Post by Mysti on Jul 7, 2007 9:15:02 GMT -5
Willow - Saille -
Salix
"I am a Hawk on a Cliff"
Winter Cymreas 1994
Willow is a decidedly aromatic Tree found most often near waterways throughout temperate regions, having quite a history and a long-standing relationship of usefulness - medicinal, magickal and otherwise - with us humans.
Within the Ogham, Saille is the ½fth lunar month, a Peasant, representing the letter S. Numerologically, it relates to the number 5. It is often the symbol for the Ovate Grade of Druidry, although other Trees are also used for this Grade.
Willow relates to Monday, the activity of bees and is often used as a honey Tree. The birds associated with Saille are the Hawk and the Thrush, the animals are the Hare and the Cat. Herbs most commonly associated are Moonwort, Primrose and Mistletoe. She is one of the Seven Sacred Irish Trees and is also a sacred Druid Tree.
Although the most commonly accepted concept of the Willow Tree is that which is known as the Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica), this is not the Willow utilized within the Celtic Ogham. There are over three-hundred-and-½½ty species in the genera, Willow, which is a close cousin to the Poplar. In North America alone there are approximately thirty-½ve native and ½ve naturalized tree species and sixty native shrubs. There is tremendous range, some subtle and some obvious, within this genera. We will speak on some of the different species in the areas of medicinal properties but, for the most part, the Willow that concerns us here is the White Willow, salix alba.
Ready for the botany lesson?
The White Willow is a naturalized Tree, having one-to-four trunks and an open crown of spreading branches. A tall Tree, She grows to an average height of ½fty-to-eighty feet with a diameter of two feet or more. The leaves are 2-to-4 inches long, -to-1 inches wide. They are lance-shaped to elliptical, ½nely saw-toothed and ½rm, shiny dark green above, whitish and silky beneath. These leaves turn yellow in the Autumn.
The bark is grey, rough and furrowed into narrow ridges. The twigs are yellow to brown, silky when young and, as with all the Trees within this genera, ßexible and droopy, although not quite as sweeping as the Weeping variety.
Her ßowers are in the form of catkins 1-to-2 inches in length with yellow, hairy scales at the end of short, leafy twigs. They appear in the early Spring and all Willows are the vanguards of that season. The fruit matures in late Spring to early Summer and is a half-inch long, hairless capsule, light brown in color.
Being known as the ½rst to arrive and the last to leave, seasonly-speaking, the hazy yellow appearance is, along with the arrival of the Robin, the ½rst indication that Spring has arrived. The golden brilliance of the Willow in the Autumn remains long after Her fellows have shed all their ½nery.
The notorious habitat of Willows, including the shrub varieties, is the wet soil of stream banks and valleys near cities. Willow can be and is often introduced in ßat areas prone to ßooding as a preventative measure and has often been utilized to protect river banks from erosion. It is prized as a shade Tree and for ornamentation due to its eloquent beauty and peaceful appearance.
Her range is extensive over Europe and North Africa to Central Asia, naturalized in Southeastern Canada and the Eastern United States.
Its wood, known as osier, and branches have had many historical uses and Willow has been a useful friend to us for centuries. Willow has a long and rich history and Her uses are many, however, let us ½rst examine Her history in religious practices and Her relationship to the various deities throughout time.
In Jerusalem, the worship of Jehovah, the Feast of Tabernacles, was called the Day of the Willows. Willow branches were carried in processionals, used to roof the small temporary shelters during the festivities, the branches were later burned in the Temples.
In Sumer, 4000 BCE, Ishtars predecessor, Belili, was known as the Willow Mother. In the ancient Greek mythos, Willow is sacred to several Underworldly Goddesses - Persephone, Circe, Hera and Hecate. Also in relation to this Tree are the Gods and Goddesses Artemis, Ceres, Mercury and Belenos. Again in Greek history, the Great Bear, Callisto, was also called Helice, meaning both that which turns and Willow branch. Helicon was the mountain home of the Nine Muses who inspire the arts and sciences.
[It may be interesting to note here the connection between the word, Willow, and the terms Wicce, Witchcraft, and wicker. Willow has long been associated with Witches and there is also the association of wicker with Druidry. Since Wicce actually means to bend it is not a far jump to make the connection between the two.]
