Spiridium Circle believes that trees are a very important part of our lives. Trees and tree language has been used for ages in many different cultures and religions. It has been most important that we learn their importance to our earth and its’ survival. The pivotal part of life is making that solid connection to those things that make us who we are. Without trees, we would not survive long on this planet. They contribute many things that sustain life; such as air, shade, compost, pollination, fruit and more. We ask that you enjoy this excerpt from Wikipedia, and take in all the knowledge that it may bring you.
"Trees are one of the most powerful connections to the Source of the world, allow it to touch your soul"
"Trees are one of the most powerful connections to the Source of the world, allow it to touch your soul"
History and Information on Trees and Tree Language of the Ancient Days
The earliest inscriptions in Ogham date to about the 4th century AD, but James Carney believes its invention is rather within the 1st century BC. Although the use of "classical" Ogham in stone inscriptions seems to have flowered in the 5th–6th centuries around the Irish Sea, from the phonological evidence it is clear that the alphabet predates the 5th century. A period of writing on wood or other perishable material prior to the preserved monumental inscriptions needs to be assumed, sufficient for the loss of the phonemes represented by úath ("H") and straif ("Z"), as well as the velar nasal, gétal, all of which are clearly part of the system, but unattested in inscriptions.
It appears that the ogham alphabet was modelled on another script, and some even consider it a mere cipher of its template script (Düwel 1968: points out similarity with ciphers of Germanic runes). The largest number of scholars favours the Latin alphabet as this template,[citation needed] although the Elder Futhark and even the Greek alphabet have their supporters. Runic origin would elegantly explain the presence of "H" and "Z" letters unused in Irish, as well as the presence of vocalic and consonantal variants "U" vs. "W" unknown to Latin or Greek writing. The Latin alphabet is the primary contender mainly because its influence at the required period (4th century) is most easily established, viz., via Britannia, while the runes in the 4th century were not very widespread even in continental Europe.
In Ireland and in Wales, the language of the monumental stone inscriptions is termed Primitive Irish. The transition to Old Irish, the language of the earliest sources in the Latin alphabet, takes place in about the 6th century. Since ogham inscriptions consist almost exclusively of personal names and marks possibly indicating land ownership, linguistic information that may be glimpsed from the Primitive Irish period is mostly restricted to phonological developments.
It appears that the ogham alphabet was modelled on another script, and some even consider it a mere cipher of its template script (Düwel 1968: points out similarity with ciphers of Germanic runes). The largest number of scholars favours the Latin alphabet as this template,[citation needed] although the Elder Futhark and even the Greek alphabet have their supporters. Runic origin would elegantly explain the presence of "H" and "Z" letters unused in Irish, as well as the presence of vocalic and consonantal variants "U" vs. "W" unknown to Latin or Greek writing. The Latin alphabet is the primary contender mainly because its influence at the required period (4th century) is most easily established, viz., via Britannia, while the runes in the 4th century were not very widespread even in continental Europe.
In Ireland and in Wales, the language of the monumental stone inscriptions is termed Primitive Irish. The transition to Old Irish, the language of the earliest sources in the Latin alphabet, takes place in about the 6th century. Since ogham inscriptions consist almost exclusively of personal names and marks possibly indicating land ownership, linguistic information that may be glimpsed from the Primitive Irish period is mostly restricted to phonological developments.
Ogham (/ˈoʊ.əm/ or /ˈɒɡəm/; Old Irish: ogam, pronounced [ˈɔɣamˠ], Modern Irish [ˈoːmˠ] or [ˈoːəmˠ]) is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the Old Irish language, and the Brythonic languages. Ogham is sometimes called the "Celtic Tree Alphabet", based on a high medieval Bríatharogam tradition ascribing names of trees to the individual letters. There are roughly 400 surviving ogham inscriptions on stone monuments throughout Ireland and western Britain; the bulk of them are in the south of Ireland, in Counties Kerry, Cork and Waterford. The largest number outside of Ireland is in Pembrokeshire in Wales. The remainder are mostly in south-eastern Ireland, Scotland, Orkney Isles, the Isle of Man, and England around the Devon/Cornwall border. The vast majority of the inscriptions consist of personal names.
