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 Rose-gold, the time before sunrise-dawn, aurora, warmth, comfort, a single white bird, softness, repose, meditation, in-calling, blessing, gentleness, gentle breeze, dew drops, moisture, female animals,  active waiting, intelligence, awareness, nest, endometrium, quietness, womb, furrow, pre-germination seed, state between waking and sleeping, patience, gathering in of energy.
Summary: waiting, Stillness. No-time, no-space, no boundaries. A sense of the Void, Awareness, Intelligence, Being. The feeling one gets in deep meditative state.1
Betula alba
Common names: White Birch, Common Birch, Lady of the Woods.
Habitat: Europe, from Sicily to Iceland, Asia
The European White Birch is a graceful tree that grows up to 60 feet in height. Its outer white bark is separable into thin papery layers, but it is not as inclined to peel as easily as American Paper Birch. The bark at the base of the trunk becomes deeply furrowed, exposing the blackish inner bark. The young branches are a rich red or orange-brown
 - The name 'birch' may be derived from the Sanskrit 'bhugar' meaning "a tree whose bark is used to write on". From its use in boat-building and roofing it is also connected with the Anglo-Saxon 'beorgan' to protect or shelter.
The lighter twigs were used for thatching, wattles, in broom making and in the manufacture of cloth. In Iron Age Ireland, birch bark may have been sewn into containers and used for roofing shingles. Wagon wheels and barrel hoops were also made from the wood and as pegs it was used in the construction of early plank roads traversing bogs. The leaves can be used in dyeing to obtain yellows. When turned into charcoal it has excellent iron smelting properties and if the pitch is extracted and prepared it makes a good glue.
The spring sap can be made into wine which was believed to have medicinal properties and vinegar, as well as boiled down into syrup and sugar much like maple sap. Sweet Birch (Betula lenta) twigs smell like wintergreen and these along with the leaf buds can be nibbled to allay thirst. Twigs and root bark can be used for tea and the inner bark can be used as an emergency food due to its high starch and sugar content.
- Cradles were once constructed from Birch wood to protect their newly arrived charges. Rods or branches were used to beat the bounds and to drive out the spirit of the old year. The "traditional witches" broom is made from birch branches, though if rods were used to clean the property why not used a birch twig broom to clean out the house? It may have been common practice in any household. In European folk medicine it is considered a safeguard against wounds, gout, barrenness, caterpillars, the evil eye and lightning.
- Silver, White and Paper Birch
Parts used: sap, leaves, twigs, bark, oil.
Birch is of used for fluid retention, arthritis, gout, urinary stones and infections.
The sap, infused with Cinnamon and Cloves was used to treat skin conditions like acne as well as rheumatism and gout. Birch-leaf tea is a powerful diuretic capable of dissolving bladder and kidney stones. It also kills off bacteria in the urinary tract. The leaves also have a substantial reputation for treating rheumatism, arthritis and gout. Birch leaf tea is useful in treating fluid retention due to heart or kidney malfunction, it will also lower blood cholesterol and stimulate the flow of bile. A decoction of the bark has been used for intermittent fevers. Oil extracted from the buds can be used externally in lotions to treat psoriasis and eczema. This oil should not be confused with Sweet Birch oil which is extracted from Betula lenta. The fresh bark will ease muscle pain if it is applied externally, putting the fresh, wet side of the bark against the skin.
Note:
This meditation is purely my own experience. I included it here for inspiration not emulation. Because our hearts and spirits hold different visions, each individual will have their own unique experience. --Willow Ragan
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