as a colic cure by scraping the shaved
pieces into whiskey and given after it had macerated into
the menstruum.
The Native American tribes had many uses for pine -
there are around twenty-six species in North America that
were used extensively by the tribes. To cover all of the tribes
and uses of different species here would be exhaustive but
general and common uses are as follows. A decoction of
the young needles was taken for bronchitis, coughs, colds,
fevers and in many Native American tribes, for a stomach
ache. The needles were used as a fumigant and to revive
one who had fainted. Pine pitch was used for many external
apphcations including as a plaster for pain, swelUngs,
infections, piles, rheumatism, burns, cuts, sores, psoriasis,
spider bites, to draw out poisons, and a salve was made with
pitch and animal fat for a chest rub and used as a cosmetic
for the skin.
A few specific uses of note —turpentine was skimmed
off of the root decoction and placed on a deer skin as a
drawing poultice by the Cherokee tribe. The Thompson
tribe used the Ponderosa pine Pinusponderosa as a sleep aid
for babies by rubbing them with the pitch, and as a remedy
for earache by putting a poultice of the warmed pitch to
the ear. Numerous tribes also used the pitch somehow for
sore eyes.
Pine can be used magically in any sort of heaUng rite, most
helpful when harvested on the full moon. It is particularly
appropriate for cleansing rituals, being employed by way of
the pitch smudge or by taking the fresh boughs and using
them to fling either ritually harvested water from a sacred
93
place or pine needle tea itself at the sufferer or in a space

needing the cleanse. Pine is also an ama2ing visionary tree, it
is very much a tree of clear seeing and seeking, a tree to visit
in solitude for deep contemplation and communion.
Pine is also an important fertility medicine for men in
particular. Having a man eat pine nuts regular and carry
pine cones with him as a simple amulet is helpful. A pine
tree can be ceremonially planted during a wedding rite, for
the future fertility and love of the couple involved. Have
the ceremony fall on the full moon and have the hole dug
by the groom. After words are appropriately spoken to the
group involved about the intention, have every one present
throw in a handful of earth to bury the roots, while at
the same time wishing fruitful abundance for the couple.
Have the bride pour on the water at the end of the rite. If
the tree takes root and grows well, it is a good omen of
the marriage being a happy and fertile one. Fertility and
abundance can mean more than just children being born,
though that is included if desired. It can also mean success
in business or finances and whatnot. If the tree withers
and dies, it is an ominous sign of things to come. After the
ceremony, the tree is intimately connected to the couple
involved.
Pine branches can be used in funerary rites, in particular
for the loss of romantic loved ones, along with white roses,
willow and lilies. The boughs can be used to decorate
the ancestor altar and used in funerary fumigations, see
recipe below. Pine is very comforting during times of loss
and grief Pine is good for hauntings in both people and
houses, using the smoke and the tied branches to fumigate
and smudge.
For medicinal uses, harvest the bark during the springtime
months, when the sap is rising. Selectively prune some
branches and when at home, strip the bark from all of the
branches using a small sharp knife. Save the needles as well,
drying all parts on flat baskets. Clean your hands and knife
with olive oil and then hot soapy water. To gather pine resin
94
Pine
from a wound on a pine tree, only take the excess that the
tree produces to heal, leaving some on the wound itself.
There usually is an excessive amount. Place resin in a wide
mouth jar or tin and oil your hands when removing a clump
of it.
Medicinally speaking, pine can be used for coughs and
respiratory troubles. It is cleansing and purifying to the
lungs. Syrups and elixirs with both the needles and the bark
can be made, the bark being stronger and more astringent
and bitter. The flavor is generally dehcious, with intense
lemony and balsam over tones. The bark and pitch can
be used topically in salves for a chest rub, to stimulate
lymphatic flow and for general pain. Infuse an oil or animal
fat with the freshly wilted bark (strip and wilt overnight)
using either the double boiler method or the passive oil
method (both described in the appendices). A Triple Sap
salve can be made using two kinds of fresh pine bark, for
example a white pine and a ponderosa pine, along with the
pitch. It is remarkable for not only chest congestion, but
for pain coming from cuts, scrapes and scratches, and for
a fragrant perfume balm.
In many places, pine can be found planted ornamentally,
it is a common tree to find on older homesteads here in the
US, not to mention all of the native species. There are a few
reports of a couple species of pine being toxic if taken
internally. I prefer any type of white pine Finns strobus for
my internal medicine because of this, not to mention for
their incredible flavor. If you are unable to find a white pine
or ID the species of your nearest pine tree, just stick to all
of the amazing magical and external uses.
Manj thanks to this tree o f the celestial sphere and its offerings
o f deeply purifying medicine o f both body and spirit, o f both
the earthly realm and the world o f the unseen. May the fragrant
smoke upliftyou r rites and carry you r prayers uttered onwards
and outwards, touched by the winds o f ancient sages, wise and
departed.
95
Funerary Fumigation ^
To make a mixture to honor the beloved dead or the long
dead ancestors, chose to make this blend on the dark moon,
preferably on a Saturday during the dark half of the year.
When the night has fallen, cover the windows and darken
the chamber to only a single candle burning. Have your
ingredients all gathered, dried and ready prior to beginning.
Blend by hand in an earthen bowl:
Cypress Foliage —gently, it is sharp; use scissors if your
species is exceptionally painful to process with bare hands
Pine Needles and Pitch - shred or cut needles small and use
oiled hands to break pieces of the pitch apart
White Rose Buds, not fully opened
Mistletoe berry
While blending the whole by hand, working to break it
down, speak the following repeatedly:
The deads garden blooms and grows hy night

With fru it and bud o f ghost delight
With green and lea f o f spirit flight
My hands bring warmth, my heart brings light
When finished making the whole mixture small, store in

a yew wood box. Use during rituals to honor or commune
with the beloved dead or for ancestor rites. Burn on All
Hallows Eve or Christmas Eve as well, for the same purpose.
Fine Bark Elixir ^

Harvest the pine bark in the springtime, when the sap is
rising. Then dry the bark. For 1 pint of strong pine medicine,
take about 3/4 cup of dried white pine bark Pinus strobus, and
cut or chop small to make about ’/2 cup. Place in the bottom
of a pint mason jar, or use a French canning jar with a glass
Ud which is less corrosive. Add % cup of dried rose petals
Kosa spp. and % cup of dried red clover blossom Trifolium
pratense. Fill with brandy until У4 full and add honey to top
96
Pine
it off, being sure to leave a little room at the top. Cover and
shake or stir daily for one moon cycle. Strain, bottle and
label. This will keep for a long dme without refrigeration
and is excellent taken for a cough or lung troubles of any
sort. It is strong —I take 2 droppers full, 3 times per day.
This has worked for my family where other herbal cough
medicines have failed.
97
HOLLY TREE
Ilex aquifolium
Щ
n one wintery eve every year, one can imagine this
1-tree is in fruit and in ghostly flower at the same
time. White waxy flowers are illuminated and red
berries glow by thirteen candles. In the cold moonlight,
the elves rejoice, feast and play their games. The white
roots of holly touch the old chapel’s crumbling stone walls
and moss covered thresholds, ghost celebrations in the
darkness, as seen only from those uncommon and touched.
Holly has a certain elegance surrounding it, a strength and
quiet power. This tree has a special place in the history of
midwinter festivities and folklore.
Holly certainly had a reverence associated with it, as
its common name was another word for ‘Holy’, ‘Holy
Day’ being the original meaning to the modern ‘Holiday’.
Other old names for this tree were: Holme, Hulver Bush,
Hulfeere, Christs Thorn and Bats Wings. The holly tree
genus Ilex has about four hundred species within it and
is in the A-quifoliaceae family. Holly was the plant that the
Romans hung up in their houses during their ancient
feast Saturnalia, which is one of the major influences
on our modern Christmas. Because of this, holly was
and is still well known as a Christmas evergreen. Because
of its red berries and evergreen nature, holly has been
associated with the crucifixion and the blood of Christ
- also known as ‘Christ’s Thorn’. This magical tree does
indeed deserve the line O f all the trees in the wood, Holly
wears the crown!".
Holly had a connection to both the oak tree and ivy vine,
during this festive season. Its intense red berried tenacious
branches were thought to be the male counterpart to the
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Ivy, a cHmbing vine with mysterious black berries that

was considered feminine in nature. These twO were hung
together around Christmas in England in times past.
Another interpretation of the midwinter evergreens w'as
that holly was actually the female counter part to the
mistletoe; the red berries of holly representing menstrual
blood and the white berries of mistletoe representing
semen. They were also sometimes displayed together in
full berry during Yuletide.
In Germany, holly was gathered and put up on
Christmas Eve, with extra boughs hung in the animal
barns and sheds to protect the livestock. In fact, it was
considered bad luck in some places to gather holly before
Christmas Eve. Household brooms could be decorated
with holly as well, to help offer protection to a dwelling.
People of Celtic ancestry were believed to collect holly
at midnight in solitude and leave a drop of their blood as
an offering in exchange for the red berried holly. When
hung up with the Christmas evergreens it was best to hang
holly up before mistletoe, lest ill luck will come down the
chimney on Christmas Eve. Holly was supposed to be
taken down, along with all other Christmas decorations
besides mistletoe, by January 6, twelfth night. Decorating
the chimney with holly was originally a protective act;
the chimney represented, along with windows and doors,
a place where maleficent spirits could enter the home.
From Western England comes the custom of young
maidens adorning their beds with holly in full berry on
Christmas Eve to protect from an unwelcomed visit from
a ‘mischievous goblin’.
There are old Irish legends that tell of the yearly battle
between the Holly King and the Oak Kang. This battle was
supposed to be based on the waxing sun and the waning
sun, with the holly representing the dark half and the oak
the Ught half of the year. In Brittany, holly was the Devil’s
counterpart to the oak tree. From old Germanic lore, the
holly tree was actually sacred to the winter nature spirit
100
ЫоИу Tree
(some would say Goddess) Mother Holle and Germanic

witches who worshipped her preferred to use holly wood
for their magic wands.
Holly was thought to be a good omen and was considered
protective against hghtning. It was beUeved in Devonshire
that the holly tree could not be struck. A German charm
to protect one from hghtning was to carry ‘church holly’, a
piece of holly that was used for decorative purposes from
a church, most Ukely from around Christmas time. A tree
growing near the house protected it from lightning as well
and it was lucky to plant a holly tree in the garden. In East
Anglia, the holly tree was known to protect from evil. The
holly hedges surrounding cottages in the Fens were believed
to be planted thus for the same. To bring a sprig of holly
(not in flower) into a new building would bring good luck.
Holly in general was used for protection from nightmares,
demons and evil magic. The green prickled leaf variety
was associated with male luck while the smooth variegated
variety with female luck. A Romany name for the tree was
‘Gods Tree’ and in times past, it was thought by them to
afford divine protection if a tent was pitched under one. It
was beheved that a holly tree casts no shadow. Phny wrote
that holly flowers will cause water to freeze, connecting
this plant to the wintertime’s cold and also that holly would
repel poison. Interestingly, holly was thought to bring back
runaway cattle. All one had to do w’as throw a holly stick
in the direction which the cattle ran, and its powers would
cause them to return home, without the wood even touching
them. Indeed, cattle drover’s sticks were often made from
holly wood.
There were many superstitions associated with Holly and
while it was considered a lucky plant, it was unlucky to bring
the flowers indoors, to burn green holly wood, to stamp
on a holly berry, or to cut down a wild holly tree. It was
considered in many places particularly unlucky to fell a holly
tree that had self-seeded. To pick a sprig of holly in flower
could bring death to the family. Sterile holly that did not
101
produce berries was considered more unlucky than holly

that did (though there are male and female plants). To break
the bad luck for the following year, one could put a spring
of red berried holly in a wreath. Being an evergreen, it was
a custom in some places to bring a holly branch into a home
after a death, to help purify the space.
Holly was both a plant of the faeries and elves and also
a protector from their tricks, depending on the lore. It was
considered a faerie plant in Northern Ireland. It was also
protective from witches and witchcraft. If a church door
frame was built of holly wood, no witch could enter. Collars
of bittersweet and holly twisted together were used to
protect horses from witchcraft and from being hag-ridden.
Hanging holly and rowan wood in the cow bier kept out
evil forces and the entrance of the nightmare. A Wiltshire
tradition was that a wreath made of holly and bay leaves
would keep witches out of the home if hung on the door, as
a witch would be stuck outside compelled to count the red
berries. If a holly rod was placed in milk, it would not sour.
Coachman’s whip handles were made of holly wood, helpful
for driving at night and keeping away the faeries and dark
witches powers. Lore tells to never cut a whip stick directly
from the tree; instead pull up one of the shoots that grow
from the trunk.
There were different games that were played with holly.
One tells that if a girl runs around a holly tree seven times
in a one direction and seven times in another, she will see
her future husband. Another love divination - Nine holly
leaves of the smooth variety had to be gathered at midnight
on a Friday and placed in a three cornered handkerchief,
which was then tied in nine knots and concealed under
the pillow before going to bed. Absolute silence was an
essential part of the charm, from the time of gathering the
leaves, until dawn, during which prophetic dreams would
have occurred. There is an American game of naming
hollv leaves after different suitors and then throwing them
into a fire. The one that loved you best would pop —this is
102
Holly Tree
similar to the apple seed version. A ‘witches chain’ could

be made during the time of Midwinter, by threading holly
berries, juniper berries and mistletoe berries on a thread
and attaching an acorn on the ends. This was traditionally
made by three younger women at a witch’s cottage, the
older witch woman instructing them, so the lore tells. It
was bound to a log and burned in a fire ritual in a particular
way. When the acorns were finally consumed by the fames,
each girl would see a glimpse of her future husband, or
else if spinsterhood was her fate, she would see the shape
of a coffin instead.
Yet another divination using holly —a maiden places three
pails of water in her bedroom and then pins three green holly
leaves on her nightgown, opposite her heart. She then goes
to sleep. It was believed that she would be awoken from her
first sleep by three terrible yells, three horse-laughs and then
the form of her future husband would appear. If he loved
her deeply, he would move the water pails around, otherwise
he would just pass through the room. This divination was
only to be done on those auspicious nights of the year:
Christmas Eve, Beltane Eve, Midsummers Eve and/or All
Hallows Eve.
From Germany, witches used red holly berries to brew-
up thunderstorms - they were used in their ointments
and incense. Holly is under the dominion of Saturn, and
therefore was used for communications with the dead.
Because of its prickles, holly greenery could be used in
defensive magic as well.
Folk Medicine ^
Folk medicine involving holly was mostly external, because
the plant was thought to be moderately toxic, though similar
to EngUsh Ivy Hedera helix, is relished by sheep, cattle and
goats. It w-as beheved that chilblains and rheumatism could be
cured by whipping the affected area with holly. This sounds
similar to nettle flogging, to stimulate the area affected.
There was also an ointment made in Essex for chilblains
103
by infusing holly berries in lard. A magical use comes from

both England and colonial America —walking through a
split holly trunk was a transference cure for hernias.
In Ireland holly leaves were used to treat burns, the
application is unspecified. Inhaling the vapors of holly leaf
tea was done for toothache in Wales. Holly leaf tea taken
internally was used to treat measles, worms, influenza,
dropsy, to reheve fevers and catarrh —however in what
dosage I am unsure. The berries are more poisonous than
the leaves and highly emetic, thus their use as a violent
purgative. Cups were made of holly wood to give milk to
children with whooping cough, as a cure. An Anglo-Saxon
remedy for asthma was to boil hoUy bark in goats milk and
give it to a person to sip warm, while they were fasting.
I have had a personal connection with this magical tree of
midwinter since I was a child. The hedges were always in
full red berry on my birthday, two days before Christmas,
and in our back wooded lot they were so glorious covered
in white snow. This plant is a special protector for this time
of year, as you can see from the lore, in particular for the
twelve days of Christmas. In modern culture, none of the
darker lore from this time remains. This was historically a
time of the dead and for ghosts and spirits to be about,
a haunted time. It was a time for extra protection to be
taken. This makes sense as it is indeed the darkest time of
the year. Holly can be harvested on Christmas Eve to hang
above windows and doorways and also the holly berries can
be harvested for divination purposes on the dark moon in
December, by leaving three drops of your blood or some
red wine in return. These berries can be dried and used in
oracular powders and incense.
The holly tree grows very slowly and there are many
around the area in which I live, planted originally on farms
for use in Christmas decorations. The oldest of the trees
are dense and so beautiful, to be found on many older
104
Holly Tree
homesteads, sometimes also on abandoned land. These

trees are an appropriate place for midwinter rituals and
offerings. Offerings of fats, butter, bread crumbs, nuts,
dried fruits and whatnot can be left for the birds, mice and
spirit creatures to feast upon. Old holly trees are a place
for divinations and visions as well, prophetic askings for
the coming year. Holly wood ritually harvested during
midwinters dark is appropriate for use in making wands,
charms and crosses that specifically work with Saturn’s
chthonic energy, defensive magic and extreme protection.
The peeled wood is hard and white, beautifully full of light
in the darkness of the winter months.
Many thanks to this midwinter tree, its history ancient and

its darker uses secreted in the memory o f earthen ravines
with spirit guardians. Old Mother Winter sleeps under the
wild and desolate holly tree, her bed o f stone and staff o f
white wood fo r freesfn g the land and bringing snow, the fo g
her smoking fire, the snow her feathered pillow. Holly offers
protection during the dark cold, and with offerings given,
berries o f magic and supernatural blood.
Cutting the Cord: Λ Holly and Oak Severing

To severe bonds betu’een two, bonds unseen and unserving,
to leave the relationship in peace. This rite also works to
change the intimacy or dependency level of the relationship
so that you are more independent of this person. On the
dark moon during the winter months, after December 21
as the sun is gaining strength, do this work of ‘undoing’.
Have harvested one wand of holly from a tree that produces
berries and one wand of the solar oak. Both should be nine
inches long. Have a length of black ribbon and upon your
altar space, set a black cloth. After dark with candle as your
only light, wash both the holly and oak wand in rain water(or
spring water) and in wine. Imagine yourself as the oak and
the one you wish to be free of as the holly as you do this.
Fumigate the wands then in a mixture of St. Johns wort
105
Under the W''itching Tree
flowers, Blackthorn leaf and Juniper berry. Then wrap the

wands with black ribbon in three places, the whole time
envisioning the nature of the current relationship — the
good and bad aspects all. Have an earthenware dish that can
hold the bundle and when you are ready, hold the bound
charm up near the flame, saying thrice:
Ancient ties o f ill-repute,

Choking cords o f grave dispute,
Solar dark and solar light.
Old cords to burn upon this night.
In secret while the moon is dark.
The deed is done to burn the mark.
In wholesome gold I will arise.
With strength o f oak I break these ties.
Burn the ribbons that bind the wands and set them free
down in the earthen dish. Return the next morning and
bring the holly stick to the same tree it was harvested from,
saying this as you leave it under the tree: What’s jo u rs is jours,
what’s mine is mine, I leave in peace, I leave in kind. Leave the
tree without looking back or ever visiting it again. Place the
oak wand on a sunny windowsill for a time while the sun’s
strength increases and eventually return to the tree in which
it was cut from. Leave the wand underneath the branches
while saying these words: The golden oak remains untouched,
without shadow or stain. M aj the influence be upon me, maj the
power remain.
106
SPRUCE TREE
Ргсеа spp
ark spruce tree, keeper of time and of roads

[ underground. A tree to bring dreams during the long
'dark autumn and winter, its blue green branches
of majestic boughs are laden with sharp scented sap and
prickled needles. Spruce holds some dark mysterious
force, so stoic and so elegant. Many
evergreens are connected to
death and immortality.
However, spruce has
a power over both
death and water. Near
the rivers, the creeks, giant
spruce has been part of
the Pacific Northwest
for eons, friend to raven
and owl, sacred burial
ground to the people
of this place.
The genus Picea,
means "pitchy as this tree
is full of fragrant sap
and pitch. Spruce is
in the pine family,
Pineaceae. The Native
European spruce
Picea abies, is also
called the Norway
spruce. It is not
present in Britain or
Ireland, mostly in the
107
Eastern and Northern Europe, particularly in Scandinavia

and in Russia. Common names for European spruce
included: Black Fir, Cross Fir, Forest Incense, Red Spruce,
Red Fir, Resin Tar and Tar Fir. The oldest tree in the world
is a Norway spruce, and lives in mountains of Sweden. It is
thought to be around 9500 years old!
It is thought that by bringing the spruce tree into the
home around Christmas time, that people are enacting an
ancient custom of worshipping the guardian spirits of the
forest. Spruce and Fir both represent the original German
Christmas tree. Pagan German tribes venerated the spruce
tree as a sacred tree and it later became the ‘May tree’. There
are legends in some regions of Europe that tell of witches
dancing near spruce trees and the blue lights that can be
seen at times in the night around the spruce tree represented
the souls of the dead, who are drawn to the trees.
A folk rite from the 17 th century that comes from a
German manuscript attributed to Faust uses spruce wood
to see and speak with spirits of the dead. Onto a chip of
spruce wood, magical words are written, along with the
practitioner’s initials. This wood is buried under an earth
fast stone in a cemetery on a Thursday and returned to on
a subsequent Thursday to order spirits to come. Finally, on
a third Thursday, the practitioner returns to the cemetery
and a magical stone replaces the buried spruce wood charm.
This stone is then used for speaking with spirits and for
obtaining money.
The spruce tree was an important teaching tree to the
southern Canadian Native tribes, who called it the peace
tree. Different species of spruce were used in a ceremonial
way historically by many Native American tribes in North
America. The boughs of Sitka spruce P.sitchensis were
used ceremonially for protection from death and illness.
It was also used as hunting medicine, the boughs used in
preparation and purification rituals by shamans, hunters
and fishermen. Branches were placed in the houses of sick
people to protect the space, by not letting anything unclean
108
spruce Tree
enter. The Engleman spruce (P. engelmanni) was believed to

cause vivid dreams if one slept underneath it. It was used as
a ceremonial purgative. The pitch of the white spruce (P.
glaucd) was burned by shamans, along with swan feather and
slender grass tops of some sort, when making medicine for
a person that was sick. The tops of it were put onto animal
tracks by women, before crossing over them. This was to
keep the animal energy from ahenating hunters, connected
to menstruation taboos. The tops of the trees were used by
shamans to brush people off and remove their illness and
bad energy, both with black spruce (P. тапапа) and white. A
Alakah whaler would use the spruce as a fishing or protective
charm, by placing a piece of the wood in his hair knot when
he went to sea. The spruce tree was used in coming of age
ceremonies and initiation ceremonies among many tribes,
such as the Hanaksala, Hesquiat, Nitinaht, and Kwakiutl.
I remember visiting with a family that had settled and Hved
on the Hoh River for many generations, near the temperate
rain forest. They were friends with the Native American
famihes in the area. One homestead property that we visited
had a huge spruce tree that was on a trail that led to where
the mouth of the Hoh River poured out into the ocean —
what a life changing sight to see. I will never forget that
day. The spruce tree however stood eerily in the woods as I
had a strange feeling. As we approached the tree the family
member that I was with told me that his family had found
beads under this tree for years; it had been a place where the
Native Tribes would place their deceased members; up in
the tree in canoes with their many precious belongings. The
spruce tree will always remind me of death and the journey
to afterhfe. The image of beautiful ghost canoes in the mist
hanging with gorgeous bright beads is haunting.
There is an old folk story that tells of the magic of spruce
baskets that comes from the Haida tribe in BC, Canada.
There were two sisters who had a wicked stepmother. They
decided to leave home and find better fortunes. A man found
them and decided to take them to his lodge, then married
109
both of them. After many long years, they both decided that
it was time to revisit their old home again, though it would be
rough journey. A good totem spirit gave them some wisdom;
that they should each weave a small spruce basket, only large
enough to fit over their thumb, and fill it with dried deer
meat and tallow. They obliged the spirit and managed to fit
only a mouthful of food into each basket. However, upon
their journey, these baskets acted like bottomless reservoirs
of food and the girls ate all they desired, never running out.
When they at last reached the parental lodge, the baskets
became so large holding much food, so heavy that they had
to be carried in by many people. The wicked stepmother was
still alive and was persuaded to eat the food in quantity from
the baskets; she ate so much that she couldn’t breathe and
died, leaving the stepdaughters avenged at long last.
Folk Medicine ^
Traditional Austrian folk medicine used spruce for respiratory
and stomach complaints, by making syrups and teas with its
young tips. It was used for pain and inflammation externally
bv"way of heaUng baths and ointments made from both the
tips and the resin. One Swedish remedy used the spruce
pitch dissolved in vodka applied for wounds and pain.
Native Tribes used the Sitka spruce P. sitchensis in many
ways. The Bella Coola tribe used sapling and young cones
in steams for rheumatism. Many tribes used different
parts externally for pains and inflammation. General uses
included poultices of the bark and gum used for sores, cuts,
heart troubles and back pain. The buds and /or pitch were
taken in grease for coughs. The branches were used for
flogging to stimulate blood flow to a wounded area and for
headaches. Decoctions of the bark were taken for stomach
troubles. The gum of the new shoots was used to bring back
lost eyesight caused by snow bhndness, by the Southern
Carrier tribe and the needles were used for the same by the
Thompson tribe. Decoction of the branches was used as a
strengthening bath and as a panacea for any sort of illness.
110
spruce Tree
Personal Practices
The spruce tree can be used in autumn or winter rituals to
honor one’s ancestors and also in Yuletide rites of all sorts.
Spruce represents a funerary and underworld tree, so using
it along with yew and cypress for ancestor connections
and death rites is appropriate. Vision work done under
the spruce tree during the winter months is spirit filled
and potent. Dark spruce can be frightening after dark and
visiting a grove by candlelight invokes strange psychic body
memories. Tie offerings of black cloth to the boughs and
bury white stones near the roots to connect to the land of
the dead for various purposes.
Spruce is also indicated in rites of purification and bodily
healing. It is a tree deeply connected to the winter’s waters,
it grows in wet places in the Pacific Northwest. The largest
trees I have ever seen in my Ufe were old growth Sitka
spruce trees that were on an old homestead property next
to the Clearwater River. They were unbelievably massive and
powerful, having been there far longer than the homestead
of course. Spruce boughs can be included in heaUng baths
and the pitch incorporated into salves and oils for the
same. Burning spruce on outdoor winter fires cleanses the
space and burning the pitch on the woodstove in the winter
months brings about the most incredible lemon balsam
perfume, wonderful for banishing any negative energies in
one’s space.
Medicinally, the bright green spruce tips can be harvested
and dried during late spring. Pick them when fully ‘fluffed
out’, as many folks mistakenly pick them when tight and
hard. They take almost a month to dry, so be prepared for
this. They can be used in winter tea blends for colds, flus
and lung troubles often with the addition of rosehips, elder
berries, bitter roots and spices. They are also indicated for
damp cold and chills. These green tips can be covered with
80 proof vodka for an intense folk tincture taken for lung
troubles and coughs, add honey to taste while steeping. I
111
take only small amounts, such as one dropper full three

times a day for adults. Not to be taken while pregnant or
breastfeeding. An infused honey can be made with the tips
and taken for allergies and lung troubles. The young rips (or
the pitch) can be infused in fat/oil for use in chest rubs and
for helping to stimulate the flow of lymph fluid, as well as for
general pain. The fresh branches can be simmered in water
and poured into the bath for decongestant, stimulating and
cleansing purposes. To harvest the pitch, find a tree with
a large wound and take only the extra pitch, not removing
the entire chunk, as the tree needs it for its own heaUng
purposes. Store in a wide mouth glass jar and use oiled hands
to remove chunks of it, if it is excessively sticky.
Spruce connects one to the forest spirits and old magic
in the Northern places of the world. Its dark shade and
unkempt look distinguish it from other true fir species. May
you find a friend in the mysterious spruce tree through the
dark autumn and winter months. The spruce tree covered
in a murder of crows is a sight to behold and the black
birds ornament her perfectly, looking hke a large German
Christmas tree in Mother Holle’s meadow.
Spruce Tree Λncestor Offering Kite ^

Create an ancestor bundle by looking at what physical
elements were essential to your ancestors and therefor were
responsible for their sustenance and survival. For example,
my ancestor’s depended heavily on oats, barley, wheat and
rye, also, fava beans and peas, cow dairy and sheep’s wool,
hnen and hemp. Hazel and Oak were important building
materials that housed them. So within a small black hnen
cloth bundle, these elements can be represented, along with
cream and beer/mead within vials for pouring on.
This is an offering and an honoring to recognize those
that came before, to give gratitude, as a remembrance for
many hard winters. It is an offering rite to feed the spirits
and give them nourishment. Go to a spruce tree by nightfall
and candle fight. Bring a shovel. Dig a hole under the spruce
112
spruce Tree
tree and solemnly open the bundle and deposit the offerings
one by one into the hole. Speak aloud your intentions,
something along these hnes:
To those spirits whom have passed o f m j blood, o f my bone,

I offer these tokens o f my gratitude. During the cold winters,
may you be warmed by the fires o f my hearth, the stew in my
pot, the meat o f my spit. May the memory o f you r body and
spirit be known in my heart, as I live, breath and toil now on
this earth. To you ancestor’s —I owe my life. Thatyou survived,
now I am here. Thatyou endured, now I flourish. Thatyou
went hungry at times, now I feast.
Many thanks to you r bones o f old, be they the minerals o f

the soils. Many thanks to you r blood o f old, be it the foo d o f
the Underworld race. Many thanks to ancestor’s —known and
unknown, seen and unseen. May it be so, may it be blessed.
Cover the hole with earth and tamp it down. Leave no trace
of yourself at the offering site.
Winter Forest balm

This magical salve envibes and helps evoke the animals
of the forest and is appropriate for using during rites of
Samhain or Midwinter guising. It is also helpful for any rite
of the forest and of the animals involved. It can be worn for
protective purposes, and is very powerful. It can be a bit tricky
to get the fats involved, but get creative —call a taxidermist
(they throw out most of the fat as a waste product anyhow),
or go to primitive skills gatherings and trade for it already
rendered. They may be able to be purchased onUne.
The simple recipe:

1 cup rendered bear fat (this should be white as snow and
very soft at room temp)
У2 cup rendered deer tallow (this should be cream colored
and hard at room temperature, with a waxy feel)
113
Roughly V* cup of spruce pitch; pine pitch can be used if no

spruce is available.
In a double boiler, heat all three of the ingredients in the top
chamber. Stir and help break up the pitch with a chopstick.
After the mixture is warm and somewhat emulsified, which
will take about ten minutes of heating, turn off the heat
and let sit for 24 hours. Do this every day for a week, only
heating the salve for about a total of 15 minutes and then
letting it sit over the hot water in the bottom chamber. After
about 7 days, it should be blended well —pour into jars and
don’t worry about the sediment. Let ‘cure’ for a week or two
before using; it will greatly improve in that time. If the pitch
is a challenge to remove from your double boiler, cover with
a thin layer of vodka and soak for a day and then try again
with very hot and soapy water.
Yuletide Spruce Tea

This tea is delightful and warming for the festivities of
the longest night of the year or thereabouts. All dried
ingredients, combine and decoct for five minutes, then steep
for an additional twenty.
1 cup Elder flowers Sambucus spp.
1 cup Calendula flowers (packed) Calendula off.
1/3 cup Spruce tips, broken up
% cup Rosehips Rosa spp.
2 T Orange peel and Cinnamon chips, each
Pinch of Saffron
114
W WESTERN RED ^
CEDAR
Tbuja plicata
'■'^[estern red cedar with her graceful draping green

■fronds, they are miniature braided tapestries
that decorate the forests of the Pacific
Northwest. Once giants of this land, the
Grandmother Cedar is still abundant, growing in
almost every lowland forest landscape amongst
Douglas fir and Western hemlock. Her
shredded red brown bark turns
silver when exposed to
the sunlight, just as a
cedar shake roof will
do over time, silver like
ocean driftwood. When
wandering through the
enchanted forests of this
place, it is not uncommon
to trip on cedar
roots and when
exposed during the
wet season, they are a
bright magenta color, absolutely
striking. The smell when walking
through a cedar tree circle is pungent,
lemony, sharp and sweet all at once,
lacking the smoky smell of many other
types of cedar. Botanically speaking,
this cedar is in the cypress family, not a
true cedar at all.
115
Red cedar has been called the Mother, the Giver of

Life by the Native tribes of the misty fern covered lands
of the Pacific Northwest coast of America. In fact, some
Salish dialect names for red cedar translate into Tong Life
Giver, Rich Woman Maker and Mother. This is undoubtedly
the most important tree of the Salish coastal groups.
Though its habitat includes the Pacific Northwest coast,
it has now naturalized in Britain, where it was planted as
a timber tree. Both places have a maritime climate, and
Western red cedar certainly thrives in the rainy places of
the world.
The history of the Western red cedar tree is rich, the
uses of the wood and medicine are well established.
Historically every part of the red cedar tree was used,
‘from cradle to grave’. There is much to be said about
its physical uses, but for the purpose of this work,
spiritual and medicinal uses will be the focus. This is
a tree that is very close to my heart and one that I
have strived to work with in my own ways, rather than
culturally appropriate from the First Nations People.
That being said, I have a large respect for the work
that they did historically and continue to do today with
this amazing tree. What is presented here is still held
sacred among the peoples of this land, as we must
remember that the Pacific West Coast was one of the
last places to be colonized, happening around 165 years
ago —not very long at all! One can still feel the spirit
power when wandering the temperate rain forests and
rugged coastlines, still finding occasional old growth
timber that was miraculously spared from the logging
industry. Some of these practices are still within living
tradition of the people here. Western red cedar is a
community tree —often she grow’s in circles with other
cedars, forming groups throughout the forests. She
has brought healing back to many Native communities
who are healing their relationship with the land and
with their traditions, who are healing from the effects
116
Western Red Cedar
of very recent cultural loss and monumental change.

