Willow

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Scent Synergies: Citrus

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Additional Notes: divider

It was supposed by the Celts* (which Celts) that the Spirits who lived in Willow Trees had the ability to grant wishes. A person merely had to ask permission of the willow and, whilst tying a loose knot in one of the shoots, speak their wish. When the wish is fulfilled, the same person should return and untie the knot. It was advised, however, not to speak any secrets near a willow or it would be repeated to someone else.

Willows have ties to music both in Irish culture (where Harps are typically made from Willow wood, which is believed to inspire uncontrollable dancing)- and in Jewish culture (where a myth in Psalms 137 states that captive Jewish Harpists hanging their harps on the Willows along the River Babylon created the Weeping Willow); in Yorkshire, England, it plays a role in marriage divination on Easter and New Years, when young women would throw their shoes into the branches, hoping to get them to stick within 9 attempts (symbolizing they shall be married that year)- and they can symbolize spurned or lost love, too, as in the same region any young man who was rejected wore a wreath of willow as a symbol of their lost love. In Asia, however, it’s symbolic of the dead- being used in China to sweep the tombs and to ward off the Spirits of the Dead during the festival of Qingming; in Japan, Willows are associated with areas where Ghosts are common.

Medicinally Willow is best known for its painkilling properties due to the prevalence of Salicin in its bark- typically used to make Aspirin. Boiled in a tea, it can produce similar effects, as well as being a remedy for rheumatism and fevers.

'Folk Magic and Healing: An Unusual History of Everyday Plants' by Fez Inkwright

Willow is used 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 […] Polish folks thought that the Willow tree was the Devil's home and refrained from cutting it down for that reason [P] It was [also] unlucky to burn Willow wood in the seasonal protective bonfires in the UK.

Willow is a healer, a tree sorceress indeed, pulling from the swampy depths a dark magic that can be either feared or revered […] It is both protective and destructive.

Willow has [also] been linked to prophecy. An old recipe for achieving prophetic powers involved gathering 99 different Willow leaves from 99 different Willow trees, burning the leaves to ashes, powdering them, and ingesting this magical powder.

'Under the Witching Tree: A Folk Grimoire of Tree Lore and Practicum' by Corinne Boyer

Willow branches make excellent dowsing rods, helping you to find water running underground, or energy lines like ley lines [...] Clear your home of unwanted entities by spiritually sweeping it with a bundle of willow branches and leaves. You can also boil her leaves and add that water to your bath for a healing like you’ve never felt before [...] If you are suffering, she will take you into her embrace and create this safe space for you. You can place her branches on your altar, over your bed, or anywhere you want to keep intruders from entering. She can also help you forget your pain so that whatever is going on in your life, you have moments of peace and love [...] She understands your pain, and keeps you holding on.

'Plant Witchery: Discover the Sacred Language, Wisdom, and Magic of 200 Plants' by Juliet Diaz