The etymology of the word ogam or ogham remains unclear. One possible origin is from the Irish og-úaim 'point-seam', referring to the seam made by the point of a sharp weapon.
Theories of origin
There are two main schools of thought among scholars as to the motivation for the creation of ogham. Scholars such as Carney and MacNeill have suggested that ogham was first created as a cryptic alphabet, designed by the Irish so as not to be understood by those with a knowledge of the Latin alphabet. With this school of thought, it is asserted that the alphabet was created by Irish scholars or druids for political, military or religious reasons to provide a secret means of communication in opposition to the authorities of Roman Britain.[citation needed] The Roman Empire, which then ruled over neighbouring southern Britain, represented a very real threat of invasion to Ireland, which may have acted as a spur to the creation of the alphabet.[citation needed] Alternatively, in later centuries when the threat of invasion had receded and the Irish were themselves invading the western parts of Britain, the desire to keep communications secret from Romans or Romanised Britons would still have provided an incentive.[citation needed]. With bilingual ogham and Latin inscriptions in Wales, however, one would suppose that the ogham could easily be decoded by anyone in the Post-Roman world.
The second main school of thought, put forward by scholars such as McManus, is that ogham was invented by the first Christian communities in early Ireland, out of a desire to have a unique alphabet for writing short messages and inscriptions in the Irish language. The argument is that the sounds of Primitive Irish were regarded as difficult to transcribe into the Latin alphabet, so the invention of a separate alphabet was deemed appropriate. A possible such origin, as suggested by McManus (1991:41), is the early Christian community known to have existed in Ireland from around AD 400 at the latest, the existence of which is attested by the mission of by in AD 431.
A variation is that the alphabet was first invented, for whatever reason, in 4th century Irish settlements in west after contact and intermarriage with Romanized Britons with a knowledge of the Latin alphabet.[] In fact, several ogham stones in Wales are bilingual, containing both Irish and Brythonic-Latin, testifying to the Celtic contact that led to the existence of some of these stones.
A third theory put forward by the noted ogham scholar R.A.S. Macalister was influential at one time, but finds little favour with scholars today. Macalister believed that ogham was first invented in Cisalpine Gaul around 600 B.C. by Gaulish druids as a secret system of hand signals, and was inspired by a form of the Greek alphabet current in Northern Italy at the time. According to this theory, the alphabet was transmitted in oral form or on wood only, until it was finally put into a written form on stone inscriptions in early Christian Ireland. Later scholars are largely united in rejecting this theory, however, primarily because a detailed study of the letters[] shows that they were created specifically for the Primitive Irish of the early centuries AD. The supposed links with the form of the Greek alphabet that Macalister proposed can also be disproved.
Macalister's theory of hand or finger signals as a source for ogham is a reflection of the fact that the signary consists of four groups of five letters, with a sequence of strokes from one to five. A theory popular among modern scholars is that the forms of the letters derive from the various numerical tally-mark systems in existence at the time. This theory was first suggested by the scholars Thurneysen and Vendryes, who proposed that the ogham script was inspired by a pre-existing system of counting based around the numbers five and twenty, which was then adapted to an alphabet form by the first ogamists
Legendary accounts
According to the 11th c. Lebor Gabála Érenn, the 14th c. Auraicept na n-Éces, and other Medieval Irish folklore, ogham was first invented soon after the fall of the Tower of Babel, along with the Gaelic language, by the legendary Scythian king, Fenius Farsa. According to the Auraicept, Fenius journeyed from Scythia together with Goídel mac Ethéoir, Íar mac Nema and a retinue of 72 scholars. They came to the plain of Shinar to study the confused languages at Nimrod's tower (the Tower of Babel). Finding that they had already been dispersed, Fenius sent his scholars to study them, staying at the tower, coordinating the effort. After ten years, the investigations were complete, and Fenius created in Bérla tóbaide "the selected language", taking the best of each of the confused tongues, which he called Goídelc, Goidelic, after Goídel mac Ethéoir. He also created extensions of Goídelc, called Bérla Féne, after himself, Íarmberla, after Íar mac Nema, and others, and the Beithe-luis-nuin (the ogham) as a perfected writing system for his languages. The names he gave to the letters were those of his 25 best scholars.