Western red cedar is the Mother tree of this place, has
always been so and may she always remain so.
Western red cedar was used ceremonially for smudging,
bathing, and medicine by many Native tribes. The boughs
and fronds were used to scour the body while bathing
and preparing for vision quests, rituals, ceremony and
hunting. The tree was thought so powerful that it could
even be leaned on by one in need to gain strength. The
wood was used to make shamanic soul catchers for
ceremony by the Oweekeno tribe and it was thought that
sleeping under red cedar would promote wild dreams by
the Thompson tribe. The boughs were sometimes slept
on to ward off bad spirits and to bring luck. The cedar
bark was used for coming of age rituals for girls and also
for protection of pregnant women. The Lummi tribe
placed the afterbirth on a large cedar stump, to assure
long life for the baby byway of imitative magic. If they
wanted the child to be a brave fighter, they would tie the
afterbirth in the high cedar boughs. The bark was made
into many types of ceremonial adornments by many
tribes, often incorporating other elements, such as trade
beads, shells or feathers.
Among the Kwakiutl tribe, if someone was thought
to be bewitched, they were rubbed with the soft worked
cedar bark. The bark was then divided into four bundles
which were buried, one each in front of a house where
it would be stepped over, transferring the bewitchment
to the cedar bark. Another transference rite that involved
healing: the soft shredded cedar bark that contained some
sort of blood, saliva or waste of the sick person was
divided into four bundles and placed within four pieces
of copper. The copper was folded over and hammered
closed and then the bundles where driven into the trunk
of a grave tree that contained twins. Sometimes the cedar
bark of one who was sick and spitting blood would be
saved until a whale appeared off shore. A friend of the
117
sick person would take the bloody bark to the whale in

a canoe and ask it to remove the illness, leaving the bark
behind in the waters.
This tree, like other evergreens, had a connection with
the dead. The house or area of a person just deceased was
swept with a singed cedar broom to cleanse the space. Fresh
buds were chewed to help avoid nausea while burying the
dead by the Lummi tribe. The Skagit tribe would burn the
boughs and fronds of Western red cedar at night and bring
them through the house where one had died, to scare away
the ghost of the deceased.
Fo/k Medicine ^
The fronds or branches were and are the parts used
medicinally. By the Bella Coola tribe, an infusion of
the fronds was used externally for rheumatism, pains,
swellings, for heart trouble and respiratory troubles by
pounding the tips with candlefish grease, and for a swollen
neck (probably glands). Fronds were also used in a wash
for venereal sores, and as a hair wash for dandruff or
scalp ‘germs’. A decoction of the buds was gargled by the
Skokomish tribe for sore throats. In general, it was taken
internally for colds, diarrhea, and coughs by many tribes
but an infusion of the boughs in large dose was considered
poisonous. The infusion was used in the sweathouse as a
tonic by the Okanagan-Colville tribe. Pounded tips mixed
with grease were applied externally for stomach pains
and to the chest for bronchitis. Green buds were chewed
for toothaches and for sore lungs by the Cowhtx tribe.
Chewed inner bark was used to bring on menstruation by
the Chehalis tribe. The bark strips were used in physical
way for bandages by many tribes, to hold poultices and as
a tourniquet to stop blood flow.
Personal Practices
This tree is certainly seen as a nourishing and loving
presence in the forest by many in the area. Many people
118
Western Red Cedar
have powerful experiences just sitting with Western

red cedar. Many are moved to tears when relaying their
experiences. It is quite astounding how many times I have
seen this, people feeUng held, comforted, nourished and
welcomed by this tree. I too have had this experience, but
I also have seen and experienced a darker side to Western
red cedar.
In my time spent visiting this tree in non-ordinary
reality, or in the spirit realms, I find that she is deeply
connected to the underworld and the land of the dead.
She is the guardian of the cedar huts that hold warriors
and moths and candles that drip blood. She is the one in
the black stone ravine who meets the raven at the pool
to claim her offerings. I use this tree in death rites of all
sorts and while I favor the yew tree for rites involving
my ancestors, I absolutely favor Western red cedar for
protection and kinship while visiting the underworld
or land of the dead for any purpose. She is ancient
and extremely protective, while being untouchable and
unapproachable by any evil entity. She is both mother
and hag, nurturing and terrifying. If one can find her
in the fire tree, spinning the mountain goat’s wool, with
black bony fingers and red sunken eyes, if one can visit
her darkness and stand in it, she will bring the most
incredible protection. She holds stories and secrets that
are hidden from the common eye. That being said, she
is also a healer tree and should be remembered during
times when profound healing is needed. Many times a
healing journey entails a dark passage.
Make offerings to Western red cedar. Black stones
wrapped in red cloth is appropriate, buried near her roots.
Do not offer alcohol. Western red cedar houses the Raven
in my experience, so be prepared for that. Western red cedar
really responds to fire, so candle light visits are appropriate.
This tree has so many gifts to offer to one who is humble,
open and aware. A charm made from cedar, raven feather
and deer bone on the fuU moon is a powerful protective
119
amulet for underworld visitations, hung above the bedstead

or place of working.
Medicinally, Western red cedar also has much to offer the
forest supphed apothecary. The fronds can be harvested
sometime in August, when the oils are the strongest,
selectively pruned from the tree. I recommend external
use only with this tree. It is very warming and aromatic,
the oils can be toxic or hard on the liver and kidneys if
taken internally in careless amounts. The fronds can be
bound and made into a smudge wand, as suggested below.
This tree adds its lovely fragrance to steams for the lungs,
baths and footbaths. It is very helpful for lung troubles,
coughs, cold and the like, used in these ways. Western red
cedar is also indicated for feeling cold, damp and sluggish
in the bones. To use it in a bath, take the fresh or dried
fronds, cut them coarsely and bring to boil on the stove
top, using about 1-2 cups of material depending on the
strength desired. Boil briefly and let steep 20 minutes, then
strain directly into the bath tub or foot basin. For a steam,
use dried fronds only and less material. After it is brought
to a boil take it off the heat and sit with a towel over the
head to inhale.
As Western red cedar is an antimicrobial tree, the fronds
can be infused into oil or fat for using in salves. It is
applicable in a chest rub for coughs and colds, also for
lymphatic drainage and stimulation. It is also helpful in
antimicrobial salves, specifically anti-fungal salves for nail
fungus and warts. As a strong tea it makes an excellent
wound wash and rinse.
Many thanks to this M other tree o f the great

Pacific N orthwest forests, her home a place like
none on this earth. H er red roots are connected
to the fir e and magic o f the underworld, her boughs
are used to infuse healing medicine and smoke
f o r her people. May she always thrive and offer
her abundance to these lands, to the people and
120
Western Red Cedar
the ghosts who dwell here, may the ancestors o f this

place enjoy her invisible offerings evermore.
Western Ked Smudge bundle

To make smudge bundles from Western Red Cedar (or
any aromatic plant) harvest the fronds and cut them into
roughly similar lengths when taking off the branches.
Let these sit for three days to lightly wilt and lose some
water, but not to dry out completely. Then use wool
thread and line up all of the bottom twigs. Start by
wrapping tightly many times around the bottom and
when secure, wind the thread, as tight as can be done
without breaking, up the ‘wand’. When at the tip, wind
the tread tightly back down to the holding point and
tie off. Let it then dry for about a month out in the
open. Now it is ready for use. When burning, hold over
some sort of fireproof dish, as hot ashes will fall. Store
wrapped in cloth in a drawer. Western Red Cedar can
be hard to keep going and may need constant relighting.
Use for burning in the homes of one who is passing on
and after death has taken place. Use for protection and
cleansing and after bathing.
Cedar Tip Solar Infused Oil ^

This oil can be used in chest rubs or as a massage oil for
tired muscles —or just used after a bath for invigoration.
This practice however is not recommended for pregnant
or nursing mothers, or for folks with Uver troubles. After
making appropriate offerings, gather cedar fronds, let them
sit overnight by spreading them out on opened paper bags
or flat baskets. Use a scissors to snip them small and place
them in a clear glass jar and cover them with extra virgin
oUve oil. Cap the jar and store either in a sunny window or
near a woodstove, keeping the oil warm but not hot. Shake
gently once per day. Strain after a full moon cycle and store
in bottles in a dark cupboard. This oil is incredible when
combined with rose.
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Springtime Forest Rite
The ruhj wine o f Goblin caverns,

Will seduce the mind as the moon grows fu ll
Upon a throne o f sparkling stone
Out o f the maple roots we gather
What passerby will notice the shrill
Calling o f bells from under the mound

Kain soaked raven’s feather
Maroon petals in a howl o f horn
The Wild Table is set
With offerings o f meat, blood and milk
Her majesties verdant ointment

Is rustled from under the earth
Tichens encrusted on the alder trees bark
Tale green from the headed ho ne
Moths are lace and silk to be sewn
On ribbons that tangle in witch hair

May Eve approaches and white flowers open
In groves o f trees they sing the forgotten songs
Making potions from antlered perfume, lantern lily,
Mnd the rain’s silver water
Telling stories at twilight, cryptic and soothing

Darkening trilliums, enchanted
Eadies locket and Oak rag carpet the forest floor,
Hwaiting the Spirit parade
The ghost stumps will empty on those nights
122
Western Red Cedar
As above, so below
The hungry souls are revived by what is dreamed there
That place where the Devils match stick grows,
There is a path low to the ground
That only a faerie person knows
123
i.
BIRCH
ЪеШ1а spp
[hite Lady of the forest, how she glimmers and

•gleams in the darkness, in the moonlight. With
soft fluttering leaves and graceful rustling, the
birch is a dancer in the wind, seemingly light and ethereal.
To be in a birch wood is to disappear into a maze of
endless haunted dancing ladies, to walk enchanted and
bewildered. It is easy to get lost in there. This tree has
a healing hand and a death hand both, as we shall see.
Which hand will brush your shoulder? To bestow one with
unexpected gifts or ghost shadows is a hidden talent not
to be taken lightly.
Birch is a short lived hardwood tree that has around 60
species and grows in the temperate northern hemisphere.
It is in the birch family, Betulaceae. The Latin name Betula
is borrowed from Gaulish word Betua. The common name
‘birch’ comes from Old English hirce, from Germanic
Birke. The root word is thought to mean ‘to shine’
referring to birch’s white bark. The Proto-Germanic rune
name Berkanan is named after the birch tree, with similar
root words.
From Scandinavian mythology, the birch tree
represented the return of springtime and was consecrated
to the God Thor. It is a northern tree and very important
particularly to Russian culture, being the national tree of
Russia. It is planted near dwellings in Russia to prevent
them from being struck by lightning. In Russian culture
and in others, the birch tree represented coming back
from death - rebirth.
In northern Russia, the birch tree branches were and still
are brought into churches on Trinity Sunday and blessed to
125
be taken home to be placed by the family icon. Birch still

features in the summer celebrations in northern parts, and
in villages young girls choose a birch tree in the forest to
decorate with tied ribbons, to which songs are sung. From
the book Russian A lagicbj Cherry Gilchrist comes this song
‘Oh birch so curly, Curly and young... Under you little birch, No
fire is burning. No poppy is blooming. Pretty maids.. .Лге dancing
a khorovog (a traditional circle dance) About you, little birch.
They are singing songs”. While dancing around the birch
three times, the girls ask for blessings from their mothers
to bring good health. Offerings of omelets or pastries are
often left under the tree, to pay homage to the birch and
to feed the mermaids and other important nature sprits of
the region. Love divinations can be performed by making
birch garlands and throwing them into the river to see if
they float, being a good omen if so. Men or boys are not
allowed at these folk rituals, and if they follow deep in
the forest to observe in secret, they will be ducked in the
nearest pond or river if discovered.
Birch featured in different northern folk tales as would
be expected. The legendary watch Baba Yaga lived in
the birch forest in her house upon moving chicken legs
with a fence surrounding it, made of enchanted human
skulls upon birch posts and she used a birch broom to
sweep away her tracks while traveling in her giant mortar
and pestle. There is a German tale that tells of a young
shepardess who was spinning in a birch forest. She was
approached by a Wild Woman dressed all in white, with
a garland of flowers in her hair. She persuades the young
maiden to dance with her on three days in a row, each
time so enchanted and enraptured that the girl’s spinning
was quite forgotten. At the end of the day however, the
spinning was magically completed and on the last day, the
Wild Woman gave the girl birch leaves to fill her httle birch
basket. Upon returning home, the leaves turned to gold.
Birch was known as ‘Lady of the Woods’ in some lore
and was looked upon with fear as the White Lady of the
126
Birch
forest is a powerful spirit indeed. Possibly, this was because

of birch’s connection with death, at least from the UK.
It was an old custom to cross one’s fingers when passing
by this powerful tree. There were birch trees that grew
at the gates of Paradise, and in the ballad of The Wife
of Usher’s Well, it was the ‘Birk’ tree that gave the three
ghosts returning home their hats made from the white
papery bark, a sure sign that they were of the Other world.
Birch trees were planted in Scottish Highland churchyards,
a Scottish saying goes ^Wêeps the Birch o f silver bark and long
disheveled hair’. In old Scottish ballads, birch was associated
with the wraiths of the dead. It was believed that if a birch
tree near the home withered and died, that it was a death
omen for one in the family.
Birch was a tree of death from Somerset legend, the
one with ‘the white hand’ would haunt the scrub of birch
and oak. She would rise up out of the mist on the Moors
to follow a lonely traveler, deadly pale with clothing that
rustled like dead leaves and a hand that looked like a blasted
branch (struck by Ughtning). If she were to point her
finger at a person’s head, they would run away mad and if
she placed her hand on one’s heart, it would stop beating.
Carrying salt was one way to keep her away, according to
the legend.
There is some interesting Native American wisdom
about the birch tree, coming from the Midwestern areas.
The Ojibw’a tribe used the birch to protect their dead by
wrapping them in birch bark. Some Midwestern Native
tribes would burn birch as incense to scare away the
Ughtning hurler, one who caused great Ughtning storms
— another Ughtning connection. In the Koyukon tribe.
Shamans used the paper birch B. papyrifera to heal sick
people. From the Thompson tribe comes the use of birch
bark as a contraceptive and to ensure that a woman would
have no more babies. One way was to take the afterbirth
recently delivered, wrap it in a fish net, then in birch bark,
stick it with an old bone awl and place it in a particular tree.
127
The woman then was to drink a brew from bitter cherry

Prunus emarginata or Saskatoon Amelanchier spp to ensure no
further pregnancies.
Birch was a protective tree in many Northern realms. It
was thought that the faeries did not like birch in Ireland
and in Western England crosses were made of birch and
hung over doors of cottages to repel enchantments. Birch
crosses paired with rowan wood was even more effective
on those most auspicious eves of the year. Planting a birch
tree near the front door of a home was believed to keep
away witches, as they would be compelled to count the
leaves of the tree before entering the dwelling. However,
the tree must not touch the house in any way or hang
over it, else it would bring bad luck to those therein.
Wearing birch twigs in the hat or buttonhole averted the
Evil Eye. A custom from Worchester was to hang birch
branches with cowslip balls on the door on May Day for
protection (though some sources state this same custom
for Midsummer’s Eve). In Herefordshire comes another
protective May Day custom - a birch tree was brought
into the farmyard, decorated with white and red rags and
placed near the stable door to protect the horses of the
farm from being hag-ridden. From Russia, young maidens
would tie a red ribbon on a birch branch on Pentecost Day
as a protection from the Evil Eye for the following year.
Birch rods and brooms were used to drive out the spirits
of the old year in different parts of Western Europe.
Folk lore tells that witches of the Germany used birch
brooms to fly to their meeting places. Interestingly, comes
the generalized belief from continental Europe that if an
evil witch were struck with a birch broom, that she would
lose all power. Here we see the protective nature of birch
override some of the more local legends and overlap in the
lore. A broom made from birch was used in sacred places
to sweep out all evil influences and spirits, and in chapels
throughout some German regions, birch brooms were
(and still are) left as offerings to the Saints for healing.
128
Wire!)
From the Balkans, young female witches invoked faeries

using a birch broom, to ask them for protection. Placing
sick babies in cradles filled with dried birch leaves was a
Breton custom to protect the babe from evil and give it
strength. From Medieval times in France, a birch bough
was saved as a sacred object, probably for protection.
Birch was used in Russia for aid in court. A simple spell
tells to take a twig from the trembling birch and speak
these words: A s this twig trembles, so will my opponent and
his tongue tremble in court’. Birch was also used in a way to
find out if one had a spirit of the dead attached to them,
in Swedish folklore. A fire was made of birch wood and
three hot coals were dropped in water that was taken from
a stream running towards the north. If the coals sank to
the bottom of the bowl of water, it was a sign that the
person involved had problems as a result of the dead
being attached to them, known as likfassna.
The Welsh May pole was originally made from a birch
tree. Interestingly, birch had a connection with love and
fertility from times past particularly from Wales. To
increase fertility, one could be struck with birch twigs, this
practice included both humans and animals. From an old
Welsh tradition-when a girl accepted a marriage proposal
she gave the future bridegroom a wreath of birch leaves. If
she refused the marriage, he was presented with a wreath
of hazel instead. Things made of birch leaves and twigs
exchanged between lovers were love tokens, with garlands
and hats being the most common. Also in parts of rural
France, birch boughs were hung by men over the doorways
of their lady loves. A broom made of birch was used for
hand-fastings in some parts of Europe, the couple jumping
over the broom at the end of the folk ritual.
In Russia, birch branches were used in a folk ritual
by a woman getting married to help secure the love of
the marriage. A magician known as a Koldun would lead
the bride to the bathhouse and then beat her with birch
branches (a normal practice surrounding the bathhouse
129
that is part of the cleansing) while reciting these words:

‘On this birch besom, the leaves will never go away. The same will
happen to God’s servant Tkaterina, the husband will never go away
from her. Лтеп. ’Then a whole raw fish was used to wipe the
sweat from her body and cooked up, to be served to the
future husband. A similar use comes from the nineteenth
century Swedish speaking part of Finland. Any birch
leaves that stuck to the body during the cleansing gentle
flogging process of the sauna could be saved and used for
love magic. These leaves would be dried and powdered,
then secreted into the food or drink of one who’s love was
desired. All of these love associations make sense when we
find that birch is indeed ruled by Venus.
There is a Russian folk ritual involving birch to evoke
the Uieschi, the Genii of the forest. Russian peasants cut
down very young birch trees and arrange them in a circle,
so that all of the points are directed toward the center.
They enter the circle and then call the spirit to them, who
makes his appearance. They then place him on one of the
birch tree stumps, facing towards the east. They then kiss
his hand and looking between his legs speak these words:
Uncle Uieschi, show yourself to us, not as a grey wolf not as a fierce
fire, but as I myself appear. ’Then the birch leaves tremble and
the spirit shows himself in a human form, that will aid the
peasants in whatever they wish, as long as they promise
him their soul in return. This reminds one of conjuring
the Devil himself from other traditions, especially with the
wolf and the fire reference. Certainly the old Devil and the
spirit of the land are one and the same.
The birch tree was very important to Siberian shamans,
being the spirit world tree in that region. One legend tells
that the cradle of the original shaman was made from
birch wood and was housed under a birch tree. The birch
sap dropped into his mouth, being his first food. Siberian
shaman’s drums were sometimes made from birch wood
that was struck by lightning. Masks used for guising and
dancing were also made from birch.
130
Birc/j
While this work focuses on the magical and physical

uses birch, there were and are many things made from
both birch wood and bark, by all of the cultures that w'ere
blessed with this tree. A few special mentions —the growths
on the birch tree were called ‘witches knobs’ and were also
used for carving, turning and furniture making. The fungus
that grows on the birch tree was employed for kindling and
was termed ‘tunder’ for tinder. The papery bark was indeed
used for a paper substitute and can be separated into many
layers for many uses.
Fo/k Medicine
In Russia and parts of Northern Scandinavia, birch
featured in many folk remedies. Birch oil was used as a
balsam for wounds and to rid of pests and worms. Boiling
the leaves and twigs to add to the bath for rheumatism was
a Russian remedy, one bath daily was taken for 30 days.
My Russian stepmother tells me about the gallons of birch
sap that are for sale every spring, drank for cleansing the
blood. This sap was also fermented into wine with yeast,
cloves, lemon and sugar added. The leaves are diuretic and
antimicrobial, and were used as a paste for wounds. The
birch tree was and still is very important to the Russian
bathhouse tradition, the sauna. People beat each other
with birch twigs, which is light and stimulating rather than
painful, and said to help ‘open the pores’. The birch for
this purpose is gathered on Midsummer’s Eve in some
parts, dried and saved with the leaves still on to be used
throughout the year.
In British folk medicine, birch was also used as a
topical pain killer. Making an infusion of the leaves was
a rheumatism cure from Scotland, possibly as a wash.
The decocted bark and leaves were taken internally for
headaches and rheumatic pains as well. Birch was a cure
for impotency in Wales, the part used is not specified.
The catkins of birch were carried as an amulet to prevent
inflammation. From Suffolk, comes a transference charm
131
for toothache. One was to find a birch tree, clasp it in

ones arms and then cut a slit in it. Then hair was cut with
ones left hand and placed within the slit, then as the hair
disappeared, so would the toothache.
To the indigenous Sami people of Northern Europe,
the birch tree was used to make everything for practical
use, from cradle to grave. Many of the ways that they used
birch were similar to how the Midwestern Native American
tribes used it - making shoes, shelters, baskets, dishes,
containers and much more that is beyond the scope of this
chapter. However, a few Sami remedies are given here. For
the inability to pass the afterbirth, the mother was given
ground up downy birch buds B. pubescens with hot reindeer
milk, sorrel and water. Itchy skin was rubbed with the ashes
from the wood of the same species. Birch bark was laid on
boils to draw out the pus and infection.
In North America, birch was used by the Native
Americans in many ways, similar to European uses. To list all
of the uses and tribes would take much space, but common
general uses include the bark and leaves being taken for
lung troubles, cleansing the blood, stomach problems, as a
tonic, for colds, milky urine, for lactation support and for
‘women’s troubles’. Specifically, the Iroquois tribe used a
decoction of the bark and leaves for a woman who had a
cold while menstruating and the ashes from the burned
bark to somehow ‘shrivel the womb’. The Iroquois tribe
valued the birch medicine highly as it sustained the deer,
which was a huge part of their survival. The Potawatomi
tribe used the twigs decocted as a ‘seasoner’ for other
medicines. General external uses included birch leaves as
a wash for diaper rash and rashes in general, for burns,
scabs, and sores. The Woodland Cree tribe used the rotten
wood dust to prevent diaper rash and a decoction of the
branches for teething sickness and tooth pain.
Colonial American uses included using birch bark for
frostbite, and a Newfoundland remedy used an infusion of
the bark to treat night sweats. Similar to the Russian use.
132
Birch
pioneers used the birch sap as a springtime tonic and as a

wash for skin issues. It was also gargled for a sore throat.
The ground inner bark of the birch was taken to rid of
intestinal worms.
Mystical Abbess Hildegard of Bingen prescribed the
charcoal of birch wood for healing the pains of the back,
limbs and for internal pain. This was done by a technique
that was similar to moxa —by placing the burning coals on
different places on the skin, it would allow the evil that was
trapped inside to come out.
My previous home was blessed with a large guardian
Lady birch tree, weeping with small fluttering leaves and
housing a whimsical swing. Watching her throughout the
seasons from the large window in the Uving room, her
deeply feminine presence could be felt during all seasons,
but early springtime she glowed with an otherworldly
light. Her soft branches were gathered and employed in a
protective circle to hang above my son’s bed, still in place
today many years later. A strong tea made from the tu'igs
and leaves can be further enhanced with the addition of
salt and used to sprinkle in the corners of the home and
around the perimeter for its purifying abihties. As well,
a rustic besom can be fashioned and used as a magical
sweeping tool for the same. Hanging birch equal armed
crosses for protection of the dwelling can be distinguished
from the rowan cross by use of green threads rather than
red. Pairing the two magical trees in a chaplet including the
foliage and fruit is beautiful to behold, harvested in perfect
time for the dark quarter of the year. Hang near the front
and back door both.
Some of the wisdom I have learned about the birch
tree that comes from the unseen realms is the use of her
magic for becoming invisible and hidden. Use this tree
when wanting to be unnoticed and unseen. x\n amulet can
be carried, perhaps a small cross bound in green thread
133
or some token of the wood and bark, worn underneath

the clothing. This also can apply to the hiding of magical
places or objects. Use the magic of the birch tree to protect
and conceal them. Ask for yourself or the intentioned
object to be hidden in the forest of white, to blend with
the background, visible to the common eye no more. The
paper that comes from birch can be used in love charms
and for protective purposes in spell craft, far superior to
regular paper.
Alanj thanks to the gleaming birch tree, her medicines and

magic run deep in the veins o f humanity in those places where
snow and ice grace her naked branches during the dark half
o f the year. The springtime awakening brings healing and hope
to all who witness her green flush o f buds and leaves, long may
she remain the White Lady o f the forest.
Birch and lôdestone Love Charm ^

To bring the one whom you desire into your life, work
this charm of attraction. To be worked nearest the full
moon and Beltane Eve, nearest the hour of midnight.
Have ready many small and flexible birch twigs, a piece
of birch bark made into thin paper, a red inked pen, dark
red thread, dragons blood powder, a lode stone and a
copper vessel. Work by a white candle and burn some of
the dragon’s blood to fumigate the birch twigs and papery
bark. After asking for appropriate assistance, fashion a
circle with some of the birch twigs in a smallish size, using
the dark red thread to secure them together, all the while
imagining yourself with a partner in happiness. Fashion a
second circle, interlinking it with the first, as you create
it. When this task is completed, place the linked circles in
the copper vessel and place the lodestone underneath the
object. Sprinkle on dragon’s blood powder and three drops
of your own blood over the stone, speaking these words
thrice over the charm:
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Birch
The birch that grows in springtime light,

I shape in rings o f hearts delight;
I link the hearts with stone o f earth,
With blood o f mine, with home and hearth.
To bring to me the missing link.
In chain o f Fate, The flam e o f ink.
To draw the one I most desire.
By stone, bj tree, by blood, by fire
After the words are spoken, inscribed those virtues that

are most dear in a beloved on the birch bark with red ink.
Following the contemplation of this, burn the paper to
release the wish, sprinkling the remaining ashes on the
charmed circles and stone. Cover the whole with a red cloth
until the next full moon, when the lodestone should then be
removed and worn in a pouch lined with red cloth, close to
the heart. Do not allow any person to look upon the stone.
Feed the stone one drop of your own blood every full moon
and remember what you are seeking when you do so. This
will enhance the drawing power of the stone. Hang the birch
circles above your bedstead.
Birch Healing Poppet

To be used for one who is ill or in pain. To make a rustic
heaUng poppet from birch wood, harvest some branches on
the morning of a full moon with appropriate offerings as you
state the intention to the tree. Upon returning home, fashion
a stick doll with arms, legs and head, held together with Light
green thread. Have a length of white silk, spread with some
birch leaves and a bed of raw black sheep’s wool, clean but
unprocessed. Lay the ‘doll’ upon this bed. Have a switch of
cloth from the person in need, some clothing that they wore
for a long time that is now threadbare. Wrap the doll with
the cloth and tie it on with a green thread. Take the poppet
wrapped in its bundle to a nearby running stream. Open the
bundle and anoint it with the water in the places grieved or
in three places generally. Speak over the poppet nine times:
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Heal the blood, heal the bone,

Wood o f white, strength o f stone,
Pain away with waters balm.
Flesh be mended, heart be calm
Do this every morning for a total of three mornings in a

row, or for nine if the person is greatly ill. Keep the bundle
open and near a warm and dry place at all other times.
After the third (or ninth) morning, wrap the bundle up and
tie closed with a white cloth. Keep the bundle safe until
the person is well again. Then unbundle and remove the
person’s piece of cloth to return it to them. The remaining
doll is to be taken to the stream and released in the waters,
the cloth, wool and leaves disposed of by burial, not to be
used for any other purpose. The charm is thus complete.
136
Ш Salix spp
Ш
ne very sight of a willow tree in early spring conjures
jUp memories, the new bark covered in silver rain.
Willow branches glow with an otherworldlv Ught;
sometimes gold and sometimes green, growing with invisible
vigor and power. In the deep summertime, willow tree’s
green leaves flutter in the gentle winds and invoke a poetic
timelessness that awakens a playful childhke contentment.
Something graceful
becomes stirred in
memory. Willow
is a healer, a tree
sorceress indeed,
pulUng from the
swampy depths a
dark magic that can
be either feared or
revered.
The Latin genus
name Salix comes
from classical times,
as do many of the
tree genera, at least
around 2000 years
old. It is thought
that the Latin word
Salix was made from the old
Celtic words sal and lis meaning
> ‘near water’. The common
name ‘willow’ comes from the
old Enghsh words withig, wilig
137
and welige, meaning ‘withies’ or ‘ties’. This signifies its ever

present use as a flexible material in basketry and other crafts.
Throughout folklore, willow was a symbol of sorrow and
grief. Although the association with sadness and grief was
strong in general, it was particularly related to lost love,
disappointed love. Willow wreathes or caps were supposedly
worn by those forsaken in love. A traditional English ballad
goes: ''Л11 around my hat, I will wear the green willow, all around
my hat fo r a twelve month and a day and i f anyone should ask me
the reason why I am wearing it, it’s a llfor my true love who !rfa r fa r
away__’ referring to this. Another related custom was for a
rejected lover to send a wreath of willow to their desired, if
married to another, as a token of their unhappiness.
Interestingly, willow was used in love magic and in
divinations having to do with love. One example —a girl w’as
to run around the house three times carrying a willow wand
saying. He who is to be my gude man, come and grip the end о ’t ’
and after the third time, she would see her future husband
grasping the other end of the stick. In another connection
with love, willow seeds that were steeped in spring water
were recommended in England as an aphrodisiac - with the
twist being that the person who drinks the potion will have
no sons and only barren daughters! Here is an old Romany
custom: If a Romany girl is in love, she can find a footprint
of her desired partner and take the dirt from it, burying it
under a willow tree saying ‘M any earths on earth there be, Wbom
I love my own shall be, Grow grow willow tree! Sorrow none unto
me! He the axe, I the helve. He the cock, I the hen. This, this, be as I
w ilir Willow was connected to preventing contraception in
Germany because it is a ‘fruitless tree’. In contrast in Russian
folklore, to put branches of willow under the marriage bed
would secure fertility and pregnancy.
Here is an old love divination to find out who one will
marry. One was to go to a black willow on May Eve and
pluck nine twigs of it. The last one plucked was thrown over
one’s right shoulder, w’hile placing the other eight in the foot
of one’s right stocking. While kneeling on the knees, the
138
Willow
third verse of the 17th chapter of Job from the bible was to
be recited. Then the stocking was placed under one’s pillow
for prophetic dreams.
A magical willow tale was recorded by Mr. W.R.S. Ralston.
The story is Czech in origin. Here is a shortened version;
There once was a nymph who appeared visible by day among
people but always went back to her willow tree at night. She
married a mortal man and bore him a child. For many years,
she lived happily with him, until he cut down her willow
tree —he was possibly jealous of the affection that she gave
to it. In that moment his wife died. The willow tree and her
livelihood were linked. Out of the willow tree a cradle was
made, which had the power of instantly lulling to sleep the
babe she unwittingly left behind. When the babe grew into
a child, it was able to hold conversations with its mother’s
spirit by means of a pipe cut from the twigs growing on
the willow stump which once had been the nymph mothers
home.
In Greek Mythology, willow wâs sacred to Circe, Hecate
and Persephone, which are all death aspects of the Goddess,
thus another old connection with mourning can be made
because of this. Legends told that Circe lived on an island
of funeral willows on which corpses hung from the tops of
the trees. Probably because of the strong association with
grief, willow was considered unlucky to bring into the home
in some places. In Italy, it was thought very unlucky to live in
a house where a weeping willow^ grew in the garden, the tree
itself foretelhng great trouble in the home. A Scandinavian
belief warned that if a willow wand was suspended in the
home, a child could not be born in safety and a dying person
could not depart in peace. Willows were supposed to have
the unsettling habit of following a traveler home on a dark
night.
Weeping willow specifically symbolizes tears and was used
to adorn gravestones and Victorian mourning cards in the
late 1800s. A saying from Alabama was ‘Vlant a weeping willow
and bj the time it casts a shadow, it will shade jo u r graved Even
139
more sinister is willow’s use in dark sorcery. It was believed

in Hesse, Germany, that an enemy could be killed from a
distance by tying knots in willows. In Swedish folk magic,
willow switches were also used to kill an enemy. A Romany
rite was to water a cut weeping willow branch for nine days
and then pour the water in front of the house of one that
you wanted to suffer. Willow was thought in some parts to
be protected by the Devil and if one tied a knot in a young
willow tree, and renounced their baptism while sitting under
it, the Devil would grant them supernatural powers. Polish
folks thought that the willow tree was the Devil’s home and
refrained from cutting it down for that reason.
It was unlucky to burn willow wood in the seasonal
protective bonfires in the UK and also to bring willow
catkins, otherwise known as ‘pussy willows’, in the house
during the springtime. This is because they reminded one of
goslings (when the yellow pollen decorates the siKer fluff)
and if brought indoors could cause bad luck for the hatching
and health of the baby geese on the farm. The hangman’s
noose at the gallows was made from plaited willow in some
parts, another more sinister association. An old piece of lore
tells that anyone who spoke secrets to the willow tree would
later hear the same secrets repeated by the wind. Willow was
a favorite wood of sorcerers for w”ands for casting spells and
counter-curses, as it is both protective and destructive. In
Danish folk magic, three young willow leaves were chopped
and placed into the wine of two lovers. Once consumed, it
would kill the love between them.
Here is a spell for curing a Troll shod, (similar to elf shot)
using willow that comes from Sweden, late nineteenth
century. (Taken from Trolldom, Johannes Bjorn Gardback,
2015)
‘Go to a willow bush, take nine small branches and make a ring
o f each branch. On a Sunday morning, before the Sun rises, use
the rings to make downward strokes over the body o f the person
who is suffering from a trollshot, as you say the following words:
140
Willow
Ί will cure jo u from villarpashots, sunshots and moonshots! In

the name o f the Father, Son and the FIolj Spirit. Лтеп!
Afterwards, the willow rings are burned, one by one, and a
pharmacy plaster called Red Sliracle Plaster is placed over the
afflicted area. ’
During the middle ages, willow was sacred to poets, along

