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stilluminate · 5 years

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Tree Symbolism

Alder ~ Call the tree of fire. It symbolizes firm foundations for any venture, and power to control external forces and factors in your life. It can off you security in times of uncertainty and the persistence to carry a venture through difficult initial stages.

Almond ~ Abundance, prosperity and love without limits. Like all nut-bearing tree, the almond promises fertility for any venture and the fruition of dreams, although perhaps not until several months after inception.

Apple ~ Fertility, health, love and long life. The magical apple tree promises renewed life and strength if you have been feeling tired or have lost your way.

Ash ~ Expansion of horizons, travel especially by sea, healing, strength and prosperity. As a World Tree the ash will increase your authority and powers of leadership, bringing with it, of course, additional responsibilities.

Aspen ~ Communication, eloquence, protection against theft, and healing. A tree of great sensitivity, the aspen bring empathy with others that is not without personal pain. It connects you to the heart of another person’s experience.

Avocado ~ Desire, and increase of beauty in beauty or environment. You will be able to create beauty out of ugliness, but will find that you have become involved in the concerns of your wider environment, as well as creating personal beauty and grace in your life.

Bamboo ~ Protection, especially of your household boundaries and against negative thoughts of others. You can drawn the protection around you and those you love, but must make sure your own thoughts and words are likewise positive.

Banana ~ Fertility, male potency and prosperity: involves slow ripening of endeavors and so patience for the right time for true power.

Banyan ~ Luck and optimism. You can welcome sunshine into your life by seeking simple pleasures and enjoying every small moment of happiness.

Bay ~ Fidelity, marriage and preservation of family and home, and pleasant dreams. Be persevering and seeking lasting joy rather than instant excitement, you can bring true harmony to yourself and those you love.

Beech ~ Knowledge, formal learning and change. You can learn much from being still in the natural world, and by seeking to give your intuitions and inspiration firm foundations.

Birch ~ Cleansing, health, new beginnings, Goddess magic and protection of the young. You may need either a new approach or to clear the deck and sacrifice what is comfortable and familiar for new growth.

Boxwood ~ Uncovering hidden treasures, buried talents and the unexpected. A tree for bringing out potential and perhaps fulfilling earlier dreams you had dismissed.

Cedar ~ Good fortune and fidelity in love, and mature relationships. A very cleansing and healing tree that can take away the fears that stop you from making your own happiness and good fortune.

Cherry ~ New love, divinatory abilities and fertility, A tree of springtime and so especially useful to younger people for exploring their own capacity for love.

Chestnut/Horse Chestnut ~ Abundance and expansion of opportunity. A magnificent tree for bold endeavours and ambitions, filled with idealism and nobility.

Coconut ~ Fertility and motherhood, and the flow of new life and energies: give protection against all negativity, especially psychic attack. A traditional source of the nourishing life force of the Earth Mother, encourages nurturing others and in return experiencing the joys of giving.

Cypress ~ Long life, healing and comfort in sorrow. A good tree for working through loss and what must be mourned for.

Dogwood ~ Clear focus and determination. A tree that will stand firm against opposition and cheerfully persevere to achieve the desired results.

Elder ~ Tree of the White Moon Goddess and of female magic; give ability to see other dimensions and increases clairvoyance. A fairy tree, the elder absorbs personal negativity. It is a good tree for men as well as women to use to explore their magical side and to suspend disbelief in the presence of nature essences.

Elm ~ Quiet sleep, love and giving. The elm itself is under threat in a number of places through disease, but it nevertheless signifies serenity and dignity amid noise and chaos.

Eucalyptus ~ Cleansing and healing. A tree that frees stagnant or blocked energies and helps people move forwards.

Fig ~ Wisdom, creativity and creative ventures, fertility, harmony and balance. A tree filled with personal riches that allows our artistic and inspiration side to blossom.

Fir ~ The tree of Christmas and so a tree of birth, the return of light and new beginnings, the life cycle and also cleansing. A tree of light in the darkness and the promise of the future joys even on the darkest of days.

Hawthorn ~ Courage, marking boundaries, purification, protection, male potency (although it is a female tree), and cleansing: a fairy tree. Use this to protect you from skepticism and cynicism in others and to create a personal space away from the demands of others.

Hazel ~ Wisdom, luck, fertility, knowledge and inspiration, justice and divination, especially water magic and dowsing for water and treasure. Use this tree when you face injustice or feel strongly about a particular principle, to allow you to resolve matters by using persuasion not force.