Orpheus, the poet, was said to have received his Gift by touching the Willows in a grove sacred to Persephone. Groves have been used by many types of artisans to gain eloquence, inspiration, skills and the gift of prophecy. This Tree is held sacred, also, to Minerva and the ancient Great Goddess Whose bird, the Wryneck, nests only in the Willow. Cranes are also known to nest here and a grove of Willows with nesting cranes is a symbol of extremely happy domesticity.
The connotation of the letter S corresponds to the God, Semias, the master of wisdom and the original keeper of the Cauldron of Knowledge kept in Murias to the West. This Cauldron was then given to Dagda. The S is a reference, too, to Setanta, the childhood, or pre-initiate name of Cu Chulainn.
According to Druidic mysteries, two scarlet snake eggs were hidden within the Willow. The Universe was hatched from these two eggs, one containing the Sun, the other the Earth, relating to both cosmic birth and the birth of mankind. Traditionally, in Spring rituals, these were replaced by hens eggs, colored scarlet for the Sun and eaten at Beltane. This act transferred later to the Christian celebration of Easter.
Primrose and Mistletoe are associated with Saille in connection to Druidic practice. The Primrose was used in the initiation of the Bard; a draught of Vervain and Primrose imbibed in order to confer inspiration. Oil of Primrose was also used to cleanse and purify prior to ritual. Willow is also the more common host for Mistletoe, with this plant found growing on Willow and Poplar (a cousin) more often than on the traditional Oak.
The Celtic word Saille itself became the word sally, meaning a sudden outburst of action, expression or emotion. This word may also suggest an excursion or a jaunt as well as a retort but it can be used to describe a more violent action by troops. It is also derived from the Old French word, saille, meaning to rush out suddenly. These words all reßect the spirit of unde½ned potential symbolized by the Willow.
Brigid has Her Fire festival, Imbolc, or Brigantia, during the Willow month.
Even the Seneca of North America seem to have had a lengthy relationship with this Tree, calling Her, The Whispering One.
Saille has further connection to the Death Goddesses for the Celts. Morgan le Fay, Cailleach and the Morrighan are symbolized by Willow. These Goddesses represent the darker and misunderstood components of the psyche that require our greater understanding and recognition. The fearful aspects of the Death Goddesses challenge wisdom and strength, helping to overcome weaknesses brought about by fear. The transformational and magickal aspects of the darker aspect of the triplicity - Maiden, Mother, Crone - provide intuitive wisdom and insight into nature and its workings.
Salix
"I am a Hawk on a Cliff"
Winter Cymreas 1994
Willow is a decidedly aromatic Tree found most often near waterways throughout temperate regions, having quite a history and a long-standing relationship of usefulness - medicinal, magickal and otherwise - with us humans.
Within the Ogham, Saille is the ½fth lunar month, a Peasant, representing the letter S. Numerologically, it relates to the number 5. It is often the symbol for the Ovate Grade of Druidry, although other Trees are also used for this Grade.
Willow relates to Monday, the activity of bees and is often used as a honey Tree. The birds associated with Saille are the Hawk and the Thrush, the animals are the Hare and the Cat. Herbs most commonly associated are Moonwort, Primrose and Mistletoe. She is one of the Seven Sacred Irish Trees and is also a sacred Druid Tree.
Although the most commonly accepted concept of the Willow Tree is that which is known as the Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica), this is not the Willow utilized within the Celtic Ogham. There are over three-hundred-and-½½ty species in the genera, Willow, which is a close cousin to the Poplar. In North America alone there are approximately thirty-½ve native and ½ve naturalized tree species and sixty native shrubs. There is tremendous range, some subtle and some obvious, within this genera. We will speak on some of the different species in the areas of medicinal properties but, for the most part, the Willow that concerns us here is the White Willow, salix alba.
Ready for the botany lesson?
The White Willow is a naturalized Tree, having one-to-four trunks and an open crown of spreading branches. A tall Tree, She grows to an average height of ½fty-to-eighty feet with a diameter of two feet or more. The leaves are 2-to-4 inches long, -to-1 inches wide. They are lance-shaped to elliptical, ½nely saw-toothed and ½rm, shiny dark green above, whitish and silky beneath. These leaves turn yellow in the Autumn.
The bark is grey, rough and furrowed into narrow ridges. The twigs are yellow to brown, silky when young and, as with all the Trees within this genera, ßexible and droopy, although not quite as sweeping as the Weeping variety.
Her ßowers are in the form of catkins 1-to-2 inches in length with yellow, hairy scales at the end of short, leafy twigs. They appear in the early Spring and all Willows are the vanguards of that season. The fruit matures in late Spring to early Summer and is a half-inch long, hairless capsule, light brown in color.
