What a great idea!! I never thought of burning the needles or wrapping them. I bet it smells so good!
13 Likes
What an amazing story! You always have good challenges and heart felt messages 
12 Likes
For the Weekly Witchy Challenge, I made a magickal little offering to the trees that I see outside the patio of my apartment. I made ice luminaries for the first time.
I kind of of wish I had put in natural pieces in the ice but I am six 
so I put in glittery sequins, snow flakes and pom poms. I can see the trees and candles from my living room and funnily the snow has not yet extinguished the flames.
The offering is just to say thank you to the trees and for the simple delight of making something kind of pretty during a rare snow fall.
frosty blessings 
13 Likes
@mary25 that is so beautiful! Where do you live? It snows in my part of Texas once every 40 years. Last year we had snow and the whole state was shut down for a week. Except the lineman. Our electrical grid isnât built for snowstorms! We do 110 degree weather in August and Hurricanes. We were caught off guard with the snow. We canât drive in snow! Lol!
10 Likes
I live in Northern Virginia, near DC. We still get some big storms every once in a while but not as many snowfalls as I remember in the past. Any snow pretty much shuts us down, too! But it is prettyâŚthe snow started extinguishing the pillar candles so I brought them under the covered part of the patio and put in tea lights and WOW are they pretty shining through the ice
13 Likes
@sarah29 what a beautiful idea! I have a fake tree but I have cedar trees growing in my yard. Last month I cut some limbs and dried them for smudge sticks. My husband is always bringing me flowers and I dry them because I hate throwing them away. I wrapped up the dried flowers around the cedar because it looks so pretty.
12 Likes
I want to be like a 3 y/o and say I want it!
10 Likes
I miss snowâŚ
9 Likes
I miss it too! I didnât appreciate when it happened but I was off a week and snuggled and read books. It was heaven!
9 Likes
Live Christmas trees are gown just for that purpose. Itâs a business that takes little effort. You plant and wait. The Christmas tree farms are renewable and some trees arenât cut and grow to be wonderful big trees.
Sometimes ethics are in the eye of the beholder. Some people say you must not cut up trees for wood to heat your home.
Well, I donât like being cold, and as long as the tree isnât protected and itâs on your land. I see no problem. It doesnât take much to replant trees. Itâs cheap and easy to do.
Bright Blessings
Garnet
13 Likes
The Grandfather; Douglas, Douglas-fir
Iâve not really got up close and personal with the trees in our yard. I yearn more to be surrounded by the forest of the nearby woods then the individuals we live close to. That was all going to change!
The Sacred Tree Ritual
I sat by the tall Douglas-Fir with a crooked fence between us. The tree had grown so big over the decades it had cracked the cement wall supporting the fence. You see, the tree is actually rooted in our neighbourâs yard but most of his branches are on our side because the previous owner of our home, thankfully, didnât prune them.
After a short time of watching to the squirrels scamper around the branches and listening to the birds share their news, I studied the rough bark of the large base of the Douglas-fir. I spied few bugs hiding in cracks, fungi growing on an old wound, and lichen peppered everywhere. I placed my non-dominant hand gently near the tree but felt nothing.
Okay, I still asked permission to touch and when I did make physical connection I heard a deep firm, âI will share my life blood with you.â Wow, this is cool but I wasnât clear what that meant. I thanked the Tree and felt into a flicker of a continuous current running deep within it. I got a strong sense that I was supported unconditionally by this old soul.
Jen Dundee of Spiritual Services says of trees, âtheir energy fields extend about 3 inches around their tree bodies. This is why you have to touch, hug, or put your back against a tree, to receive itâs full healing properties.â
How the Douglas-fir trees and Paper birch support each other
This report found that Douglas-fir seedling and paper birch shuttle carbon back and forth to one another seasonally via their ectomycorrhizae. Paper birch send carbon to Douglas fir seedlings, especially when they were shaded in summer, probably enhancing their survival. In spring and fall, the Douglas-fir return the favor when the birch have no leaves.
Legend of the Douglas Fir Pine Cone
There are many variations of this legend but I prefer the happy ending of this one.
" Indigenous legend in the Pacific Northwest tells that a long time ago there was a great fire in the forest. All of the animals were fleeing before the encroaching flames. However, the tiny mice with their short little mouse-legs were not quick enough to outrun the fire. In danger of being engulfed in the flames, they asked the strong and stoic Douglas-fir trees for help. The trees were inclined to be friendly to the mice, and allowed them to climb up their thick, fire-resistant trunks and hide themselves in their fir cones. The mice gladly took shelter inside the cones, and survived the terrible fire. And even today â if you examine the cones of a Douglas-fir closely â you can see the little hind feet and tails of the mice sticking out from beneath the scales of the fir cones."