Holly ~ Protection especially of the home against all negativity; a tree also for money and material gains. Another tree that thrives on opposition and uses difficulties as a springboard for positive action; a tree that works especially well with animus energies in women or in resolving issues with men in your life. Holly is regarded as a male plant, so it exudes assertive, active energies associated with the animus or male aspect of ourselves. King of the waning year.

Ivy ~ Fidelity, married love and committed relationships; Good for for taking risks in terms of deepening trust and love towards another as well as for sorting out issues of the relative importance to self and others to establish loving but clear boundaries; good for women to with.

Juniper ~ Protection against all negative forces, and purification. One of the best cleansing trees for clearing away bad habits, addictions or emotional luggage from the past.

Larch ~ Protection, especially against thieves; optimism. A tree that lifts the spirits and triggers the inner protective system we all possess but often do not trust; good especially if you have felt under threat - whether emotionally, psychically or actually - from others at work.

Laurel ~ Protection from illness, success and realization of ambition, and winning through in spite of difficulty. A tree that promises that you will achieve more than you hoped or dreamed of if you meet life head on.

Linden ~ Justice, cooperation with others, partnerships of all kinds and dealing with officialdom. A tree of quiet, unassuming power that shows it is possible for one to take on a system and win if the case if just.

Mango ~ Health, permanence and lasting happiness. This rich fruit tree promises joy year after year if you plant the seeds of that joy now.

Maple ~ Long life, health of children, fertility, riches of all kinds and pleasure. A good tree if you have lost your confidence in yourself, suggesting you look at all the potential treasure you have in your life that will help you turn the corner.

Mistletoe ~ Known to the Druids as the “All-Healer”; peace, love and purity, and also fertility and sexual potency, the union of male and female, and protection and good health. A plant to choose if you are near the beginning of your spiritual journey or a relationship that you believe will prove important.

Myrtle ~ Stable relationships, married love, fertility, youth, peace and money. Another tree of harmony both with others and within yourself that can stabilize an uncertain patch in your personal world.

Norfolk Island Pine ~ Assurance that you and your family will never suffer poverty; soaring potential; if you seize opportunities you will succeed.

Oak ~ King of the waxing year and sacred tree of the Druids; tree of knowledge, power and independence, confidence, prosperity and potency. Like the ash, the oak is a wise Father Tree that represents commitment to a journey of exploration and attainment of mastery over the emotions.

Olive ~ Peace and reconciliation, forgiveness, abundance, nourishment, healing and fertility. A healing tree that can mend any sorrow or bitterness and from this reconciliation bring lasting peace in your immediate world and maybe beyond as your peacemaking influences spread.

Orange ~ Love, abundance, fertility, marriage, luck and money. Increase confidence, self-esteem and self-love as a basis for making positive relationships with other which you can ask for what you need.

Palm, Date ~ Fertility, potency, self-renewal, rejuvenation and the revolving life cycles of nature and people. A tree of the sunshine and blue skies that enables you to regenerate your energies and to take steps forward on a new path.

Pear ~ New life, health, woman’s matter and fertility; gentle growth, the increase of quiet joy and fulfillment of realistic aims within the near future.

Peach ~ Marriage and birth, abundance, happiness, fertility, wishes and long life. Another sunshine tree that enables you to unfold your sensuality and sexuality without guilt or shame.

Pine ~ Symbol of fire and illumination, cleansing, friendship in adversity, knowledge and protection from all negativity. Like fir, the pine blazes in the darkness, illuminating your path and burning away what holds you from fulfillment.

Poplar, White & Black ~The white poplar symbolizes money, astral projection, hope rebirth and divination. The black poplar refers to ending. Together, the black and white poplar move through endings to beginnings, from regret to healing and from pain to joy.

Redwood ~ Limitless potential, long-term spiritual growth and clear focus. This tree tells you to aim high and not to doubt your ability to soar, however far off the goal seems.

Rowan/Mountain Ash ~ Another tree of the White Goddess; brings protection to the home, increases psychic powers, brings healing, and is also good for metal dowsing and astral projection. A magical tree that will keep you safe from harm and fears, whether of darkness or malice of others.

Silver Banksia ~ Protection, letting go of sorrow, developing a more positive outlook, new growth and positive achievement. A gentle tree that enfolds you in love and reassurance that all shall be well if you just trust and stretch out your hand to life.

Sycamore ~ Protection and the granting of wishes; increasing influence over other and situations. A tree whose effects are like its fast-rooting spores, meaning that you can have a real influence for the better on any situation if you communicate your feelings and ideas.

Tamarind ~ Love, especially new love and rebuilding of trust. A tree of gentle love, especially after sorrow or betrayal, promising kindness and friendship that may deepen into more permanent feelings.