with the bay tree Faurus nobilis. Hanging willow twigs above
the front door would keep out ‘marsh witches’, as would
hazel twigs. Willow branches given to one by a friend on
May Day morning were hung in the home to protect from
the Evil Eye on this day of possible ill-fate. Carrying willow
wood would protect one who was fearful of evil forces
working against them. Irish harps were made of willow
wood as they believed that the willow’s soul spoke through
music. Apparently willow also inspired a desire to dance and
children used willow twigs to make whistles in times past.
Often dowsing rods were made of willow wood and Holy
wells were sometimes marked by a lone willow or hawthorn
tree. Because of willows connection with water, this tree has
also been linked to resurrection and immortality in China
since ancient times.
Along with mourning, poetry and music making, willow
has been linked to prophecy. An old recipe for achieving
prophetic powers involved gathering ninety-nine different
willow leaves from ninety-nine different willow trees,
burning the leaves to ashes, powdering them and ingesting
this magical powder. Related to this, it was written in 1822
about the wizards of an Argentinian tribe, the Abipones.
Those who wished to acquire supernatural powers over the
forces of Nature, animals and the spirits of the dead would
sit upon an aged willow tree that overhung a lake, fasting
from food for a few days, until they began to see into the
future and connect with diaboHcal forces.
There are old associations with wiUow and feminine
forces. We can remember here that willow is ruled by the
moon, another feminine association and also the connection
141
between willow and water. The Sumerian Goddess Belili was

the goddess of love and the moon and was said to live in
willow’ trees, springs and wells. An image of Ârtemis, the
ancient Greek moon and earth goddess, was found in a
willow thicket at Sparta, an ancient Greek city. The Queen
of Heaven, Hera was supposed to be born under a willow
tree. In North America, willow was connected with women’s
health and fertihty. In Chinese beUef, willow' was connected
to the female yin energy and the moon.
Here is an interesting magical remedy for women that comes
from the Romany tribes in Siebenburgen Transylvania, for
helping with afterbirth pains: decayed willow wood was used
to smoke the woman having pain, while the women in the
room sing Tast and fa st the smoke flies, and flies, the moon flies.
When they fin d themselves. Health y e t will come to thee, W^hen the
smoke no longerflies. Thou wiltfe e l pain no more. ’
A folk rite for ridding of fever from the Balkans tells that
the one sick must roast an onion and bring it to a willow tree
in the early morning hours. They must then shake the tree
three times, saying, T ’m not shaking away you r morning dew, I
am shaking away my fev er’. They leave the onion underneath
the willow tree, and w'alk away without looking back w'hile
speaking the wOrds: ‘The fev er will take me when this onion
sprouts’. A simple transference remedy for a sick person, also
from the Balkans, was to bring them under a willow canopy
at night and recite these words: As this tree bends, so does ‘name
here ’ stand tali’.
Folk Medicine
In a physical way, willow is a pain reUever. Peoples of both
Europe and North America have known this and used
the bark and leaves in this way. Historically, it has been
used internally (mostly the bark) for fevers, sore throats,
toothache, ear ache, for gout, to relieve hoarseness, to
regulate a woman’s fertility, for diarrhea, for soreness among
many other uses. It has been used topically (on the skin) for
bleeding, sprains, bruises, and swellings.
142
Willow
In Europe, willow ashes infused in vinegar were a

treatment for warts and corns. In Ireland, the flowers of the
weeping willow’ were used to treat burns. A decoction of
the leaves rinsed through the hair was a dandruff remedy.
Within living memory, people from Lincolnshire recall
chewing willow’ bark for headaches, and also for hangovers.
As this plant has been w’ell known for centuries for bringing
down fevers, even bringing the boughs with green leaves
into the bedroom of a person suffering with a fever was
supposed to help. i\nother old remedy for fevers was to
place willow leaves on the feet of someone that had one.
As we may all know; willow bark was the original plant
aspirin, along with meadow’sweet Filipendiila ulmaria. Willow
is sometimes called ‘Witches Aspirin’ among modern folks,
a name I rather enjoy.
Many of the Native American tribes used willow’ as a
ceremonial purgative and for use in the Sundance ceremony,
also the bark was a base for smoking blends. To list all of
the different species used and different applications by the
Native American tribes would be exhaustive here. However
along with the above mentioned applications here are a few
specific tribal uses to note —Cherokee tribes drank a tea
of inner willow bark for hoarseness, the Cheyenne tribe
used the bark as a poultice placed directly on a bleeding
wound, and the Okanagan-Colville tribe made a soak of
the branch tips for aching feet or muscles. By the Seminole
tribe, the Coastal Plain Willow; Salix caroliniana was used as
a poultice for gunshot wounds and taken as an emetic after
funerals, after deaths and as a remedy for ‘witches shot’, a
similar problem to elf shot. An infusion of the roots was
also taken by this tribe for a hunting medicine, to improve
luck before hunting. Although contraindicated for newly
breastfeeding mothers because of blood thinning affects
during modern times, willow was used by many tribes by
women after birth to help bring in milk supply and to
‘heal the insides’. The Navaho tribe used a painted tw’ig of
Pacific Willow Salix lucida for babies to hold for ‘lightning
143
infection’. Many tribes also used a bark poultice of willow

for broken bones.
Persona/ Practices ^
Willow’s use in women’s full moon rites, is most appropriate,
being a blessing for the womb and resembling the moons
silver byway of the white undersides of the leaves. For a
woman large and pregnant, a willow leaf foot wash or bath
can be part of the ceremonies that can take place to help
her enter the gateway of motherhood. Willow is helpful
in fertility magic, being a tree so quick to take root and
propagate itself. Carrying a piece of willow wood is good
for heav\' menstrual bleeding as is sipping the bitter bark
tea. Willow can help with grief and a broken heart along
with rose, hawthorn and elder. It can be employed in a ritual,
as an amulet, as a bath or by visiting a grove regularly.
Willow is certainly called for use during counter curses,
as the lore tells. Carrying an amulet made of willow wood is
one protective measure to take against drowning. Hanging
up willow branches by the entrances and windows of the
home can be done not only on May Eve, but also on All
Hallows Eve, from an old British tradition that comes from
Katharine Briggs in British Folktales.
Willow bark for medicine can be harvested sometime in
March, when the sap is rising. Not all willows are created
equal as far as pain medicine, it is best to taste them all.
To do this after you have positively identified the tree as
Salix, strip the newer bark and chew it. The flavor should
be strong, bitter, acidic and drying, Hke a vitamin C tablet
mixed with aspirin. It almost tastes ‘dusty’ at the end. I prefer
the strongest flavor for the best medicine. If the flavor is
mild, I go to another grove and try there, even if it is the
same species. When satisfied, selectively prune the newer
growth from last year, the younger ‘withies’ and when in a
comfortable place to do so, strip the bark with a knife. This
bark can be tinctured fresh or dried for use in decoctions,
washes and infused fats later on.
144
Above: an altar of Elder
tree medicine.
Left: leaves andJlowers

o f Elder in hearfat.
An Elder Charm for Second Sight.
Ljefi: a length o f twisted
Ηα^ζβΙ.
А cross o f Roimn, bound in red, and threaded 'Kowan berries;
traditional charns o f protection.
Making a Kowan treeprotectrive charm.

Above: Apple tree blossom.
Right: Apple tree with spirit

portal.
Above: English Walnut.
Right: charms made

from crosses o f Yen’
mood with quart:^.
Above: the authorpeeling pine
bark.
Right: a charm o f Cedar,

Raven and Deer.
T/je author in the Birch tree.
\1ш'орит White Birch tree.
-Alder tree with hollow split.
Шаек Pon'der nith hare’s foot.
The author holding Cottonwood bud.^.

Right: the Hawthorn in flower.
The mighij Oak tree.
Oak leaf, Fern and Moss.
Лп Ash tree charm to кеф away fire.
Λ Unikn sn'eeping tool.
B igl^ a f Maple Flmi'er.
Maple trees In the moonlight.

Maple
Faene tree.
Right: Witches’ H a ir lichen
in theforest.
Forest o f Enchantment.
Willow
In a physical way, willow can be used topically or internally

for acute pain, usually pain that is closest to the skin, not
generahzed muscle pain in my experience. It is helpful for
headaches, but not migraines. This is one plant to never
be without —I consider it a plant for emergency first aid. A
good idea is to keep the dried bark (not powdered) in one’s
first aid kit, which can be chewed and used a poultice when
needed. Willow is considered anti-inflammatory, astringent,
analgesic and diaphoretic. Willow bark has helped with
the painful after effects of a mild concussion applied as a
poultice made from boiled dried springtime harvested bark,
acting in a miraculous way. It is also excellent for painful
burns, the bitter bark chewed to moisten and placed directly
on the place hurting. When using it externally, the bark
can be decocted, simmering for 15-20 minutes, cooled and
then applied with a bandanna. The leaves can be used in
the bath, and they can be used in poultices as well. When
taken internally, willow bark or leaves are bitter and acrid,
this being part of the medicine. But it takes some getting
used to. There is really no way to mask the flavor, even with
honey.
Willow is a friend when dealing with death, grief and
emotional pain. After substantial loss and trauma one can
find much comfort when spending time with this tree, lost
for hours in her silvery embrace. Many thanks to this old
healer of the swamps, roots in the black soil of regeneration
and mystery. Willow protects one from evil and enchants
the pain away. May we remember this in moments of need,
as the green Lady bringing white lilies to the tombs of the
dead, to hold and mend broken hearts and suffering.
W illo w C h a rm f o r T u rn in g B a ck G r ie f ^
To turn back the darkness and sorrow of grief of any nature,
be it unjustly given or otherwise, go to a willow tree after
dark on a full moon. Make offerings of one silver coin and
thirteen black beans wrapped in a scrap of red cloth, bury
this small bundle at the roots. Tell the tree the length of
145
your sorrows and if tears are shed, touch them to the tree.
Draw three drops of your own blood and apply this also on
the bark in the shape of an equal armed cross, speaking nine
times in total:
Willow wood, Willow wood,

Take my tears and grief o f blood
Shelter here the sorrow cast
Until the time o f pain has passed
By sacred waters and fu ll moon light
Transform my grief upon this night!
After repeating the charm, harvest a thin willow wand

about a foot in length, thank the tree and depart. Upon
returning home, cut three layers of red wool flannel into
a heart shape and sew around the edges to secure. Cut the
willow wand into two pieces and affix an equal armed cross
upon the heart. Sleep with this under your pillow until the
next full moon, as grief is often worse before sleeping, in the
small hours of the night and upon waking. On the next full
moon, return to the uillow’ tree and bury the heart and cross
underneath it speaking simply: The haunted sleep o f broken
heart, I leave with you, I now depart. Leave the tree without
looking back. Do not ever return to it or see it again.
W itch es F ep er B rea k O x y m el ^
An oxymel is a simple solution made from roughly 2/3 parts
vinegar and 1/3 part honey —it is an old Greek medicine
preparation. It infuses most dried or fresh plants really well.
This is a simple potion to make and have on hand for achy
fevers and body chills.
Use a wide mouth pint mason jar with a new metal lid,
which corrodes less than an older one (French canning jars
are best here, as they have a glass top, because the vinegar is
so corrosive to the mason jar metal rings). Combine equal
parts dried willow bark Salix spp., dried yarrow flower/leaf
Achillea millefolium and half parts each dried elder flowers
146
Willow
Sambucus spp. and dried black elder berries Sambucus nigra.

Whatever size your jar, make sure the jar is '^/г full with the
herbs, as the dried herbs will expand with the addition of
the liquid. Add 2/3 apple cider vinegar and 1/3 part raw
local honey to fill. Shake or stir this mixture daily for a
month, the honey will take a while to incorporate and the
color will change within a week. After a month, strain and
store in dark bottles in the herb cupboard. I take a third of
a shot glass full diluted with water —it is extremely bitter
and intense, but amazingly helpful. Diluting it helps cut
the vinegar and the bitterness. It can be taken every hour
or so as needed. Less for children and do not use on ones
under 1 year.
147
ALDER
Alnus spp
’he alder tree haunts the swamps, creeks and riversides

land forms green canopies in many ravines and
forests. Home to owls, the gray bark perfectly blends
the feathered wings along with moon shadows and shades.
There is a draw to this tree as one travels alone near the
wet places of the forest. It is the Gray Lady’s enchantment
acting upon one, the Faerie Wyfe who guards the waterways
and can be a danger to those unaware. Careful of the
steps in the dark damp earth, careful of the widow-makers
hanging from these trees and of the storms that will blow
down the heavy wet wood. I have many times seen Uve trees
with healthy foliage, but with hollowed out insides, ready to
crack in the next storm. We are also reminded of the ‘barber
chair’ phenomenon with alder trees —when felhng one must
surround the trunk with a tight chain above where the cut is
made, else the tree can spht in the middle and take off one’s
head... such a dangerous tree is she, yet so many medicines
and magics she offers for the rustic apothecary.
As alder is a water loving tree, she often grows near creek
sides and rivers, preferring wet soil, but also will colonize on
land that has been disturbed, and she is ever present in the
lowland forests of the Pacific Northwest. Alder is a nitrogen
fixer, helping to heal the scarred land visited by machines
and erosion by bringing fertility to the soil. You can see the
nitrogen fixing nodules on alder roots, they are beautiful.
Alder works as a secret earth healer, a lovely example of the
intelligence of the forest.
Alder is in the birch family Betulaceae and reminds one of
birch’s darker and danker sister - used similarly medicinally,
but a bit more sinister, as we shall see. The genus Almis
149
includes around 30 species, the largest sized species being

both the Pacific Northwest red alder Alnus rubra and the
European black alder,^. glutinosa. The names Alder and genus
Л1пис are beheved to have root meaning in old Germanic
words for red and rust. When alder bark is cut, within 30
minutes or a few hours of being exposed to oxygen it turns
a bright orange red. Older trees turn a deep rust red - it is
quite amazing to see. Other alder species do this as well as
the red alder, giving rise to the superstition that it is unlucky
to cut alder, as it will bleed. Some etj^mologists believe the
root word was al for water, based on their preference to
grow in damp habitats. Other old names for alder are Owler,
ЛИег, Eller or Else. They were known as Ellerkonge or Elf
King in Danish.
There are Native stories from the Coast Sahsh here in the
Pacific Northwest that believed the alder trees were once
women. Interestingly, there are also Celtic creation tales
that believed that the first woman came from an alder tree,
though some Irish tales believe the first man came from an
alder tree and the first woman from a row'an tree. It was
therefore protective to hang a bundle of alder twigs above
the crib of a baby boy and a bundle of rowan twigs above
the bed of a baby girl.
In Somerset, UK, it was thought that if a traveler passed
through an alder copse, that he would never be seen again.
An old creepy rhyme that captures this superstition of being
trapped in the alder wood goes:
Ί caught the fitfu l sound,

Wafted 0 ’er sullen moss and craggj mound,
U nfruiful solitudes, that seem to upbraid.
The sun in heavenl But now to form a shade.
For thee, green alders have together wound, theirfoliage. ’
{Sonnet to Duddon, William Wordsworth)
Alder stands and moors have long been associated with

spirits of the dead. From Mecklenburg, Germany comes the
150
A lder
saying Ή ί is ivith his beloved God in the Alder break'. Alder

trees were thought to protect the water spirits, acting as a
guardian to rivers and streams. This tree was held sacred in
parts of Ireland, and it was believed that to cut an alder tree
down would bring a house fire to the unlucky person who
committed the act. In Derbyshire, the cones of the alder
tree, known as ‘black knobs’, have been used in weU-dressing
ceremonies. This makes sense to include the decorative
pretty Httle alder cones, such a water loving tree is she.
In Scottish folklore, alder groves were sanctuaries for
lovers or outlaws. In Tyrol Austria, lore tells us that the alder
tree was a favorite of sorcerers. A Tyrolean fairy tale tells of
a boy who once climbed a tree. There he saw a number of
sorcerers at the bottom of the tree who had cut up one of
the elderly witch’s corpse, boiled it in a caldron and threw
the pieces into the air during a ritual. The boy caught a rib,
and held it secret. When the sorcerers counted the pieces
and found one missing, they replaced it with a piece of alder
wood, and henceforth the dead came back to life, the old
witch transformed into a beautiful young woman. She told
her sisters that she could never be called the ‘alder wood
witch’ or she would die. The next day the boy happened to
run into the young witch, who tried to use her powers on
him. He said her name out loud and caused her to fall down
dead.
Two Scottish tales relate alder to death and faeries. In one,
a bridegroom disappears and after it was thought that he
was murdered, he appears to his love in a dream to tell her
that he was actually taken by the faeries. When his tomb was
opened, there was a log of alder wood in it, and his body
was never again found. In a similar tale, a woman was stolen
by the faeries and an alder log was left in her place. In a
German tale, alder tree first appears as a beautiful woman
and seduces men to teach them a lesson, later changing into a
bark covered creature. In a Norse Saga, she is a wild looking
woman called ‘Rough Else’. She enchants a hero who then
goes mad and stays for six months in the forest, living on
151
green herbs. Then she takes him to a land where she is

Queen and bathes herself in a magical well and transforms
into a beautiful woman. It was believed that an Elf Queen
or the daughter of the Elf King lived within the alder tree.
There are stories that tell about her presence being noticed
even still, by the alder ‘fence’ stand in Tegernfeld, combing
her hair by the moonlight and rubbing honey from the alder
leaves into her tresses.
Alder rods were used in dowsing, to find water, along with
willow and hazel. Magical oracle flutes were also made from
alder wood. EngUsh lore tells that alder was both protective
and oracular. In Ireland, pails and buckets for milking were
made from alder wood, thought to be protective and act to
guard the milk. Ancient fences made from alder wood were
used to defend territories and could have severed heads
speared onto them as a warning to the enemies nearby, at
least in Celtic myth. In an old Irish poem from the thirteenth
century, alder is referred to as the ‘battle-witch wood’. It
was thought to be connected to battles and blood because it
bleeds red when cut. In Greek traditions and myth, alder was
associated with fire, and scared to Phoroneus, the inventor
of the element of fire. In the Welsh Battle o f the Trees, the
ancient poem relates an alder staff belonging to Bran, God
of the dead and the underworld. He brings the dead back to
Hfe with his cauldron.
There was an old German custom that involved breaking
four alder branches and throwing them in all different
directions before vacating a house —along those fines, in
the AEddle Ages, if one broke an alder stick over another’s
head in court, it was a symbol of the severing of all family
relations. So there is a certain finality associated with alder
wood. In Thuringia Germany, the alder tree was associated
with Walpurgis Night, April 30, because it was said that
witches ate the alder buds during their nighttime flights and
that they used the alder branches to change the weather.
There were superstitions from parts of Germany that
believed if a red haired woman shook an alder tree, storms
152
A lder
would come. When a woman wanted to wean her child, she

could place a wreath of alder leaves around her chest and
say that a witch stole the milk.
F olk M ed icin e
Older European medicinal uses for alder include using the
bark as a gargle for sore throats and using the leaves for
burns and inflammations. The leaves were known to be
cooling and soothing for the feet of weary travelers. On
the Somerset-Dorset border UK, a decoction of the ripe
cones was taken specifically for gout. In Scotland, alder was
used for fresh wounds and for ulcers —internal or external
use was not specified. Culpepper recommended alder for
inflammation and burns. There are many old sources that
state if alder leaves were strewn on the floor, they could
be swept out to remove fleas, probably because of their
sticky leaves. There is an interesting bit of folk medicine
that comes from Austria —if alder bark is boiled in wine and
drunk, it will cure the work of a magic potion.
From North American folk use, alder bark ointment was
used for itching and burns. During colonial times, it was
used to prevent scarring from smallpox. Also necklaces were
made from threaded alder twigs to help teething infants,
most likely worn as an amulet. Alder buds were steeped in
water and this resulting mixture was drunk for rheumatism.
Tea was also taken for coughs and leucorrhea. Alder was
used as a springtime tonic and taken as a blood purifier,
sometimes combined with wild cherry bark Primus serotina;
P. virginiana and elder bark Sambucus canadensis for есгета.
Alder bark could be used for toothache and for cleaning the
teeth in general.
The Coast Salish tribes used the red a l d e r m e d i c i n a l l y
in many ways. The bark was taken as a purgative and emetic,
made into a decoction. In general, the dried inner bark was
also taken for liver problems, headaches, stomach troubles,
tuberculosis, coughs and as a tonic. Catkins were chewed for
diarrhea and toothache; raw cones were eaten for dysentery.
153
A wash made from the bark was used for wounds, scabs,
ec2ema and rashes and a poultice was made from the bark,
applied to sores and for pains by many tribes. An interesting
use from the Cowiitz tribe states that the rotten wood was
rubbed on the body for sore muscles. The Nitinaht tribe
combined alder bark with Western hemlock Tsuga heteropjUa
and grand ίΐΐ Abiesgrandis for lung ailments and tuberculosis.
From Nancy Turners book Earth’s Blanket, comes this
is a beautiful prayer that was spoken to the alder tree,
while a man gathered the bark to give to his wife who had
tuberculosis and was spitting up blood.
Ί have come to ask you to take mercy, Super-Natural-Power-

of-the-Kiverhank, that you may please, make well with you r
healing pow er my poor wife who is spitting blood. Go on, please
pity me, fo r I am troubled, and please, make her well, you.
Healing Woman__and please, stop the source o f blood, you
Causing-to-Heal-Woman, and please, heal up the cause o f
trouble o f my poor wife, please yo u great Super Natural One... ’
After this plea full and heartfelt prayer, the man would take
four pieces of alder bark to make a medicine for his wife
from the Alder Woman’s medicine.
P er so n a l P ra ctices ^
Alder is certainly a tree of dark power. She is able to peer into
situations and is a potent aid during many times of challenge.
Interestingly, alder bark often has what looks like ‘eyes’ on
the trunk, made from moss and lichen. A spicy and amazing
fumigation for working magic during the dark moon can
be made simply from young harvested alder leaves, juniper
berries, rosemary and elder flowers —all dried. The dried
young leaves in general make an amazing incense, burned
on the woodstove or on hot coals. This is no surprise, as
the fragrant wood also emits incredible perfume from an
outdoor fire. Alder wood necklaces made from the drilled
wooden beads can not only be used to alleviate teething and
154
Л М ег
tooth pains as stated above, but worn for protection for

children in general. The addition of amber beads are helpful
as well. It also can be carried as an amulet against fear of
darkness, assisting one to see in the dark. The infused leaf
oil can be used for anointing sacred items during rites of
protection especially w’hen feeling threatened or under
attack.
Surprisingly, this tree is ruled by Venus, probably on
account of its watery virtue. It also has a deep connection to
fire, hence its bloody bark and warming medicine. Fertility is
then a logical association. A lovely charm for fertility from
the spring gathered pollen comes from poet Valerie Worth.
The charm tells to gather alder twigs in the spring and let
them open on a table where a mirror is placed underneath
them. The yellow pollen is then gathered with a tiny feather
and placed into a piece of paper that has the words written;
POLLICITUM POLLINIS POLLENTIA POLLINIS
POLLENTIA APOLLINIS POLLIS APPOLLINIS
POLLINEM POLLUCEO POLLEO POLLEO. This all
is to be placed within a small bag of yellow silk and hung
above the bed until conception occurs, after which she
advises the whole to be burned and the ashes returned to
the tree from which the catkins were taken. This last bit is
counter intuitive and as I can personally attest to the strength
of this charm having undertaken it along with a few other
appHcations after losing a pregnancy, I decided to keep the
silk bag until after my baby was born, then giving the pollen
grains back to the tree.
In a physical way, alder is spectacular topically for pain and
inflammation. The fresh leaves can be used as a poultice for
any sort of bite, scrape, bruise or cut. An infused olive oil or
fat with the late April gathered wilted leaves gives a fragrance
that is overwhelmingly sweet, like a green apple. The oil is
as warming as arnica and can be used for sore muscles and
deep pain, mixed with St. Johns wort oil for nerve pain
specifically. Also, this oil can be used in conjunction with
alder bud and twig elixir (recipe follows) for the beginnings
155
of mastitis. Massage the painful breast with the oil and apply
hot water bottle, while simultaneously taking some of the
eUxir. I take about one half teaspoon up to four times a day,
doses can be divided. The oil and hot compress can be done
every few hours until the pain subsides.
A delicious elixir can be made out of the spicy buds and
young twigs, harvested in late February and dried first. It
is alterative, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial and can
be used for fighting any infection. It can also be applied
directly on a tooth for pain. Some people think it tastes Uke
rose or apples. The inner red bark can be incorporated into
alterative and lymphatic formulas, as a blood cleanser. Be
sure to dry it thoroughly first as well, as the tannins can
irritate the GI tract. It can also be used as a sore throat
gargle mixed with salt. This can also be used for tooth, gum
or mouth problems of any sort, where there is infection
or inflammation involved. The bark is more woody tasting,
lacking the spicy fruit flavor that the young twigs, buds and
leaves give off Another personal favorite is alder leaf wine.
It is divine, golden and spicy —such a lovely tonic.
Alder buds and young twigs can be harvested in mid-
February. The gorgeous pink buds will be dry and bright
green inside and if held in the warm hand for a few minutes,
should smell like a spicy apple candy. The inner bark of
larger branches can be harvested in March, when the sap
is running upwards. Scrap off the white or lichen covered
outside and keep in bright orange inner bark. The young
leaves can be harvested generally during the month of April,
when they are still sticky and fragrant when crushed. By the
end of May, there fragrance is usually on the wane for the
more fragrant potions, but can be used as a poultice in the
brush all summer long.
Many Blessings to this magical tree o f the swamps, with blood

red underpinnings. Her ghost horse is to be seen in the mist and
her gray wand may grant passage o f those in need o f fire under
water, o f seeing in the dark. Alay her magic encircle one from
156
ЛМег
harm and protect one from dark arrows, and may her
wood be remembered as a sacred offering to the fragrant
winter and springtime fires.
A ld e r W ood B in d in g S p e ll
As this Gray Lady tree assists in many dark magics, let her
strength and power help to stop one whom is wreaking
havoc on others. Not for physical injury, this spell is instead
used to stop another’s energy from poisoning others lives, to
bind it, to keep it contained and therefore keep the poison
from spreading. This spell is to nullify ones will and influence
over a particular situation.
On the day before the dark moon, gather alder twigs,
ideally without leaves on them. If they have leaves,
remove them and let them be about twelve inches long
for workability, also young and pliable. Have up to nine.
Then make a poppet with a stiff flour paste, and add in
the herbs stinging nettle, rue, mullein and poppy seeds,
along with salt. Add mouse bones and five sloe fruits to
represent the organs and also a dried aconite flower. Make
it stiff enough to shape it into the person that is to be
bound, thinking all the while of the person, using extra
flour as needed and toothpicks to attach the limbs and
head. If a physical item of theirs can be incorporated into
the mixture, all the better. Take the alder twigs and bind
them with a black cloth at the top to the bundle to hold
the twigs together. Take the soft doll and place them inside
the twigs and then attach the other end of the twigs with
more black cloth, making a cage. Then wrap the whole
with black cloth/ ribbon saying these words thrice: Bind
him once and bind him twice, Bind him in black and bind him
thrice. Bind him waking, bind him sleeping. Bind the powers that
he be keeping. Imagine his powers and influence bound and
kept, unable to assert their ill-will. That same evening, just
after dark, take the whole to a lonely crossroads and bury
it upside down in the earth, shaking a cup full of salt in the
hole before covering with dirt. Speak these words when
157
the task is completed Sa/t and Earth, bear this dark power.
Spit on the grave newly made and leave without looking
back, saying M aj it be so, M aj it be done.
Л Ш ег E lix ir ^
In late February or early March, harvest the new twigs and
buds of smaller or medium sized alder trees, careful to
selectively ‘prune’, not leaving the tree imbalanced in ant-
way. The twig bark will be a shiny dark ohve brown and the
buds a gorgeous deep pink —they are dry, sticky and bright
green inside. Dry these for 5 days or so. Cut them into 1-2
inch lengths, including the buds and put in a mason jar,
about half to two thirds full, but not packed. Cover У4 with
brandy. Add % part honey to top off, leaving a few inches of
space on the top. Cover and shake daily for a month. Strain
and store in dark bottle out of the Ught. I use this elixir for it
for infections or as an alterative tonic. It is so dehcious. The
young twigs and buds can also be thoroughly dried to use in
decoctions for the same. The flavor really comes through in
both alcohol and water.
A ld e r L e a f W in e
To make 1 gallon of wine, you need about 2 quarts full of
early May/late April harvested leaves. Wilt them overnight,
which means lay them out in a basket. Place them in a medium
sized stone crock with 2 pounds of organic cane sugar and 1
pint (roughly a pound) of honey. This combination includes
honey for a depth of flavor, without the expense of using
all honey. Add 1 gallon of boiUng w-ater and sdr well to
dissolve. You can also add the sweeteners to the water as it
comes to a boil, stirring then to be sure it all incorporates,
then add the mixture to the crock with the wilted leaves.
Wait until the wine is completely cool, usually overnight.
Sprinkle champagne yeast on top of the mixture and wait
15 minutes before stirring it in. Cover the crock with a linen
cloth that is tied on with a string and rubber band, to keep
out fruit flies. Stir twice a day with a wooden spoon that is
158
A lder
not used for cooking. After about 10 days, filter into a clean
gallon glass jug to within two inches of the top and fit with
an airlock. Keep this gallon in a place that is not too cold
or too hot, in the dark. Bottle after 6 months and wait a
year before drinking. If it doesn’t taste good, keep waiting.
This wine is clear and golden, spicy and sweet. It is often a
favorite in my wine making classes, enjoy the Gray Lady’s
honey from her spring green leaves.
^ ' j. , r , ί.^
- ·* ·η
159
f
i
wf f BLACKTHORN
Primus spinosa
lackthorn is a tree of the hedge, a tree of darkness

vand mysterious powers. Often feared, this ill-
'omened tree bears large spikes and lovely white
flowers against dark black pearly bark in the early spring.
A defensive tree indeed, its wood and thorns have been
sought for protective purposes for ages by the rustic
practitioner, whom are still finding much use for its sharp
spines and blasting wands, while its bitter purple fruits
have been employed for different medicines and hedgerow
preserves for centuries.
Blackthorn is the counterpart to white thorn (often just
known as ‘thorn’), which is the hawthorn tree Cratagus spp.
Both are used in hedgerows in the UK, to make a Uving
fence that over years will make a stock proof barrier,
keeping animals out of a pasture or woodland. Blackthorn
is a wild plum, hence the genus Primus, which it shares with
plum and cherry trees. It is in the rose family Roseaceae.
The species spinosa refers to the trees large thorns. It is
also called the ‘sloe tree’, for the fruits or sloes as they
are known. The word ‘sloe’ comes from an old Germanic
word for plum. The common name ‘blackthorn’ tells of
the large thorns this tree has along with its dark wood. It
is native to Europe and western Asia, naturahzed now in
New Zealand and in parts of the eastern United States.
Blackthorn is the first of the hedgerow plants to
bloom, often to be followed by a cold snap known as a
‘blackthorn winter’ and tender garden plants were known
to succumb to this cold force if planted out too early after
the blackthorn bloomed. Some old beliefs tell that the
blackthorn bloomed at midnight on old Christmas Eve,
161
January 5. Winds blowing while the blackthorn bloomed

were known as ‘blackthorn winds’. Many sloes on the tree
foretold a harsh winter, a primitive weather forecaster of
sorts.
The blackthorn was an ominous tree, of ill luck and bad
omens. If they grow together, lore told that the wdiitethorn
would destroy the blackthorn. In Germany, blackthorn
was said to grow where heathen blood had been shed in
battle. According to one source, it has a blood red sap that
runs through it. It was terribly unlucky to bring the blooms
indoors, which is similar to hawthorn. White flowers in
general were associated with death and unlucky to bring into
the home. But blackthorn, in many parts of the UK, was not
only unlucky, but a death omen for the family if brought
into the home in flower.
Blackthorn was known as a faerie tree and in Ireland, the
faeries guarded over them on old All Hallows Eve, November
11 and old Beltane Eve, May 11, both of those eves being
most auspicious for spirit activity. It was particularly unlucky
to cut a stick from the trees on those days. The sloes were
unlucky to eat after All Hallows Eve, similar to blackberries,
as they were faerie food thereafter. From an Irish custom,
the last edible sloe was baked into a cake on All Hallows Eve
and whoever got the sloe was said to live the longest, being
a positive omen in this case.
Blackthorn walking sticks or staffs were used by dark
witches in times past. It was believed that they could curse
someone just by pointing the stick at them. Similarly, if
a blackthorn staff was pointed at a pregnant woman, she
could have a miscarriage. The staffs were also thought
protective against dark witchcraft, as the lore goes both
ways with many plant beliefs, depending on the perspective
and location. If hung above the door of a home or if
harvested on a full moon, the blackthorn walking stick was
supposed to protect against supernatural evils. In Ireland,
they were a very popular walking stick, despite some of
the superstitious beliefs. They were (and are) known as a
162
Blackthorn
‘shillelagh’, and were associated with protection. This word

meant ‘club’ and the blackthorn stick could be small like a
club or more like a staff. It was polished with butter or lard
and then put up the chimney to cure, giving it a black shiny
appearance characteristic of the blackthorn sticks. The
Irish shillelagh was used for fighting or self-defense, also
for overcoming evil spirits. I know a family whose mother
came from Ireland and she had a blackthorn shillelagh that
was very special to her. After her death, her son now has
the stick as a family heirloom and he won’t let it leave the
house, as it is a precious keepsake.
Romany men would also use a blackthorn walking stick
to protect them from any danger. A Latin word for it was
Beilicum'fjhic'a translates to ‘attack’ or ‘charge’. In Germany,
blackthorn was known as a ‘wishing thorn’ and wishing
rods were cut from it, also the same practice came from
Wales. A blackthorn stake was used to impale vampires in
the Balkans and it was an unlucky tree to cut down in those
parts. A stick of blackthorn was buried with corpses in
Ireland, possibly to keep the dead from walking or maybe
to protect them in the afterlife. Witch burning pyres in
Spain were said to contain blackthorn wood. The Devil
himself was believed to use the spines to prick his servants,
giving them their characteristic ‘mark’. Blackthorn is ruled
by Saturn naturally.
Magical charms with blackthorn abound. The thorns
themselves were used to stick into images for cursing and
counter cursing purposes, we can remember that iron nails
or pins were at one time very expensive. If one was ill
wished by a witch and acquired fleas, the only way to break
the spell was to go down to the river before sunrise and
beat one’s shirt with a blackthorn branch for an hour. In
Slavic folklore, it was lucky and protective to sew a bit of
blackthorn into clothing.
Blackthorn acted as a divination device by taking the
spikes and visiting a Holy well. From Caernarvonshire,
Wales, this was to be done on Easter Monday. To find out
163
if a lover was faithful, blackthorn spikes could be thrown

