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Here is a list of some of my favorite books to reference:
The Wisdom of Trees by Jane Gifford
The Meaning of Trees by Fred Hageneder
Whispers from the Woods by Sandra Kynes
Celtic Tree Mysteries by Steve Blamires
The Herb Book by John Lust
Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham

From Roots to Leaves, Branches to Bark
The Goddess Tree Grows  

WILLOW  

Salix alba
Tree of Enchantment, Tree of Witcheries
Fifth month of the Celtic Tree calendar, April 15th - May 12th

Fifth consonant of the Ogham alphabet - Saille

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Symbolism: Resonance and Harmony

Stone: Moonstone

Birds: Hawk, Snowy Owl

Color: Silver

Deity: Persephone, Hecate, Cerridwen, Artemis, Selene, Luna, Diana, Brigit

Sabbat: Beltane  

Folk names: Osier, Pussy Willow, Saille, Salicyn Willow, Saugh Tree, White Willow, Witches Aspirin, Withe, Withy  

Medicinal properties: Willow bark contains salicin, or Salicylic acid, used to make aspirin. Infusions from the bark have long been used as a remedy for cholls, rheumatism, and fevers. Willow sap applied to the skin can remedy acne, and a strong decoction of boiling the bark and leaves in water can be rubbed into the scalp for dandruff.  

Magickal properties: New Moon magick, creativity, fertility, female rights of passage, inspiration, emotion, binding. Love, Love divination, protection, healing. Also known as the tree of immortality because of its ability to re grow from a fallen branch in moist ground. A wand made from Willow wood has many uses: sleep with it and have more vivid dreams, use it to draw down the moon, and for protection for underworld journeying. Magickal Brooms and witch's brooms are traditionally bound with a willow's branch.  

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Alone with myself
The trees bend
to caress me
The shade hugs
my heart.
- Candy Polgar  

Spell for Love: Take three long supple branches of willow, braid them together and then fasten it into a circle with pink, red or white ribbon. Place a picture or the name of the person you love in the center and then put it next to your bed. Whispers from the Woods, by Sandra Kynes  

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Tree Magick - by Gillian Kemp  

Your fertile inner strength, like that of the Willow, is your inexhaustible flexibility to bend around obstacles. Your desires can be woven into shape, as the Willow's pliable shoots are used to make baskets. Magic wands are made from Willow, so what you have in mind has all the magical ingredients for success. You can tell your secret to a Willow and make wishes. The male and female catkins, which grow on separate trees, signify a lovers' meeting for you. The bright-green leaves of Spring forecast celebrations, fresh opportunities, and speedy growth. The honey-bearing catkins symbolize the wisdom of spiritual self-improvement, and sweet things for you.  

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LESSON OF THE Willow - from The Wisdom of Trees by Jane Gifford  

The watery willow encourages the expression of deeply buried feelings, easing sadness through tears and grieving, and teaching the consequences of love and loss in matters of the heart. The willow reminds us of the need to let go sometimes, to surrender completely to the watery world of the emotions and the subconscious, so that we may be carried toward a deeper understanding of our inner-most feelings, toward a better appreciation of our hidden motives and secret fears and desires. Any suppressed and unacknowledged emotions can be a major cause of stress and illness. Through emotional expression, and through the sharing of feelings of ecstasy and pain, our ancestors believed they could help heal the human spirit. The willow enables us to realize that within every loss lies the potential for something new.  

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Let the beauty you love be what you do

We often blind ourselves to beauty precisely because it inspires us to go beyond ourselves.
Today, find only beauty, especially when your first instinct is to be critical of someone, something, or some opportunity.

Healing Cards, by Carolyn Myss and Peter Occhiogrosso  

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The Great Goddess

Flora

Flora is a Roman Goddess of Flowers, Love, youthful pleasure, and Spring. Her name means "plant life" because of her connection to the plants, especially blossoming flowers in Spring, which are also symbolic of the human spirit that respects and appreciates beauty itself.
The Floralia, or Florales Ludi was a six-day festival in her honor.  

Fair Flora! Now attend thy sportful feast,
Of which some days I with design have past;
A part in April and a part in May
Thou claim'st, and both command my tuneful lay;
And as the confines of two months are thine
To sing of both the double task be mine.
Latin poet Ovid, Fasti, v, 185, for Flora (Floralia) Apr 28 - May 3  

Beltane is the ancient Celtic festival of fire, fertility and love. At the height of spring, when all of nature bursts into blossom, we celebrate our bodies, the pleasure we can evoke in one another, and the love that we can kindle. "All acts of love and pleasure are my rituals," says The Charge of the Goddess. The Goddess blesses all forms of love, all the different modes of attraction and deep connection - sexual love of all persuasions, friendship, the love of parent and child, love of trees and flowers and flowing water, love of truth, beauty and justice. At Beltane, we dance the Maypole. The twining ribbons of many colors remind us of the many aspects of love. We light a fire, and jump the flames with lovers, friends, circle-mates, to bless and cleanse our relationships. We wear wreaths of flowers, to celebrate the flourishing life around us.

