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* Birch - This tree is indicative of cleanliness & determination in
overcoming adversity. Use when wanting to make a fresh start & ridding
yourself of bad influences
* Alder - This is a water-loving tree, the God linked with this tree is Bran
the blessed, is for spiritual protection & prophecy.
* Willow - This medicine stands for female & lunar rhythms of life. She is
water-seeking like the alder. She offers protection against damp diseases &
modern herbal practitioners extract salicin from the bark to be used to ease
illnesses like rheumatic fever. The gift of fertility is also represented
here.
* Ash - The World Tree, it has deep penetrating roots which change the
chemistry of the soil, making undergrowth difficult for other vegetation. It
helps link the earthly and spiritual. Good medicine for meditation.
* Hawthorn - A small tree with dense, many-branched body. Best used for
cleansing & chastity, bringing protection from the inner magical realms.
* Oak - The Oak's place in Celtic lunar calendar is seventh among thirteen
months. The Oak has protected England through the use of his timbers for the building of ships. Oaks are used as boundary markers. Oak medicine is best used for securing your pursuits, protecting while attaining your goals. It is essential protection for those less able, who require security in order
to strengthen their characters.
* Holly - A white-wooded tree with almost invisible grain; it looks much
like ivory. Holly is associated with the death and rebirth symbolism in both
Pagan & Christian lore. In Arthurian legend, Gawain (Representing the Oak
King of summer) fought the Green Knight, who was armed with a Holly club to represent winter. Holly medicine may be used with difficulties in sleep
and to ease the passage of death.
* Hazel - Hazel embodies many talents: poetry, divination, and the powers of meditation. In Celtic tradition, the Salmon of knowledge is said to eat the
nuts dropped into its sacred pool from this tree growing beside it. Each nut
eaten by the salmon becomes a spot on its skin. In Europe and North America Hazel is used to gain knowledge, wisdom & poetic inspiration.
* Apple - A dense, fine grained, rosy colored wood with a sweet smell. Apple
is associated with choice. This is good medicine to use when your are having difficulty in making decisions, whether they are work or relationship
oriented.
* Vine - This is used in the development of prophetic powers, best when used while trying to reach deeper state of consciousness and when doing healing work.
* Ivy - Represents the spiral of the self and the search for self. The maze
of the labyrinth is also linked to Ivy, since it symbolized the wondering
soul, circling inward and outward, seeking nourishment from within & without leading you to enlightenment. A wonderful aid if helping others on a spiritual journey.
* Reed - Helps create spiritual weapons - gives you direction. Best when
used before beginning healing work or soul retrievals.
* Blackthorn - This is a wintry tree. Fruits, known as sloes, only ripen
after the first frost. The Gaelic word "staif" has links with English word
strife". Wood of Blackthorn is traditionally used with the Irish shillelagh.
It represents the strong action of fate or outside influences in your life.
Blackthorn should not be used by the novice.
* Elder - This is linked to eternal turnings of life and death, birth and
rebirth. It represents the end/beginning and beginning/end. Significant of
creativity and renewal..new beginnings.
* Silver Fir - This is used to bring knowledge of your present and past
lives into now. The color sliver links you to your Silver Thread,
symbolizing your awareness of the progress of your spiritual journey. Best
used when searching for gift of Insight.
* Heather - Used for Solitary healing work (going within). Heather along
with mistletoe create powerful healing medicine in both spiritual and
physical aspects.
* White Poplar - This tree aids in concerns with earthly and material
aspects of Life. Also with finding the spiritual determination to face
hardship we have to endure. This tree has the ability to resist and to
shield, also an ability with languages and speech with close relationship
with the winds.
* Yew - Mostly found in ancient cemeteries. In Breton Legen, the tree is
said to grow a root into the open mouth of each corpse buried in the
graveyard. This root is the symbol of rebirth. Good medicine when used in
working with past life issues and regression.
* Grove - The Tree of All Knowledge. The grove represents a sacred place
where all is linked and becomes clear. Helps you look beneath the surface of things, whether situations or people. Medicine works with your hidden
knowledge, helping you to manifest it at the appropriate time.
* Spindle - Represents the completion of tasks. Ability to complete
something to its end, no matter how difficult. Good for progressing in
certain areas of your life which are of difficulty to you
* Honeysuckle - Helps you to distinguish what is real from what is false,
and what is of real value on your journey. The honeysuckle will help you
tread safely - remaining true to your quest.
* Beech - Beech wood is close grained and easy to work with - smooth and
even surface. Beech medicine can tell you about yesterday and how it is
relevant today. Handling old objects or visiting a place connected to your
past will bring understanding of people, incidents, reviving the memories
within that are needed.
-- Unknown
Celtic Tree & Flower Medicine
May you have warm words on a cold evening,
A full moon on a dark night,
And the road downhill all the way to your door.
-Irish Saying
Many hundreds of years ago when the well-known style of Irish dancing began in the country side of Ireland, most houses of the poor - and that means most houses - only had a dirt floor which was not a lot of use for dancing on if you were holding a ceildh (pronounced kay-lee and meaning party - more or less). So in order to make the dancing easier the owners of the house which was holding the party would take the doors off their hinges and lay them on the floor. There was just enough room on each door for two people to dance, providing they did not fling their arms about - hence the original name for Irish dancing - Door Dancing.
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