in the water. If they floated, the lover was faithful; if they
sank, the situation was not to have a good outcome, it meant
he was unfaithful. From other interpretations, the way the
spikes pointed could foretell a lover’s disposition: if they
whirled around, he was cheerful; if they sank just a little, he
was stubborn; if they sank out of sight, he was not to be
trusted. If the spines accidentally sUpped into the well from
the seekers hand, it meant the lover was a great flirt, and
therefore unrehable in matters of relationship.
An old charm to get rid of warts was to rub a snail on
the warts, then impale him on a blackthorn spike - a sad
ending to be sure. There were more pleasant methods, such
as rubbing the wart with a green sloe, then throwing it over
the left shoulder, a transference charm from East Anglia.
If cattle had foot rot in Worcestershire, sod could be cut
from under the effected cow’s foot and the turf hung from
a blackthorn to rot away. The foot rot would presumably
rot away as well. Hanging a pig’s afterbirth on a blackthorn
would help the pigs do well, a custom in Norfolk.
From Cornwall, the blackthorn was and is used for
‘blasting’ or sending out a layer of protective energy. It
has associations with working rites on the dark moon, and
with toad magic. In particular, it was used in the rite of
finding the magical toad bone. A toad man or toad woman
could with this bone perform healing acts of magic and
gather the magical fern seed and become invisible. To
give a simplified and generali2ed version here, a sacrificial
toad was captured and impaled on a blackthorn tree, with
other specifics that followed to retrieve the magical bone.
Generally, the expired toad would be buried in a pile of
ants for a time to reveal the skeleton. Then the toad bones
would be taken to a stream running north to south, on
the next full moon and at the stroke of midnight, the
bones were placed in the water. One of the bones would
float against the current of the water and had to be taken
out immediately; the Devil was known to show up at this
164
Blackthorn
moment in order to claim the magical bone. The bone was

to be kept and hidden on the practitioner, forever away
from the eyes of others and from this point forward would
endow the person with magical powers over horses and the
opposite sex.
There are a few New Year’s Day customs using blackthorn,
from different parts of England. One was to burn a branch
in the field and bring the remainder of it in the house to
hang as a charm to protect the home throughout the year.
λ. crown (or globe) could also be fashioned from the twdgs
on New Year’s morning and then baked in the oven until
it turned to ash. The ash was then spread on the fields for
good luck during the follouing harvest and to ‘drive the
Devil’ from the fields. Sometimes the globe was burned in a
small fire outdoors. Then a new blackthorn globe was made
by the women of the family and hung in the kitchen until
the following New Year’s morn to protect the home from
fire. Sometimes it was made from hawthorn rather than
blackthorn. From Herefordshire, England, a blackthorn
branch was scorched and then hung up with mistletoe for
the following year, acting as a protective amulet.
¥ olk M ed icin e ^
After it leafs out, the blackthorn is eventually covered with
small dark blue purple plums that are bitter and astringent.
People make sloe gin with the plums in the autumn, by
pricking them with a needle, filling a jar with plums, sugar
and gin, and steeping the whole until Christmas time. It
was a Victorian holiday drink, warming and tonic in nature.
Some people make jelly or wine with the sloes, they are
always processed with some sort of cooking and sugar,
similar the red hawthorn fruit or crabapple, also hedgerow
trees. One old piece of lore tells that sloe preserves were
made in the autumn and then buried deep in the earth until
Christmas time came. An old Romany way to make the
sloes sweeter was to bury them in straw lined pits for a few
months before using.
165
The sloes were used in old cough and fever remedies and
sloe jelly was used for sore throats in parts of England. They
were also used for diarrhea. Sloe was a remedy for cow flux,
or diarrhea. An old rhyme goes:
B j the end o f October, go gather up sloes, have now in readiness

plenty o f those.
And keep them in a bed-straw or still on the bough.
To stay both the flu x o f thyself and the cow.
In Anglesey, Wales, the leaves and fruits were chewed

to lower blood pressure. A Romany remedy for bronchitis
was to boil the bark and drink it with sugar as needed. Sloe
wine was drunk as a tonic in the British Isles and sloe gin
was thought to be good for the kidneys. The fruits can be
grated around the pit, with added honey to make them more
palatable and easier to eat, usually three or four at a time, for
their medicinal effects, according to Juliette de Bairacli Levy.
Black thorn leaves were taken for indigestion, and
‘summer fever’ or hay fever in Ireland. The pow^dered bark
was used for ague. A Welsh belief states that if a person ate
the first three blackthorn blossoms that he saw, he would
not have heartburn all year. Dried blackthorn leaves were
used as a black tea substitute and a tobacco substitute in
Ireland. Fascinating that old wives used sloe gin blended
with pennyroyal and valerian for ‘connubial emergencies’,
which I take to mean something of a ‘morning after pill’.
The thorns themselves were said to cause blood poisoning if
they inflicted a wound, but an infusion of them was an Irish
medicine for diarrhea. An interesting internal use comes
from Anglo-Saxon lore —in the painful situation where the
finger nail got ripped off of the finger, it was recommended
to pound wheat grains with honey, lay as a poultice on the
place grieved, and then wash the whole in a blackthorn bark
decoction. Most likely the wash was applied first, then the
poultice.
166
blackthorn
Personal P ra ctices ^
To keep on hand the spikes of blackthorn, as well as the
dried leaves and fruits, gives the rustic apothecary many
magical abilities. The spikes can be used for defensive magic
in different appUcations, incorporated into hanging charms
to be installed above windows or doors to protect the
dwelling. A red wool circlet can be braided and into it stuck
alternating blackthorn and hawthorn spikes, and three black
cock tail feathers. The longest cock tail feathers were known
historically for conferring invisibility, a helpful thing at times.
This can be hung above the bedstead as well, for protection
from night terrors. The blackthorn spikes can also be placed
in healing vials with the inclusion of protective herbs such
as angelica root, rowan berry, St. Johns wort, vervain, wood
betony and whatnot, being carried about a person against
the ill-wish. They can be stuck in an apple and left to rot
away, buried in the north corner of one’s property in order
to banish some unwanted affliction of the body or mind,
that being named in a rite prior to the interment.
The leaves can be used in powders, incense and fumigations
of all sorts and while not terribly fragrant on their own,
make an appropriate addition to any formula working with
Saturn’s dark powers, bindings or counter curses, as do the
spikes. One version of a black powder can be made from
blackened sloe leaves, blackened red roses and grave earth
on the dark moon to be kept with a hares foot in a wooden
box, including three or nine blackthorn spikes, and sprinkled
around ones home for protection or worn around the neck
for the same. The dried sloes can be food for faerie offerings
on All Hallows Eve and Christmas Eve, particularly. They
can be carried in threes for protection from malign nature
spirits, along with a virgin nail of iron in a leather pouch
while wandering the lonely forests and ravines. The sloes
can be brewed in an iron cauldron with other bitter herbs,
such as thistle, wormwood and rue and used to wash tools
or items that one does not want to be seen, found or stolen.
167
This same wash can be employed as a disinfectant for the

home and stable, protective and antimicrobial.
The blackthorn walking stick or staff is beautiful to behold,
the places where the thorns protruded are very apparent and
the black glossy finish is uniquely distinct. Older ones can be
obtained second hand through thrift stores or antique stores
if one knows what to look for. They are rather expensive
bought onhne, so stay with your local stores and look in
collections of old canes —surely a blackthorn ‘cane’ will
eventually be obtained. Making one’s own is of course an
option as well, harvested on the full moon for the most
benefit. These walking sticks can be stored near the doorway
of the home to protect from intruders, they can be taken
on lonely walks for protection as well. This potent wooden
staff can be used to cast a protective circle around oneself
in any rite, either on the earth or on the floor of a darkened
chamber. Pointed in the direction of an enemy, it can help
to immobilize any evil powers at work.
Blackthorn truly embodies the old crone’s abihties of
care and cursing, and that magical boundary between
worlds. The early springtime flowers appear so gentle and
benign, yet underneath He the largest and darkest sharp
thorns, defensive and destructive as needed. The dark fruit
is bitter and almost unpalatable, but with the right care and
preparation it becomes medicine for the sick. If one is able
to handle this tree with intention and respect, it will yield
many powers —protective powder, scratched image, black
wand.
M aj tools fin d the hand that needs them and be crafted from those
that seek them. Manj thanks to the unassnmingforce behind the
cold winds, deeper and darker than any care to fathom, cloaked in
the silver white rain o f springtime blossoms.
b la c k E a rth P r o tectiv e P o w d er
To make a powder to be used during general protective
workings, have gathered blackthorn leaves and St.Johns wort
168
Blackthorn
on Midsummers Eve, after dark. With the dried herbs, grind

on a full moon to a powder, equal parts. Take then equal
parts salt and grave earth, ritually gathered, and combine.
From the roots of an old oak tree, have gathered also earth
and add a measure of this potent substance. Mix the whole
round and round in a mortar and speak nine times:
The earth, the salt, the leaves, the flowers.

Create a veil o f protective powers;
Koiind the circle, bone and tree.
Keep all evil away from thee!’
Stored in a narrow earthenware vessel with three blackthorn

spikes, upturned, this powder can then be used for house
clearings and healing rites where one has been overlooked
by the Evil Eye or undesired enchantments. It can also be
carried for protection on a journey, sprinkled in the home
of a new mother and baby and for any sort of situation that
requires protective assistance. The powder can be placed in
a pouch to be worn or hung, as needed.
S lo e G in
(Adapted from Celtic Folklore Cooking, ]θΆ<ί\η&Asala, 2007)
4 cups of sloes
1 quart of gin
2 У2 cups brown sugar
Freeze the sloes first and then prick several times with a
fork to help the juices escape. In a wide mouth half gallon
jar, place the fruits and sugar. Add the gin and seal. Shake
each day for 6 weeks. Strain through a cloth and then bottle,
storing in a dark place for one year, ideally in a basement,
make sure however it does not freeze. Serve on All Hallows
Eve and Christmas Eve, be sure to leave a glass for the
spirits and the ‘wee folk’ on these nights. Also, this can be
used as a grave offering for the dead.
169
ψ COTTONWOOD, ψ
POPLAR
Л5реп-Рори1из spp
long the river where the black cottonwood trees

grow comes a fragrance as the air warms in
hhe springtime. It reminds many folks of their
childhoods spent playing near a river, the vanilla balsam
scent on the wind, as the leaves unfold. The large leaves
of dark and light flutter, dancing to the slightest summer
breeze, casting their spell during the hottest afternoons.
The incredible perfume that surrounds the trees lasts
until the weather turns cold in the autumn time, and the
mostly fallen leaves are still fragrant when walking near a
cottonwood tree under a full moon in October.
The genus Populus translates to ‘peoples tree’. There are
about 35 species in the genus and the trees are found in
the Northern hemisphere. They are in the Willow family
Salicaceae. I decided to group together cottonwood, poplar
and aspen, as all three of these healing trees are in the
Populus genus, and some of the lore and folk uses are the
same, they have a similar nature to them. And while alone
they don’t have a substantial amount of folklore, what they
do have is quite interesting.
In early February, the black cottonwood’s Populus
trichocarpa brown buds are sticky inside with fragrant
orange resin, a remarkable perfume with hints of both
turpentine and vanilla. The knobby branches are covered
in pointed shiny brown swollen buds that fall from the
tops of tall trees and remind one of old witches fingers
with sharp nails. The buds themselves, once collected look
like many insects, beetles or cockroaches. Cottonwood
171
grows in wet areas and the trees are some of the first
to fall during ice storms here in the Pacific Northwest.
Though they are usually not long lived, I have seen very
large trees being over a hundred years old. These large
trees are always near a creek, with deep roots in the wet
black earth.
Cottonwood was known to have ‘a life of its own’
because of its leathery green leaves with silver undersides
that flutter without even a breeze in the air, similar to
both aspen and poplar trees. Supernatural powers were
attributed to cottonwood by the Salish Speaking tribes in
the Pacific Northwest area. The indigenous people did not
burn the wood of cottonwood, for it was superstitious
to do so. The Thompson tribe gave the decocted bark of
the cottonwood tree to women who had given birth and
lost someone close to them soon after. It was thought to
be ‘for their health’. The leaves were used somehow for a
love medicine by the Karok tribe. Importantly, the eastern
cottonwood P. deltoides was sacred to the Native tribes
of that area, in particular to the Sioux. The Sundance
Ceremony was and still is held around a young cottonwood
tree, which after offerings and prayers are made to, the tree
is then cut down for the dancing ceremony, becoming then
the Tree of Life.
There are associations with death and the underworld
for the poplar tree, aspen tree and the cottonwood tree
all. The white poplar Populus alba was told to grow on the
banks of the Greek underworld, being found in more
southern and central parts of Europe. An old legend
tells that this tree was once a beautiful nymph of the
underworld and that Pluto was in love with her. After her
death, he transformed her into a white poplar and brought
the tree to the Elysian fields, a sacred final resting place for
virtuous souls. A particular grove of poplars was sacred to
Persephone, Goddess of the underworld, and other groves
were sacred to Hecate, the Greek Queen of Witches. Black
poplar Populus nigra is the only poplar native to western and
172
Cottomwod Poplar
northern Europe. Homer told that black poplar grew at

the gates of Hades, which was the realm of the dead. The
trees were linked with graveyards in European lore. Poplar,
white and black, is ruled by Saturn.
Planting poplars near a home was thought unlucky in
times past, probably not only because they were associated
with the land of the dead, but because the younger trees
do indeed fall in storms very easily. Yet some lore tells
that they conduct lighting and protect the home from it if
planted nearby. In some British counties, the poplar catkins
were called ‘Devils Fingers’ and superstitious folk thought
it bad luck if a large crop of catkins appeared on the
trees in the spring. From a firsthand account from Surrey,
England, comes a recollection from an older woman about
how when she was younger, she was instructed to place
black poplar catkins in a saucer with water and leave them
out overnight to feed the faeries —they were gone in the
morning as she recalls.
Poplar leaves were sometimes an ingredient included in the
famous European flying ointments. It makes sense because
many of the ingredients in these salves were used for their
pain killing properties and that is a historical use for poplar
leaves and buds also. An old recipe for a pain salve dating
from 1485 gives the ingredients, along with poplar buds, to
include opium poppy leaves Papaver somnifenum, houseleek
Sempervivum tectornm, wild lettuce leaves luictuca saliva, orchid
Orchis spp., henbane leaves Hjoscjamus niger, and mandrake
leaves Mandrgora off.. The plants were infused in lard and
the resulting strained mixture was to be applied to the navel
and the temples for pain or possibly for traveling to the
Great Sabbat, as told in the lore.
The poplar tree was also connected to time, as it was
always in motion even when no wind was present and as its
leaves had dark tops with white undersides that represented
both night and day. Related to this connection with the wind
comes a beautiful poem called ‘'Poplad by Victorian poet
Katharine Tvnan:
173
The blinding sk j’s unkind, The day has dust and glare,
the poplar keeps the wind. In her cage o f light and air;
Makes o f her leaves a snare. To keep the wind confined’.
A common name for poplar was ‘Shiver tree’. It had a

connection to fevers, because of its trembling leaves. An
old charm from Lincolnshire for getting rid of a fever was
to fast for twelve hours and to go to a black poplar tree,
cut a lock of hair off and wrap it around a branch while
speaking these words: When Christ our Lord was on the Cross,
Then didst thou sadly shiver and toss. My aches and pains thou
now must take, Instead o f me 1 bid thee shake. After the charm
was spoken, one was to return home in silence. It was
known that cottonwood, poplar and quaking aspen leaves
become upturned before rain and stormy weather. An old
name for white poplar was ‘Weather Tree’ because of this
phenomenon.
The aspen tree was also Unked with Hades in classical
lore, as legend tells that after Heracles returned from
Hades he wove himself an aspen wreath and burned a fire
of aspen wood to thank Zeus for returning him safely.
There have been golden wreaths with leaves in the shape
of aspens found in graves in Mesopotamia, thought to be
from five thousand years ago —another possible indicator
of its connection to the land of the dead. The aspen tree in
particular was associated with fear because of the shaking
of its leaves, the trembling. An old name for aspen was
‘Old Wives Tongues’, because of their constant movement.
It is ruled by the moon, according to astrologers of old.
The aspen tree was used in a magical way from Russia.
Here is a beautiful spell for turning into a werewolf, taken
from The Bathhouse at Midnight, WF. Ryan, 1999:
‘In the ocean sea, on the island o f Buian, in the open plain,
shines the moon upon an aspen stump, into the green wood, into
the spreading vale.
174
Cottonwood Poplar
Around the stump goes a shaggy wolf; under his teeth are all the
horned cattle; but into the wood the w olf goes not, in the vale
the w olf does not roam.
Moon, moon! Golden horns! Melt the bullet, blunt the knife,
rot the cudgel, strike fea r into man, beast, and reptile, so that
they may not seii(e the grey wolf, nor tear from him his warm
hide.
Aly word is firm, firm er than sleep or the strength o f heroes. ’
Aspen was connected to fevers, similar to poplar. It

was thought that a fever could be transferred to an aspen
tree just by tying a ribbon to one of its branches, by the
sufferer. An old folk remedy for ague (similar to the black
poplar charm above) that involved transference magic
was to pin a lock of ones hair to the aspen tree while
saying Aspen tree. Aspen tree, I prithee to shake and shiver
instead o f me. One then had to return home in complete
silence in order for the cure to be affected. Another
transference charm for the same was to go to an aspen
tree at midnight and bore a hole in the tree, then placing
ones nail clippings in the tree and stopping up the hole,
leaving the fever behind. A simple wart charm from
Cheshire was to rub some bacon on ones warts (some
sources state stolen bacon was best) and then transfer
the warts to the aspen trees bark by hiding the bacon in
a slit made in the tree.
From Christian tradition, aspen was a tree of mourning,
one legend tells that aspen witnessed the crucifixion and
has shivered with fear ever since. It was a thrice cursed
tree. An old rhyme goes: Tremblesyon towering aspen tree. Tike
one whos bygone deeds o f ill. A t hush o f night before him sweep. To
scare his dreams and murder sleep\±\nonymovLp).
In the Scottish Isles aspen was known as a cursed tree as
well and fishermen avoided using the wood for their gear.
A Russian use of aspen wood was to drive a stake into the
grave of a witch, to prevent her from rising from the dead.
It was also believed in Russian lore that if aspen logs were
175
placed in the stove upside down on Holy Thursday, that

all of the witches and wizards would come and ask for
the embers. In the language of flowers, aspen symbolized
fear, scandal and lamentation. On a positive note, to plant
aspen trees in a field or near the home would give a family
safety from thieves.
F olk M ed icin e
There were many uses for the different subspecies of
cottonwood, white poplar, balsam poplar and quaking
aspen from Native American medicine. To focus on the
black cottonwood that grows in the Pacific Northwest, the
tribes generally used buds and leaves mixed with animal
fats for many conditions of the skin, including burns,
dry scalp, sores, eczema, boils, bruises, wounds, pain and
aching muscles. The buds were applied for tooth pain by
some tribes as well and mixed with grease and apphed to
prevent sunburn. They were mixed with goat kidney fat
or candlefish (eulachon) grease. The buds could be mixed
with balsam sap and used for tuberculosis. i\n infusion of
the white inner bark was taken for sore throats and fevers
by the Squaxin tribe. Infused buds or twigs were taken for
venereal disease. The sweet inner spring bark was eaten by
local tribes. A poultice of the leaves was used for horse
sores by the Nez Pierce tribe.
Black Poplar P. nigra was used in European folk medicine
in times past as an ointment to dry up a woman’s milk,
made from the buds. The juice of the leaves was used to
relieve ear aches, dropped into the ears, and the seeds were
infused in vinegar and taken for epilepsy, an interesting
use. A magical remedy —the water taken from the hollows
of the poplar tree, specifically the black, could be applied
to warts, wheals and skin rashes. White poplar P. alba bark
was taken as a remedy for sciatica and the young buds
bruised with honey were taken to improve eyesight - I
wonder however at this remedy and if it was anointed on
the eyes instead of taken internally. White poplar salve
176
Cottonwood Poplar
was used to have ‘happy dreams’ from a 1725 German

book entitled ‘The Curious and Practical Magic Doctod. A
Somerset fever remedy was to drink boiled poplar bark.
A decoction of poplar bark or leaves and the kidney of
a mule was believed to make a woman barren if ingested.
Poplar leaves bruised in vinegar was applied for gout pain.
The resin dried and ground was taken as a remedy for
dysentery.
Aspen wood was used for teething rings for babies,
probably on account of its pain reliving properties thought
to have been passed into the wood. The bark was used
internally as a tonic, for fevers and as a diuretic for urinary
complaints. It was also used for gonorrhea.
P er so n a l Practices
I interpret the leaves with their light and dark sides as being
a plant of both worlds, living and dead, with the ability
to travel between the two. For magical use, cottonwood,
aspen or poplar can be purposed for underworld workings,
placed upon altars during All Hallows Eve celebrations
and the wood used as a wand to call back spirits of the
deceased. The leaves can be burned in incense mixtures
when dealing with ghosts, hauntings and divination.
A powerful and protective anointing oil can be made
with Populus buds/ leaves, sandalwood powder and dragons
blood powder. This can be used to protect and cleanse
tools and people, by making an equal armed cross with
it over their chest and back of the neck. A strong tea of
the leaves can be used in a bath after visiting a cemetery
for protection, along with a handful of salt. The wood
can be carried as an amulet against ghosts, shielding one
from any harmful shades, particularly effective with the
addition of rowan.
The medicinal uses are for external application only.
If you have aspirin allergies, these are not the trees for
you, because of the Salicylates. One of the simplest
ways to use cottonwood (or substitute poplar or aspen)
177
is to rub the bud resin directly on a cut or wound, it is

antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and analgesic. The buds
can be found full of resin from October into March, and
then the leaves can be used instead - this tree can be
used all year long (at least with cottonwood). The salve
is excellent for pain close to the surface of the skin such
as cuts and scrapes that are irritated. Cottonwood is
amaxing for blackberry thorn scrapes and mild burns, it
works like a charm. It also helps with really itchy bug
or spider bites that are healing or skin that is struggling
to heal in general. However, do not use it on intense
infections or a major allergic reaction, use a water wash
or poultice here instead, possibly a wash made with the
leaves. Cottonwood salve can be also used on acne spots
and the warmed oil dropped into the ears for ear pain,
remembering to treat both ears. It is excellent used as a
chest and back rub for coughs and colds.
An easy way to utiUxe this healing medicine is to pour
ohve oil over the buds and set the capped glass jar in a warm
(not hot) place, stirring every day uith a chopstick for at
least a month. The oil can then be strained out and used
in salves or directly appUed. The leaves can be used in bath
tea, for foot baths, washes and in steams. They too have the
incredible scent of the buds, with a green note added. A
lovely fragrant infused oil can be made vdth cottonwood
leaves and vanilla leaf A chljs triphjlla, for hair and scalp, and
massage after a hot bath.
Many thanks to the magical leaves and medicine o f these

fragrant and pain-relieving trees, they have a special music
that is quite enchanting. Spending time in a grove o f
cottonwood or poplar one senses a flash o f silver light coming
up from the dark realms below, their mysterious trembling
giving the dead beneath the earth a voice on the hushed wind.
May we listen and learn from the wise translations that come
to us, touched by the rain, wind and lightning all.
178
Cottonwood Poplar
Divination Incense ^
All dried. On the full moon, mix one part by volume
cottonwood (or aspen/poplar) leaves, one part mugwort
Artemisia vulgaris leaves, third part calendula (marigold)
flowers Calendula off., third part frankincense, third part
alder Alnus spp. buds, third part yarrow Achillea millefolium
flowers. Mix well with the hands for a time and store in an
iron vessel with a crow skull. Use before working any sort
of divination to assist one in seeing.
Cottonwood Vain Salve ^

Substitute poplar buds as needed. Gather fragrant
cottonwood buds during the cold season, often easier after
a winter storm brings down the brittle high branches. Take
half of the buds and cover in a jar with olive oil, leave
about an inch of oil over the top. Keep in a warm, not
hot place for one month, remembering to stir every day
with a chop stick or simply shake. Take the remaining half
of the buds and infuse in pig fat, bear fat or Ghee. To
do this, you need a double boiler. Add about 1 cup of fat
for every 2/3 cup of buds roughly. Heat the water in the
bottom chamber and the fat will melt and warm. Let the
water in the bottom chamber boil for about 10 minutes,
while stirring your fat mixture every few minutes, then
turn off the heat and cover. Let sit twenty-four hours and
then repeat, for a total of seven times. The fat should be
dark orange. On the seventh day, strain out the fat with a
thrift store sieve that you don’t need, as the resin will be
very hard to clean —keep this sieve for other cottonwood
medicines. To clean the double boiler, soak the bottom
with vodka for a few days and use a metal scrubby. Save
the fat in the fridge until your oil is ready. Then take your
strained oil and your fat, hopefully roughly equal parts, and
combine them in a double boiler with beeswax to harden, 1
02 . for every cup of fat/oil. Pour into wide mouth tins and
let harden. This method makes a far superior salve than
179
Under the W itching Tree
using just the infused oil alone. Both types of fat tend to
pull out different aspects of the resin and this salve is truly
incredible for the maladies described above. It wiU keep
indefinitely, as cottonwood has a preservative effect.
The Deer Sorceress o f Midsummer
Melody from a distant realm

The tapping o f the bones,
The rattle o f the black hooves
Singing o f waters and blood,
Ms the great Stag has fallen
Near the summer stream

Λ golden light arises
Tern and maroon flesh.
The wood ears are listening
To the white deer foraging in the mist
The medicine o f the oak

Brings together root and antler
Twisted into amber rope
Mnd where the green stones arise from
The mouths o f glittering caves
Λ wifêned Deer Woman greets me

A t the enchanted hour o f twilight
Tiny bottles o f clear water
And o f dark deer blood,
These gifts are etched upon
My heart and with the emerald scapula

I will see the future
The grove o f foxglove circles
And softly illuminates
Nests made o f white feather down
180
Cottonwood Poplar
Λ ηά softest deerskins
Nourishment fo r dreams unearthed
Graceful dancer, you have fed
My family and clothed
My babe, you have
Become mist and spirit

Instantly a forest ghost
Not doomed to prance in the mead
Behind split rails o f cedar
But crowned as birthing Mother
With robes o f smooth crimson

And black stained wine
A ring o f silver flames
Deer Woman, at the creek
I bow my bead to drink
181
f HAWTHORN TREE Cratagus spp
n the autumn and wintertime, the hawthorn tree with

.gnarled bark covered in grey green Uchens and gangly
branches stand apart from the larger orchard trees of
abandoned homesteads. Small russet colored haws hang on
branches like rustic ornaments, often glowing near twilight
time. By the spring and early summertime, she boasts
vibrant green leaves that surround many small bouquets of
white blooms, tinged with pink. She becomes the Queen of
the edges and wild forgotten places. Still under her finery
she brandishes sharp thorns which hide perfectly beneath
her joyful leaves. An edge-dweller hawthorn remains, as
there is no telling what doorways hide near her roots and
when they may open for a time. The third road to Faerie
land is no doubt scattered with her petals.
There are around 200 known Cratagus species and they
apparently cross easily. The most common European
species is Cratagus monogjna and C. oxacantha. Hawthorn is in
the rose family Roseaceae. The genus is native to all temperate
zones; Europe, North America and Asia. Common names
for hawthorn included May Flower, May Blossom, White
Thorn, Thorn Apple, Hag Thorn, Ladies Meat, Bread and
Cheese Tree and Quick Thorn. In Europe she is often
called just ‘Thorn’ or ‘May’. The word ‘haw’ is an old word
for hedge, for which this tree has been used extensively,
keeping livestock in or out of areas. The Latin Cratagus
comes from the Greek kratos meaning hardness, referring
to the strength of the wood. In North America, hawthorn
is usually a smaller tree that can often be found on older
homesteads and deserted farm lands, brought over from
Europe. There are also native varieties to be found.
183
The smell of the fresh flowers of hawthorn has been

compared to the smell of ‘carnal love’ and of rotting flesh;
it was said that the flowers smell of death, in particular
reminiscent of the Great Plague in London. The flowers,
especially when wilting to dry, do indeed perfume the entire
space with an unsettling smell, something like fish, musk
and sweat - not entirely unpleasant but strange. The smell
was also known to be an aphrodisiac from Medieval times.
In European folklore, the hawthorn was considered
sacred before the arrival of Christianity and afterwards.
This tree was and is very much associated with faeries
and their activities, as the old stories will tell. The use of
hawthorn for laying hedgerows for livestock fencing in
Europe came about during Roman times and some hedges
are over one thousand years old, but the faerie lore predates
the cutting and maintaining of the hedgerows. Not with the
hedgerow hawthorns, but with the lone standing hawthorns
does this lore apply. They were known to be faerie trees.
These were the hawthorns that were not planted by humans
but occurred naturally in open fields and meadows. Many
of them are known to be naturally stunted, still living but
growing no larger. This of course being so, as they were
known to be enchanted.
The lone thorns were and are believed to be the home
of the faeries and the ‘wee folk’ from ancient times and
were treated with respect and care. It was considered very
unlucky and even taboo to take a wild hawthorn down to
build a home or prepare pastured ground in times past. It
was an act of vandalism in some parts of the British Isles
to remove a bough, and not even the fallen branches would
be taken for firewood. If one of these solitary thorns was
brought down, it could bring death to the family or to the
person who had removed it. It was also believed that if a
wild hawthorn was ploughed up, all fertility would leave
the land. These beliefs were particularly important in the
British Isles and Ireland, as they have a very strong faerie
mythology.
184
Hawthorn Tree
Here is a short poem that warns about removing a

hawthorn:
B j the craggy hillside, Through the mosses bare,

They have planted thorn trees. For pleasure here and there.
Is any man so daring, Hs to dig them up in spite.
He shallfind their sharpest thorns. In his bed at night.
WilUam Alhngham —1850
There are numerous occasions where a lone thorn was

to be taken down and the local people made a protest
to avoid disaster. One example comes from Donegal
Ireland, where even in 1968 there was an opposition to
removing a thorn on BalUntra-Rossnowlaugh Road. At a
great expense, the thorn was saved and the road re-routed
to pass by the faerie tree. There were also many stories
that abounded about the dire consequences of removing
the faerie hawthorns, with everything from broken legs,
house fires, blood poisoning and death being the possible
outcome from this disrespectful act. In some places it was
even dangerous to touch these trees, especially while in
bloom. Hawthorn was a very unlucky walking stick to take
on a journey, for these reasons.
As the faeries were known to have their hills or forts
under the lone hawthorn trees, it was very dangerous
to visit them after nightfall. It was advised to never fall
asleep under one, for fear of be taken over by the faeries
that abound, and to never to return home again. It was
particularly unlucky to sit under a hawthorn tree on May
Eve or All Hallows Eve, as the tree could transform
herself into a witch on this night, if she wished. It was
also thought in some parts of Europe that the Queen of
Faerie Land was out riding her white horse on May Eve
and that she was looking for mortals to lure away to Faerie
Land for seven years. It was told that you could hear the
horse’s bells from sitting under a hawthorn and that if vou
hid your face from her as she approached, you were safe.
185
However, if you glanced at her, she may choose to take

you into the enchanted realm. Some sources state that after
a seven year stay in Faerie Land, one would acquire the
powers to heal and bless, but upon returning to the world
of mortals, would be wizened and unattractive to look
upon - not such a bad trade-off in my humble opinion.
As the hawthorn tree was associated with the Queen of
the Faeries, some folk legends tell of the Welsh goddess
Olwen who was said to have once walked in an empty
universe, when by the scattering of hawthorn petals, she
created the Milky Way. The hawthorn was also dedicated to
the Roman Goddess of childbirth Cardea, and hawthorn
blooming in the month of May was in some places linked
to the Mother Mary. These sound like later mythologies
that were applied to the hawthorn tree, changing the Faerie
Queen as ‘nature spirit’ into the ‘Goddess’, which is an
interesting topic all onto itself.
In the Channel Islands, in the UK, meetings of witches
were rumored to be held under the solitary hawthorns.
The sharp thorns, similar to blackthorns, were used in
rustic ‘black magic’ and cursing, sometimes being inserted
into the heart of a sheep or a bat. This often was done for
protective magic of course, not only to bring needless pain
or suffering. Interestingly, this ‘witch’ tree was used for
protection from dark witches, by way of hanging crosses
made of its wood over the house door. One assumes this
wood was harvested from the hedgerows rather than from
the solitary thorns. By driving a small hawthorn peg into
a grave site one could prevent the spirit from coming
back to haunt the living or from turning into a vampire.
Other Christian/Catholic practices of hawthorn included
the making of rosaries from its wood, which were highly
valued. The berries were called ‘pixie pears’ in some places.
They were thought to be best after Halloween, when
witches had flown over them.
An Irish belief was that hawthorn grew over graves or
buried treasure. From Cornwall comes a tradition of always
186
Hawthorn Tree
planting a hawthorn tree over buried treasure as well.