Alternatively, the Ogam Tract credits Ogma mac Elathan (Ogmios) with the script's invention. Ogma was skilled in speech and poetry, and created the system for the learned, to the exclusion of rustics and fools. The first message written in Ogam were seven b's on a birch, sent as a warning to Lug mac Elathan, meaning: "your wife will be carried away seven times to the otherworld unless the birch protects her". For this reason, the letter b is said to be named after the birch, and In Lebor Ogaim goes on to tell the tradition that all letters were named after trees, a claim also referred to by the Auraicept as an alternative to the naming after Fenius' disciples
Letter names Main article: Bríatharogam The letter names are interpreted as names of trees or shrubs in manuscript tradition, both in Auraicept na n-Éces ('The Scholars' Primer') and In Lebor Ogaim ('The Ogam Tract'). They were first discussed in modern times by Roderic O'Flaherty (1685), who took them at face value. The Auraicept itself is aware that not all names are known tree names, saying "Now all these are wood names such as are found in the Ogham Book of Woods, and are not derived from men", admitting that "some of these trees are not known today". The Auraicept gives a short phrase or kenning for each letter, known as a Bríatharogam, that traditionally accompanied each letter name, and a further gloss explaining their meanings and identifying the tree or plant linked to each letter. Only five of the twenty primary letters have tree names that the Auraicept considers comprehensible without further glosses, namely beith "birch", fearn "alder", saille "willow", duir "oak" and coll "hazel". All the other names have to be glossed or "translated" with a plant name.
According to the leading modern ogham scholar, Damian McManus the "Tree Alphabet" idea dates to the Old Irish period (say, 10th century), but it post-dates the Primitive Irish period, or at least the time when the letters were originally named. Its origin is probably due to the letters themselves being called feda "trees", or nin "forking branches" due to their shape. Since a few of the letters were, in fact, named after trees, the interpretation arose that they were called feda because of that. Some of the other letter names had fallen out of use as independent words, and were thus free to be claimed as "Old Gaelic" tree names, while others (such as ruis, úath or gort) were more or less forcefully re-interpreted as epitheta of trees by the medieval glossators.
McManus (1991, §3.15) discusses possible etymologies of all the letter names, and as well as the five mentioned above, he adds one other definite tree name: onn "ash" (the Auraicept wrongly has furze). McManus (1988, p. 164) also believes that the name Idad is probably an artificial form of Iubhar or yew, as the kennings support that meaning, and concedes that Ailm may possibly mean "pine tree" as it appears to be used to mean that in an eighth century poem. Thus out of twenty letter names, only eight at most are the names of trees. The other names have a variety of meanings, which are set out in the list below.
Ogham letters Aicme Beithe Aicme Muine ᚁ Beith ᚋ Muin ᚂ Luis ᚌ Gort ᚃ Fearn ᚍ nGéadal ᚄ Sail ᚎ Straif ᚅ Nion ᚏ Ruis Aicme hÚatha Aicme Ailme ᚆ Uath ᚐ Ailm ᚇ Dair ᚑ Onn ᚈ Tinne ᚒ Úr ᚉ Coll ᚓ Eadhadh ᚊ Ceirt ᚔ Iodhadh Forfeda
ᚕ Éabhadh ᚖ Ór ᚗ Uilleann ᚘ Ifín ᚚ Peith ᚙ Eamhancholl
Trees and their Meanings:
The etymology of the word ogam or ogham remains unclear. One possible origin is from the Irish og-úaim 'point-seam', referring to the seam made by the point of a sharp weapon.