Vine ~ Rebirth and renewal, joy, ecstasy and fairy magic. It advises you to abandon the inhibitions and prohibitions in your head and seek what will bring you happiness and connection with life.

Walnut ~ Tree of prophecy, traditionally where witches meet; health, increase of mental powers, fertility and granting of wishes. A tree that promises the gradual unfolding of good things and the revealing of the secrets of psychic powers.

Willow ~ A Moon tree; intuition, Moon magic, healing, making wishes come true, increasing psychic energies and understanding the emotions of others. Go with the flow of the hour and tap into the underlying emotions of any situation or person to discover the truth; a good tree if your emotions and intuitions are blocked.

White Mangrove ~ Nurturing self and others, being sensitive, intuitive, caring, balanced and in touch with the pulse of life. Another tree of connection with others and with the wisdom of the natural world; it overcomes any sense of loneliness and alienation.

Yew ~ Tree of endings, of new coming out of the old, of permanence, of aims that are slow to come to fruition and enduring strengths, of what is worth and union between two people after difficulty. The yew will allow what is lost to be mourned for, while reminding you what is of worth, and will endure.

Source The Modern-Day Druidess by Cassandra Eason

#trees

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stilluminate · 5 years

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A Witch’s Christmas 🎄

My playlist for Yule, Christmas, and the Winter Solstice. This playlist is a blend of two shorter playlists that I had compiled - one focusing on the oldest (and oddest!) Christmas gems from an early music repertoire. The other, Pagan and witchy Christmas songs.

The Christmas songs here are not your typical Christmas songs - they feature an infant Christ who has the power to speak, control tree spirits, and even drown his enemies. The Virgin Mary, too, is here, assuming her role as the mighty Queen of Heaven, decked in strange winter roses. There are songs written by Vikings. There are songs written by angels. There are songs celebrating the Sun, the Mother Earth, the Mari Lwyd (Fari Lwyd), and the Wren. Our modern winter celebration is a strange blend of old and new, Christian and Pagan - and my playlist reflects this. May it bless your winter season.

“Gaudete” Steeleye Span

“The Holly & The Ivy” Mediaeval Baebes

“Edi Beo” The Owl Service & Laura Cannell

“Cherry Tree Carol” Roberta Flack

“Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella” Great Lake Swimmers

“This Endris Night” Heather Dale

“Seven Joys of Mary” Great Big Sea

“Snow” Loreena McKennitt

“Gower Wassail” Green Matthews

“Oppi Li” Henning Sommerro

“Invocation to Mother Holle” Ruth Barrett

“The Wheel” Kari Tauring

“Yule is Come” Jaiya

“To Drive the Cold Winter Away” Katie McMahon

“Song for Yule” Victoria Parks

“On Midwinter’s Day” Damh the Bard

“The Christians and the Pagan” Dar Williams

“In Praise of Winter” Kiva

“Freya” Kellianna

“Personent Hodie” Dallas Symphony Chorus

“The Wexford Carol” Alison Krauss, Yo-Yo Ma, Natalie MacMaster, Shane Shananan & Cristina Pato

“Coventry Carol” Loreena McKennitt

“O Come, O Come Emmanuel” Enya

“The Bells of Paradise” Alva

“Y Fari Lwyd” Mair Thomas

“Entre le bœuf et l’âne gris” Claire Pelletier

“O Mary” Faun Fables

“Bring Us in Good Ale” Jaiya

“Good King Wenceslas” Loreena McKennitt

“The Boar’s Head” Kiva

“Bitter Withy” Maddy Prior

“Ecci Mundi Gaudium” The Mediaeval Baebes

“Yo Me Soy la Modenica” Brocelïande

“Noel Nouvelet” Áine Miongue & Druidstone

“Sir Christémas” Barry & Beth Hall

“I Sing of a Maiden” Mediaeval Baebes

“Bring Us In Good Ale” Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band

“Here We Come A-Wassailing” The Albion Christmas Band

“To Shorten Winter’s Sadness” Sharron Kraus, Claire Lloyd, Graham Metcalfe, Ian Giles, Fay Hield & John Spiers

“The Wren Suite: Please to See the King/The Wren Song/The Wren’s” Linn Barnes and Allison Hampton

“Abbots Bromley Horn Dance” Brocelïande

“Somerset Wassail” The Albion Christmas Band

“Serving Girl’s Holiday” Kate Rusby

“Yule” Lisa Thiel

“Give Me the Moon” Jessica Radcliffe, Lisa Ekström & Martin Simpson

“Summer Will Come ‘Round Again” Jennifer Cutting’s Ocean Orchestra

“Y fari lwyd” Sharron Kraus

“One Small Candle” Jessica Radcliffe, Lisa Ekström & Martin Simpson

“In Ducli Jublio” Mediaeval Baebes

“The King” Steeleye Span

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stilluminate · 5 years

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Transitions between the Wheel (For the four seasons)

This is from my personal practice with observing the wheel of the year and my focus on each transition between the sabbats. I honor the current seasons in between. Each transition has it’s importance to self care and managing the home and garden. I will probably add to this later cause some paragraphs I wrote I feel like are a bit vague. Some of these transitions are not meant to be 100% literal and static but I feel like they are good areas to focus on for that moment in the year.