Sometimes hawthorn was planted in the ground where a
death had occurred. Hawthorns were said to have sprung
up from the scattering of the dead’s ashes. In some places,
stones were laid at faerie trees on the way to funerals and
eventually became cairns. It was a custom to hang crosses
made from coffin wood on a particular hawthorn located
at a crossroads, during the funeral processions from the
county Wexford in Ireland. Another function of the
hawthorn was to mark where a Holy well was. In early May,
offerings were made to this tree, companion to the Holy
well, such as with tying rags and trinkets to her branches.
In the Lake District, UK, hawthorns were also associated
with justice and older court systems, being planted near
important meeting places.
Hawthorn was an unlucky plant to bring inside and one
should never harvest the flowers before May Eve. An old
Cheshire saying goes ^May in, Coffin out'. Another old saying
goes ^Hawthorn tree and Elder flowers, Fill the house with evil
powers.' This reflects a similar behef about elder flowers,
which was known as a faerie or witch tree as well. If
hawthorn from a faerie thorn was picked, it was thought to
result in a child dying. Apparently sleeping next to a thorn
flowering indoors in May would bring great misfortune or
even death to the one resting near it. In American Ozark
mountain folklore, hawthorn was considered an accursed
tree. Though in 1923 it became the Missouri State flower,
there were many folks who avoided touching it while it
was in bloom because of its ill-omened nature. The trees
were associated with ‘sexual misadventures’, such as tragic
abortions, rape, and unwanted pregnancy.
Hawthorn was and still is strongly associated with
May Day celebrations because during this time of the
year, it is in bloom. It is important to remember that this
goes back to before the Gregorian calendar change of
1752(at least in the USA, the UK and in Canada) and old
May Day fell on what is now May 11th, rather than May
187
Irst. This makes much more sense, as the whitethorn

is never blooming on M aylrst typically, at least not in
my maritime climate. The hawthorn gathered for these
celebrations was never from the lone thorns of course,
but rather from the hedges or gardens. Going ‘a maying’
was a happy custom where people would gather the
flowering boughs alongside music and horn blowing.
Hawthorn was typically included in wreaths of the Green
Man or the Jack-in-the-Green to celebrate the beginning
of summer. In some parts of England, one was doused
with water if a hawthorn sprig was not pinned on during
the May Day celebrations.
At sunrise, hawthorn branches would be hung over the
doorways of homes, which was originally a protective
act. Gathering the dew’ from hawthorn on May Day was
supposed to ensure a beautiful complexion if rubbed on
the skin. To gather ‘may dew’ before dawn on May Day,
a woman could make a secret wish about the one whom
she loved and after washing her face with the dew from
the hawthorn, it would come true. This May Dew also
was known to have healing powers, used for sore eyes
or gout.
On May Eve, hawthorn could be used in a love
divination. A girl would hang a branch of it from her
signpost. In the morning, her future husband would
come from the direction which it was pointing and if
it fell, it foretold of no marriage. Another love related
divination could be done —one was to partially break
the first branch of hawthorn that was seen on May Eve
and go to sleep to dream of their future mate. The next
morning the branch should be collected and taken home
and if the person did not see their lover in a dream the
night previous, they may see them while walking home
with the branch in hand. Hawthorn was associated with
love, interestingly for its ‘carnal’ smell. It was connected
with marriage rites, often an ingredient in the bridal
garland or chaplet. It was symbolic of fertility, love.
188
Hawthorn Tree
marriage, hope, fruitfulness and spring. Once again, it

seems that hawthorn had two sides to it —one dark and
eldritch and the other light and merry.
Hawthorn had other protective beliefs ascribed to it,
despite some of its ill-omened and uncanny associations.
It had the power to protect one from lightning, as it was
believed that the white thorn was never struck. An old
rhyme tells beware o f an Oak, It draws the stroke; Hvoid and
Ash it courts a flash, Creep under a Thorn, it will save jo u from
harm. In fact, it was thought that cutting down the tree
itself would cause a thunder and lightning storm. If the
white thorn was gathered on Holy Thursday, March 24th,
it could be placed within the rafters to keep a family safe
from lightning for the whole year. Wearing a sprig of it
in one’s hat would protect them from the same. It was
considered protective to attach a hawthorn sprig to the
cradle of a newborn. Generally, carrying hawthorn wood
was used as a protective amulet. Chips of hawthorn wood
were carried on boats by sailors or emigrants, to avoid
ship wreck at sea. Including some hawthorn in ones
hedging plants was believed to keep away the ‘bad faeries’,
a custom from Dublin.
Hawthorn had its use in magical healing practices as
well. Mothers in Burgundy, France would carry their sick
children to a flowering hawthorn tree and pray to the
tree for their health. It was thought that carrying a dying
person round an ancient thorn three times and bumping
against it would help recover their health. A Somerset
charm for a festering wound required that a piece of
hawthorn be passed over the place grieved and these
words spoken: Christ was o f the Virgin born. He was pricked
bj a thorn. It never did bell and swell; I trust in Jesus this never
There was a magic transference charm to rid of fever
from France —one was to go to a lone thorn and bring an
offering of bread and salt. The bread was to be fixed in a
forked branch and the salt scattered over the tree, certain
words were then spoken and the pathway home had to be
189
Under the W itchingTree
a different route than the one taken to find the tree. One
must also enter the home upon returning through a back
door or a window.
In some parts of England, a hawthorn (or blackthorn)
globe was made on New Year’s day and hung in the farm
house kitchen as a charm against fire. The old globe from
the previous year would be burned in the fields and the
ashes scattered as a fertility charm. Picking a piece of
hawthorn at exactly midnight on Twelfth Night would
bring luck to the home for the next year. Within Uving
memory from Chepstow, Wales, comes the custom of
planting a piece of hawthorn in each seed bed to nullify
any witch’s spells that could cause the seeds not to sprout,
recorded in 1974. A custom from Cambridgeshire would
include a hawthorn sprig to decorate the last hay rick at
harvest time, done for luck.
¥olk Medicine ^
Older medicinal uses of hawthorn included using the
bark for sore throats in Scotland, using an infusion of
the leaves for anxiety, and to stimulate the appetite. Also,
this leaf infusion was used to ease childbirth pains in
East Anglia. The flowers and berries were taken for sore
throats. Culpepper wrote that hawthorn was good for
dropsy (edema) and the stone. The bruised fruits were
taken infused in wine for easing general pains. Using the
bark of the hawthorn was an Irish remedy for toothache.
In Russia, hawthorn was used to treat conditions of the
heart, much as it is used today, in particular for heart pain,
angina. Traditional Scottish herbalists used hawthorn for
balancing high blood pressure. The use of hawthorn as a
heart tonic comes specifically from an Irish physician from
the nineteenth century. Some topical uses of hawthorn
leaves included it as an infusion for drawing splinters and
bringing boils to a head.
Mistletoe growing on a hawthorn tree was much pri2ed
and used to cure epilepsy — the specifics however are
190
Hawthorn Tree
unclear. Hawthorn berries were used in formulas to treat

rheumatism in American folk medicine and even wearing
hawthorn around the neck in a pouch was an amuletic
cure for the same. From a French Canadian cure for ulcers
—one was to leave their dressings under a hawthorn tree.
The next person who picked them up would inherit the
ulcers themselves, by way of transference magic. Infusing
a wine with hawthorn bark and using the resulting mixture
to bathe a wound inflicted with a thorn or for one still
impregnated with a thorn was homeopathic in its logic,
an old remedy from the thirteenth century. Hawthorn
was used along with other herbs from Anglo-Saxon
medicine for ‘Devilsickness’, likely meaning to remove
evil influences.
The Native Americans had some interesting uses for
the black hawthorn, Cratagus donglasii, which is the native
hawthorn to the Pacific Northwest, though the English
hawthorn is much more common to find in the wild
places. The black hawthorn grows near salt water and the
Puget Sound inlet (the Salish Sea) and English hawthorn
is all over abandoned homesteads and in neighborhoods.
A fascinating use for the thorns for arthritis pains comes
from the Okanagan-Colville tribe. The thorns pierced
the painful site of the body, while the upper end of the
thorn was lit a fire and allowed to burn down to the skin.
While very painful, a scab would form and when healed,
the arthritic pain was supposed to disappear. From the
same tribe, an infusion of the young shoots was given
to children with diarrhea and the used as a wash for the
inside of a baby’s mouth for sores. From the Kwakiutl
tribe, a poultice of the leaves was applied to swellings. The
Thompson tribe used the berries to help with diarrhea
and general sickness and used the thorns to probe boils
and ulcers - though to my knowledge the spines can cause
blood poisoning similar to English hawthorn spines. The
Iroquois tribe used a decoction of the Quebec hawthorn
Cratagus suhmollis along with a doll in witchcraft medicine.
191
to ‘make a person break out like cancer’. The Cherokee

tribe used the fruits of the C.spathulata to stimulate
appetite and an infusion of the bark was taken for good
circulation and to prevent spasms.
Personal Practices
Hawthorn is ruled by Mars, and certainly has a fiery virtue
within its wood, flowers and berries. The flowers therefore
can be dried and used in love magic and matters of the heart,
often helpful for reconnecting a married couple that has
gone estranged, or for one with a broken heart. Hawthorn
is also helpful for attracting new love in combination with
yarrow and rose. I have come across on numerous occasions
a bright pink hawthorn flowering tree on abandoned home
sites, its flowers still exuding the intense smell of the white
variety. These I beUeve are even more specific to love magic,
if one can locate them. The application can be to wear the
dried plant in an amulet, sleep with a bough under ones
pillow for prophetic dreams, to apply the infused fat or oil
to the heart area, to drink the eUxir and to incorporate the
tree into rites of manifestation.
The hawthorn is a powerful wishing tree. In two separate
instances in my life, I have gone to a wild thorn not planted
by humans and made offerings along with asking the tree
for help and making my wish very clear. It is good to tie a
piece of red cloth to one of the branches, in a way that will
not hinder the growth of the tree. Appropriate offerings
include honey, cakes and cream. I can report that in both
instances, my wish came true within a year of the folk
rite, and both wishes (done at separate times and during
different years of course) were very significant and specific
wishes, things that were unlikely to occur even in the best
of circumstances. There is no doubt that the hawthorn
tree spirits helped to manifest those deep wishes, ones that
had been held sacred for decades.
Along those same lines, wild thorn trees can also be
communed with for advice or for information. It is best
192
Hawthorn Tree
to visit them on the potent eves of the year and bring

offerings before sitting a time and going into a trance
to gain access to the Other realms. I do not recommend
going at dusk, or during the dark of night, as the old
lore warns us of the dangers of doing so. The clarity
that comes from this can be significant, in particular for
healing purposes.
A bough of hawthorn in berry can be hung up in the
home during the autumn months for the prevention of fire.
A hagstone can be hung on a wild hawthorn tree during
three nights of the full moons light and then worn for
healing by those whom are ill. The sharp spines can be used
for defensive magic, similar to using blackthorn. They can
be carried with one in a vial or in some sort of amulet
and included in potions for protection, three or nine spines
upturned in the bottle. They can be used specifically to turn
back the jealousy or for love betrayed.
Certainly it is appropriate to include hawthorn flowers
on Beltane altars and for rites during this time of year,
associated with love and fertilit}· but also for protection
from dark spirits and witches. Flowering boughs can be
hung up with flowering rowan to protect the home and
animal sheds on May Eve, April 30. When using hawthorn
for folk magic, be sure the variety has the thorns, as some
more modern cultivars do not.
Hawthorn tea can be made from the dried flowers and
leaves of the tree, harvested in full bloom, usually after the
first week of May. Harvest the little bundles of both leaf
and flower together, it is fine to include a little of the stem.
Make sure the stamens are still fresh in the flowers that you
choose and the petals are still attached. After drying, the
intense smell lessens and even by itself, this makes a very
pleasant infusion. It is a great tonic for circulatory and heart
concerns, best being used without any other medications
and taken for 3-6 months to produce an effect.
The berries can be harvested at the end of September and
both berry and leaf/flower can be used in a combination
193
medicine for cardiovascular or stress related issues. The

berries are ready for harvest when they crush into a white
pulp and have no sign of green on them. Remember, that
they are dry and mealy and will not be juicy. The berries
can be dried and decocted in teas or used fresh in elixirs as
well, and are very good for stress reUef, insomnia, anxiety,
trauma and grief. Wine and mead can be made from both
the dried flowers and fresh (or frozen and thawed) berries.
Mead with the dried leaf/flower is excellent and if made a
year in advance makes the perfect May Eve Ubation. The
fresh berries can be infused into brandy or port and made
into conserves along with other fruit, as they are mealy
and dry but high in pectin. Do not use dry berries (reserve
these for tea), but freeze fresh ones and then de thaw
before using. Do not heat the berries in any way before
adding alcohol, as they will gel up into a gloppy mess due
to the high pectin content.
Many thanks to the hawthorn trees, the wild trees and lone
thorns, and to the unkempt hedges that shelter and nourish more
than ju st birds and snakes. Also, the spirits o f the land reside
in these places, old and haunted grounds still hold their powers.
Hawthorn offers healing remedies and folk magic both to us
humans, but beyond that she is a refuge to those o f the unseen
world, at all times unsettling and strange. May those who still
believe in her pow er continue to protect her, by offerings
and wishes remembered.
Λ Witch Bottle to Turn Back a Jealous Enemy Ψ

This folk charm is to be made in order to defend against
poisonous envy, which will make one sick over a time if
not put in check. Envy is of course the basis for the long
feared Evil Eye. Mere admiration is healthy, but once the
admiration turns to seething jealousy, this charm can be
employed, based on the old fashioned ‘witch bottle’. On
the full moon gather nine long and sharp thorns from a
hedgerow or garden hawthorn tree, after an offering of
194
Hawthorn Tree
bread and cream is made. Be careful while removing the

thorns, if you yourself are pricked, you must wait until
the next full moon and choose another tree, discarding all
of the spines near the base of that tree. Upon returning
home, have at the ready an earthenware bottle with a tight
fitting cork. Place the spines facing upwards in the bottle
and add a curl of paper with the name written of the one
whom is envious, tied with a black scrap of cloth. Add
then your own hair and fingernail chppings to draw the
energy of the jealous one, and add a tablespoon of both
salt and poppy seeds. Cork the bottle tightly and repeat
these words thrice:
For the one whom is envious, let their Eye be shut blind,
For the one whom is coveting, let them be bound to the tree
For the one whom is poisonous, let them be circled with spines.
For the one whom is jealous, let them be powerless over thee.
The bottle shall then be buried upside down outside at

the corner of your dwelling nearest the hearth or fireplace.
If you do not have one, then outside nearest the heat
source. This will protect you from further damage caused
by the said person’s jealous glance and behavior.
Hawthorn Berry Honey - Freeze and dethaw hawthorn
berries. Pick them over for leaves and twigs. Place them in
a pan with just a little water, enough to steam them, but no
more. Bring to a boil and ‘steam’ with the lid on for about
10 minutes, careful not to burn, as the water may run out
if you added too little. Then, one half cup or so at a time,
take a sturdy stainless steel sieve and a wooden pestle and
work them through it. This is a sticky and tedious task, but
worth it. Scrap the bottom of the sieve with rubber spatula
every minute or so, saving this precious smooth pulp in
another bowl. When you think you have gotten all of the
pulp from the seeds and skins, discard and refill your sieve
with more steamed berries and work until they are all done.
Take the pulp and stir in an equal amount of honey. Store
195
in a mason jar in the fridge. This is a spectacular way to

take hawthorn, a few spoonful’s a day, or of course spread
on buttered toast. Use within about 6 weeks or freeze.
Hawthorn E lix ir^

To make an incredible ehxir, take hawthorn berries that
have been frozen and dethaw them. Fill a wide mouth
mason jar 1/2 full of the berries and smash them lightly
with a wooden pestle. Then add another quarter of the jar
with previously dried and crumbled hawthorn flower and
leaf. Fill the jar to У4 with brandy and top off with honey,
leaving about an inch of space on top. Cap and shake daily
for 8 weeks. Strain and let mature 6 months if possible, it
gets better with time. Take for an amazing heart or stress
tonic, I take a shot a day or so, split into two doses.
196
OAK TREE
(ûercns spp
n the golden shores grow the twilight oaks

1-with tawny leaves
acorn ornaments. The
faces in the bark are regal
and lordly, moving from
one expression to the
next. The ancient trees
host spirits and under
an oak tree, wisdom
can be revealed if one
knows how to listen
and how to hear. Tree
of safety and protection
the human wanderers, may
we rest in your shade and
dream a while with clear
seeing eyes, may we know
your strong trunk against
our back w’hen we again
awaken. Golden green
boughs and darkling roots
lead to places and paths
untrodden by human foot
falls, these roads enspirited
in the mist.
The name Quercus comes from the Latin genera for ‘oak
tree’, of which there are around six hundred species roughly.
They are in the beech famih’, Fagaceae. Oaks are native to
the Northern hemisphere, with around ninety species being
located in the United States alone. The local oak of the
197
Pacific Northwest is the Gary oak, Quercus garjanna. There

are some absolutely huge and gorgeous trees covered in
lichens in the prairie lands, and also right on the shores
of the Puget Sound inlet (the SaHsh Sea). They leaf out
later than all of the other tree giants of this place, such a
handsome tree is the mighty oak, known as ‘Lord of the
Forest’ from folk tradition.
We see that oak was a sacred tree from many cultures
in the past, its strength and beauty surely imprinting
peoples from long ago, not to mention its durabihty for
building materials of many sorts. From Greek myth, the
oak was the tree of Zeus and was his emblem. Legends
tell that there was a sacred oak that was a magical oracle at
Dodona, Greece where white doves lived and cold rushing
waters poured from the roots. It was told that Zeus lived
in the tree and his voice was the rustling of the leaves,
which were the oracular powers. Also from Greece, the
oak tree was known as the ‘first mother’ to humans,
feeding them with her acorns and honey. The three Fates,
‘the white robed incarnations of destiny’, along with Witch
Goddess Hecate, were crowned in oak leaves. Oak chaplets
were given for the Eleusinian Mysteries, yearly initiation
ceremonies in ancient Greece for the cult of Demeter and
Persephone —
‘Then crowned with Oaken chaplets, marched the priest o f

Eleusinian Ceres, and with boughs o f oak were overshadowed
in the feast, the teeming basket and mystic vase' —
a bit of prose from eighteenth century Irish-Anglo poet
Mary Tighe.
In Scandinavian myth, the oak was sacred to Thor, the

thunder God. Oak trees were also sacred to Celtic priests
and to the legendary Druids. Pliny was the one who
recorded the use of mistletoe that grew on the sacred oak
trees by the Druids. He also wrote about their rituals in
oak groves that involved using the leaves. Old writings tell
198
O a k Tree
that human sacrifice victims of the Druids were crowned

with oak leaves and the sacrificial fires were kindled with
oak wood. It is thought that some old monasteries were
built on sacred oak groves and near sacred oaks. Oak
was revered in Ireland as well, as it was believed that the
trees could not be soaked by rain or destroyed by fire.
Herne the Hunter was associated with oak trees —he was
a ghost from the Windsor forest in England who was
compared to Odin, Scandinavian God of the Wild Hunt.
Shakespeare wrote:
There is an old tale goes that Herne the Hunter Sometime a

keeper in Windsor Forest, Doth all the winter time, at still
midnight. Walk round about an oak, with great ragged horns.
There want not many that do fea r In deep o f night to walk by
this H erne’s oak ’
Of all the trees, oak was thought to be struck by

lightning more often and it was said to draw thunder
to it. In Wales specifically it was believed dangerous to
find shelter under an oak tree during a lightning storm,
as it could be struck ’50 times deeper’ than other trees.
From an old anonymous poem: To the dread rattling
thunder. Have I given fire, and rifted Jove’s stout oak with his
own bolt’, Jove being the Roman God Jupiter, to whom
the oak was also dedicated to. Children from Somerset
England were told to never picnic under an oak on
Thursday, which was ‘Thor’s day’. Pieces of oak that had
been struck by lightning were taken and used as amulets
against lightning, as were acorns. Some places in Europe
believed that it was the ‘iron’ in the oak tree that drew
the lightning - understandable as this was the strongest
tree for building materials. Twigs of oak, oak apples and
acorns were placed in a jar on the mantel within cottages
against lightning, from England. The boughs of leaves
were gathered to protect the home from storms, in the
names of Mother Mary and Jesus, from Italy. Bringing
199
oak amulets to sea was a very important practice against

lightning striking the ship out on the open ocean.
Marriages were common under old oaks and even
after the church forbade the practice, it was traditional
in some places to dance three times around an oak tree
after a wedding. Oak boughs w’ere carried during Roman
weddings as a symbol of fertihty. ‘Boundary oaks’ were
ancient trees that defined boundaries in olden lands, stories
about them come even from mythology. They were known
to become green again on old Christmas day, January 6th.
Many individual oaks throughout Britain have their own
legends and stories attached to them. Although the Yule
log was known to be from the ash tree in some parts, folks
from Germany, Czech Republic, Serbia and Italy originally
used oak wood. It was thought unlucky or even sinful to
cut down oak trees in olden times. In Ireland, the fine was
one cow if a person broke the law. In the Balkans, it is still
believed by some that spirits appear near the oak tree after
midnight, in the shape of a dog, bull, goat or large rabbit.
These spirits are thought to be protective of the tree that
they inhabit.
There is an old EngUsh saying ’Faerie folks live in old oaks’.
Elves and faeries were thought to dwell in oak branches,
within its leaves. Ancient oak woodlands were known to be
haunted by elves and faeries, particularly w'hen the bluebells
bloomed in them, during April. Lore tells for a child to never
to visit a ‘bluebell wood’, else they be taken by the faeries
and never returned. Sometimes lone oak trees were haunted
as well, by spirit powers.
Fhe faeries from their nightly haunt, In copse, dell or round the
trunk revered o f Herne !r moon silvered Oak, shall chase away
each fog, each blight, and dedicate to peace Thy classic shade ’
another bit of prose from Mary Tighe, Anglo-Irish poet.
From Yorkshire comes the belief that to find an oak tree

with a large hole in it confirmed that it was haunted, and
200
O a k Tree
Germans believed that an oak with a hole in it provided an

entrance and exit for elves to come and go.
Some believed that if an oak was cut dowm, it would
scream. To hear that sound could cause death in the family
within the year, or at least bring illness to the person that
had heard it. The Heddon oak near Crowcombe village,
England, was said to be haunted by human spirits that
wxre hung there for their crimes —after dark it was unwise
to walk near this tree, as the branches would creak with the
ghosts still swinging from them. Some oaks were known as
funeral trees, where ravens croaked on the branches and
drew lightning to them. In certain districts, it was lucky
to tell the nearest oak tree of a death in the family. Also,
certain oaks were known to foretell death from families
that they belonged to, by the coming of strange leaves. The
famous warrioress Joan of Arc was put to death as a witch
at 19, with one reason being that she frequented a faerie
oak’, hung garlands from it and danced around it - taken
as a sure sign that she was receiving spiritual powers from
it. Here is a quote from ancient Roman poet Virgil, being
over tvO thousand years old; O f nymphs andfauns and savage
men, who took their birth from trunks o f trees and stubborn Oaks. ’
Surely we can see the association with spirits and the oak
tree having been known since ancient times.
There is a famous old oak in Sherwood Forest in
England that was supposed to be the hideout of legendary
Robin Hood, still visited today by tourists. During hot
summers when forest fire is a threat, people drench the
tree with thousands of gallons of water daily to keep it
safe just in case. There is a village in Kent England that
is called ‘Seven Oaks’. The related legend goes that after
Cain murdered his brother, he was punished by having to
carry Abel’s body for 500 years. When he finally buried it,
he used his staff to mark the grave, from which seven oak
trees grew’.
To dream of oak in beautiful foliage w-as a very good
sign, but to dream of a blasted oak, was a great warning
201
—sudden death. To dream of an oak without foliage tells

of poverty in old age, while seeing the tree with acorns
tells of great wealth. To see many young oaks in a dream
tells of having many brave sons. Oak was an old emblem
for majesty and strength. Oak was also an old symbol of
hospitality, to give an oak branch meant ‘you are welcome
here’. The oak tree is under the dominion of Jupiter,
according to astrologers of the past.
Acorns had their own lore. Many acorns meant a long
hard winter to come. Acorns were put into the hands
of the deceased in some parts of Europe. They were
also associated with faeries, said to be the pipes that
leprechauns smoked out of, and their cups were known
to be a faeries’ shelter. They were carried as an amulet for
youth and vitality, and to prevent rheumatism. iVcorns were
also carried as an amulet against diarrhea —powdered they
were taken internally in small amounts for the same thing.
Dreaming of acorns was a sign of good fortune to come.
In a simple acorn love divination, two acorn caps were
taken and named for each lover. Then they were floated in
a bowl of water, if they sailed and floated together, there
would be a marriage, if they drifted, the lovers would too
drift apart. If the bridegroom was to carry an acorn in his
pocket during the wedding, he would have long Ufe and
good virility, as they symbolized fertiUty.
When oak leaves curl up, it foretells hot weather. A rhyme
about weather lore goes: 'Oak Smoke, Ash Splash’, meaning
that if the oak leafs out before the ash tree, there will be
a drought or hot dry weather, but if the ash leafs out first
before the oak tree, there will be much rain. Another old
saying T f oak and ash leaves show together, Us may fea r some
auful weather. This could be a sight but seldom seen. That could
remind we what has been’. It was also known that oak and
walnut could not grow near each other, as one of them
would perish. Oak apples are a special gall that grows on
oak trees, a place where insects lay eggs and develop. They
are a small round growth on the tree. They were used in
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O a k Tree
medieval times to make ink and dye and have some of

their own lore. One bit of lore tells that they were used
for divination, depending on the insect found inside. If
a fly was found, it meant a quarrel to come, if a spider
was found, it meant illness, if a worm was found it meant
poverty. Another interpretation was to watch the worm
that came out of the oak gall - if it flew away, it signified
war to come, if it creeped away, it meant a grain shortage
and if it ‘ran about’ then it told of the plague to come - no
good omens here!
Folk magic abounds with uses for the oak tree. A magical
cure for ague was to peg a lock of the sufferer’s hair to
the trunk, leaving the fever with the oak as a transference
charm —oak trees were sometimes planted at a crossroads
for this specific purpose. From Italy, amulets were made
from binding oak twigs together in the form of a cross to
help prevent insomnia. From Wales, a piece of oak bark
was taken in the left hand on Midsummers Day before
sunrise and rubbed down the body in silence —this was to
heal all open sores. In Germany crawling through an oak
cleft in a tree was supposed cure hernia and other disorders
by transference. In Russia, the oak had a similar magical
purpose as a tree that would take on human disease by
transference, in fact many different trees have transference
charms ascribed to them.
A northern German remedy for gout involved the oak
tree. One was to take a hold of an oak shoot and speak this
charm:
Oak-shoot, I to thee complain, all the torturing gout plagues

me. I cannot fo r it go, thou canst stand it. The first bird that
flies above thee, to him give it in his flight, let him take it with
him in the air, in the name o f the Father, Son and Holy Ghost
—Лтеп.
A chip of magically inscribed oak wood was used in

Swedish folk magic for bringing back a thief. It was burned
203
in a fire and the charcoal taken and ground in a household

grain mill, going backwards, with the left hand. This was
done on a Thursday. The charcoal remains were placed in
a linen bag and taken to a north running stream, and set
in the waters in such a way so the bag was whipped. This
would bring the thief no peace until he came and returned
the stolen goods.
Sleeping under an ancient oak tree was a supposed cure
for paralysis. Folks with toothache would drive nails in oak
trees to leave their pain with the tree. May dew gathered
from an oak on the morning of May Day before sunrise
was a beauty treatment for the skin. Scottish highlanders
would draw protective circles around themselves with
young oak saplings. The water found in the hollow places
in ancient oaks was used as a lotion for foul scabs, helping
them to heal. It was in fact healing to touch any diseased
part of the body to the ‘faerie doors’ in ancient oaks,
which are the hollow places or holes in the tree. Fallen oak
leaves were used in a New Year’s Day custom probably
for protection during the darkest nights of the year,
as this old anonymous rhyme relays: From the wood some
oak leaves bring, That were green in early spring; Scatter them
about the bier O f the now departing y ea r ’ To wear oak leaves
would protect one from evil powers and dark witchcraft,
crossroad oaks being most effective for this purpose,
known in England as ‘cross oaks’. Grass gathered from
the top of an oak tree was used for unknown magical
purposes. To plant an acorn during the dark of the moon
would manifest receiving or inheriting money. To suspend
an acorn around the neck of a child would protect them
from harm.
¥olk Medicine ^
Medicinal uses for oak reflect its high tannin content —it
is a very astringent tree. From the Greek island Chios, a
potion was made from the oak galls in wine and taken for
diarrhea. In general, oak bark was used as an infusion for
204
O a k Tree
a sore throat and for spitting up blood. A decoction of

the bark was also taken to stop internal bleeding and used
topically for eczema, freckles, sunburn, pimples, and used
as a hair rinse for darkening hair. There was a cure from
Suffolk for ague that used small amounts of acorns mixed
in gin and beer. Grating a ripe acorn in warm milk was a
cure for diarrhea from Suffolk, also the bark in milk was
known as a general antidote for poisonings of many sorts.
The distilled water of the oak bud, before leafing out, was
used for internally and externally for inflammation, diarrhea
and excess discharges of any sort. A Romany recipe for
stomach problems, including diarrhea and ulcers, was a tea
made from a mixture of English oak bark, rose leaves, long
spurred pansy roots(К/о/д calcaratd), common sage leaves
and blackberry leaves, one cup sipped throughout the day.
A cure for ringworm was to take six oak leaves and boil
them in water, then drink the water. A horse remedy for
shoulder sores was to make a decoction with water and oak
bark and use as a w'ash on the sores.
The Native American tribes had many medicinal uses
for the many species of oaks that grow in North America.
External uses and internal uses can be generalized to
include washes of the bark for wounds, sores, pain, burns,
an eye wash, skin ulcers, itching and infections. The bark
was chewed for mouth sores and applied to hemorrhoids
by many tribes. Internally, a decoction of the bark was
used for sore throats, for hoarseness, gastrointestinal
troubles, coughs and lung issues, as a douche for women’s
infections and taken as a tonic. It was used by women
specifically in different ways. A compound decoction of
the northern pin оъТ. Quercus ellipsoidalis 'was taken to bring
on suppressed menstruation caused by coldness, by the
Menominee tribe. The Navajo tribe used the root bark
decoction for afterbirth pains, to help deliver the placenta,
and as a ‘life medicine’. The Karok tribe used an infusion
of Gary o 2i\iQuercusgarjanna before the birth of a woman’s
first child, and rubbed the bark on her sides and stomach to
205
prepare her for her first delivery. The Choctaw tribe used
an infusion of the Blackjack Quercus marilandica coals
to help with afterbirth pains and cramping. An interesting
use comes from the Iroquois tribe - a white oak Ouercus
alba decoction was used somehow to counteract loneliness
and as a witchcraft medicine for when one’s wife was ‘off
running around’. The Seminole tribe used a decoction of
the willow 02 ikQuercusphellos'^'ood ash for a love medicine,
by placing it on the tongue to strengthen a marriage.
The oak tree holds strong solar powers and is especially
protective and potent when harvested on Midsummer’s
Eve. These leaves can be hung in the home along with
other herbs of Midsummer such as elder, mugwort and St.
Johns wort. They can be burned in the sacred Midwinter
fire on Christmas Eve. Some leaves are kept however for
use in charms where strength and protection are needed.
A branch of oak with acorns can be harvested in late
summer and the acorns used for fertiUty charms, for men
in particular. x\lso, when used as an amulet in a pouch, they
are protective for male children as w’ell. The wind fall from
autumn and winter storms can be gathered from large
trees and dried to save for fire offerings later in the year,
being very protective for use in ritual fires. If a pentacle
is burned or carved onto a piece of oak wood, it can be
carried as a protective taUsman on a journey or hung above
the doors of a home for protection. Amber beads can be
hung in an oak tree for a time during the longest days of
the year, and then removed for added potency in their use
in heahng work.
The lichen from the oaks, Lobariapulmonaria also known
as ‘lung wort lichen’ or ‘oak lung’ or even ‘oak rag’, can be
used for lung and bronchial troubles in an infusion and
as an orange dye without the use of a mordant. If one is
lucky enough to live with the oak species that grows the
oakmoss or Evernia prunastri lichen, it can be used in all
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O a k Tree
sorts of natural perfume balms, best infused in bear fat

—it is deeply fragrant and earthy, like nothing else. As an
infusion, it makes a healing skin wash.
M anj thanks to the strong and mystic oak, house o f spirits

from ancient earthen realms. May we still perceive remnants
o f wisdom as we work with this healing and protective tree,
its sacred roots in deep earth. Tong may the Lord o f the Forest
be revered, shelter to deer and stag, to omen bird and charms
cloaked and hidden.
Divination hj Oak Spirits ^

On the full moon nearest Midsummer’s Eve, find a large
and haunted oak tree, the closer to a water source, the
better. Do not go at nighttime. Wear no iron or metal, make
sure of this. Bring offerings of cakes and cream for the
tree, along with one chunk of raw sugar, to be deposited
at the roots of the tree. Have with you a notebook and
black pen. Within a black cloth, have written your question
on a paper in black ink. Choose a branch end and tie the
black cloth to it, concealing it as best as you can. If you
have any reservations or fear as you do this, find another
tree. Sit with your back against the trunk of the tree and
go into a trance to find the spirit of this tree. When you
contact it, explain what answers you are seeking and the
reasons. Ask the spirit if it is willing to help you. If not,
bow politely and return to your body and leave the premise
quietly and without resentment. Find another oak tree to
ask, if a second one refuses you, your questions are to
remain unanswered.
If the spirit is willing to help you, express your gratitude
and see what develops of the vision. Sometimes the things
perceived may not make sense until much later. Record
your vision and any significant information in your
notebook. The oak spirits are very wise and sometimes
a teacher or familiar can be found under the trees in the
spirit realms. Watch for this. x\lways ask the spirit its name
207
and if it refuses to answer, then it should be strongly

avoided. Always come back by the same way you came
in, returning to the same tree your body is resting under.
Leave the tree in gratitude and leave the paper for seven
days. See what dreams you have during the next seven
nights, they may be pertinent to the situation at hand.
Return to the tree after seven days to remove the question.
This tree may be visited throughout the year for making
offerings and connections, but only ask of its divination
powers once per year.
208
ASH
Fraxim/s spp
sh tree, old one with furrowed dark bark, your healing

charms are upon the altar and above the bedstead.
^Watching ravens perch in your branches, shaded by
the soft green leaflets, there are wands and amulets, there are
circles and girdles worn and carried for protection. Heahng
tree. Old Wyfe of the wet places, black roots in the ditches
of the water springs, you keep safe our babies, our children.
Medicine of ancestors, you watch even still, from
your grove pulsating with
undetected but for the
spirits that linger there.
The genus Fraxinus
is in the olive family,
Oleaceae, there being
around 55 species. The
European ash Fraxinus
excelsior is a tree
with much folklore
ascribed to it. The
name ‘ash’ comes from
the Old English ‘aesc’,
both words thought to
mean ‘spear’. The ash
tree that grows in the
Pacific Northwest region
of the world is the Oregon
ash, Fraxinus latifolia.
Loving the wettest parts of
the landscape, this tree will
happily spread its seeds and
become an overwhelming patch
209
of young trees. There are some very large ash trees that live
with their roots deep in the water ditches and near creeks,
and even lakes. They are hauntingly beautiful.
Some Teutonic creation stories told that the first man
came from an ash tree, whereas the first woman came
from an alder tree. In Northern mythology, the world
tree Yggdrasil is supposed to have been an ash tree,
though some scholars believe it to be the yew tree, which
was originally referred to as ‘evergreen ash’, referring to
Taxus bacata instead. The Norse God Odin hung himself
on the w’orld tree in his quest for wisdom. This sacred tree
had three wells (or springs) symbolizing force, memory
and life, at its roots which went down to Hela’s realm.
Iduna, the Goddess of life, gave the tree fruit, which
were more like apples and were fed to the Gods. The
three Weird Sisters of past, present and future tended
the tree by sprinkling it with water from melted snow so
that it would not wither. Under the tree w'as a magical
horn that if blown, would someday signify the end of
the universe.
The ash tree was used in protective folk magic in many
ways for guarding against the Evil Eye and dark witchcraft.
Germans were said to give ‘honey’ from the ash tree for
their babies first food. Similar to this, from the Highlands of
Scotland, midwives attending a birth would place a piece of
green ash within the fire and collect the sap that oozed from
it. This sap placed on a small spoon would be the babies
first food, likely a protective measure for the infant. Ash
‘fruit’, referring to the seed pods or ‘keys’ as they are called,
was known from mythology to ensure a safe childbirth. Ash
twigs hung around a baby’s cradle would protect it from
harm. From Devonshire came a tradition to give a baby its
first washing from water boiled over a fire of ash wood, as it
was believed that the baby Jesus was washed similarly after
he was born.
There were sacred ash trees in Ireland that were known to
protect from storms and were not allowed to be cut down.
210
Л зЬ
Its ancient Irish name i\7o« translates into ‘cloud maker’.