Theories of origin
There are two main schools of thought among scholars as to the motivation for the creation of ogham. Scholars such as Carney and MacNeill have suggested that ogham was first created as a cryptic alphabet, designed by the Irish so as not to be understood by those with a knowledge of the Latin alphabet. With this school of thought, it is asserted that the alphabet was created by Irish scholars or druids for political, military or religious reasons to provide a secret means of communication in opposition to the authorities of Roman Britain.[citation needed] The Roman Empire, which then ruled over neighbouring southern Britain, represented a very real threat of invasion to Ireland, which may have acted as a spur to the creation of the alphabet.[citation needed] Alternatively, in later centuries when the threat of invasion had receded and the Irish were themselves invading the western parts of Britain, the desire to keep communications secret from Romans or Romanised Britons would still have provided an incentive.[citation needed]. With bilingual ogham and Latin inscriptions in Wales, however, one would suppose that the ogham could easily be decoded by anyone in the Post-Roman world.
The second main school of thought, put forward by scholars such as McManus, is that ogham was invented by the first Christian communities in early Ireland, out of a desire to have a unique alphabet for writing short messages and inscriptions in the Irish language. The argument is that the sounds of Primitive Irish were regarded as difficult to transcribe into the Latin alphabet, so the invention of a separate alphabet was deemed appropriate. A possible such origin, as suggested by McManus (1991:41), is the early Christian community known to have existed in Ireland from around AD 400 at the latest, the existence of which is attested by the mission of by in AD 431.
A variation is that the alphabet was first invented, for whatever reason, in 4th century Irish settlements in west after contact and intermarriage with Romanized Britons with a knowledge of the Latin alphabet.[] In fact, several ogham stones in Wales are bilingual, containing both Irish and Brythonic-Latin, testifying to the Celtic contact that led to the existence of some of these stones.
A third theory put forward by the noted ogham scholar R.A.S. Macalister was influential at one time, but finds little favour with scholars today. Macalister believed that ogham was first invented in Cisalpine Gaul around 600 B.C. by Gaulish druids as a secret system of hand signals, and was inspired by a form of the Greek alphabet current in Northern Italy at the time. According to this theory, the alphabet was transmitted in oral form or on wood only, until it was finally put into a written form on stone inscriptions in early Christian Ireland. Later scholars are largely united in rejecting this theory, however, primarily because a detailed study of the letters[] shows that they were created specifically for the Primitive Irish of the early centuries AD. The supposed links with the form of the Greek alphabet that Macalister proposed can also be disproved.
Macalister's theory of hand or finger signals as a source for ogham is a reflection of the fact that the signary consists of four groups of five letters, with a sequence of strokes from one to five. A theory popular among modern scholars is that the forms of the letters derive from the various numerical tally-mark systems in existence at the time. This theory was first suggested by the scholars Thurneysen and Vendryes, who proposed that the ogham script was inspired by a pre-existing system of counting based around the numbers five and twenty, which was then adapted to an alphabet form by the first ogamists
Legendary accounts
According to the 11th c. Lebor Gabála Érenn, the 14th c. Auraicept na n-Éces, and other Medieval Irish folklore, ogham was first invented soon after the fall of the Tower of Babel, along with the Gaelic language, by the legendary Scythian king, Fenius Farsa. According to the Auraicept, Fenius journeyed from Scythia together with Goídel mac Ethéoir, Íar mac Nema and a retinue of 72 scholars. They came to the plain of Shinar to study the confused languages at Nimrod's tower (the Tower of Babel). Finding that they had already been dispersed, Fenius sent his scholars to study them, staying at the tower, coordinating the effort. After ten years, the investigations were complete, and Fenius created in Bérla tóbaide "the selected language", taking the best of each of the confused tongues, which he called Goídelc, Goidelic, after Goídel mac Ethéoir. He also created extensions of Goídelc, called Bérla Féne, after himself, Íarmberla, after Íar mac Nema, and others, and the Beithe-luis-nuin (the ogham) as a perfected writing system for his languages. The names he gave to the letters were those of his 25 best scholars.
