Celtic Tree Lore - The Medical and Magical Uses of Ivy

vy is associate with the Goddess because it grows in a spiral, which is one of her symbols. In winter we follow the spiral of energy down and within, and in the spring we follow it back up to the light, therefore it is also a good symbol for ones journey through the Wheel of the year.

Women were known to carry ivy as a means to aid in fertility as well as bring one luck. They also carried it to ensure fidelity. This is where the custom of the bride carrying ivy came from. It is said if ivy grows near where you live it guards one against negativity and disaster. Wands used in nature or fertility rituals were often entwined with ivy.

Dreaming of ivy is said to foretell of a broken engagement. If ivy is growing on a tree in your dream, grief may be in your future. If ivy is growing on a house, you will have wealth. It ivy is growing on a friend’s house it means that they will have good health. And lastly if you dream of ivy as a potted plant, you will have happiness.

Medicinally there are few remedies to be found as most ivy is poisonous. Yet there are some that claim to remove sunburn it is recommended to smear the affected area with tender ivy twigs which have been boiled in butter. It has also been used for toothaches, as an astringent , and as an aid to bring on menstruation. It also calms the nerves.

In regards to poison ivy, although it is quite irritable to humans, it serves a useful purpose. The small berries found on poison ivy fees a number of birds and small animals. They also use the tangles which the ivy form as shelter and for building nests. The oil found in poison ivy does not affect most animals yet to humans it can cause an irritating rash. It is so potent that an amount the size of a pinhead could make 500 people miserable.

This oil is not a water based fluid and therefore does not evaporate and can linger for as long as a year. Because it is an oil if it is burned it will vaporize and to those who are sensitive to it, they can get the rash simply by the smoke which would come from the vapors.

Celtic Tree Lore - The Month of the Vine

hursday, September 2nd marks the beginning of the Celtic tree month of Vine which runs through September 29th. The Vine welcomes the completion of the harvest and the coming of the end of the Celtic year.

It is said that Tuatha De Danann were the ones who first brought vine with them to Ireland. Although it is not necessarily considered a tree any plant with woody stems were considered a tree by the Celts. Although most associated the vine with that of grapes, it can also refer to brambles/blackberry vines. Wine was and still is produced from blackberries as well as the grape.

At one time, picking and or eating blackberries on or after October 10 was not allowed. This was due to a belief that they were poisonous because the devil had spit upon them. This belief came about prior to the calendar change in 1752. At this time October 10th was known as St. Michael’s Day. It was St. Michael who was said to have thrown the devil out of heaven and into a blackberry thicket.

The name of the vine comes from the latin word “viere” meaning to twist. This name describes how the vine grows. The vine grows in a spiral, which of course is the symbol of the Mother Goddess. The Vine is also one of the sacred woods for a sabbat fire and represents joy.

Vines are long living and have been important to man since the beginning of civilization. The same is true with the fruit of the vine. Fossilized leaves, seeds, and stems of the grapevine have been found throughout the northern hemisphere. Some are believed to be 40 million years old. In France there are still living vines which are said to be over 400 years old today.