If one did cut down a sacred ash tree, it was thought that a
house fire would occur as a result. It was considered unsafe
to take shelter under an ash tree in times past, as it was
thought to attract Hghtning, an old saying b e i n g the ash,
it courts the flash. However, though ash trees were connected
with lightning, they also protected from it —this is similar to
oak. An old protective combination was with ash, hawthorn
Cratagus spp. and houseleek Sempervivuru tectorum. Ash was
also used in charms to protect from fire, a West Country
version using the leaves tied with red thread and suspended
in the home. Ash had a connection to both fire and water in
the lore. It was used to protect one from drowning and was
taken to sea for this in times past. Boat oars w’ere made from
its wood for the same underlying purpose. It was known to
have power over water, hence its use in rain making rituals
from ancient Greek tradition.
The ash tree w’as used as a protection against dark witchcraft
extensively. Eating the buds of the ash WOuld make one
invulnerable to witchcraft. From Lincolnshire comes the use
of the female ash with ‘berries’, called Sheder, used against
a male witch, and the male ash, called heder, used against a
female witch. If a home had an ash tree grove nearby, it was
protected from witchcraft, the leaves could also be hung in
the home for the same. If the leaves were hung above the
bedstead, they would bring protection to the one sleeping.
Related, if one was to carry a bunch of ash leaves in their
hand, they would be protected from witches. Peasants from
Normandy would sew pieces of ash bark, along with elm
bark U/mus spp., in their clothing for protection. There was a
Witches Well at Pandlestone, in Somerset UK that was long
feared until an ash tree grew near it, making it no longer a
force of evil. Ash wood was burned in Ireland for protection
from ‘Devils’. Interestingly, witch’s broomsticks were told to
be made of ash wood and willow twigs, bound with birch
bark —from some areas of course, depending on what was
available. The inclusion of ash as the broomstick was to
211
Under the itching Tree
keep the witch safe from drowning as she flew over the sea
on her way to the Sabbat.
Animals of the farm were also protected from witchcraft
and harm using the ash tree, their survival being essential
for the familv in times past. Striking a beast (Ughtly) would
protect cattle, as would hanging wreaths wound from the
branches around their horns. From an ash tree where a
horseshoe had been buried among the roots could be
harvested a branch that was stroked on an animal for
protection, being doubly effective because of the iron
horseshoe as well. There were trees known as ‘Shrew Ash’s’
in certain villages, where a ‘shrew mouse’ was blamed for
a limb disease of horse and cattle, and sometimes humans.
In order to deal with these afflictions, a Uve shrew would be
inserted into a hole bored in the ash tree, and shut in to die
an unfortunate death. The leaves and branches harvested
from these trees were rubbed on the affected limbs of the
sufferer as a cure.
The ash tree, like the hazel tree, has long been a repellent
of snakes, since Phny’s time and most likely before. PUny
wrote that a snake would rather be burned in a fire that be
touched by an ash stick. Folks from Cornwall would carry a
stick of ash to protect from the adder snake, and if struck
with an ash stick, the snake was known to perish. If any
other wood was used, the snake would live until the sun went
down. From seventeenth century poet Abraham Cowley;
On the wild Ash 'r tops, the bats and the owls,
With, all night, ominous and banefulfowls.
Sat brooding, while the screeches o f these droves.
Profaned and violated all these groves.
But that which gave more wonder than rest,
Within an ash a serpent built her nest,
And laid her eggs, when once to come beneath.
The very shadow o f the ash was death’.
The snakes were believed to even stay out of the shadow
of the tree. Sometimes ash trees were planted around houses
212
Л зЬ
to keep the adder snake away. From Devonshire came the

practice of drawing a circle around a snake with an ash stick
to kill it. From Somerset came the custom of hanging a
wreath of flowers on an ash tree close to the farm in order
to protect people of the family from a snakebite for the
whole year. Carrying a piece of ash bark in ones pocket to
keep awây snakes was practiced in Wales.
An old legend tells about a child w'hom received his
portion of bread and milk at the cottage door. He became
acquainted with a snake and began to share his food with
it. Overtime, this was discovered by the mother w^ho was
a laborer in a nearby field. Being as she could not keep the
snake from the child, she tied an ash twig to the child’s body.
The snake could no longer come near the child, and the
poor child eventually pined away for its companion and
died, a rather sad story indeed.
Ash also was used in different physical remedies for
treating snakebite because of its lore. If a dog was bitten
by a snake, green ash tips were decocted in water and the
resulting liquid given to the dog to drink. For an animal
or a person, to effect a snakebite cure, ash branches made
into a circlet and placed around the neck were known to
help. A sixteenth century snakebite remedy tells to take
ash leaf juice in white wine. The leaves could be applied
as a snakebite poultice, along with reciting this simple
charm (from Somerset) Ashing Tree, Ashing Tree, Take this
bite away from m e’ It was most helpful to suck the wound
and spit, repeating these words for a total of three times.
Along with snakes, the ash tree was believed in some
parts to be destructive to frogs and toads as well. One
belief tells that if any pond was overloaded with frogs
and toads, by throwing in a load of ash branches into
the pond, one could drive them away within three days.
I would think this to be a boon, however folks in times
past certainly feared reptiles because of their poisonous
virtues and underlying chthonic powers connected to
witchcraft.
213
There are certain superstitions associated with ash trees.

If a cluster of the seeds or ‘keys’ as they are known drops in
front of a person, it was a death omen. However, carrying
a bunch of ash keys was known to help prevent one from
being bewitched or ‘overlooked’. Finding an even numbered
ash leaf was lucky (as most of the leaflets are odd numbered)
and possibly foretold of love coming a person’s way. One
Cornish rhyme goes: Tiven ash, 1 do thee pluck, Hoping thus to
meet good luck; I f no good luck I get from thee, I shall wish thee
in that tree’. Another general rhyme goes: Uven ash, even ash,
I p u ll thee o ff the tree; The first young man I do meet. My lover
he shall be. ’ After this rhyme is spoken, the even ash leaf
was put in one’s left shoe. Another charm goes The even ash
leaf in my hand. The first I meet shall be my man’ 2iS the leaf is
held in a woman’s hand. Then she puts it in her glove saying
The even ash leaf in my glove, the first I meet shall be my love.
Then placing it in her bosom, she speaks The even ash lea f in
my bosom, the first I meet shall be my husband, completing the
spoken charm. The even numbered ash leaf was also placed
under the pillow to bring on prophetic dreams. It could be
worn as protection against evil as well.
Ash wood was used for the Yule log in more southern
areas of Europe, whereas birch wood was generally used in
Northern parts. As the Yule log wound with green ash bark
was burned, divinations could be interpreted, the shadows
on the wall watched for omens. In Wales, if the shadows of
the people in the room were without heads, it was a death
omen for those involved. A bunch of twigs called a faggot
was made with ash and wound with a band of the green
bark on Christmas Eve in some parts of Britain, taking the
place of the Yule log in Devon and Somerset. They were
used for divinations in a similar way and for celebrating the
festivities. If each girl present chose a band, which ever one
snapped first would indicate marriage to come. The remains
of the Yule log itself were used magically as well. From
Penistone England, ashes from the Yule log were kept and
scattered in the cellar to keep witches away and to bring
214
Ash
good luck to the house. From Somerset, they were put in the
cow barn to bring luck during the calving season. It was of
upmost importance to save a piece of the burned Yule log
to ignite the Yule fires for the following year, that way luck
was carried year to year. In parts of France and England,
the charred remains of the Yule log were kept under the bed
as a protective talisman, keeping the house from both fire
and Ughtning.
In folk healing magic, the ash tree had many uses.
Water gathered from a hollow in certain ash trees was
used in healing rites, from Ireland. From Cornwall comes
the practice of carrying ash wood in one’s pocket as a
preventative for rheumatism. Ash trees were used in
transference magic for numerous uses. Passing a child
through a hole or cleft in the tree could cure it of a hernia,
called the ‘rupture’ in times past. From Cornwall, this had
to be done before the sun rose and the child was washed in
the dew collected from the same tree for three mornings in
a row following the transference. From Herefordshire, the
child’s father had to pass him through the ash tree saying
‘The T ordgiveth’ to another man, who would then say ‘ The
Lord recieveth’. Some more specific rules applied, depending
on the locale of the practice. From West Sussex, the child
had to be accompanied by nine people, each one passing
them east to west. From Suffolk, the young ash tree had
to be split exactly at sunrise, from east to west and done
before the tree had any leaves on it. The child was then to
be passed through the tree naked, feet first, turned around
toward the sun and this must be done three times total
for the cure to take effect. Any ash tree that was used for
transference was wâtched over from time to time, to make
sure that it did not wither and die, as the fate of the child
was linked ever to the tree since the healing ceremony was
performed. If the tree died, it was a death omen for that
child. Other diseases that could be cured from the ash
tree by transference included rickets, whooping cough and
epilepsy.
215
In a simple folk healing practice to cure whooping

cough, a lock of one’s hair was nailed to the ash tree, as the
hair rotted away, so would the whooping cough disappear.
Warts were also cured with the ash tree, one simple charm
was to by a new’ package of pins, stick one separate pin in
each wart, then pin them each to the ash tree w’hile reciting:
‘Ashen tree, Ashen tree,please buj these warts o f me’. A wart cure
from East x\nglia was to carve ones first and last initials
into the bark of an ash tree that had ‘keys’ or seedpods
on it, then to cut notches into the bark to match the same
number of w’arts. It w’as beheved that as the notches grew
closed, the warts would disappear. The best time to cure
one of w’arts was in April and May, from some parts in
England. Yet another ash tree folk cure was for impotence.
A man was to spUt a young ash tree(or hazel) and hold the
split together on the top, this making a symbolic \ailva. He
would then place his private part within the split. Likely
words were recited, now lost in the past. To finish the
charm, he would bind up the tree. As it healed so would his
impotence disappear.
A Sussex cure for bed wetting was for a child to go to an
ash tree alone and gather a bunch of keys, keeping the keys
in the hollow of the right arm on the w’ay home. When the
child returned home, the bunch of keys was burnt in the fire,
then the child was to urinate on the ashes, thus affecting the
cure. To prevent neuralgia from Wiltshire, one would bore a
hole in a maiden ash tree(one that had never been pollarded
or topped or in some parts, one that had never been cut with
a metal blade) and place their fingernail clippings within the
hole and stop it closed.
Along with oak, ash could foretell whether the summer
would be a wet one or a dry one. If the ash leafed out before
the oak, it would be wet. If the oak leafed out before the
ash, the summer would be hot and dry. To remember this,
the old rhyme Oak Smoke, Ash Splash could be memorized.
Ash is ruled by the sun according to some astrologers from
the past, while others thought it to be ruled by Jupiter.
216
Ash
F olk M ed icin e ^
Ash keys were harvested for food in times past, even the
pickled keys were thought quite good. They could be made
while picked young and covered with a spiced vinegar. Ash
bark was used for fever and malaria. The bark was burned
and used as a poultice for toothache, a Scottish Highland
remedy. From Ireland, the sap from a young tree was a
treatment for ear aches. The wood of an ash tree that was
only two or three years old could be cut specifically when
the sun entered Taurus. The bark applied from this wood
would stop bleeding, from an old manuscript. Tea made
from dried ash leaves gathered during the early summer was
used as a diuretic and a laxative. It was also taken for gout
and rheumatism, from ancient times.
From the thirteenth century, ash keys boiled in a person’s
urine and the resulting mixture soaked in black w o o I made a
poultice of sorts for ulcerated ears, the liquid to be dropped
in while speaking: By Gods help, it will cure it!’. Ringworm
could be cured from burning ash twigs in a tin box, over
which the part of the body affected by the ringworm was
passed through the resulting smoke. A Devonshire cure for
treating animals with Foot and Mouth Disease w'as to feed
them ash leaves.
The Native Americans used the ash tree quite extensively
in their medicine, as with all trees in their range. With the
white ash Fraxinus americana and black ash Fraxinus nigra
tribes used the bark generally for a tonic, cathartic, emetic,
laxative and an abortifacient. The Iroquois tribe used it as
an ear medicine and dropped the sap into the ears, similar
to the European folk medicine. They also took the ash
bark for a cleansing medicine to help them hunt deer. A
decoction of the roots was used for snakebites, applied
externally, by numerous tribes —another similar use to the
Europeans. Other ash species were used similarly. There
were a few ceremonial uses as well. The Karok tribe used
the Oregon ash F.latifolia bark to help lessen a bad effect
217
on one whom was ceremonially impure. The Omaha tribe

used their local ash T.pensylvanica for different rituals and
the same species was taken for depression (the inner bark)
by the Algonquin tribe.
The ash tree is essential for protecting the home against fire.
It can be hung in the kitchen or near the hearth, bound with
red wool threads for this purpose. It is such a tree of watery
virtue, similar to willow and alder, and can certainly be used
to bring rain when needed. Depositing small smooth crystal
stones under the roots is one method. Offerings can be made
at old trees, in asking for healing. Washes from the leaves boiled
in rainwater can be used for sore Umbs and wounds that are
slow to heal. The wood is very valuable in the charm makers
apothecary for protection, as the lore tells. Carrying a pouch
filled with shaved wood on oneself is wonderful protection
from all harm, as is carrying a piece of the bark from an old
tree, harvested from a branch brought down by a storm. The
branches hung above a child’s bed is also a protective measure
that can be employed, against nightmares. Add the red berried
holly if the nightmares are frequent. Wands fashioned from
ash wood can be used for heahng or magical work involving
elimination of bad energy and protection, and also to turn
back any curses that may be affecting one’s Ufe.
Many thanks to this tree o f folk healing and charm making.

The ash tree gave the witch o f old many magical remedies, tree
o f both fir e and water. May the rustic practitioner remember
her strength and power when assaulted by spirits o f dark
intent, the ash bringing illumination to those threatening
situations. Tong may she grow with roots touching
waterways, a raven’s tree, fo r one who sees.
Charm to Keep Лггау Fire ^

To keep fire away from your home, gather ash leaves and roots,
row’an Sorbus berry and wood and house leek Sempervivum
218
Ash
tectorum. Dry these, chop them small and sew into a pouch
of hght blue wool, lined with red cloth. During the waning
moon, including a piece of clear crystal and a dried frog.
Quartz crystal that was clear was thought to be super frozen
water, in times past. Before sewing closed, fumigate with
dragon’s blood, all the while chanting: Water over Fire, Water
over Fire, water over Fire__ When sewn closed, attach three
crow feathers, knowm for bringing storms, and hang nearest
the hearth of the home. This charm can be employed for
keeping wild fires away from the home as well as keeping the
home safe from fire in general.
219
LINDEN
Tilia spp
’ he linden tree in full bloom in the sunshine of

1early July is a sight to behold. The buzzing of the
bees that adore it can be sensed upon approaching
the whimsical tree, its light gray bark and emerald
heart shaped leaves a perfect backdrop for the small
ivory flowers wrapped in elf green crepe paper. What
this tree from the fairytales of old inspires is pleasant
healing steams, floral liquors and protection from Our
Lady’s cloak, in particular for the babes and women with
child. Yet, there is something wild about the older trees,
something untame and even dangerous, shrouded in the
pleasure of alluring branches, in the glamour within the
eye of the beholder.
The genus Tillia has about thirty species and is in the
mallow family, Malvaceae. Linden trees are known as ‘lime
trees’ in Europe, T. eurpoea and ‘basswood’ in the US, T.
americana. The name linden has its roots in the Anglo-Saxon
h-ind which is thought to come from shield. The wood was
easy to work and used for shields. Another interpretation
comes from the German word lindern, which means ‘to
soothe’, this thought by some to be referring to lindens
folk medicinal use for sleep. Yet another interpretation is
that the name lînden refers to the trees connection to the
dragon or lîndwiirm, more on that below.
The European lime tree is often used for landscaping
purposes here in America and if not native to an area can
often be found planted around bank parking lots or lining
downtown streets. Linden has heart shaped deep green
leaves, flowering in early July with a distinct lighter green
bract on a thin stem of small creamy flowers. They smell
221
of a mixture of cucumber, gardenia and honey, especially

when wilted, it is incredible and intoxicating. Though there
is not a copious amount of folklore for hnden, what there
is inspires an enchanted reverence for this tree of dragons
and dwarves.
There were magical powers associated with the Hnden tree
from ancient times. In the Balkans, it was forbidden to cut
the linden tree down, except when a ‘living fire’ was needed
from it. This was made by rubbing Hnden with an oak
branch to obtain fire, then using the fire for ritual purposes.
Soothsayers from Scythia in Central Europe used to twine
Hnden leaves in their fingers for inspirations during their
prophesying. Herodotus, a Greek philosopher told that the
transvestite shamans received their powers from Aphrodite
and would spHt the bark of the Hnden tree three ways,
wrapping them around their fingers and loosen them while
they spoke their spells.
This tree is dedicated to Venus according to astrologers
of the past, and has been connected with love from its heart
shaped leaves. Some beHeve it was connected to wedded
love specifically, from references to Greek mythology. From
an old Slavonian love song: Mr the Bee is drawn hj the lime
perjhme, I am drawn to thee’. Lime flowers were not brought
indoors in Germany because they were thought to give girls
erotic dreams on account of their scent. There was (and
may still be) a Hme tree that stood on the south side of a
churchyard in Nortorf, Germany. It had three main branches
and underneath the tree marriages, contracts, justice courts
and festivals took place, with all contracts being made orally
and sealed by pressing one’s thumb into the great tree. There
are a few Swedish charm’s for both controlHng women and
arousing passions using Hnden, found in Black Books of the
early eighteenth century.
Linden was a women’s tree, as folk lore tells. Germanic
and Norse people beHeved the Hnden tree was sacred to
Freyja and to Frigg (possibly the same Goddess, it is up for
debate), and connected to fertiHt}’, birth and women’s sacred
222
Unden
knowledge. Of Mary Magdalene, Christ’s female prophet,

comes this lore -
‘she may have no food save lime tree leaves and drink the dew
that hung on it leaves, whilst sleeping in a bed made from them
—Wolfgang Menzel, 1854.
It was her favorite tree according to old sources. In Lithuania,

the hnden was known as a woman’s tree and it was thought
that the souls of women whom had died moved into this
tree. Women’s graves were marked with a Unden cross. In
Bulgaria, Unden trees were and are still locations for shines
dedicated to Mother Mary.
In old Germany, Linden was a holy tree, also thought to
be the residing place of faeries and dwarves. The elf King
was supposed to Uve in this tree. It was known to be unsafe
to visit the Unden trees after sunset. Some verses from a
Swedish Ballad of Sir Thynne’ give a possible warning;
‘ nd it was the knight Sir Thynne’ went the hart and the hind
A
to shoot,
So he saw Ulva, the little Dwaij's daughter, at the green
U nden’s foot.
And it was the knight Sir Thynne’, From his horse he springs
hastily.
So goeth he to Ulva, the little Dwarfs daughter, all under the
green Unden tree.
And it was Thora, the little Dwarfs wife. She at the hill door
looked out.
And there she saw how the knight Sir Thynne’ lay at the green
Undens fo o t’
It was also beUeved that dragons Uked to lay beneath the

Undens shade. Nigel Pennick in his book Dragons o f the West,
1997, writes ‘The Undwurm o f Central Europe is connected with
the Unden tree. It is said to live in the earth fo r its first 90 years,
in a linden tree fo r the next 90 and then in the desert fo r the fin al
223
90years o f its 270yea r life’. He goes on the tell about how

certain linden trees serve as central places within villages
in the Central European landscape and how some of those
trees are connected with both dragons and women. One
tree from the Islands of Chiemsee, the largest Bavarian
lake, has a painted image of the Mother Mary standing on a
Lindwurm, attached to the tree. Another tree was called the
’Murtenlinde’ and though stands no more, was enclosed near
St. George’s fountain, with a sculpture of St’ George kilhng
a dragon. A cutting from the original tree has been planted
in its place. A German hero Sigurd was named so because
he slaved a dragon. It was told that afterwards, he bathed
himself in the dragon’s blood and transformed to have
dragon scales all over his body, except the place between his
shoulder blades, where a heart shaped Unden leaf stuck —
this was his vulnerable spot.
Linden is a tree of tales and faerie stories. There was a
legend that came from BerUn, telUng of three brothers,
the youngest of whom was in love with an ItaUan lord’s
daughter. The well off ItaUan Lord forbade any contact
between his daughter and the peasant boy, how'ever soon
after, the Lord was stabbed at a pubUc event and the three
brothers happened to be present. The eldest was accused of
the murder, and to save their brother, both of the younger
brothers took the blame. The judge was understandably
confused and ordered all three of them to take Unden trees
and plant them upside down at a certain churchyard —the
linden would reveal the murderer by whichever one would
not grow. The lindens all grew, the roots transforming into
branches and within thirty years covered the churchyard
with their shade. The three brothers were ennobled as Lords
of the Linden and of course, the youngest got to marry the
daughter he had desired. The Unden was a tree of justice in
this tale, as it was in others, such as in the Rose Elf by Hans
Christian Anderson, where the severed head of a woman’s
lover was buried under a flowering linden tree, while a little
elf hid in a Unden leaf and witnessed the murder. EventuaUy
224
Ufiden
the elf and the bees helped avenge the evil brother whom
committed the act.
From Germany and Hungary, people planted a Hnden
tree in their yard to keep witches from entering their homes.
Certain linden trees belonging to a family could foretell
death within the famil}-, if a branch fell. This is similar to the
death omens relating to oak trees that had been in a family
for a long period of time.
Fo/k Medicine ^
Linden is a bee tree, the nectar from its sticky flowers
attracting many insects, but especially bees. Honey from
linden trees was so good, it was sold often for 3-4 times
the price of other honey. The fruit of the Unden was soft
and sweet, known as ‘hens apples’ from Inverness, Scotland.
I have never personally noticed fruit on the tree before,
something to look for. The leaves can be eaten young in
spring salads and can be later given as animal fodder. The
flowers with their small bracts can be made into delicious
wines and elixirs, food of the Faeries to be sure.
Linden tea was and still is a remedy for insomnia, and
linden baths were taken for both insomnia and nervous
ailments. The tea w'as also used for headaches, very popular
in France. The bark from the tree was steeped to bring out
its emolUent (mucilaginous) qualities and used on the skin
for burns and scalds. The leaves and flowers boiled in water
was used as a wash for sores, freckles, ulcers, wrinkles and
other skin problems. It was also appUed to the scalp to
stimulate the growth of hair. Lime flowers were used to cure
epilepsy, called ‘falUng sickness’, combined in an unpleasant
old recipe with the gall of a black puppy - if the patent was
female, then a bitch. Linden was also a heart remedy in times
past.
The Native Americans used Unden (basswood) for many
different ailments in their folk medicine. The Quebec
Algonquin tribe used an infusion of the leaves as an eye
remedy. The Cherokee tribe used the bark internally for
225
dysentery, heartburn during pregnancy, weak stomach and

bowels and also as a poultice mixed with cornmeal for
boils. The bark from a tree struck by Ughtning was used as
a poultice for snakebite. The Iroquois tribe used the leaves
as a poultice for burns, scalds, broken bones and swelUng.
A decoction of the branches was used to wash babies who
were struggling to learn to walk. An infusion of the plant
was taken for sever pain and injuries and also used as a
panacea. The Meskwaki tribe used poultices of the bark for
opening boils and a decoction of the twigs for lung troubles.
As the linden is ruled by Venus, it certainly can be
incorporated into love potions and philtres. The heart
shaped leaves can be threaded on red thread and hung above
the bedstead to encourage love between a husband of wife
where it has gone stagnant. The flower wine can be taken
by a couple for the same, as can the eUxir. Visiting the tree
on a full moon, in particular if that moon happens on a
Friday, a woman can go and pray to the tree for her health
or the health of a child. Wood harvested at this time with
offerings can be carried as an amulet by a pregnant woman
to protect her and her babe. A wooden equal armed cross or
hand fashioned amulet can be brought to a woman’s birth
for protection as well.
I have been blessed to find a large linden tree on an old
homestead of some farmer folks who are wilting to let
me come and harvest this precious medicine during the
summertime. The flowers in full bloom can be gathered,
including the tight green bracts. When the flowers are
perfectly open and overu’helmingly fragrant, they can be
harvested, easy to pick with one’s fingers. It is best to go
in the early morning to avoid the competition of the bees.
The resulting harvest can be dried for tea and baths or made
into delicious wine, elixirs or syrups. An infused linden
honey is ambrosia to be sure, but only to the palate that
would recognize the underlying cucumber floral flavor. It
226
Unden
tastes so similar to honey, that many folks unfamiliar with

linden do not catch it. Any of the medicines above can be
taken for insomnia, stress, tension, irritability, headaches
and for mild depression. This medicine is especially helpful
for toddlers, children, elders and sensitive folks. It is quite
a delightful medicine, with such a gentleness, it soothes
and nourishes.
Alany thanks to this healing and numinous tree, present still

as a potent spirit in the old forests. As nourishment fo r the
bees and caretaker o f women, it transforms itself, unwatched
and unnoticed by many. May the glitteringfestival that
surrounds the old lime tree carry on under starlight and
moonlight, illuminated in the secret glades and meadows.
Lînden Sweeping Tool ^

The branches of linden can be made into a sweeping
tool for use during healing work, particularly appropriate
for women. Harvest the smaller branches on a full moon
while in full flower, probably during early July. Strip the
leaves and flowers, drying them separately. Then dry the
twigs, exposing them to moonlight through a window for
three nights. After the third night by the light of a candle
in a darkened chamber, bind the twigs uith blue threads,
enclosing a snakeskin around the handle. Thread nine snake
vertebrae and attach to the place bound, near the handle.
When it is made, pass the sweeper through a smoke of white
roses Rosa spp, mugwort leaf and bud Artemisia vulgaris,
angehca root Angelica archangelica and dragons blood resin.
Speak these words thrice:
Snake o f womb, snake o f root, snake o f venom white,

Surround this bark o f moonlight twigs.
With ou rU idy’s healing light.
Protect and keep the beating heart safe from undue harm
By dragon claw and linden wood, I consecrate this charm!
Ill
Store this sweeping tool wrapped in a white cloth with

dry linden leaves and flowers. Use it to protect women or
children, by sweeping it around their body, removing all
unwanted energy and offering a protective barrier as needed.
It can also be used as a healing tool during a session, used
for the same, and to remove illness. Or gift it to a woman
friend whom is in need of great protection, to be hung
above her bed.
Linden Flomr Mead ^

To make 1 gallon of mead, you need about 2 quarts full
of flowers including the light green bract, usually harvested
in early July. Wilt them overnight, which means lay them
out in a basket. Place them in a medium sized stone crock.
Bring 1 gallon of boiling water with 3 pint jars of honey
(two if you like a very dry mead) to boil on the stovetop for
about ten minutes, stirring well to dissolve. Pour into crock
and stir the flowers in. Wait until the mixture is completely
cool, usually overnight, and sprinkle champagne yeast on
top of the mixture and wait 15 minutes before stirring it
in. Cover the crock with a linen cloth that is tied on with a
string and rubber band, to keep out fruit flies. Stir twice a
day with a wooden spoon that is not used for cooking. After
about 10 days, filter into a clean gallon glass jug and fit with
an airlock. Keep the wine in a place that is not too hot or
too cold, in the dark. Bottle after 6 months and wait a year
before drinking. If it doesn’t taste good, keep waiting, but it
should be ready in about one year and three months. Lovely
for libations and offerings during the light half of the year
and for use in love magic.
228
Щ M APLE T R E E Λ се г spp
ψ
ere in the Pacific Northwest lives the breathtaking big

Ileaf maple, Л сег macrophjllitm. These trees are indeed
nhe mothers of the forest, they are absolutely giant
with huge trunk bases and many large leaders touching
the sky, all covered in ferns and moss. Though I grew up
with gorgeous sugar maples in Michigan, no maple has ever
captured my heart as the big leaf maple has. This tree is
stunning in the springtime and in the autumn time. In the
spring, her chartreuse leaves unfurl like bat wings or tiny
umbrellas, dangling golden green fltiwered chandelier’s for
the bees to visit. They produce the highly sought after and
fragrant local maple honey from these tangy and refreshing
flower tassels. During
the autumn months,
golden yellow leaves
are striking against
the black maple
bark, caped in a moss
green carpet. Many old
trees can be found with
twisted hollow trunks
and holes leading to
C>ther worlds, haunted
sprit portals to be sure.
The maple genus Acer
includes about 125
species, growing as a
deciduous tree in the
temperate climates
of the world. They
229
are in the maple family, Aceraceae. The genus name Acer

came from meaning ‘sharp’, as the maple was used to make
sharp implements, such as spears. One old name for maple
was ‘maplin tree’. All maple flowers are gorgeous, and seem
to hide during the springtime. It is worth seeking them out
to find their delicate beauty, often matron or brownish in
color, with cream and red details.
Though the maple tree is highly valued for maple syrup
production, building materials, musical instruments and
ornamental landscaping purposes, there is very little
folklore, magic or medicine for the maple trees compared to
other trees. It is rather surprising. However, there are some
amazing tales and stories that I will relate here, along with
some interesting folk beliefs.
In Germany, the maple tree was revered with superstition.
From Alsace comes a belief that bats had the power to make
storks eggs unfertile and that by placing maple branches
in the nest, they would frighten away any bat whom came
to effect the eggs. People would therefore place maple
branches below the entrance of their homes to keep bats
out. A belief from France tells that the maple leaves turned
red in the autumn time because of a faerie that hved in the
tree. There is some folk heahng lore associated with maple
as well. Passing children through the branches of a maple
was supposed to cure them from the effects of the Evil
Eye, as well as other maladies such as rickets. It could also
bless them with long Hfe. In the Balkans, people performed
healing rituals to banish illness under or near maples. The
maple tree is ruled by the planet Jupiter, according to
astrologers of the past.
A tale from Switzerland relates that dwarves resided
near a particular maple tree and would come out to watch
the people making hay every year, sitting on a branch of
the tree, hiding beneath the foliage. One evening some
‘evil disposed’ people thought it a good prank to saw the
branch almost in half. The dwarfs came out the following
day to sit upon the branch, and when it broke in two, they
230
Maple Tree
angrily exclaimed to the people whom were laughing at

them - consequently they never returned to the tree again.
It is unknown what befell the pranksters, surely some
misfortune. It is a sad tale of the arrogance of people in
the face of supernatural powers, to be sure.
There was a Hungarian legend that told of a Kings
blonde haired daughter that fell in love with a shepherd,
as he had charmed her by playing a flute. One night the
king, the daughter and the shepherd had terrible dreams
- the king dreamt that his crown had lost its diamonds,
the daughter dreamt that she visited her mother’s tomb
and could not leave it and the shepherd dreamt that two
fallow deer devoured the best lamb in his flock. That next
morning, the King sent his three daughters to pick the
first strawberries of the season and promised the crowm
of his Kingdom to the one who filled the basket first.
The blond daughter was the first to fill her basket with
the tiny wild berries, and the jealous sisters killed her
and buried her under an old maple tree. They told the
father upon their return that she had been devoured by
two fallow deer. The King went into deep remorse and
sighed that he had lost the most precious diamond in his
crown. On the new moon, the shepherd went to play his
flute, but it would not utter a sound. On the third day
of the princess’s disappearance, he passed by the maple
tree under which she had been buried and as he saw new
growth coming from the tree, he decided to make a new
flute from the shoot. When he put the flute to his mouth
to play, the words sang out magically ‘РЬу, Play Dearest!
Once I was a King’s daughter, then a maple shoot, now I am a
flu te ’. The shepherd realized the misfortune that had come
to his beloved, he returned to the Palace and had one of
the sisters play the flute for the King. After the flute sang
out ‘^Play, Play Murderess! I was once a Kings daughter, then a
maple shoot, now I am a flute. ’, the King cast the sisters away,
while the shepherd tended his loneliness with the beloved
voice of the flute.
231
Related again to music making, a Cornish custom was for

young men to wake early on May Day and go out to gather
young maple shoots to make maple whistles with, the tree
being called the ‘May Tree’. These were blown on the way
home to enUven the May celebrations with music. Ancient
harps made of maple wood have been excavated, one was
found in a sealskin bag from the Sutton Hoo ship burial in
Suffolk, UK. Maple is still much used in instrument making,
some old trees with twisted bark being called ‘music wood’
here in the Pacific Northwest.
The Native Americans had a large dependency on
the sugar maples on the east coast and throughout the
northern Midwest, and many stories come from them. One
story comes from the Salteaux tribe and tells how the red
fiery leaves of the maple tree saved the Grandmother of
the Creator from spirits of darkness and thereafter, the
Creator lived in the maple trees. Eventually he taught the
people how to tap the trees and make syrup. One legend
from the Iroquois tribe relates the maple tree to the bear.
Four brothers were hunting an enormous bear and they
finally killed him at the top of a mountain, where they
made a fire and ate some of the bear’s meat. Afterwards,
they saw many sparking fights and realized that they were
up in the sky, amongst the stars. The bones of the bear
came back to fife and chased the brothers across the sky —
it was said that every autumn when the brothers killed the
bear, his blood fell from the heavens onto the maple leaves
and turned them scarlet.
The maple genus includes the fast growing sycamore
trees Л сег pseudo-platanus, and I have seen sycamore trees
that looked like they were five hundred years old, only to
be told that they were a mere fifty! This is however in the
rainy and fertile grounds of the Pacific Northwest, but
they are known to be a fast growing species in general. The
name ‘sycamore’ came from the leaves of this large maple
looking similar to the sycamore-fig tree from the bible, itself
unrelated to true maple trees. Other names for this tree were
232
Maple Tree
Great Maple, Celtic Maple, Scottish Maple and False Plane

Tree. From Cornwall comes the name ‘Faddy Tree’. These
large maples are native to Central Europe and were not
introduced to Western Europe and the British Isles until the
sixteenth century or so. There is a bit of folklore for the
‘Celtic Maple’.
The Welsh carved their traditional love spoons from
the trees. From Montgomeryshire, it was believed that
the tree kept bad faeries away and from spoiling milk
on the farm. Some thought that by planting a sycamore
tree, other trees would die in the same vicinity. In the
Balkans, people made offerings to the sycamore tree
by leaving pieces of their clothing on the branches in
exchange for help with different problems. In Ireland,
solitary sycamore trees were respected in a similar way
as solitary hawthorn trees —they were thought to have
supernatural spirits living within them. If a married
person dreamt of a sycamore tree, it meant jealousy but
if they were unmarried, it meant a marriage to come.
Certain sycamore trees had different local legends and
beliefs attached to them, in both Ireland and in England.
Many of the trees were used for hangings and executions,
and so were associated with grief and death. Some maple
trees were used this way as well —but rather than for
any magical reason, I suspect it was just because they
were sturdy trees with lower branches available for such
purposes. Some of these trees were haunted by departed
spirits however, so it was and is wise not to approach
maples or sycamores after dark, in particular ones that
are old and located at a crossroads.
I want to share a bit of lore about forest spirits called
‘Wood Wives’, related to the maple tree from my own
experiences with it. They were originally called Wood Elves
in Scandinavia. In Germany they were called Wood Wives
or Moss People. The ancient Saxons called them Silvestres
to show that their chamber was in the caves of the forest.
Wood Wives (or elves) were tree spirits that often inhabited
233
not only the forest, but particular trees. Moss women were
sometimes like small Scandinavian faeries. Or Moss Wives
could be big and shaggy, overgrown with moss. They were
grev and looked old, were more hideous to behold, as they
w’ere covered with moss.
‘The old sacredforests seems theirfavorite abode; as the gods sat

throned in the groves, on the trees, and the wise women o f their
train and escort would seek the same haunts. ’ —Jacob Grimm
writing on Wood Wives, Teutonic Mythology \Ъ1ите
One, 1880.
It was believed that forest spirits in particular possessed

the knowledge of medicinal plants. Though some old
mythologies distinguished the Wood Elves, whose life was
bound to a particular tree, from the Wise Wood Wives, who
were roamers of the old forests in general. It was told that
the Wise Wood Wives wore w’hite and kept their clothing in
a certain oak tree.
Here is a poetic quote from The Faerie Family, by Archibald
Maclaren, 1874, describing a Moss Wife, in connection to
the maple tree;
M moss womanT the hay makers cry.

