The Magickal Bodhi Tree

By Isabella @TheWandCarver

Instagram:  @iseabail_witchwriter

The Bodhi tree doesn’t seem to be mentioned much in witchcraft and that may be down to its religious connotations.  It even has religiosa in its name, i.e., Ficus religiosa which means “sacred fig”. Can you eat the figs from the Bodhi Fig tree? As best I can tell, yes. But for the most part, the figs we eat usually come from the Common Fig [Ficus carica] tree.  And, here is a little fig fact for you [although, you might decide to give up eating this delicious fruit when you read the following]

Figs Are Not Vegan Because They Are Full of Dead Wasps

You’re welcome 😊 I’m pescatarian, not strictly vegan, therefore, this doesn’t stop me from eating a fig… although I did shed a tear for the poor mother wasp.

photo by Neil Satyam

Back to the Bodhi Fig.  This tree is also called “the tree of awakening”.  Many of you may already know that the Mahabodhi Tree, located in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India, under which Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher who became known as the Buddha, is said to have attained enlightenment or Bodhi.  The Bodhi is a many-storied tree and I could carry on writing about its lore; however, we shall move onto how it can benefit us in so many ways.

Magickal

the Mahabodhi Tree, photo by G3Krishna

I have never used any part of the Bodhi tree for magickal purposes.  As close as I may have come is using the branches from a huge Ficus tree that was once in our garden but died of natural causes, for wands.  But that was an entirely different genus of Ficus.  I have found very little regarding magickal endeavours with any part of the Bodhi tree.  It would seem, if you want to do anything magickal with a Bodhi tree you must own one or travel to a place that does have one.  No, you don’t necessarily need to travel to India to visit the Bodhi for magickal or enlightenment purposes, however, you will need to travel to where they can be grown as they need warm temperatures.  I have read where they grow in the United State’s California and Florida.  And, I have also found a website which sells the seeds to grow your own Bodhi for a reasonable price.  If you live in the US, you can purchase a Bodhi tree in a 4-inch container for not an unreasonable amount of money, but it will need to be ordered and p&p will apply, I am sure.  How would you use a Bodhi tree if you could travel to one or buy a small pot plant?

According to my go-to for odd trees, Tess Whitehurst writes:

Protection

“The Bodhi tree’s divine alignment and active positivity provides a potent protection boost  Whilst simply spending time with a Bodhi tree can increase the natural protectiveness of your personal energetic field, walking around the trunk in a clockwise direction nine times will have a particularly protective and purifying effect.”

Wisdom

“If you’re in need of a little wise guidance, or you would like to increase your own personal wisdom on any given issue you need look no further than a living bodhi tree.  A true guru of the tree kingdom, simply spending time with a bodhi tree can offer the counsel you need.  For this purpose, visit the tree as you would a spiritual master, kneel near the trunk and silently offer up your challenge or situation through your thoughts and emotions.  Then, simply relax and be with the tree until you feel entered, grounded and calmly certain about how to proceed.”

She also speaks of healing, rainmaking, and nature spirits. If you would like to buy a copy of her book, find her under Sources below.

Correspondences

Planet:  Sun

Gender:  Male

Element:  Air

Powers:  Fertility, Healing, Nature Spirits, Rainmaking, Protection, Wisdom

Deity:  Buddha [all], Brahma, Vishnu, Siva [Hindu]

Sabbat:  Litha

Other Names:  Peepul tree, Bo tree [Hindi], sacred fig, Aswattha [Sanskrit]

Health

All parts of the Bodhi Tree have been used as a medicine for their cooling and healing properties, as part of the Ayurvedic healing system. They have been used to treat various diseases of the skin and blood, digestive, reproductive, respiratory and other body systems.  I have yet to learn where any part of the tree can be obtained from to aid in at-home Ayurvedic healing or holistic healing, of which I use both in my practise.

Some known medicinal uses reported in the literature are:

Leaves – to relieve diarrhoea and dysentery

Fruit – to treat asthma, digestive problems and as an antidote against venom and other poisons

Seeds – for urinary ailments

Bark – as an antibiotic against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli

Sap – to remove warts

Roots – to heal ulcers and gum disease

“Oh, Aswattha tree! You are a God.

You are king among trees.

Your roots represent Brahma, the Creator;

your trunk represents Siva, the Destroyer and your branches,

Vishnu the Preserver.

As such you are the emblem of Trimurti.

All those who honor you ;

in this world by performing Upanayama,

walk round you, adoring you and singing your praise;

obtain remission of their sins in this world and bliss in the next.

I praise and adore you.

Pardon my sins in this world and give me a place with the blessed after death”.

Many thanks for reading and warmest blessings to all whom this way wander x

Sources

EarthStoriez

The Magic of Trees, by Tess Whitehurst

Wikipedia

Happy Litha 2022 and Merry Midsummer

By Isabella @TheWandCarver

Instagram:  @iseabail_witchwriter

The longest day of the year has just rolled around again.  I hope it is not miserably hot for you, wherever you are in the Northern Hemisphere. But it is now Litha for us and we have a few warm weeks ahead. And a Happy Yule to our lovely witches Down Under where it is Yuletide. We hope you are enjoying yourselves safely.  Lockdowns, for the most part, are over so many will have the travel bug.

my favourite pic of Stonehenge

I am, for myself, keeping to lockdown rules as best I can, being a woman of a certain age. So, I’m not going out in search of a festival, although I would certainly enjoy one!  This is the time of year in the past where, if we could get the time off work or just wanted an overnight “day trip”, off to Wiltshire we would go to see the sunrise at Stonehenge and feeling special because of all the generations of some of my ancestors whom lived there for centuries probably saw the same event at some point in time or another. 