Alternatively, the Ogam Tract credits Ogma mac Elathan (Ogmios) with the script's invention. Ogma was skilled in speech and poetry, and created the system for the learned, to the exclusion of rustics and fools. The first message written in Ogam were seven b's on a birch, sent as a warning to Lug mac Elathan, meaning: "your wife will be carried away seven times to the otherworld unless the birch protects her". For this reason, the letter b is said to be named after the birch, and In Lebor Ogaim goes on to tell the tradition that all letters were named after trees, a claim also referred to by the Auraicept as an alternative to the naming after Fenius' disciples
Letter names Main article: Bríatharogam The letter names are interpreted as names of trees or shrubs in manuscript tradition, both in Auraicept na n-Éces ('The Scholars' Primer') and In Lebor Ogaim ('The Ogam Tract'). They were first discussed in modern times by Roderic O'Flaherty (1685), who took them at face value. The Auraicept itself is aware that not all names are known tree names, saying "Now all these are wood names such as are found in the Ogham Book of Woods, and are not derived from men", admitting that "some of these trees are not known today". The Auraicept gives a short phrase or kenning for each letter, known as a Bríatharogam, that traditionally accompanied each letter name, and a further gloss explaining their meanings and identifying the tree or plant linked to each letter. Only five of the twenty primary letters have tree names that the Auraicept considers comprehensible without further glosses, namely beith "birch", fearn "alder", saille "willow", duir "oak" and coll "hazel". All the other names have to be glossed or "translated" with a plant name.
According to the leading modern ogham scholar, Damian McManus the "Tree Alphabet" idea dates to the Old Irish period (say, 10th century), but it post-dates the Primitive Irish period, or at least the time when the letters were originally named. Its origin is probably due to the letters themselves being called feda "trees", or nin "forking branches" due to their shape. Since a few of the letters were, in fact, named after trees, the interpretation arose that they were called feda because of that. Some of the other letter names had fallen out of use as independent words, and were thus free to be claimed as "Old Gaelic" tree names, while others (such as ruis, úath or gort) were more or less forcefully re-interpreted as epitheta of trees by the medieval glossators.
McManus (1991, §3.15) discusses possible etymologies of all the letter names, and as well as the five mentioned above, he adds one other definite tree name: onn "ash" (the Auraicept wrongly has furze). McManus (1988, p. 164) also believes that the name Idad is probably an artificial form of Iubhar or yew, as the kennings support that meaning, and concedes that Ailm may possibly mean "pine tree" as it appears to be used to mean that in an eighth century poem. Thus out of twenty letter names, only eight at most are the names of trees. The other names have a variety of meanings, which are set out in the list below.
Ogham letters Aicme Beithe Aicme Muine ᚁ Beith ᚋ Muin ᚂ Luis ᚌ Gort ᚃ Fearn ᚍ nGéadal ᚄ Sail ᚎ Straif ᚅ Nion ᚏ Ruis Aicme hÚatha Aicme Ailme ᚆ Uath ᚐ Ailm ᚇ Dair ᚑ Onn ᚈ Tinne ᚒ Úr ᚉ Coll ᚓ Eadhadh ᚊ Ceirt ᚔ Iodhadh Forfeda
ᚕ Éabhadh ᚖ Ór ᚗ Uilleann ᚘ Ifín ᚚ Peith ᚙ Eamhancholl
- Beith, Old Irish Beithe means "birch-tree", cognate to Latin betula.
- Luis, Old Irish Luis is either related to luise "blaze" or lus "herb". The arboreal tradition has caertheand "rowan".
- Fearn, Old Irish Fern means "alder-tree", Primitive Irish *wernā, so that the original value of the letter was [w].
- Sail, Old Irish Sail means "willow-tree", cognate to Latin salix.
- Nion, Old Irish Nin means either "fork" or "loft". The arboreal tradition has uinnius "ash-tree".
- Uath, Old Irish Úath means úath "horror, fear", the arboreal tradition has "white-thorn". The original etymology of the name, and the letter's value, are however unclear. McManus (1986) suggested a value [y]. Peter Schrijver (see McManus 1991:37) suggested that if úath "fear" is cognate with Latin pavere, a trace of PIE *p might have survived into Primitive Irish, but there is no independent evidence for this.
- Dair, Old Irish Dair means "oak" (PIE *doru-).
