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 Openness, warm breezes, dappled sunshine, dreamy, playful, daydreaming, alpha brainwaves, malleable, pliable, shape-shifting, mirth, good humor, ease, relaxation, "laying back on a mossy stream bank, eyes closed, one hand dangling in the water, willows above swaying in a warm summer breeze, dappled sunlight shifting shadows against my eyelids and face", a cup, a container, a basket, muse, inspiration, a maiden, green and gold, light, playing hide and seek with a maiden, something that can't be forced, if we try to catch it eludes us, slips away, opening-not concentration, move the ego and intellect aside, free association instead of analysis, relational thinking.
Summary: uncensored inflow, relaxation, dropping boundaries and pre-conceived notions, making way for something new and free from ego constraints. Yielding.1
Latin name: Salix alba, S. caprea, S. cinerea, S. fragilis, S. viminalis
Common Names White Willow, European Willow, Sally tree, Great Sallow, Crack Willow, Common Osier
Habitat and description: Central and Southern Europe, North America. A large tree with rough grayish bark. The twigs are brittle at the base. The leaves are pubescent on both surfaces and finely serrated. Flowers and leaves appear at the time from March through June.
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Willow pots were found in Corlea bog in Ireland. I don't have the dating information. They measure 25-35 cm high and have an internal rim diameter of 24-36 cm. Willow twigs and branches were/are used to make baskets and sieves, ropes, beehives, lobster pots, coracle frames, fish traps, hurdles, hatchet and tool handles, shoemaker's cutting boards, fences, wattles and to bind brooms. The bark has been used as fodder for cattle and sheep as well as for tanning and dyeing. The bark makes a cinnamon red and the roots make a deep red dye.
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In the Scottish Highlands and Islands a peeled stem is sometimes carried by the corn sheaf or Bride's doll at spring festivals. There are also seems to be some cross-cultural association of the Willow with the UnderWorld/OtherWorld. The British Celts may have sometimes planted Willow trees near burial mounds, but since these mounds were found near marshy ground they may simply have grown there unaided as the soil became wet. Traditionally known as the Poet's tree.
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Parts used: bark
Willow is tonic, anti-periodic, astringent, anti-pyretic, anti-rheumatic, analgesic. Used in dyspepsia connected with debility of the digestive organs. In convalescence from acute diseases, worms, chronic diarrhea and dysentery, its tonic and astringent combination make it very useful. In any kind of pain, cramping, inflammation, fever and as a gargle for sore-throat.
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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