Douglas-Fir Mandela
- a golden square base: generosity, stability
- female cones & branches w/ buds= reproductive cycle
- found white rock: transfer of energy
- my blood under rock: connection
- malachite: healing
- snowflake obsidian: protection from fire
- rough quartz- amplifier
- agate geode corner pieces: strength and protection
I anointed all the items with full moon water. Through no planning, I ended up anointing a stone with my blood from a mystery cut I hadnât noticed. After an evening on the altar, I moved it to a window with a direct view to the Douglas-fir along with a photo of the tree. I am complete. 
Please note that, ââŚthe Douglas-fir is not a true fir, and, as such, is not a member of the Abies genus with the Fraser, Noble and balsam firs, among others. Instead, Pseudotsuga translates to âfalse hemlock. Scientific name of the Douglas-fir is Pineceae P.menziessii var. menziesii
Cheers,
Janis 
17 Likes
Today has been incredibly snowy (weâre supposed to get anywhere from eight to twelve inches when itâs all over), so it was the perfect time for my quiet maple tree meditation!
I lit a red candle, diffused some sandalwood essential oil, and held a maple tree branch in my hand.
The maple tree is a symbol of strength and endurance, because it can grow in different soils and climates. Since my life is undergoing some changes right now, I thought it would be great to focus on thatâchange.
Change is an inevitable part of nature and our lives; itâs not something that we can completely avoid. It can be scary, especially if itâs huge change, like switching jobs, moving to a new place, going through a divorce, and so forth. At the same time, change gives us hope that things will get better, that we wonât be stuck in a rut forever and that a difficult period will end.
I invoked the indomitable spirit of the maple tree and said to myself, âI accept that change is inevitable. Like the maple tree, I can adapt to any and all changes that will take place in my life.â
I plan to keep the maple tree branch on my altar indefinitely. Whenever I feel stressed by changes in my life, Iâll do this meditation.
Whenever the snow melts (which will probably be awhile), I plan to gather more branches and try to make my first besom.
13 Likes
Itâs time for a friendly reminder!
This challenge will close TOMORROW
If you would like to participate and havenât done so already, please post about your challenge experience(s) by the deadline: Tomorrow: January 18th, 7:00 AM EST (Eastern Standard Time Zone)
Blessed be! 
8 Likes
My weekly witchy challenge was to make a broom. I have a few Pecan Trees in my yard so most of the branches are from them. Pecan trees symbolize abundance, long life, and prosperity,(still waiting on thatđ¤Ł) and they can live more than 300 years, so I thought it would be a good material to make a broom with. I added some Lavender, Rosemary, and Gum Gum Seed Pods, and dried flowers.
21 Likes
Weekly Challenge Entry
I am learning the Elder Futhark Runes right now, but after that, I am going back to focus on my Celtic path. (I needed a break after the 6 Celtic based books I had read & processed what I learned) So this challenge comes at the perfect time for me.
The Celtic âalphabetâ, âstavesâ are based on the Ogham. The Ogham is based on their trees & other horticulture & their meanings divinatory or otherwise. I had read a book: Celtic Tree Magic: Ogham Lore & Druid Mysteries by Danu Forest. Danu is a Druid Priestess & author & contributor to Llewellynâs books. She also holds nature magic classes that follow the 13 Moons & their Wheel of the Year that I plan on starting within the next few weeks.
Within the book is everything you need to know about trees & their relation to the Celts & their beliefs & the Ogham. I chose to do the first tree, Birch or Beith (Betula alba/Betula pendula) aka Beth, Berke.
Word Ogham of:
- Morainn: Feochos fotchain: âWithered foot with fine (fair) hair.â
- Cuchulain: Mais Malach.I.creccrad: âBrowed beauty, worthy of pursuit.â
- Oengus: Glaisem cnis. âGreyest/most silver of skin.â
Descriptionâ
Birch is a fast-growing deciduous tee that grows up to thirty meters. The branches angled upward, tend to bow at the tips, lending graceful curves to their shape. Its triangular double-toothed leaves frow on alternate sides of the stem. The slender female green catkins form on the same tree as the male yellow-brown ones, and both form in the months of April & May, & fall in September. The silver birch has distinctive, beautiful bark. Starting as reddish-brown when very young, it turns pinkish or white with grey horizontal markings & darker scales. It has deep fissures at the base of the tree hence Morrainâs poetic kenning for the tree as âwithered foot with fine hair.â
Lore & Legend
- One of the seven peasant trees according to the brehon law, birch nonetheless occupies a special position in the Celtic tradition. According to legend, the first ogham wrote was Beith, written seven times to create warming & magically protective talisman on a sliver of birch, by the god Ogma to warn the god Lugh that his wife was taken away by the sidhe (the Irish for fairies). For this reason, the birch is always considered to be full of the god Lughâs light, bringing clarity & chasing away stagnant energy & shadows within & without. Often associated with light, moon/starlight, reflected in its silver bark. Birch twigs are also used as witchesâ besoms used for ritually cleansing a space and also used for âflyingâ in the pursuit of shamanic vision due to the magical light that is believed to be in the wood. Its connections to beginnings are so strong due to the fact that the tree itself is self-sowing, creating its own groves.