- Tinne, Old Irish Tinne from the evidence of the kennings means "bar of metal, ingot". The arboreal tradition has cuileand "holly".
- Coll, Old Irish Coll meant "hazel-tree", cognate with Welsh collen, correctly glossed as cainfidh "fair-wood" ("hazel") by the arboreal interpretation. The Latin corylus is a possible cognate.
- Ceirt, Old Irish Cert is cognate with Welsh pert "bush", Latin quercus "oak" (PIE *perkwos). It was confused with Old Irish ceirt "rag", reflected in the kennings. The Auraicept glosses aball "apple".
- Muin, Old Irish Muin: the kennings connect this name to three different words, muin "neck, upper part of the back", muin "wile, ruse", and muin "love, esteem". The arboreal tradition has finemhain "vine".
- Gort, Old Irish Gort means "field" (cognate to garden). The arboreal tradition has edind "ivy".
- nGéadal, Old Irish Gétal from the kennings has a meaning of "killing", maybe cognate to gonid "slays", from PIE gwen-. The value of the letter in Primitive Irish, then, was a voiced labiovelar, [ɡʷ]. The arboreal tradition glosses cilcach, "broom" or "fern".
- Straif, Old Irish Straiph means "sulphur". The Primitive Irish letter value is uncertain, it may have been a sibilant different from s, which is taken by sail, maybe a reflex of /st/ or /sw/. The arboreal tradition glosses draighin "blackthorn".
- Ruis, Old Irish Ruis means "red" or "redness", glossed as trom "elder".
- Ailm, Old Irish Ailm is of uncertain meaning, possibly "pine-tree". The Auraicept has crand giuis .i. ochtach, "fir-tree" or "pine tree".
- Onn, Old Irish Onn means "ash-tree", although the Auraicept glosses aiten "furze".
- Úr, Old Irish Úr, based on the kennings, means "earth, clay, soil". The Auraicept glosses fraech "heath".
- Eadhadh, Old Irish Edad of unknown meaning. The Auraicept glosses crand fir no crithach "test-tree or aspen"
- Iodhadh, Old Irish Idad is of uncertain meaning, but is probably a form of ibhar "yew", which is the meaning given to it in the arboreal tradition.
- Eabhadh, Old Irish Ebhadh with crithach "aspen";
- Ór, "gold" (from Latin aurum); the arboreal tradition has feorus no edind, "spindle tree or ivy"
- Uilleann, Old Irish Uilleand "elbow"; the arboreal tradition has edleand "honeysuckle"
- Pín, later Ifín, Old Irish Iphin with spinan no ispin "gooseberry or thorn".
Trees and their Meanings:
- Oak
Oak symbolizes wisdom, strength, and endurance. Oak is extremely versatile and can be used in many areas of magic. The wood is good at both storing power and conducting it, thus making good staffs and wands. Oak can be used in spells involving authority, majesty, power, strength, wisdom, or endurance. - Ash
Ash is an excellent wood for purification. It is good at removing and cleansing internalized strife and conflict. Ash is good in any spell or working involving mental and emotional purification. Ash wood is a good conductor of power and thus makes good wands. - Hawthorn (Thorn)
Thorn symbolizes strife and harshness. It is an excellent tool for protection as its energies work well for defense. Thorn is used to dispell energies, especially negative energies or curses, and excells at banishing strife. - Yew
The yew tree is held sacred by the Druids because of its symbolism of death and rebirth. The yew tree's branches grow into the ground. Thus when the central trunk dies, the tree lives on as the branches become trees. It symbolizes transformation, great age, and reincarnation. Yew wood is good in any rituals that use the preceding symbolism. Yew holds and conducts energy very well, and yew is a good shield for magical energies that directly hit the wood is reflected. - Alder
The alder is a water-loving tree, but it is also highly combustible, showing an affinity to Fire. This means the alder is an unusual tree, for Fire and Water do not normally mix well. Alder is often used to symbolize one's appearance, and can be used in glamour spells. The alder tree's wood is oily and resistant to underwater decay. It can be used to contain Water elementals and many negative spirits. - Apple
The apple tree symbolizes youth, beauty, and innocence. Apple juice can be used to infer strength and beauty. The leaves are a useful focus in spellweaving. The apple wood makes good staves. - Beech
Beech symbolizes stability and flow of energy. It is an incredible conductor of energy, but doesn't hold energy very well. It is sometimes used for Druidic groves if oak is not available, though oak is preferred. - Birch