Starhawk and We'Moon '08

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Willow Wife Heitaro loved the willow tree that grew close to his hut. As the world judged riches he had none, but the tree was treasure and temple and company enough for him, and each new season of the year seemed more beautiful than the last. When the wind blew through its branches, no music was finer. One day the villagers came with their choppers, claiming they needed the wood to build a bridge. Heitaro offered to find them some other wood, if they promised not to touch the Willow. He scoured the land and returned with some wood, and the villagers left, leaving the Willow unharmed. That night as the moonlight shimmered on its leaves he stood beneath the willow branches and gave his thanks to the gods that the tree had been spared. As he prayed, he saw something move in the shadows. He turned for a closer look and saw a beautiful young woman standing there. He bowed and apologized for disturbing her, backing away, believing she was there waiting for her lover. Each night after she was there, waiting for her lover, and Heitaro at last realized that is was he himself she came to be with. They were married, and a child soon followed. Every night they prayed together by the willow tree. One day, the emperor To-Ba ordered that a temple to Kwannon, the goddess of mercy, be built for the villagers. They wanted the wood of the willow tree, and this time they would not be convinced otherwise. This made Heitaro very sad, however he realized how blessed he was with his wife and daughter, that he believed he could endure the loss of his willow tree. The villagers began to cut down the willow tree. The willow wife cried out "Husband, the room is growing dark!" She fell to the ground and covered her face with her hands. Heitaro saw her limbs twisting and turning as though to avoid blows. He found he could do nothing to help her. He and his daughter watched as the willow wife lay dying. When the last blow on the tree was struck, he was alone with his daughter.   Adapted from "Myths of the Sacred Tree" by Moyra Caldecott. Based on a Japanese folktale, retold by Iyanaga Mitsuyo, and quoted in Meinrad Craighead, The Sign of the Tree: Meditations in Images and Words.  

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Sunday April 20 - Full Moon in Scorpio
Monday April 28 - Waning Half Moon in Aquarius
Monday May 5 - New Moon in Taurus
Sunday May 11 - Waxing Half Moon in Leo  

Celtic Moon Sign - Willow Moon The willow seeks out water, and is often found near streams or above natural underground wells. Like no other, this tree is associated with the Moon, in all her phases - and so symbolizes the change of our feelings and "moods" as time passes. Born under the sign of the willow, you are an instinctive creature - in fact, you often react primarily from your "gut response" rather than on intellectual information. Watch the rhythm of your moods carefully and pay attention to your dreams. Their symbolism will help you navigate throughout life.
Written by Kim Rogers-Gallagher, and Llewellyn's Witches' Datebook 2000  

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A Crone Stone
reading from Gwendolyn  

Beauty and the True Self  

in this stone I see a woman looking at herself in the mirror  

As you look in the mirror, whose eyes are you using?
Do they belong to the critic, the perfectionist, or your true self?
Try using your true self's eyes, and look at yourself with love. Imagine the beauty you will see. visit cronestones.com for more about crone stones  

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I have been very busy updating my website, so if you have not visited for a while, check it out: http://www.thegoddesstree.com
http://www.myspace.com/thegoddesstree
community: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheGoddessTree
Goddess Studies: http://www.thegoddesstree.com/GoddessSchool

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A well of love resides within me Peaceful, enlughtened people have perfect love wtihin them just like everyone else does...
the only difference is that they have nothing else within them.
Inner Peace Cards by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer  

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Pray Peace

This letter is a labor of love, from Gwendolyn
Permission to share freely, please in its entirety, with links and credits
Feel free to contact me: gwendolyn@thegoddesstree.com  

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from Moon Bee Acres There is a branch for you to sit upon with a beautiful view.
Climb up into her arms, and stay for a spell.
Feel her roots, her bark, her branches, her leaves.
She is shade, shelter, a home, a hide-away.
She is an escape.
She rocks you to sleep in your hammock.
She holds up your birdfeeder, your wind chimes, and your decorations.
She embraces anyone who loves to climb.
In the spring she offers life, and in the fall she gives her own.
She does not judge.
She just is. Gwendolyn
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