And over the fields in terror they fly,
She is loosely clad from neck to foot,
In a Mantle o f moss from the Maples root,
And like U chen grey on its stem that grows,
Is the hair that over her mantle flows,
Her skin like the Maple rind, is hard,
Brown and ridgy and furrowed and scarred.
And each feature fla t like the bark we see
Where a bough has been loped from the bole o f the tree,
When the newer bark has crept healingly round.
And laps o ’er the edge o f the open wound.
Her knotty root like fee t are bare,
And her height is an ellfrom heel to hair. ’
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Maple Tree
As the big leaf maples are covered in thick moss and

certainly have a strong female presence coming from them,
upon finding this quote, it was most fitting to include it here.
Folk Medicine ^
Maple leaves and bark were used for liver complaints in European
folk medicine. Steeped in wine, the maple root powdered was
used for pain in the side. PHny states that the root of the maple
was used for liver pains specifically. Maple and st'camore sap
have been fermented to make wine in times past.
The Native Americans used the maple tree in folk
medicine quite extensively. Generally speaking, the bark was
taken internally as a tonic, for kidney trouble, diarrhea, as
a cough medicine, and used externally as a wash for sore
eyes, wounds, sore limbs, old sores that did not heal and a
poultice of the bark applied for sores, wounds and paralysis.
Some more specific uses follow.
Branches of the vine maple, Л сег circinatum was used by
women of the Karok tribe for love medicine and the wood
was burned to charcoal and then mixed udth water and
brown sugar, taken for dysentery and poUo. The Okanagan-
Colville tribe used the rocky mountain maple A. glabrum by
tying a branch in a knot and leaving it over the tracks of a
bear while hunting, in order to stop the wounded bear from
fleeing. A decoction of the bark was taken by the Thompson
tribe for nausea caused by smelling a corpse. By the same
tribe, a decoction of the sticks mixed with Saskatoon
Amelanchier spp. was taken to promote lactation and heal a
women’s insides after child birth. Also a decoction of four
straight maple sticks were used as a snakebite remedy. The
big leaf maple A. macrophyllum buds w'ere mixed with oil
and used as a hair tonic by the Kwakiutl tribe, and the sap
was taken as a general tonic by the Thompson tribe.
Personal Practices
The young leaves of maple were often eaten in spring salads
and were a favorite fodder food —I can attest to this, our
235
dairy cow loved maple leaves. Maple flowers can also be

eaten in spring salads and wine can be made from them, at
least with our big leaf maple Л. macrophjllum. It tastes tangy
and fragrant, something like a mixture of spring rain, sorrel
leaf and bee pollen - quite unique and magical in fact.
I sense a large ‘sasquatch’ or troll type woman spirit
emerging from the big leafed maples, covered in moss and
hchen. There are a few haunted trees on the property where
I live, they have large openings in them and a strong spirit
filled presence. I regularly make offerings to these trees.
One of them has a very ‘vaginal’ opening in the trunk,
surrounded by black bark. Under this tree, a winter stream
collects after it rains and flows down the forested hillside,
and water trickles out of this opening, making it even more
feminine in its appearance. I call it the Mother Tree and I
believe bats live in the hole, that creature of the night and
good fortune. Another large tree is located by a large flat
stone, a place where regular offerings are left for the spirits
of the land. The clay bowl in which I leave them is regularly
disturbed and moved around, never tipped over. I do truly
believe that spirits Hve in these maple trees, and within many
trees that are old and have stood for hundreds of years,
particularly if they have an opening to house spirits.
Old maple trees can be sought out and appeased with
offerings and prayers for healing. Nuts are an appropriate
offering for the Moss woman (or Troll Woman) which can
be buried near the root of the tree or stuck in the branches.
Healing lore can be sought from these tree spirits. A baby
can be taken to the tree and blessed with long Hfe and
health, being passed through a branch, similarly as the old
lore tells. The seed pods of the maple being of course the
little ‘helicopters’ from our childhoods, but if one can be
found to include four seeds in the shape of an equal armed
cross, it is a very lucky amulet indeed. The scarlet leaves of
some maple varieties can be gathered in the autumn time
and dried, being a protective cushioning for sacred items
stored within wooden boxes. Fallen maple wood can be
236
М арк Tree
used to make magical wooden spoons and for carvings of

all sorts, being hard, white and durable, and this wood was
particularly pri2ed for sacred bowls from Medieval times.
The ashes saved from an outdoor maple fire or the water in
which the flowers were floated by full moon light overnight
can both be used for blessing and heahng purposes, in
particular for protecting children. The water gathered from
the moss of the maple tree on the spring equinox can be
used for fertihty magic, apphed to charms and amulets of
that nature and to the people looking to conceive. A few
drops of this water can be dripped into wine on this day and
taken by the couple involved for the same.
Many thanks to the strong and beautiful maple trees o f the

forests, decorated with breathtakingflowers and vibrant leaves
fo r the spirit parades o f both spring and autumn. May the
houses made by maple branches and trunks long protect those
unseen beings that still have roads hidden and lonely errands
undetected by a busy populace. May the maple legends be
remembered and retained by those seeking mystery and passed
down to the next line o f children as they joyously play with
faerie toys fashioned from the white wood. Trees o f function,
beauty, strange elixirs and forest secrets be they all.
Wood Wife Ointment

On the full moon closest to Midsummers Eve, gather
these, leaving offerings in gratitude for all: moss from an
old maple tree (from one with a hole in the trunk is best),
hazel leaves, oak leaves, bracken fern, spider silk (from a tree
trunk) and three white fox glove thimbles that grow in the
forest (remember these are toxic, so care is needed). Lay out
plants overnight, then place in the top chamber of a double
boiler. Cover and infuse in rendered bear fat (or whatever
fat is available, but bear is best) for three days total. Do this
by turning the heat on high to boil the water in the bottom
chamber for five or ten minutes, stirring the mixture for that
time and then turning it off and letting it sit for 24 hours.
237
On the third day strain the fat through a sieve and discard
the plants while warm and then recombine the infused fat
with tallow or beeswax to harden. Pour into a dark jar and
use as needed.
To help one see and interact with tree and forest spirits,
this ointment can be made and applied to the third eye,
behind the neck, dotted on the ears and on the wrist points.
It is an ointment to use before going to sit with or visit an
old tree. Take with you also on your wanderings a holed
stone to peer through, as it will enhance the powers of the
ointment. This ointment is surprisingly altering and helps
to enhance sensory awareness while in the forest. Wear no
jewelry or metal when seeking supernatural aid, as lore has it
that it repels ancient supernatural earth spirits. Plan on not
harvesting or taking anything, leaving offerings instead that
include no alcohol. Honey, nuts or fruits are good.
238
Appendix Λ
A ppendix A
Plant and Tree Visitations
Taking the time to sit and dream with plants, trees and
the season at hand is an amazing way to not only observe
the natural world, but to feel deeply the magic that flows
through the land. The plants are so easy to observe and
truly they mirror what is happening for all of the creatures
during the seasonal pinnacles, including humans. The gifts
of observation and the ability to establish relationship with
particular plants and places readily gives way into being
blessed with creative inspiration and further enhancements
that are only gleaned through taking the time in the natural
world. This is something that cannot be taught through
books, but only experienced by the doing of it. By bonding
with the plants, direct healing flows from them, without
even taking them into our body in a physical way.
I recommend not wearing any metal jewelry, as lore has
it that nature spirits are repelled by it. Only wear metal
or iron if you are intentionally trying to protect yourself
from angry or evil spirits, or are wandering through
a haunted wood or near a haunted tree. To spend time
with a tree or plant stand in general, go in solitude to a
place that is still somewhat wild and untamed by humans.
Wander deep into that place and go where you are called
to go. Find a tree that is inviting and intriguing. Or find a
vigorous patch of plants that glows with an otherworldly
light. Make offerings to the plant spirits - scatter sacred
dried herbs, or pour on libations or deposit small
treasures nearest the plants/ tree roots. Offerings are very
personal and essential to communing with any spiritual
entity or being. There is no wrong way to do it, if only
it is authentic. That said, alcohol can be an inappropriate
offering sometimes, so consider the indigenous culture of
the land that you are visiting. Speak also out loud —words.
239
incantations, poems, songs__Revealing intentions to the

plant is humbling. Why are you seeking to commune with
this particular plant spirit? What are you hoping for or
desiring from the encounter and/or what are you wishing
to convey? Often the questions and intentions you have
are defining and will help shape your experience. Have a
purpose in all plant related endeavors and be clear about
that purpose. After offerings have been made, settle in
nearest to the plant or tree that you can physically get. Be
still and quiet and when ready, close your eyes and cover
them with a dark scarf, with no light shining through. Use
your fingers to tap on your collar bone in a rhythmic way
to induce a slight trance like state. What do you feel, what
do you see in your minds eye? What does your body feel
like while in this dream like state with the plant spirit? Let
time be lost from you and forget the cares of everyday
life. Do you have any memories come up?
All emotions are valid - fear, anger, joy, peace, awe,
sorrow__Do not judge your experience. Many plants are not
going to portray a pleasant vibration and in my experience,
it is one reason that I love working with plants. They are full
of both Light and darkness, they are full of the memories
of the earth and the magic makers and healers that have
touched them and communed with them in times past. We
can see a glimpse of this that is held in the unseen world. If
only a glimpse, it is still of value. However long you spend
touching this deeper thread into the past, no matter. Five
minutes or two hours, come back to real time and open your
eyes to a new Ught and moment. It is extremely helpful to
write immediately after a plant visit, anything and everything
that comes to you. Sometimes it is through the act of writing
that feelings and experiences become much more clear. I
often write in part poetry, describing whatever I have to give
the paper in depth. Then I am holding something, then I am
blessed with more visions. Things crystalize, understanding
is gained or more confused. But either way, we are touched
by the plants.
240
Appendix Λ
Allow yourself privacy and time to process afterwards.

Try to be alone and out of sight of others, if possible.
Sometimes I bring herbs to smoke. Smoking can be very-
grounding, if you enjoy it, after or before your visit. When
you are ready to leave, say your gratitude’s and thanks.
Most likely, you will be altered and in another realm, in
part. Try to take a little time to yourself to do whatever,
just don’t rush to w'ork or to a public place. The next
three days are important. Does anything come up? Do
you feel any different? Do you have any dreams? What
happens when you see the plant again? Use your book
to write down anything important. Give yourself time to
ponder and wonder and think about your experience and
the plant/tree. Sometimes it takes months or even years to
learn from one plant sitting.
In the beginning of my time when learning how- to sit
with plants, I was shocked at my resistance to sitting still
and quieting my ever busy mind. It is uncomfortable, so be
prepared to push past the discomfort to have a connected
experience with the plant. It is not easy, but as with
everything, the more you do it, the more comfortable and
easy it becomes. Also, have no expectations —most likely
you will not have a mystical experience right away. That
will come in time however. I personally found that being
a strong night dreamer to begin with and having an active
imagination helped immensely with receiving visions from
the plants and with having visions in general. However, do
not get discouraged if it takes more time than you expect -
it is worth the wait and time spent.
What does the plant symboli2e and mean to you afte r
the visit? If you bring a branch of it indoors to lay upon
your altar, that can bring a piece of the plants energy back,
a piece to remember from your visitation. Make an amulet
to carry with you from the plant, a pouch of leaves, flowers,
seeds or twigs. The plant becomes sacred and symbolic.
We can imagine how a healer who exists spending much
time with plants in wild places can become wise over many
241
years, learning directly from the plant spirits and the power
of the land. History and folklore is revealing to be sure,
but personal experience with plant spirits is much more
powerful and imprinting. Often times, it is best to learn or
know very little about a plant before visiting it, that way
your experience comes from a deeper place rather than
what is logical. What you learn after your experience will
be confirming, often adding layers and fleshing out your
initial contact.
Pay attention to what draws you, be it plant or animal
energies, places, landscapes__ Always follow that deeper
pull towards your own story and often ancestral recognition.
Many plants and animals that I have been particularly drawn
to over the years ended up belonging to the homelands of
my ancestors. Of course we can recognize this on a physic
and unconscious level. May you be inspired to take time
with the plants in the unseen places, away from others. Many
dreams await.
242
Appendix В
A ppendix В
Drying and Storing Plants
There is much satisfaction to be had in harvesting plants and

drying them to perfection, catching the plants vital essence
and preserving it. To behold a cupboard of beautiful hand
harvested and dried plants is something to feel proud of,
a medicinal and magical apothecary both. Dried herbs can
be used for so many medicinal preparations including: teas
(infusions and decoctions), baths, washes, rinses, steams,
compresses, seasonings, elixirs, tinctures, capsules, infused
fats (best with animal fats not oils) and smoking blends.
For magical purposes, they can be used for fumigations,
offerings, in the crafting of powders, in amulets, on altars,
in the preparation of sacred libations and more.
Some general harvest guidelines:

Only ever take from a large and heathy stand of plants
and a good guideline is to never leave the plant stand or
tree looking like anything was disturbed or taken from it —
leave no trace. Offerings are appropriate when harvesting
plants, as is the intention of use communicated to the
plant involved. Offerings can be as simple or complex as
needed for each purpose, determined by the harvester. It is
essential to recognize the many gifts come from the plants
and the spirit energy that they hold - not just taking them
for granted, even the most abundant ones. An offering can
be made and words with intentions spoken out loud to
a large or older plant of the group. Then harvesting can
be undertaken surrounding that one plant, leaving it be.
Harvesting plants alone is preferable to being with others,
being able to focus on the medicinal or magical purpose at
hand, leaving mundane thoughts behind for a time. Also, it
is not always about ‘getting’ something, and many of the
most potent times with plants involve no harvesting at all.
243
After harvesting a plant from the forest, field or

garden, the process of catching the plant has begun.
The goal is to capture the living and vital force in the
plant to dry, for later use. The color and scent of the
plant material should be kept intact — the dried plant
should keep the vibrant color and unique smell that the
plant has. The plants energy should be considered, in
particular for magical workings. If a plant or wood is
harvested at the full moon or just before, it will be most
potent for protective work, for love magic, for healing
work and the like. If harvested nearest the dark moon
or just before, it will be better suited for divination
work, counter cursing, spirit communication and some
of the darker aspects of folk magic. The days of the
week are also a consideration, especially when working
with the unseen, each day representing a different planet
and therefore energy. The potent times of day can also
be considered, such as midnight, noon, dusk and dawn.
When combined with the auspicious eves of the year,
the plants harvested according to these simple guidelines
can be more suitable for folk magic.
It is a fine balance to harvest the herbs when they are
most medically potent and also for the appropriate time
energetically for magic work. It is most helpful to keep
separate the plants harvested at certain times of the moons
cycle, on auspicious days of the year, times of day or days
of the week, so they are not confused with plants intended
for medicinal use. That said, there is always an ideal time to
harvest plants for medicine and there is usually and two or
three week window surrounding the main flush. The cycle
of ‘what plant parts to harvest and when’ can be simplified
and generalized, of course there are numerous exceptions to
this, but it is helpful.
Early Springtime: Buds.

Springtime: Tree Barks, Leaves, Conifer Tips
Summer: Flowers, Leaves.
244
Appendix В
Late Summer: Seeds, Fruits.

Autumn: Roots, Rootbarks,
Winter: Windfall Lichens, Buds
Wood for magical purposes can be harvested as needed,

during the appropriate moon phase.
Make sure to hang and/or process your plants directly
after harvesting. Up to 1/3 of the harvest can be lost if
leaves and flowers in particular are left in bags/baskets
overnight before hanging. Roots with dirt left on,
unwashed, can be kept in the fridge covered with a damp
towel. Some fruits, such as hawthorn and rosehips, will also
be alright stored in the fridge before picking them over. A
little wrinkling will not be a problem. Juicier fruits need
to be laid out to dry right away. If there is dirt splashed
on leaves, such as with violet leaves and dandelion leaves,
they can be immediately washed and spun like salad greens
(use a clean dishtowel, gathered at four corners and spun
outside) and then dried. Never wash herbs unless they
have dirt on them. Also, some herbs are really sensitive
to bruising, which means do not pack them too heavy in
a basket. Wood harvested is easiest to dry, requiring little
processing besides stripping off the leaves, which can be
left on for benefit if desired.
W h ere to d ry h erb s
To dry plants, you need to provide adequate air flow and
warmth. Some people mistakenly think that herbs can be
dried in a dark back bedroom. In a damp or cold climate,
this WOuld ruin the plants. I recommend setting up a
drying station in the kitchen of the home. This room is
generally kept warm because of cooking and has good air
flow because of the activity that happens there. The most
important aspect of the drying corner is that the herbs
not be in direct sunlight. Direct sunhght can diminish the
properties of the plants and fade them. Finding space can
often be a challenge for many folks, but a small corner if set
245
up properly, can dry many plants over a season. Some sort

of set up where bundles of herbs can be hung, and also a
place to lay flat material to dry, such as chopped roots or
individual flowers, is best. It is simple to set up heavy’ cotton
string Lines to hang bundles on. Just use some udde headed
nails or hooks to hang the Lines across and hang bundles
from them. A nearby kitchen counter space can be used to
dry the flat material, placed on flat baskets or opened brown
paper bags. Another great option is to use an old fashioned
wooden clothes drying rack. Bundles can be hung from the
bars, flat or rounded large baskets can be set on the top and
betv’een the levels, and the whole tiling can be put away
when not in use. If the area to dry plants in happens to
be in direct sunlight from a nearby window, simply put up
white curtains. The white curtains will still allow light into
the room, but will keep the sun off the plants.
The time that it takes to dry leaves and flow’ers is
usually two-three weeks, with fruits, roots, wood, conifer
tips, horsetail and fruits taking up to four weeks. This
really depends on one’s kitchen environment. Living in a
partial basement or in a cabin in the woods, plants hardly
ever dry completely’. In those cases, they can be finished
in the oven, at roughly 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes with
one turn in between, until they are crisp and fragrant. It
is important to not leave herbs out for too long in the
kitchen after they are dry. A little while is fine, but it is
amazing how much grease and dust will accumulate on the
herbs in a short time.
L·eaves ^
Hang the leaves right after harvesting in y’our area set up for
drying. If they were picked individually, spread them on a
flat basket, screen or opened brown paper bag. If they are
on stems, bundle them in medium sized bundles, generally
with 6-10 stalks per bundle, depending on the size. Tie
them with one loop to cinch it tight. Hang the bundles to
dry. This generally takes about tw’o or three w’eeks, more
246
ЛррепсИх В
or less depending on your humidity and temperature. After

a few weeks, take the herbs out of the bundles and put
them in baskets for a following week. The baskets can be
heaped pretty high. Fluff the herbs each day in the baskets
to give them airflow. Finally, they should be stripped from
their stalks and picked over, with discolored or bug damaged
leaves discarded. This is a process known as ‘garbling’ and
will be discussed in a paragraph below.
Flowers ^
Flowers can be picked individually and dried on screens
or flat baskets or they can be kept on the stalk and dried
in bundles and stripped from their stalks when they are
dried. Flowers are the most sensitive to light and are very
delicate. Do not wash them. Some flowers that are large
or that have many petals need an extra week of time to
ensure that they are thoroughly dried. Many flowers shrink
down significantly when dried. Don’t make the mistake of
adding fresh flowers to a tray of the same flow’ers that
have been already drying for a few days. In five days it
w’ill be impossible to tell the two harvests apart, and it is
easy to forget which side of the basket needs extra time
to dry. Flowers in jars that become moldy can be quite a
disappointment! Expect bugs from your flowers, they will
crawl away and die, no need to worry about them ruining
your precious flowers.
Koots and Koot Bark I Bark ^

After harvesting these underground parts, rinse them
carefully to free up any dirt. Do an initial rinse outside
with the garden hose to save your kitchen sink from being
clogged with dirt. Light scrubbing is helpful. With roots, you
will often need to cut away any rotten or bug infested parts
using a sharp knife. Roots are easier to prepare when they
are fresh, as they are easier to work with. Do not wait until
they are dry! Also, some roots are tougher than others, so
be prepared for this. After rinsing well and trimming, sUce
247
them into small chunks, siimlar to chopping garhc. For root

bark, it can sometimes be peeled with fingers and pulled off
or a knife can be used to strip it off. It depends on the plant.
Discard the inner core of the rhizome/branch.
Screens/flat baskets are the most effective for drying the
prepared root material or barks. x\rrange the pieces and
stack on a well-ventilated shelf, out of direct sunhght. The
drying process should take 2-3 weeks, depending on how
dense the material is.
Fruits! Seedpods ^
Dry these the same way as the root material. Use screens or
paper bags cut flat or flat baskets. Anything that has good
airflow will do. Fruits have a tendency to have bug issues
that are hard to detect. Because of this, check on them every
day and compost the fruits that mold or that have worms/
w’ebs developing around them. Give the fruits/seed head
3-4 weeks to fully dry, with more time for larger and fleshy
types. Pick through these carefully before storing, sometimes
you will lose as much as half of the harvest to bug damage.
Garbling
Garbling means processing the plants, usually after drying
is complete. When the herbs are dried, as with leaves, stems
and flowers, they usually need to be stripped from their
fibrous stalks before putting into glass jars. This is the time
to discard any discolored or bug eaten parts, along with any
leaves that have a white egg sack attached to the bottom.
Think of garbling as refining or maybe fine tooth combing.
Roots, barks and fruits are already processed before they
are dried, by washing thoroughly and cutting out brown and
bug eaten parts. When they are dried they can be put directly
in a jar with no further attention.
Storage
The best way to store herbs is in glass jars with tight fitting
lids, in a dark cupboard, not above a stove or close to a
248
Appendix В
heat source. As beautiful as they are to look at, keeping

them in direct light will cause them to fade sooner rather
than later. It is best to store herhs whole, meaning do not
crush them up. The generalized time that they will keep is
2-3 years for aerial parts(leaves, stems, flowers) and 3 or
more years for roots, seeds, berries, and fibrous stems. As
long as their color and fragrance is strong, they are still
fine for use.
249
A p p en d ix С
Rendering Animal Fat at Home
Using animal fats to carry the properties of plants is an

old way to deliver medicine to the skin. Often the fat
called for in older salve recipes is animal fat. This is not
really surprising when we remember that olive oil or oil
in general was quite expensive and not as readily available
as animal fats in times past, before mass production and
transportation. Animal fats were some of the products
from the hunt or the slaughter. As every part of the animal
was valued and used, fat could be turned into soap, candles,
medicine and used in food preparation.
K en d er in g F a ts f o r H o m e U se ^
As it is almost impossible to find high quality rendered
animal fat to purchase, it is necessary to buy fat from the
local butcher and render it yourself. The process is not
hard, but it is somewhat time consuming, taking about 3-4
hours’ worth of time. The whole point of fat rendering
is to take raw fat that has been cut off the animal and
fro 2en, and cook it down to get most of the fat out of
the tissue —this then can be used to infuse plants with (or
eaten in food). There are some important subtleties that
will make a huge difference in the quality of your fat for
salve making.
What animal fats to use? I have rendered pig fat
(which is called lard), beef fat (which is called tallow),
bear fat and duck/chicken fat(in small amounts). Any
fat can be rendered, but pig fat and bear fat make the
most exceptional fats for infusing plants with. They
have a clean white color and excellent smooth texture.
Beef fat is very wâx like and more brittle - it is a harder
fat. Any tallow will be the same, such as lamb or deer
tallow. Tallow is too hard for salves, unless mixed with
250
Appendix С
a softer fat. Chicken/ poultry fat has a nice texture but

is challenging to get large amounts from and the scent is
very strong. Pig fat is creamy and smooth, being solid at
room temperature but melting at the touch. Bear fat is
softer than pig fat and truly the nicest silky texture of all,
almost liquid at room temperature, but still opaque.
Pig fat can be bought from local butcher shops. They
sell it fro2 en, for about SI per pound, where I live. Beef
fat can be bought from the butcher shop as well, excellent
for making tallow candles after it is rendered. If your
friends get organic local meat, ask them if they want the
fat. Most people don’t, so it is available. The fat is best
frozen, then it can be processed at your convenience.
That said, you will need some freezer space for it, unless
you plan to render right away. I have acquired bear fat
through family’s that hunt black bear. I have heard that
you can also call up taxidermy shops and ask for it there.
Remember, that most people don’t want fat and it is
wasted. It is therefore then available at a cheap price or
even for free.
To get started rendering, you will need a few supplies:
Cutting board, sharp chef’s knife(the most important
thing!), a white linen dishcloth (no colors), large sieve,
heavy bottomed non-aluminum/non-iron pot, long wooden
spoon/spatula, clean and dry wide mouth pint mason
jars with lids(wash them the day before), 4 or 8 cup glass
measuring cup with spout on it.
One important thing to have is time. It takes roughly 3-4
hours to properly render around 10 pounds of fat. The yield
for pig lard is about 6-7 pints, depending on if you have a fat
press or not, which will give an extra few pints —a significant
increase in yield to bring it up to about 8 pints. A fat press
is a special small sized metal press that is just for rendering
fats. It looks Uke a mini wine press, but it is metal not wood
(as are fruit processing tools). Since most people do not
have a press, plan on squeezing it out by hand, through a
linen cloth.
251
Thaw out the fat about 12 hours before. It is okat' if it is

still a Uttle fro2en, it will make the cutting easier. You start
by trimming and cutting up the fat. All of the meat, blood
and veins must come off as you chop up the fat into Iby
2 inch squares or so. Those parts can scorch easy and ruin
the scent of the whole batch. Tiny veins are fine, as is any
puckered looking fat. Just no meat or big veins. You will be
able to tell the difference between the nice white kidney fat
(called leaf lard) because it is web-hke and very white, and
the tissue fat (called fat back) which is more cream colored
and puckered looking, at least with pig fat. Technically, the
leaf lard is the purest tasting, but I usually mix the two, since
the leaf lard is not as abundant.
Keep the chunks of fat around the same sixe and start
cooking right away. The reason that you cook the fat down
is to release the liquid fat from the tissue and cook out
some of the water, so that it preserves better. The key is
patience. A medium heat is all that you can cook it on for a
while, to avoid the whole batch being scorched. Constant
stirring is necessary so that the fat does not stick to the
bottom of the pot. The fat will become blubbery and
stinky. Do not be alarmed, it is just part of the process. A
good thing to remember is to not invite people over for
dinner later that night! Your whole house will smell of a
pork or bear rind.
Eventually the fat will run and you will have more and
more clear fat and less tissue, as it gets smaller. Keep
stirring the whole time. The tissue pieces will start to turn
golden eventually as you may need to turn the heat up a
bit toward the end. These fried pieces of tissue are called’
cracklins’ and at one point in time were a loved treat,
sprinkled with salt or incorporated into corn bread when
they had fried totally down. But for salve making in mind,
I stop the frying process a Httle early. I don’t let the tissue
get darkened. Stop cooking as they start to get browned.
This means less fat per batch but it will be a nicer looking
and smelhng fat for medicine making.
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Appendix С
Pour the fat through a sieve lined with a linen towel

over a 4-8 cup measuring cup and after most of it passes
through b w ay of gravity, it will be time to do the rest of
the squeezing yourself. Pour the liquid fat into mason jars
as you go. iVIake sure your linen towel is pure white, as
the fat will bring out any dye in the cloth and make sure
your towel is strong, otherwise you will burst the cloth
and have a big mess to restrain. I have made both of
these mistakes before. Take the dry ends of the towel and
wring them to a twist and squeeze the remaining fat out.
It is surprisingly tough, but do your best. If you render
fat more than a few times per year, you will want a fat
press eventually.
After the pale golden rendered fat is poured into clean
jars, place them in the fridge, without lids. I have read
that cooling them quicker improves their texture, so I do
it and it seems to work fine. The fat will turn white and
opaque as it cools, sometimes pig fat has a slight tan color
to it, while bear fat is pure white. Label them, as it is easy
to get them confused later, as I have learned, especially
when they are still frozen. After four or five hours, you
can put lids on them and freeze them just like that. The
frozen fat will last indefinitely. You can take out jars as
needed. Also, you can keep them in the fridge, if your
freezer space is limited. Generally, store fats in the fridge
or freezer, as they can eventually mold a little at room
temperature.
The leftover fat chunks can be rendered a second time,
to get all of the fat out of the tissue and used for cooking
savory meat dishes, greasing cast iron pans, and for any type
of homemade shoe polish, furniture polish, canvas oiling
etc... Just cook it down again, and don’t worry about over
frying it. Let it fry out completely, just be careful it doesn’t
get too hot, as it could catch fire and be disastrous. If that
ever happens, put it out with flour or cornmeal, not water.
Strain it and you will be amazed how much more fat that
you will get-at least an extra pint and a half Or the extra fat
253
and scraps can be left out as an offering to scavenger birds

somewhere or mixed into dog food a little at a time, if your
dog is used to scraps. I have found that dogs will not eat
bear fat, but will happily eat pig or beef fat. Depends on the
dog I suppose. Wash the cloth out with the hottest soapy
water that you can stand; rinse well and wring it to air dry.
Do not wash or dry with other clothes because the fat can
get over other things and be flammable in the dryer. Re-use
the cloth next time. Wipe out the pan and the measuring
cup with paper towel, which makes a great fire starter. Now-
wash everything in very hot soapy w’ater. A job well done!
254
Appendix D
A ppendix D
Infusing Fats/Oils uith Plants
In the medicine making world, most people are unfamiliar

with the process of infusing animal fats with herbs. Infused
oils, such as olive or grapeseed, are the standard salve
ingredient in modern herbalism. However, I can attest that
animal fats capture a plants properties, color and scent
better than any oil, with one exception - the resinous
plants, such as with cottonwood bud Popu/us trichocarpa or
spruce pitch Picea sitchensis as examples. I believe that the
resinous plants are equally soluble in either oil or animal
fat, but other than that exception, animal fat wins every
time. Not only does it have the ability to ‘catch the plant’,
as I like to call it, but the texture and absorbability of the
fat is so superior —it lends itself to some of the smoothest
and most absorbable salves. This makes sense as our own
skin sebum is molecularly closer to animal fat than any
oil. The constant feedback that I get from students, family
and friends is that they are so impressed by the texture of
animal fat infused salves, they love it. Another bonus about
using animal fats instead of oil - you can extract dried
plants with it, and extract them well. It is truly an amazing
gift from the animal w'orld and it worth taking the time to
render your own fat at home to use.
Making Infused Fats

Equipment you will need to make fat infusions: a glass/
enamel/stainless double boiler, wooden pestle, fine screened
sieve, mason jars with lids, rendered animal fat —thawed if
frozen in jars, overnight wilted fresh plant material or dried
plant material (if home harvested and dried rather than
store bought, a much stronger fat infusion will be obtained),
cutting board and knife.
I use a glass double boiler method to infuse fats and
plants together. This is a simple method that works and in
255
fact, I use the same method to infuse honeys with plants.