Traditionally birch is used for purification & the cleansing of negative spirits, sometimes in the practice of âbirchingâ or flagellation to remove negative energy from the body as well as toxins, and also to force out negative entities & correct âmisdeedsâ
Magical & Practical Uses Birchwood is very tough & flexible. It is good for carpentry & has been used to make tools, furniture, cradles, & of course, besom brooms, Birch has also been used to make charcoal that produces a high heat which can be used in metalworking. The bark makes good kinking & is also invaluable for traditional tanning. Offerings of birch wreaths can be made to water spirits to ask that storms or excessive rain be delayed or averted.
Due to its association with Springtime & fertility, Birch can be used to decorate the sacred space at Beltane & the spring equinox, & it can be called upon to help invoke gods & goddesses of fertility & light. A supreme tree to assist in calling Lugh & to invoke protection against & the banishment of darkness.
I can go on, but I think the point is taken that itâs a very special tree. The book has meanings also divination & healing & whatâs called a journal entry. Itâs like a long mantra or âchargeâ really about the Birch.
Information from:
Forest, Danu. âAicme of Birch/Beith.â Celtic Tree Magic: Ogham Lore and Druid Mysteries, Llewellyn Worldwide Publications, Woodbury, MN, MN, 2014, pp. 43â51.
13 Likes
@christine13 I can see why you have the âArt Witchâ badge! Very beautiful broom. When I first saw your post I read it as âPagan Treesâ not âPecan Treesâ. Both wood do I guess. 
11 Likes
Hello Everyone,
New to this group by a couple of days only so if I get this wrong, please let me know. I really like the premise of this weekly challenge as trees and vines are truly magickal.
As Sylvia Plath so eloquently wrote about trees:
âThey seed so effortlessly!
Tasting the winds, that are footless,
Waist-deep in history.â
And David McLanskyâs âVinesâ:
âAll vines curl toward the light
Deep within the shaded night;
Twist and reach within the tangle,
Grip and leap from every angle;
And I a seed of dead leaves born,
Crawl aloft as one forlorn,
Knowing that I strive in vain,
Still encased for all my pain;
Enclosed in darkness as I call,
The towering trees umbrella all;
A vine of chance in midst and gloom
Who savored not the silver moon.â
And what is more magickal than the grapevine where where we get wine?! 
Trees and vines are absolutely magickal.
For this challenge, I chose to use blackberry bramble vine for my entry. I crafted the wreath you see here from blackberry bramble I harvested in the woods in the Autumn behind my home. It has since dried and I think itâs beautiful.
I chose the blackberry vine for my entry as most of us who go by Robert Graveâs Ogham trees from the Robert Graves | The Celtic Journey list, we all know that the tenth lunar âmonthâ is Vine and its Ogham âMuinâ, the 10th letter. However, the Vine is not necessarily meant to be a vine of the grapevine type. The Druids classified anything with a woody stalk as a tree, and so therefore it is listed vines amongst the sacred Ogham ranks.
Furthermore, grapevines typically come to mind when discussing vines, but it was more likely the Blackberry vines that captured the hearts of the ancient Celts. Muin does not mean âvineâ but according to Robert Graves means any thicket of thorny, winding bramble of plant and which further supports the idea that Blackberry, which is a prolific plant in most of Europe and the British Isles, is the likeliest for Muin. And, as the Ogham alphabet originated in Ireland, it is also less likely that it means vine â such as in grapevine â because grapes had never, at that time at least, been successfully grown in Ireland.
Magickal Properties:
The Celtic meaning of the Vine in Druid lore is rife with symbolism. The Vine is a theme repeated over and over in Celtic art. Interconnections and winding vines are commonly seen on tapestries, writings, knot work and carvings. This indicates the symbolism of connection, eternity, and diversity.
Rebirth and Reincarnation
In the Druid perspective, the Vine earned its symbolism from its growth patterns. They recognized the Vine grows opportunistically and would dig in wherever feasible to gain a strong foothold to assure its own growth
Protection
This is a powerful metaphor of âgoing with the flowâ or âstart as you mean to go onâ. In other words, it is a message that when we observe the best of our environment/situation and stay in a relaxed, flowing state of mind, we can most likely gain our highest advantage. Spirituality
The ever-watchful Celts also recognised the Vineâs predominant growth formation is in the shape of a spiral which is symbolic of consciousness, development, renewal, and growth. Regeneration
You can use Vine in protection poppets, incenses, and witch bottles like any other wood as well as to make amulets from.
Correspondences:
Planetary: Moon
Zodiac: unknown
Energies: rebirth, reincarnation, regeneration, spirituality, and protection
Gender: Masculine and Feminine
Deity: Considered sacred by the Tuatha De Danaan Gods of Irish Mythology
Animal: White Swan
Sources:
Ogam: Weaving Word Wisdom, by Erynn Rowan Laurie
The Celtic Tree Oracle, by Liz and Colin Murray
Thanks for the opportunity to participate in this challenge. I love seeing everyoneâs entries and have learned so much from them. This was truly a fun challenge!
15 Likes