Yule->Imbolc Resting

During the thick of winter when it’s too cold to do anything and always dark, it’s the perfect moment in the year to rest. The focus is on relaxing, taking extra time to sleep and care for the body especially to not get sick. Winter is also ‘spa’ season because the air is so dry and harsh it’s a good time to soak in hot baths and scrub away dead skin and moisturize with protective lotion. Do not try to make new plans, yet sit home, rest and reflect.

Imbolc -> Ostara Cleansing

When winter thaws it’s a great time to clean the home and prepare for spring. Personally, I also like to do a body cleanse since I tend to eat a lot of processed (yet delicious ;-;) foods all year round. This also makes up for all the heavy foods I’ve been eating since Summer (all the BBQs) to Winter comfort foods. As I clean the home and get rid of stuff that has accumulated over the year, I clean the body. Also the focus is on cleaning the home as well. Breathing in the same air, especially if its full of dust, is really unhealthy and it’s good as the days are getting a little warmer to open up the windows for a few minutes to allow in fresh air to circulate. This is also the time of year I throw out old furniture, accumulated things and rearrange furniture in the room as well.

Ostara -> Beltane Sowing

Spring is a great time to germinate sprouts along with other seeds and clean the backyard or garden to grow plants. If you like to compost it’s a time to start mixing in the vegetable/fruit/plant scraps with the soil. Spring is also a great time to sow bigger changes in life as well. Something about the warm new season brings an air of flirtatiousness and ‘socialness’ that makes it perfect for making new friends or finding a partner. (Probably because people can finally come out of hibernation). It’s also a fantastic time to work on your image and portfolio and apply for long term jobs that begin in the summer or fall. Spring is the season for new beginnings and putting long term plans into action.

Beltane -> Litha Growing

A tradition I like to do on Beltane is repotting of plants and gardening. Repotting plants is a tradition I try to focus on every year because it’s very easy for house plants to die due to dead soil. Plus it makes the inside of the house super vibrant and lively to have fresh new soil in pots. From this point to summer solstice is the point of growth. Growth in the garden but also growth of personal goals. May and June feel like hectic months where there are so many events and opportunities to advance your work or change your social scene, that if I am not personally progressing, I focus all of my attention on my growth.

Litha -> Lughnasadh Thriving

Its the heat of summer! It’s time to get out and feel the intense hot energy and use its power to focus on goals and networking! Where I am there’s usually an exciting event every week where it’s an opportunity to make more connections and meet more friends but also since its warm and nature is so vibrant it’s time to take some days to relax and get away to enjoy the heat and life of nature. Go to the beach, go hiking, swim in a lake, sleep under the stars. Be active since the efforts will pay off.

Lughnasadh -> Mabon Reaping

This is the time you earn what you’ve sowed both literally and metaphorically. If you have a garden its the time it will start giving back. If you are an active goer of a farmers market you will notice how beautifully abundant the stands are. If in Spring you’ve sent out tons of job applications, and in Summer got the job you’ve wanted and worked hard, then by now you should start seeing some results. If there are no results being seen it’s a time for reflection and re-strategizing. There is a second chance in this time to start again before the cold and the holiday season bulldozes through.

Mabon -> Samhain Harvesting/Gathering

This is the time to gather and harvest. Usually family tends to gather now since it’s the holiday season. There’s not much other than gathering to be done since family and holidays are bombarding you from all sides. Also there is an abundance of food. This is great to store for the next transition which is

Samhain -> Yule Preparation

This is the moment to prepare for winter. My warddrobe completely changes here, I take up knitting projects that were abandoned last Imbolc, and I store food and herbs for the winter to use. Also making preserves from things in the garden or hand knitting clothes make great presents for the winter holidays. This is also a time to prepare the garden for hibernation. Take in potted plants, harvest the last of the herbs and food (that are not potted). Make sure plants you do not want to die have a place to chill in the house.

#wheel of the year #transitions #sabbats

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