Avebury Stone Circle, Wiltshire

There are generally thousands who go each year.    Of course, there is also Avebury circle, another henge, which is also located in Wiltshire

How ever you celebrate your Summer Solstice, I do hope you have fun. Many thanks for reading and warmest blessings to all whom this way wander x

The Magick of Heather

By Isabella @TheWandCarver

Instagram: @iseabail_witchwriter

The Ogham Alphabet ~ Google.co.uk

Ah, Heather! It was very nearly my name as my Mum very much loved the plant but in the southeast, it did not grow as well, and certainly not as prolifically, as it does in the north country. Heather is the 3rd vowel of the Ogham alphabet – Ura – and it is for Summer Solstice, 21 June. It is not a Celtic Birth Tree Ogham, however, if you are born on this day there is no reason not to claim it for your birth tree!

Heather [Calluna vulgaris] is called the “Flower of Passion”. One of its energies in magick is passion – pure, raw, unbridled passion to be exact. And not just passion, but its consequences and all. This may be down to the time of year and that the flowering of Heather heralded a time of rejoicing and self-indulgence for our ancient Celtic ancestors. Mind, you would think they had enough of this during Beltane, but if you think of Beltane as passionate, think of Litha as the after party! I love this excerpt from The Wisdom of Trees, by Jane Gifford:

LESSON OF THE HEATHER

Heather hills ~ countrylife.co.uk

“Heather is a symbol of passionate love, of sacrifice, and self-control. In the first place, heather represents enthusiasm and sensual pleasure, and the benefits that can be enjoyed from spontaneous self-expression. But within this lust for life and exhilaration lies a deeper lesson of the consequences that may arise out of unbridled passion. The Celts believed that you are always totally responsible and accountable for the outcome of your actions, so you were wise to be sure of your own true nature before totally abandoning yourself to the potent delights of heather ale and the pleasures that it could bring. Unchecked, heather is short-lived and unproductive but if burned yearly to the ground, it re-grows with fresh vigour. The lesson of the heather is that a necessary balance must exist between self-expression and self-control for both to be enjoyable and effective.”

Magickal:

My dried Heather ~ photo by i.macy

Heather can be used for magick involving maturity, consummation, general luck, love, ritual power, conjuring ghosts, healing, protection, rain-making and water magick. Heather is often worn or carried as a good luck charm. It is said that a sprig of white Heather placed in a special place of silence and meditation has the power to conjure ghosts or spirits. To do this, pick a sprig of white Heather at midnight, place it in a glass of river water in the darkest corner of your home. Sit and think of a departed loved one and it is said that the loved ones’ shadow will visit you.

In the language of flowers and the gifting of them, Heather means “admiration”. Heather can be used at Midsummer /Summer Solstice to promote love – carry red Heather for passion or white Heather for cooling the passion of unwanted suitors.

Heather is useful in Faery magick and is said to ignite faery passions and open portals between their world and our own. The fae honouring Heather are attracted to shy people.

As a water herb, Heather is very useful in weather magick. When burned outdoors with Fern, the herbal smoke of Heather attracts rain. Bouquets of Heather and Fern can also be dipped in water to call rain.

Healing: Heather has been and is used for antiseptic, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, and sedative purposes. It has a long history of medicinal use. It is a good urinary antiseptic and diuretic, disinfecting the urinary tract and mildly increasing urine production. The flowering shoots are antiseptic, astringent, chloragogen, depurative, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, and mildly sedative. The plant is often macerated and made into a liniment for treating rheumatism and arthritis, whilst a hot poultice is a traditional remedy for chilblains. An infusion of the flowering shoots is used in the treatment of coughs, colds, bladder and kidney disorders, cystitis etc. A cleansing and detoxifying plant, it has been used in the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis and gout. The flowering stems are harvested in the autumn and dried for later use.

Correspondences:

Planetary: Venus

Zodiac: Gemini

Element(s): Water

Energies: Passion, Protection, Luck

Stone: Red Garnet

Bird: Grouse

Deity: Uroica, Venus, Erycina, Cybele, Nechtan Mac Labraid, the Cupbearer of the Tuatha De Dannan, guardian of the sacred well of Segais and husband of Boane, after whom the river Boyne in Ireland is named. Also, Osiris and Aphrodite.

Other Names: Common Heather, Heath, Lyng, Scottish Heather

The king in the red moorland Rode on a summer’s day; And the bees hummed, and the curlews Cried beside the way. The king rode and was angry, Black was his brow and pale, To rule in a land of heather; And lack the heather ale. ~R.L. Stevenson

Many thanks for reading and warmest blessings to all whom this way wander x

Sources:
The Wisdom of the Trees, by Jane Gifford