Celtic Tree Sign for Beltane by Carmen Reyes

Celtic Tree Sign for Beltane

By Carmen Reyes

If You were born April 15 – May 12

Your Tree Sign is

Willow

 “The wind in the willows

Sweet enchantment

Beneath the silvery moon”

Botanical Information

Salix alba, the White Willow, one of the earliest trees to flower in spring, gets its name from its leaves which are whitish and hairy underneath.

Tree Name

The willow's scientific name, Salix, comes from the Celtic words sal, meaning near, and lis, meaning water, and refers to the tree's fondness for the borders of streams, ponds, marshes, and other watery places. From the Old Irish word for the willow, Saille, comes the expression “to sally forth” which means a sudden outburst of emotions or expression.

Tree Goddess

Helice, the Willow Goddess
Helice  is the Willow-Maid, the Willow Goddess, Goddess of the Willow Grove, or the willow stream which is a thick stand of willow trees growing along the stream bank which surrounds Mount Helicon, the birth place of the Greek Goddesses and the site of the temple of the Muses.  

Tree Attributes

Willow is a tree of mystery associated with divination and love.

Willow wood in the home is said to guard against evil and grown outside will offer protection.
Long before the advent of the analgesic aspirin, willow was used to relieve pain by drinking a decoction of the bark and sap, or by chewing young willow twigs.

Willow branches are said to be the best for divining water, and channeling Earth energy.

Tree Craft

You can make a protective willow knot from a green pliable branch, shaping it into a figure eight. It will enhance your psychic abilities, bring you enchanting dreams and lend protective qualities.

Tree Personality

Intuitive dreamers and spiritual seekers, moody, changeable and mysterious, Willow people seek the freedom to experience inner realms. They are full with emotion, extremely flexible, changeable, passively tenacious, shrewd, and somewhat living on an emotional edge with their psychic antennae switched on. Willows’ clairvoyant abilities enable them to tune into the mass consciousness. They must be careful to not be carried away by the rising tide.

Tree Magic

There is a saying “All cats were grey from the beginning”, this saying refers to magic cats called graymalkins that were said to grow from pussy-willows or catkins. These greymalkins or grey cats, become witches' familiars called malkins.

Willow magic brings us in touch with our feminine mysteries.  Willow moon is a time of feeling deep emotions, a dreamy ethereal time to awaken love from our deepest depths. Willow is used for charms of fascination and binding. 

Tree Essence

Salix alba the white willow essence offers perception of the true self in relation to existence, bringing clarity, balance and a sense of spiritual cleansing. Willow essence helps you to “bend” and “flow” emotionally.

Salix alba essence is available from the Green Man Essences in the UK, and Salix vitellina, from Healing Herbs and Bach Flower Essences which can be found at Natural Food stores.

Tree Message

The Lady Who Weeps by the Waters Edge, strengthens intuition that comes from the subconscious.

Tree Affirmation

“I follow intuition”

Guidelines for Tree Essence Use

Tree essences are the vibrational signature of the tree preserved in brandy. The liquid essences  you can purchase premade are provided at “stock” level, meaning that they can be diluted by placing 3-7 drops (dilution suggestion varies from brand to brand) in a dosage bottle containing a 60/40 mixture of water (60%) and brandy (40%) and are traditionally taken by mouth, a few drops placed directly under the tongue or in a small glass of water. They can be taken directly from the stock bottle, being careful not to touch the dropper to your mouth. They can also be taken by placing a drop on pulse points (wrists, throat, neck, forehead, soles of the feet). A guideline for using the essences is 3 or 4 times a day.

Individual experiences with essences vary. Sometimes there may be a strong reaction, emotional or other. If this is uncomfortable, reduce or stop for a while. Essences can help you to realize the positive characteristics of the tree, making them available to you, encouraging self healing. They do not replace medical attention. If you have a health concern, please see a qualified practitioner.

Bibliography

Cruden, Loren. Medicine Grove a Shamanic Herbal, Rochester, Vermont: Destiny Books, 1997

Cymreas, Winter. Willow. Lewes, East Sussex, The Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids, 1994

Fergus, Charles. Trees of New England. Guilford, Connecticut: The Globe Pequot Press, 2005.

Gifford, Jane. The Celtic Wisdom of Trees. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 2000

Glass- Koentop, Pattalee. Year of Moons Season of Trees. St. Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications, 1991.

Graham, Mark and Heather Buchan. The Celtic Tree Ogham. Milverton, Somerset: Capall Bann, 2006.

Hagender, Fred. The Meaning of Trees. San Francisco, CA : Chronicle Books LLC, 2005.

Kerr, Linda. The Hazel Nut. Auburn, AL., Faerie Faith Tradition,  1993

Kindred, Glennie. The Power of the Willow Tree. The White Dragon Magazine, 1997

Landis, James Clifford. The Faerie Faith and the Beth-Luis-Nion Celtic Lunar Calendar. Auburn, Alabama: Auburn University, 2002.

Laurie, Erynn Rowan. Ogham Weaving Word Wisdom. Stafford, UK: Megalithica Books, 2007.

Lilly,  Simon and Sue. Green Man Essences Catalogue No 18. Exeter, Devon, 2008

Moorey, Teresa. The Magic and Mystery of the Trees. Milverton, Somerset: Capall Bann, 2006.

Mountfort, Paul Rhys. Ogham The Celtic Oracle of the Trees. Rochester, Vermont: Destiny Books, 2002.

Paterson, Helena. The Handbook of Celtic Astrology. St. Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn Press, 1995.

Quarrie, Deanne. From the Branch a Primer in Dianic Witchcraft. Rockmart, Georgia: The Apple Branch Press, 2008.

Vega, Phyllis. Celtic Astrology. Franklin Lakes, NJ: The Career Press, Inc., 2002.