Birch wood is a useful tool in spells involving structures, support, shielding, warding, and cleansing. - Cedar
Cedar is exceptional at repulsing energies and protection. It is best used to ward or to drive off negative influences or spirits. - Cypress
The cypress tree was seen as a sad tree or tree of mourning. It was often used to build funeral pyres. Cypress wood is extremely resistant to water. Cypress containers can successfully contain water elementals, air elementals, and most spirits. - Dogwood
This tree represents charm and finesse. It can be used to enhance one's social abillities and increase one's personality. The dogwood flower is a good cleanser of wounds, and its scent is a relaxant. - Elm
The elm tree is a dark and brooding tree. It was often planted in tainted or uncleansable areas to warn off others in the area. Elm can be used in any spells that cause depression or darkness. It can dull the senses and works well in spells dealing with shadows. - Eucalyptus
The eucalyptus is a nurturing, protecting, life-giving tree. It can sometimes symbolize sloth due to the fact that its foliage is a narcotic. It contains quite a bit of moisture, and thus could easily have a connection to Water. Small doses of eucalyptus are highly effective. It can be used to numb or invoke sloth in others. It can protect the body from certain poisons. When mixed with certain other herbs, eucalyptus can make a high body-sustaining potion. - Fir
Fir symbolizes malleability, cleverness, and the ability to change. It is a good wood for magic involving physical structures, forms, and shapeshifting or other changing magics. - Hazelnut
This tree symbolizes attraction (the nut can be used to make an aphrodisiac), loss of inhibition or willpower, and drowsiness. It is used to make sleep potions, aphrodisiacs, and potions to inhibit the will or remove inhibitions. - Holly
Holly symbolizes combat, defense, and a "look but don't touch" beauty. It is also used as a life symbol. Holly is good at holding and storing energy, but does not work well with energy flow. It is also useful in glamours and warding. - Juniper
The juniper is a cheerful tree, hardy and endurant. It is excellent for cleansing, and aids in healing magic, especially to stop a disease from progressing further in the body. - Maple
Maple is a happy tree. It often symbolizes attraction, luring, drawing in, or bringing things together. It has very positive energy, and is used to attract attention or lure positive spirits in magic. - Pine
Pine is everlasting (from its evergreen properties). It induces clearness of thought with its scent and often symbolizes survival as it can grow even in sub-zero temperatures. Pine wood is useful in spells of preservation. Pine incense is helpful in divining/scrying rituals and rituals to clear the mind. - Sequoia
The sequoia is a majestic tree symbolizing eternity, longevity, and vast wisdom. It can also symbolize endurance and strength. Sequoia wood makes excellent Druidic staffs, as it is very good at both holding and conducting energy. It can be used in spells of fire resistance, and the sequoia seeds are an aphrodisiac. - Spruce
The spruce is a versatile tree which grows quickly and is dominant over its environment. It is an aloof tree and can symbolize the North and coldness. The wood is good for bargaining with Earth elementals as they especially like spruce wood. Spruce holds and stores a large amount of energy. A living spruce tree is an excellent ground. - Sycamore
The sycamore symbolizes growth, persistance, strength and endurance. It is water resistant (though not as much as cypress) and often grows where other trees cannot. To some Native American cultures, the sycamore is a holy tree equivalent to the oak in Europe. In magic, it is useful for spells involving growth, and can be used in healing potions (especially those with regenerative properties). It is also a good gift to give a Fire elemental. - Willow
The willow tree is a feminine tree. It is a water-loving tree and is linked to lunar rhythms. It is often a melancholy tree and can represent sadness and quick growth leading to a quick end (some trees only live for 20 years). In magical areas, willow has a great influence over water and water elementals. It has the ability to banish depression and sadness