What's in the Holler

Friday, January 24, 2014

Willow Tree: Willow Knots, A Spell, & Correspondences

Willow Tree: Willow Knots, A Spell, & Correspondences

Willow trees are one of my favorite trees. I had planted 2 Curly Willows on our property in Kentucky and from several cuttings had planted several more. I hope the new owners will keep & protect & water them. I brought five 1 year old cuttings with us here to Kansas and all but one died. I have been babying it and if it makes it through the winter, then it will be fine. I would hate to lose it, especially as they are sooo easy to grow cuttings from, and I have plans to have several of them on this property, and several other species as well (I am missing my woods something awful!)

A natural Willow Knot
(I would love to find one of these!)
 
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*I found this on a Facebook posting and love it, so I thought I'd share it with y'all. This is not mine, and the original source wasn't given for it either by the FB page I found it on.

There is an old belief among Gypsies that willow-knots (willow twigs that have naturally grown into a knot) are twined by fairy-folk, and to undo one invites bad luck.

To recover stolen goods, a Gypsy man will often tie a string around a willow-knot and say:

With this string I bind the thief ’s luck!

But if it is the love of a particular woman that he desires, he will cut the willow-knot and hold it in his mouth while, at the same time, turning his thoughts to the woman and reciting the following spoken charm:


I eat thy luck,
I drink thy luck,
Give me the luck of thine,
Then thou shall be mine.


To add even more power to the spell, the willow-knot should then be hidden in the desired woman’s bed without her knowledge of it.


~Source unknown

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Here is a beautiful poem about an old Willow tree:

There once was a Willow, and he was very old,
And all his leaves fell off from him, and left him in the cold;
But ere the rude winter could buffet him with snow,
There grew upon his hoary head a crop of mistletoe.
All wrinkled and furrowed was this old Willow's skin,
His taper finger trembled, and his arms were very thin;
Two round eyes and hollow, that stared but did not see;
And sprawling feet that never walked, had this most ancient tree.
 
~Julianna Horatia Ewing, "The Willow Man"

 
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Willow Correspondences:
Latin: Salix 

Aspects: Astral work, Besom making, Death, Divination, Empathy, Enchantments, Fertility, Healing, Inspiration, Love, Moon magick, Passing over rituals, Protection, Psychic energies, Spirits, Water giver, Wishes

Deities: Artemis, Belili, Belenus, Ceres, Diana, Hecate, Hera, Mercury, Moon Goddess, Persephone

Gender: Female
Planet: Moon 
Element: Water

Day: Monday

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