Put water in the lower pot, maybe 3 inches or so, making
sure the bottom of the upper pot is submerged when you
lower it in. In the upper pot, put your fat and your herbs,
fresh or dried. The fresh herbs should be slightly wilted,
overnight is fine. This way there is less water introduced
into the fat, and the fragrance is much more available. You
can gently bruise them in a mortar and pestle or chop them
a bit. If you are using whole dried herbs, grind them a little,
or chop them fine. Plants bought form the store will be cut
and sifted already.
Place the animal fat in the pot first, as it needs to melt
to not scorch the plants on the bottom. Then place plant
material on top of the rendered fat. As far as proportions,
I like to have enough fat to just cover the plants - you will
have to wait until it melts to see this, so start with less than
you think. If you use too much fat, your infusion will be
weak. Turn the heat onto high and watch closely. When the
water begins to boil in the lower chamber, stir the fat mixture
with a wooden spoon and turn the heat down to medium
low. The goal here is to warm the oil, but not get it too hot,
hence using the double boiler. You want to melt the animal
fat, which will not take too long. Once the animal fat is fully
melted and the plant material is fully covered and coated,
wait for 10 minutes or so, then turn the heat off. Do not be
alarmed if the animal fat stinks as it becomes heated. This
smell will eventually be gone, after the smell of plants take
over. Leave the whole in the double boiler and let the fat sit
covered at room temp for 24 hours. Repeat this process two
times more, for a total of three times. I find this sufficient
for the transfer of aromas and color. You can do this more
times if you want; sometimes I do 5 or 6 times total.
On the last day heating, strain the warm infused fat
through a fine strainer into a clean mason jar. Remember
animal fats have to cool and cure for a week or two before
the ‘stinky’ smell dissipates. This really makes a difference.
When you test your fat out a few days later, rub some on
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Appendix D
your skin and smell it. It warms it up a bit and gives a much
better representation of the scent, rather than just smelling
out of the jar. You can also re-infuse the fat with more
plant material if you want it to be stronger, but I have never
needed to do this. The way to tell if your extraction is strong
—look at the color and odor. The fat should have either
changed color or have a strong odor in resemblance to the
plant, or both. Some plants have a less noticeable fragrance
or color change than others. However, if neither happened
to change the fat, you are probably making your infusion too
weak or your dried plants are not very fresh.
Refrigerate the infused fats to use later in salve making,
they will keep indefinitely. Some of my students wonder
why to even add beeswax, as these fats are saturated in the
fridge and even partially at room temp. Beeswax improves
the texture, helps the salve stay on the skin better, and a
salve made from beeswax wont melt as easily to make a huge
mess while traveling. It also seems to help preserve the salve.
It is important to mention the possibilit}" of using coconut
oil instead of animal fat for people who do not use animal
products or have the time/space to render fats. The double
boiler method works very well with coconut oil, as described
above. You can use high quality coconut oil, though
everything will smell hke coconut —not a bad thing, but
not always desirable either. You can also use soap maker’s
coconut oil, which has been deodorized, but is still saturated
and will catch the plant. Some of mv students have had very
good luck with coconut oil and are happy with the results.
I stick to animal fats myself —I think coconut oil is very
greasy and not as absorbable.
Making Infused Oils

Another time honored way to infuse oils is in the sunshine.
This can be done using extra virgin olive oil and fresh plant
material in the heat of the summer. Once again, let your
plant material wilt for 12 hours first. Place it in a mason jar
and mash up gently with a wooden mortar, if needed. Pour
257
oil over to cover, and stir up to redistribute the plants in

the oil. Use a jar that is small or big enough for the plant
material to fill up. Once the lid is in place, put the jar in a
sunny spot, outside in direct sunlight, but make sure it is
not getting baked all day. A few hours in hot sun is plenty
Leave this for two weeks, opening every day to stir with a
chopstick and wipe moisture from the lid. Don’t forget this
part, or your plant material may mold. Strain after two weeks
and store in a dark place.
When the sun is not shining, you can still infuse oils near a
heat source indoors. Keep them warm but not hot. Stir them
every day and give them a month or more before straining.
Oil doesn’t extract dried plants well at all in my opinion, so
stick to freshly wilted plants or pitch. Once strained and
finished, these oils can be stored in the fridge or at room
temperature until needed in a salve, or they can be used on
the skin as is.
258
ЛррепсИх Е
A ppendix Е
Making Wine and Mead
‘Country Wine’ is any П'ре of wine that is not grape wine.

Because you are not using grapes, some sort of sweetener
must be added to the fruit involved. Mead is uine made
with honey as the sweetener. It is also probably the oldest
alcohohc beverage made, thought to be at least 10,000 years
old in parts of the world where honey bees were native.
Making wine and mead is easy. It is the attention to
detail that will make the biggest difference between a
drinkable wine and a really enjoyable delicious wine. Once
you begin to make your own, you will never go back. The
creative possibilities are endless, not to mention the cost
effectiveness —one bottle of wine made with organic cane
sugar costs around $2 to produce, not including the bottle.
Mead is closer to $5 per bottle, if you use locally sourced
honey, which I recommend. Also, by making wine and
mead at home, you can totally avoid chemicals and sulfites.
I add nothing to my wines besides water, fruit/herbs,
honey/sugar and yeast. I have been making exceptional
wines/meads for over ten years without sulfites and my
wines never spoil.
Basic 'Equipment ^
Here is what you need to brew wine in one gallon batches.
Some people think it is silly to make only one gallon,
but to make 3 or 5 requires more expensive equipment
and more fruit. All of the steps take longer and are
more cumbersome because of the large si2e of liquid. I
usually make about 10-12 kinds of wine/mead per year
and sometimes I make 2-3 gallon batches of something
I really enjoy, but avoid the large glass carboys by using
gallon glass jugs. You get 4-5 bottles of wine per gallon,
but count on 4 as the yeast build up (called the lees) will
take up some space in your gallon jug.
259
One Three Gallon Stone Crock — Buy it new for around S35-
$45, usually found at a local co-op. Do not buy antiques, as
I have done in the past, only to find that the small cracks in
the enamel leak and are not sanitary. Also, older glazes have
been known to contain lead. I do not use plastic buckets for
primary fermentation as many people do. I like stone wear.
Keep your crock only for winemaking, not for sauerkraut о
r pickles. Do not store bottles in it, or eventually it will chip.
Targe Plastic Tunnel and Hose — These can be bought at the

local brew store for less than $15 for both. Unless you are
using wooden barrels with a wooden spout, there is no real
way to avoid these two plastic items for straining out the
fruit and for siphoning into bottles.
Targe Wooden Spoon — Having a large, new wooden spoon

just for wine making is essential, not being used for anything
else or left sitting in the kitchen sink. It is worth spending
$15 on a heav\- duty long handled one, so that you can easily
reach to the bottom of the crock to stir up the fruit mixture.
(Called the Must) Mark it with a ribbon and keep it separate
from your other household utensils.
Gallon Glass Jugs — Having clear gallon glass jugs for

secondary fermentation is Hke having a small carboy, and
much cheaper. Have as many on hand as you want to have
types of wine. They cost around $5 each at the brew store or
sometimes can be found at second hand stores for cheaper.
Airlocks — These, along with rubber stopper that fits in

them, can be bought at the brew store for a few dollars each,
maybe $3 for all the Uttle parts. You need as many of them
as you have gallon jugs. These act to let the gas out, while
also keeping the fruit flies and the dust from getting in.
Wine bottles — It is best to find wire stopper type bottles

so that you can avoid corking. However, they are quite
260
Λρρβηόίχ Ε
expensive to purchase пей”; It is worth seeking out fancy

sodas or drinks that come in these bottles and purchasing
some over a long period of time to build up your collection.
Or look out for them at second hand stores. I have friends
who just bottle in old hquor bottles and also avoid corking;
these however cannot be stored on their sides but rather up
right. Corking is fun but just another step to deal vith. It is
not as essential for flavor as for grape wine and really not
necessary, unless you like the old charm of corks. Also, cork
trees (a upe of oak tree) are becoming overharvested and
real corks that are a whole piece of cork are rare —they are
mostly made of compressed cork these days. If you would
like to cork, any wine bottle will do.
Corker and Corks — These are easy to use but can be

expensive, depending on the model. The hand held corker
works great. Corks are pretty affordable, once you have your
corker.
Bottle Brush — Get an extra long bottle brush to clean

gallon jugs and wine bottles with. These can be found at
the brew store.
Yeast — The brew store will have special wine making

yeast that has been isolated and cultured to give a reliable
outcome. It is not expensive for a packet, which is around
$1, and if you make wine in 1 gallon batches, one packet
lasts for four gallons. You can buy it in the spring, before
winemaking season begins and store it in the fridge. Ask
the person working there what yeast to use for fruit
wines and meads, rather than grape wine. I have read
that when using wild yeast, a third of your outcomes will
not work out. They may affect the flavor in a bad way or
stop fermentation too early. With all of the work that I
spend picking fruit and with the waiting that is required
to drink the wine, I don’t take any chances with wild
yeast. Besides, the cost of the yeast is minimal, so there
261
is very little expense. Also, make sure you look at the

alcohol tolerance of the yeast. A yeast that can tolerate
up to 18 percent alcohol will give you a drier wine. One
that has more of a lower range, such as 14 percent, will
give you a sweeter wine.
Organic Cane Sugar!H onej — Organic cane sugar can be

bought in a 50-pound bag for wine making or as needed.
It does not have a strong flavor on its own, yet has
trace minerals which adds some additional nutrition to
the wine. Honey prices have increased significantly in
the past ten years due to the honey bee’s response to
modern pesticides and cell phone signals, to which they
are highly sensitive to. It is a sad state of affairs. I prefer
to support local honey farmers, though the price for one
five-gallon bucket is as much as S300 in my area of the
world. Because of this, I make much less mead than I use
to, buying smaller quantities of honey as needed. Also,
I like to combine honey and sugar to make what I call a
‘honey wine’. Not a full mead, but honey wine has more
complexity in flavor, especially important for leaf and
flower wines.
Fruit — When using fruit for brewing wine, always choose

perfectly ripe fruit. Some people have the idea that you can
use overripe fruit for winemaking. It is not true and under
ripe fruit isn’t good either. Your wine is only as good as
your fruit. As you pick berries throughout the season, freeze
them in a bag until there is enough to make a batch of wine.
The freezer is a great waiting spot for fruit if time is limited.
Also, freezing the berries does help to break down the fruit,
so the juice is more available for the wine.
Cleanliness — It is important to mention keeping things

really clean. Use only hot water, There is no need to use
soap or bleach that books recommend. Really hot water and
a scrub brush can get things very clean. Rinse things really
262
Appendix E
well before putting the away but more importantly, let them
soak with very hot tap water for around five minutes before
using at the start of brewing. This seems to work great in
my practices.
Bask Stages of fermentation

Primarjfermentation — This is the stage of the most vigorous
fermentation, the first stage when you add fruit, sugar, yeast
and water together. You need your crock, your wooden
spoon and clean Unen for covering the crock with. Also, a
masher is helpful.
The basic proportions for a one-gallon batch of wine
that I use are one gallon of fruit and 2 1/2 —3 pounds of
organic cane sugar. Fruits that are not sweet in nature, in
particular the hedgerow fruits such as rowan or hawthorn,
need 3 pounds of sugar, as do any herbal or plant based
wines. Fruits that are pretty sweet on their own such as
raspberry or black cherry require 2 У2 pounds per gallon. I
have tried wine where people used less sugar than that and
they are horrible in my opinion, almost undrinkable.
One pound of sugar is approximately 2 cups worth. You
don’t need a scale as long as you have a one cup measure
and a one-gallon freezer bag as your guide. For leaves/
flowers, use 2 quarts per gallon. Additions such as spices
(vanilla bean, cloves, orange peel, lemon peel etc__) can
be added starting with primary fermentation. With spices,
less is best.
For meads, use 3 pounds of honey per gallon with a
champagne yeast. These meads will be high in alcohol and
quite dry, taking about 1 year and 3 months to be ready
Take your defrosted/fresh fruit and make sure to cut
away any bad spots. Start with having a little less than a
gallon of water to boil on the stovetop. Getting the water
ratio is tricky, as the fruit juice and melted sugar will take
up space. I usually use У4 gallon of water. Bring it to a boil
with sugar or honey.
263
Mash the fruit in a clean crock. When the water is boiUng

and the sweetener totally dissolved, add it to the crock and
stir with your big wine spoon. Cover loosely with a cloth and
now comes the waiting game. You cannot add yeast until the
‘must’ is at room temp otherwise it will die. It usually takes
around 6-8 hours to cool down. If you start this project at
night, just wait until morning.
You need about % or 1/3 packet of wine yeast per
gallon. When the must is cool, proof your yeast for about
15 minutes. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the must. Let it sit
for 15 minutes and then stir it in. You will notice that it will
expand during this time. Then attach your linen towel with a
string and rubber band to the top of the crock.
During the next week, your wine will begin a rapid
fermentation. You will smell yeast and sugar wafting around.
Within a day, the fruit will aU rise to the top to the crock
forming a ‘cap’. You must stir in this cap twice per day to
oxygenate the yeast and prevent mold from forming on the
cap. It is good to have your crock right on the kitchen counter
to remind yourself to do this. Just remove the towel and give
a good stirring and quickly replace the towel to prevent any
fruit flies or ‘vinegar flies’ from getting in. Rinse your spoon
immediately with hot water and let it dry. Do not leave your
wine making spoon in a dirty sink.
After 7-10 days, you will notice a definite decrease in
fermentation. The must will not be so frothy or bubbly.
Now it is time to move on to secondary fermentation.
Secondary Fermentation — Now it is time to strain your wine/

mead into a glass gallon jug and put it into a longer storage
period. Set the crock up on the counter next to the sink and
place the clean jug in the sink. Rinse your funnel with hot
tap water and put inside of the jug. Get a clean two cup glass
measuring cup or something Hke that and scoop your fruit
must into the funnel.
Some fruit drains really easy, some takes a while. Because
of the fine filter on the funnel, you may need to agitate the
264
Appendix E
fruit with your clean hands. It helps push it through, but do

not force it, as it will only give you more sediment. As you
need more space in the funnel, dump the spent fruit into a
clean bowl not the compost. You do NOT want compost
bacteria to be an^'where near your wine. When you are finally
through with the strained must, it is now called immature
uine. Make sure that your gallon is full to where the small
opening starts to expand, in other words make sure that it is
exposed to as little oxygen as possible. Sometimes you have
to add a little water to make it full, but do not add more than
an inch or two.
Clean your airlock and fill it to the line and put on top
of the jug, making sure that there is tuO or three inches of
space betu'een the rubber stopper and the wine. Label your
jug with the type of wine and date. Make a paper ‘jacket’
out of a brown paper bag by cutting a hole in the bottom
and sliding over the airlock/neck to protect the wine from
light. Store in a dark out of the way place, in a moderate
temperature but not cold. Here the wine can remain for at
least three months and up to six months.
Racking and bottling— Within the first three months, you will
see sediment on the bottom of your jug. You either need to
rack (siphon the wine off the sediment into a new gallon
jug, replacing the airlock) or bottle by six months, in order
to get your uine off the lees (the yeast sediment). Eventually
it will add an undesirable taste to the wine. I never bottle
before six months and I have never had exploding bottles to
deal with, thankfully!
Racking is simple, you need to learn how to use a siphon
however. It just takes a little practice. Your wine gallon is set
on a table and a clean jug held below it (with a towel on the
floor), with one siphon end in the wine to be transferred.
Suck on the lower end of the siphon and immediately put it
into the clean gallon. The siphon flow can be controlled by
how far apart the two jugs are. For faster flow, bring the newer
jug lower and to slow the flow, bring it higher. Do your best
to not get any of the sediment in, which is a challenge. It is
265
fine if some gets in, but try your hardest. When done, you
will lose some liquid because of the sediment left behind,
which is fine. Do not add water.
In old recipes clay, mica or egg white was used to clarify
wine, but I have never used these things. Some herb wines
will never get totally clear, which does not affect the flavor.
Fruit wines almost always clear on their own. Once the
wine is racked into a clean jug, it can be stored with the
airlock replaced indefinitely, out of the light at a moderate
temperature. After a time, say three more months, the
airlock can be removed and replaced with a fitted cap.
The wine can just be drunk from the jugs if bottling is
not desirable. Country wine does not go stale if oxygen
gets into the bottle like store bought grape wine does. It
can last indefinitely, in a half full jug that is opened from
time to time.
Bottling a bit messy and it is helpful to have two people.
Start bv cleaning and soaking your uine bottles and cleaning
up the kitchen sink area. If you are corking, prepare the
corks by putting them in a pot with some water and place
a veggie steamer over them to keep them submerged. Bring
the water to a boil and set the pan aside, covered, to soften
up the corks, for about 20 minutes. Make sure that your
siphon hose is clean and place the jug of wine above the
bottles. Have a towel spread under the bottles.
Place the clean tube into the wine jug, not quite all the way
to the bottom, avoiding any sediment. Have your bottles
empty and lined up. Siphon into the bottles, as done with
racking. Remember that gravity helps control the flow. Fill
to within a few inches of the top. Move on quickly to your
next bottle to avoid losing any of you precious wine. It’s a
bit messy, no matter what, so expect this. Cork or seal your
bottles with a stopper and label. To use a corker, check out
a YouTube video, there are different types. If you cork your
wine, wait 2 days to lay them on their sides, to let the corks
dry out. Then they can be stored in a dark place, similar to
where you stored your gallon jugs.
266
Appendix E
The fruit wines are usually ready to drink in 9-12 months

from the beginning of the process. Mead takes 3 months
longer or so. The trick with wine/mead is that if it doesn’t
taste good, keep waidng. Many folks drink immature wine
and suffer because of lack of patience. If you open a bottle
and it still isn’t ready, just put the cork back in and wait some
more, storing it upright. Keep records and recipes for your
wines, so that you can remember what you did and what
you liked. Once you make your own uine, you will never go
back to store bought wines...it is an easy, creative and very
satisfying pursuit.
267
A pp en dix F
Making Salves
Salves are a combination of herbal infused oils/fats and

waxes, made for topical (on the skin) use. Salves are heavy"
enough to coat the skin and tend to be ‘greasy’ feeling. They
are one of the easiest herbal medicine products to make and
often a favorite of many medicine makers. Making salves is a
wonderful way to preserve the properties of herbs that were
‘caught’ in an infused fat/oil, while adding the moisturizing
benefit to the skin of the oils and/or fats used.
When making salves, the combinations of ingredients
in particular with herbs, is virtually endless. A salve should
really be tailored to fit the purpose at hand. Generally, salves
are used for medicinal purposes such as for sore muscles,
bites, scrapes and for skin conditions, such as eczema. They
also can be created and used for more esoteric purposes in
mind, such as for anointing ritual objects, to help induce
trance or open the third eye, for protection or formulated
with specific seasonal rites in mind. Fragrance is certainly
one doorway that leads into other realms, as is preserving
the properties of certain plants for these purposes.
We will briefly look at the base ingredients here and
I will give a general recipe. I personally aspire to make a
more ‘rustic’ salve by using animal fats and plants alone, not
including any essential oils. Though essential oils are ‘natural’,
they are highly processed and waste a w’hole lot of plant
material in my opinion. Unless indicated therapeutically, I
avoid them, preferring the challenge to create a wholesome
salve that is fragrant because of the plants chosen for fat
extraction. Perfume balms can also be made like this, using
a high concentration of dried plant material to animal fat,
usually bear. They are very fragrant without the use of any
essential oil, but with only moss, bark, flowers and fat
268
ЛррепНгх F
Ingredients ^
Herbal Infused OilsjFats — Infused oils/fats are the base
ingredients in your salve —see additional appendices for
more details on how to make these. Essentially, a salve
uses wax to help solidify the infused oils/fats. So, having
high quality infused oils/fats is really the most important
ingredient. You want the infused oils/fats to smell and
be the color of the herbs that you infused, to assure that
they have ‘captured’ the some of the healing and magical
essence that the plants carry.
Wax— Beesw'ax is the preferred wax to use, as opposed
to paraffin white wax, which is a petroleum by-product.
A pound of golden sweet smelling beeswax will last you
quite a while. You must grate or pulverize the wax in
order for it to melt fast enough in your oils/fat. If you
have big chunks, it can take a long time, unnecessarily
heating your fats. This can break down some of the
healing properties, which is undesirable. For years,
I hand grated my beeswax with an old grater set aside
specifically for this purpose. (You can never really clean
it) This job is actually labor intensive and dangerous, I
grated my knuckles a few times as well! There are a few
ways to remedy this. You can buy beeswax that is in ‘pearl’
form, which is very convenient and more expensive but is
mass produced, something I find personally undesirable.
There is actually another great alternative to hand grating.
If you store your beeswax chunks in the freezer, you can
wrap them in cloth then in heavy plastic and smash them
with a hammer. It works great, besides a little mess. That
way, you have small pieces available for ease of melting
and measuring.
basic Kecipe
For every I cup of oil/fat, add 1 oz. of beesw’ax. You
can either purchase wax in one ounce chunks, or have a
269
Under the Wîtching Tree
small scale handy for measuring. Remember, if you want a

harder salve, add a Uttle more, and for a softer salve, add
a little less.
To start, set up all of your open salve containers on a
counter, under which is placed brown paper for catching
any spills. I prefer tins, as they will not break and are Ughter
weight than glass. For ritual salves, httle earthen ware pots can
be used, found at second hand stores and fitted with corks,
if desired. You will need a double boiler for salve making,
where the water in the lower chamber gets very hot and heats
the contents of the upper chamber in a more uniform way.
Make sure the water envelopes the upper chamber and after
adding your fat and wax, turn it on high. It usually takes
about 10-15 minutes to melt all of the wax and emulsify,
depending on the amount involved. If you do add essential
oils, do so at the very end of melting, just before pouring
into jars. When fully melted together, turn off the heat and
pour your mixture directly into a Pyrex glass measuring cup
with a spout. Then carefully and quickly pour into desired
containers. The mixture will start to solidify right away, but
will take a few hours to set in the containers. Use a rubber
spatula to scrape up any excess into a final container.
One thing to remember —if your salve is too thin or
thick, you can re-melt it and adjust proportions of both
beeswax or infused oil. For excellent texture, I recommend
incorporating some animal fats into your salve if possible.
Cleaning up dishes after salve making is a chore —all
that wax and grease coating everything! A good trick is to
wipe dishes out immediately after pouring with a piece of
brown paper or paper towel, which makes less mess and
provides a great fire starter. Then wash the dishes in extra
hot soapy water.
Salves last two-three years generally. They can be stored
at room temperature. Ones made with animal fats will
eventually get grainy and change texture, which is undesirable.
Ones made with vegetable oils will become rancid or tangy
smelting. After three years, replace them.
270
A p p en d ix G
Making Elixirs, Cordials and Infused Wines
All of these potions can be made with both medicinal use

and ritual use in mind. I prefer elixirs and infused wines to
folk tinctures even, they are much more inspiring to create
and more delicious. They are very medicinally active as well.
A cordial is commonly defined as a sipping beverage,
medicine or flavoring made from any or all: alcohol (vodka,
brandy), sugar, honey, herbs, spices, fruit. This definition
can be applied loosely, depending on where you are getting
your information from.
An elixir has similar definitions, but seems to be more
medicinal. One definition writes that they are a ‘magical or
medicinal potion’. Another online definition for elixir —‘a
sweetened aromatic solution of alcohol and water, serving
as a vehicle for medicine’. Whereas a cordial seems to be
a pleasurable beverage, an ehxir is definitely medicinal. In
my apothecary, it contains alcohol (vodka, brandy), honey,
dried or fresh herbs, spices and sometimes medicinal fruits.
The biggest difference between a cordial and an elixir is
the concentration of the herbs/spices used - an elixir is
generally more potent.
An infused wine is exactly as it sounds; wine infused with
herbs, fruit and /or spices. This differs from brewing a wine
with herbs or spices. The specific process is defined below.
Alcohol — Remember when making both cordials and elixirs

to buy the nicest brandy or vodka that you can afford. I
prefer 80 proof alcohol, which is 40 percent alcohol and
60 percent water. This makes for a nice solvent to help
extract both alcohol and water soluble medicines. Vodka is
preferable when you want a really clear flavor for the herbs
involved. Brandy definitely adds a caramel flavor, so think
about your formulas and whether or not you want that. I
271
often use brandy with excellent results. You certainly could

use rum, whiskey or even tequila, but I feel that the flavors
of these alcohols are too overpowering. That is my personal
preference, but feel free to experiment.
Because wine is a combination of alcohol and water, it
extracts herbs nicely. As far as wine goes, it is true that
any wine will extract herbs but some preserve better than
others. The higher proof wines such as sherry (which is an
amber colored wine) and port (which is a deep red wine) are
popular. These both are extremely swêet tasting and strong;
known as dessert wines. Typical red or white wine is 12-14%
alcohol, with sherry and port being around 18-20% alcohol.
If you want to make an infused wine that will last 2-3 years, I
recommend using either port or sherry. If you will be taking
the wine over a period of a few weeks or a month, you can
infuse red wine, white wine, mead or any homemade wine;
depending on your selection of herbs.
H erb s ^
For making herbal elixirs or cordials, you can use either fresh
or dried herbs, all or any parts (including flowers, leaves,
roots, root bark, seeds). You can also use spices, such as
vanilla bean, cinnamon chips, allspice berries, cloves, star
anise, ginger, coriander seed, cardamom pods etc......citrus
peel is a wonderful addition. Do not use powders. If you are
using fresh plant material, make sure that it is smashed up a
bit by using a mortar and pestle. Also, be sure to first wilt it
overnight by laying it out on a basket. Any or most all herbs
would work, besides mucilage rich herbs (marshmallow,
comfrey root, shppery elm, kudzu root, Irish moss), which
would ruin the texture of the potion. Try to combine herbs
in a way that will complement each other, for example, not
using too many aromatic or bitter herbs together.
For infused wanes, stick to dried herbs alone, as fresh
herbs can introduce more moisture to your menstruum.
Spices and flavor additions such as citrus peel can be
used of course, as can dried fruits such as elderberry or
272
Appendix G
rosehips. I have made very potent infused wines with

dried herbs; it is all related to the amount of dried herbs
used. Also, do not use powders or mucilaginous herbs, as
mentioned above.
To Make a Fruit Cordial ^

When making cordials, use thawed fruit that has been
frozen. Freezing the fruit helps break down the cell walls
and makes it more available to the hquid. Do not smash
the fruit. With larger fruit, such as apples, chop them
hghtly. Fruit suggestions: elderberries, currants, raspberries,
cherries, blackberries, blueberries, salal berries, apricots,
peaches, apples, strawberries, fresh lemon/orange peel,
plums, rosehips, hawthorn berries, etc.
To make a simple fruit cordial, choose a dominate soft
fruit (or a combination) and cover with brandy in a glass
mason jar (ideally use a French canning jar, which has a glass
lid instead of metal and it less corrosive). The jar should
be no more than half full of fruit, with a little juice. Do not
add all of the extra juice that is often in the freezer bag. Add
some bruised spices or herbs if desired. Fill the jar to У4 full
of alcohol, fill the remaining quarter with honey. Remember
that the fruit cordial will need a pretty high amount of
alcohol and/or sweetener to preserve it. Shake or stir the
jar every day, letting it steep for 4 weeks. Strain through a
fine sieve at this time and discard any pulp, or ingest at your
discretion. Let it sit for a few weeks and decant the bulk of
the hquid, leaving any sediment behind. Bottle, label and
store in a dark cupboard out of the light, no need to keep
them in the refrigerator. Let this hqueur age for at least one
month, it is best after six or even longer.
To Make an Herhal Elixir

Fill any sized mason jar or French canning jar half full with
chopped dried plant material. Remember, the dried plants
will absorb the alcohol and rehydrate. If you are using wilted
fresh material, fill it to two thirds. Add alcohol until the
273
jar is У4 way full, stirring with a chopstick. Add honey the

remaining quarter of the way. Always leave an inch or so on
top, for shaking room. Shake or stir the jar every day, letting
it steep for 4 weeks. You may need to add an inch more of
alcohol once the plants absorb it up, if using dried herbs.
Strain through a fine sieve, pushing the herbs dry with a
wooden pestle, careful not to break the sieve. Botde, label
and store in a dark cupboard out of the light.
To Make Infused Wine ^

Depending on how strong you want your wine extract,
you may add anywhere from % - У2 of the jar full of
dried crushed herbs. Remember - the plants will expand
and take up the wine. Place dried herbs in a mason jar or
French canning jar and add the wine in slowly, stirring with
a chopstick, eventually filling up the jar. The stronger that
you make your infused wine, the smaller the dosage need
be. Let the wine macerate for 4 weeks or so, shaking every
day and then strain through a fine sieve, bottle, label and
store in a dark place.
274
A pp en dix Η
Making Fumigations
The art of using plants, resins, woods and spices to burn

and bring about magical intention is as ancient as the belief
in magic itself. Long held to be cleansing agents, both smoke
and fire are no doubt connected to old spirit powers. Fire
connects us to the beyond, something beyond this time and
place, it connects us to our ancestors. By lighting a symbolic
mixture of potent plants, we are blessed with fragrant
and spirit filled smoke. Incense has always had a primarily
ceremonial purpose. It can be used to evoke a certain state
of mind (bringing about connections to the unconscious
mind) while doing magic work, as well as playing a symbolic
part in any ritual. Many plants have been linked to certain
planets and therefore have astrological correspondences.
Incense can be used to contact a particular type of spirit
energy, depending on how it is formulated.
It has been believed that certain scents are pleasing to
the spirits and therefore attract them for helping in magical
workings. Burning incense has also been a way to make
offerings to spirit forces, and smoke has been used to carry
prayers or intentions to the heavenly spheres. Sacred recipes
were protected and made only by certain persons. In the
past, many ingredients were rare and expensive, so burning
incense was restricted to the spiritual elite. However, peasant
folk could always produce a pleasant smelhng smoke from
locally available plants and trees. Smoke is cleansing to the
spirit and soul, even if it is used in a simple direct way, without
complicated recipes and astrological correspondences.
When blending, use a mortar and pestle as needed, to
crush up seeds, spices and even harder resins. Dried aromatic
plants will need to be cut or crumbled fine or even powdered
in a spice mill. If you have a softer resin, such as spruce, you
can use oiled hands and just roll it into little balls so that it
275
does not stick to everything or clump up. You can also use
a double boiler, just reserved for resins and getting sticky,
to melt it all down together, incorporating a httle honey,
dried berries, tree buds and even small amounts of vine
into blends, along with a little beeswax to get everything
blended and to make an appropriate texture. This mixture
can be then rolled in powdered plants to keep the balls or
cones separate.
I often make loose blends to be sprinkled onto burning
coals or directly onto the top of my woodstove or into
an outdoor fire. If a woodstove is not available, incense
charcoal can be bought cheaply or a small cast iron skillet
just for burning incense can be used on your stovetop, the
fumigation sprinkled in when the pan is heated up hot.
Label and store your incense ideally in glass jars in a dark
cupboard. They will last indefinitely if stored in a cool dark
place. My favorite combinations often have five to eight
ingredients in them. Any fragrant part of a plant can be
used, as long as it is dried first.
Whole herbs that are fragrant can be used to make ‘smudge
bundles’. These are simply made by harvesting the plant
including the stems, letting it sit for three to five days to
partially dry out, and then bundling it tightly with thin wool
thread. Then the bundle needs to dry for about a month.
After they are dry, they can be stored, wrapped in cloth in
a drawer. Trees, such as juniper and cedar, can be used, as
can fragrant herbs such as rosemary, mugwort, lavender and
sage. Single herbs make a lovely smoke and are often helpful
for many folk magical operations and rites.
276
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The content of this book is based on historical information

Illustration and Photo Credit Information:

This book is dedicated to all practitioners, be they personal

1. Л п alta r o f E lder tree medicine

All photographs taken by Claude Mahmood

Alder Wood Binding Spell 157

I wish to acknowledge and thank my dedicated teachers and

Alexander Porteous, The Forest in Mythology <&Folklore

Deep in the darkest part o f the forest, fra il blackberry bushes

Ernest Small & Blair Lent, Baba Yaga

hat magic is gathered from the old trees, from the

veneered onto the realms of the plant world. Folklore

ways in which they were apphed in traditional magic, this

medicine is learned, once the parameters are understood, one

Corinne Boyer, Maple Mist Wood of Western Washington,

The Black Earth Aledicines of Autumn

Waiker o f Caves, black wool

Dangle with the claws o f crow

Flack soil carries the breath

Black butterflies and owl talons

Where the moths live and feed

Gifts from the Tady hooded and cloaked

The Shroud that will carry me

n the forgotten meadow, long stands the brittle bone

to blow onto dying or sparsely lit embers, reviving the

This mysterious tree was never touched after dark in the

healing a skin infection called Erysipelas (an older name

for wound healing specifically. Interestingly, horse people

lit and floated on water, that it would point to any witch

decoction of the bark as a wash for pain and an herbal

brings her wisdom into the present situation. Elder can

or spruce could be substituted), stinging nettles, clove,

or wine with the flowers, I personally prefer to dry them

Hlder Tree Charm for Second Sights

rest of the branch in roughly one inch chunks. Take a

E ld e r crone, elder crone, lies sleeping m th the snake.

Elder Berry Mead

and about 3 quarts of water, boil them on the stovetop

Elder Elower Ointment ^

chaffed skin, mild burns and chapped lips. It can also be

’he hazel tree enchants and divines with an old

and conjures up joy for springtime after the depths of

From the 1600’s: To Enable One to See the Fairies: A pint

Another one from 1406, contained in Bodlein Ms.

Folklore and magical use abounds with the hazel tree.

Cut a ha^el wand forked at the upper end like a Y. Peel o ff

The hazel tree has a connection with snakes from old

‘'Underneath this has(elin mote, theres a braggoty worm with

two double to one double, Λ n d fro m one double to no double,

Along with snake lore, there is also a bit of lightning lore

and children were threatened with Lady Hazel coming to get

This with the loudest bounce me sore amas(^d, That in a flam e o f

be used and trance achieved by whatever means be of

ΥίαΐζβΙ Interred Oracular Powder^

under the ha2el tree during twilight. Give offerings to the

Hat^el Wood Divination

Ha^el divine, oracle come

о come upon a large old rowan tree within a wild edge

Rowan is unrelated to true ash trees in the Fraxinus genus,

by whipping it lightly with a rowan stick. From nineteenth

keep witches away. Rowan wood was fashioned into a rustic

possible to find one! It is small but powerful, growing out of