Being known as the ½rst to arrive and the last to leave, seasonly-speaking, the hazy yellow appearance is, along with the arrival of the Robin, the ½rst indication that Spring has arrived. The golden brilliance of the Willow in the Autumn remains long after Her fellows have shed all their ½nery.
The notorious habitat of Willows, including the shrub varieties, is the wet soil of stream banks and valleys near cities. Willow can be and is often introduced in ßat areas prone to ßooding as a preventative measure and has often been utilized to protect river banks from erosion. It is prized as a shade Tree and for ornamentation due to its eloquent beauty and peaceful appearance.
Her range is extensive over Europe and North Africa to Central Asia, naturalized in Southeastern Canada and the Eastern United States.
Its wood, known as osier, and branches have had many historical uses and Willow has been a useful friend to us for centuries. Willow has a long and rich history and Her uses are many, however, let us ½rst examine Her history in religious practices and Her relationship to the various deities throughout time.
In Jerusalem, the worship of Jehovah, the Feast of Tabernacles, was called the Day of the Willows. Willow branches were carried in processionals, used to roof the small temporary shelters during the festivities, the branches were later burned in the Temples.
In Sumer, 4000 BCE, Ishtars predecessor, Belili, was known as the Willow Mother. In the ancient Greek mythos, Willow is sacred to several Underworldly Goddesses - Persephone, Circe, Hera and Hecate. Also in relation to this Tree are the Gods and Goddesses Artemis, Ceres, Mercury and Belenos. Again in Greek history, the Great Bear, Callisto, was also called Helice, meaning both that which turns and Willow branch. Helicon was the mountain home of the Nine Muses who inspire the arts and sciences.
[It may be interesting to note here the connection between the word, Willow, and the terms Wicce, Witchcraft, and wicker. Willow has long been associated with Witches and there is also the association of wicker with Druidry. Since Wicce actually means to bend it is not a far jump to make the connection between the two.]
Orpheus, the poet, was said to have received his Gift by touching the Willows in a grove sacred to Persephone. Groves have been used by many types of artisans to gain eloquence, inspiration, skills and the gift of prophecy. This Tree is held sacred, also, to Minerva and the ancient Great Goddess Whose bird, the Wryneck, nests only in the Willow. Cranes are also known to nest here and a grove of Willows with nesting cranes is a symbol of extremely happy domesticity.
The connotation of the letter S corresponds to the God, Semias, the master of wisdom and the original keeper of the Cauldron of Knowledge kept in Murias to the West. This Cauldron was then given to Dagda. The S is a reference, too, to Setanta, the childhood, or pre-initiate name of Cu Chulainn.
According to Druidic mysteries, two scarlet snake eggs were hidden within the Willow. The Universe was hatched from these two eggs, one containing the Sun, the other the Earth, relating to both cosmic birth and the birth of mankind. Traditionally, in Spring rituals, these were replaced by hens eggs, colored scarlet for the Sun and eaten at Beltane. This act transferred later to the Christian celebration of Easter.
Primrose and Mistletoe are associated with Saille in connection to Druidic practice. The Primrose was used in the initiation of the Bard; a draught of Vervain and Primrose imbibed in order to confer inspiration. Oil of Primrose was also used to cleanse and purify prior to ritual. Willow is also the more common host for Mistletoe, with this plant found growing on Willow and Poplar (a cousin) more often than on the traditional Oak.
The Celtic word Saille itself became the word sally, meaning a sudden outburst of action, expression or emotion. This word may also suggest an excursion or a jaunt as well as a retort but it can be used to describe a more violent action by troops. It is also derived from the Old French word, saille, meaning to rush out suddenly. These words all reßect the spirit of unde½ned potential symbolized by the Willow.
Brigid has Her Fire festival, Imbolc, or Brigantia, during the Willow month.
Even the Seneca of North America seem to have had a lengthy relationship with this Tree, calling Her, The Whispering One.
Saille has further connection to the Death Goddesses for the Celts. Morgan le Fay, Cailleach and the Morrighan are symbolized by Willow. These Goddesses represent the darker and misunderstood components of the psyche that require our greater understanding and recognition. The fearful aspects of the Death Goddesses challenge wisdom and strength, helping to overcome weaknesses brought about by fear. The transformational and magickal aspects of the darker aspect of the triplicity - Maiden, Mother, Crone - provide intuitive wisdom and insight into nature and its workings.