Tree magick _The Pine

Pine Pinus

^{Tree of Nativity}

^{Birthday of the Divine Child, the King of the Waxing Year - December 23rd}

^{First vowel of the Ogham alphabet - Ailm}

Planet: Mars

Element: air, fire

Stone: Emerald

Symbolism: Birth, Abundance, Health, Fertility, Fortune, Love

Birds: Crow, Jackdaw, Raven

Colors: Black

Deity: Artemis, Ariadne, Rhea, Cybele, Druantia, Erigone, Dionysus, Bacchus, Merlin, Pan. Attis

Runes: Ken, K

Folk Names: Windmill Palm, Blume (dragon's blood)

Magickal Properties:

Attracting prosperity, purifying ritual areas and new homes, helping "stay the course" during difficult times.

A pine wand or pine cone kept on the altar wards off evil influences. Carry pine cones to increase fertility and have a vigorous old age. Floor washes with pine oil cleanse a space of negativity and ward off illness. Throw pine needles into winter fires for protection, or burn pine incense for purification and divination. Place pine branches over the bed to keep sickness away, or to aid the ill. Hang a pine branch over the main door of your house to ensure continuous joy within.

Medicinal Properties:

It is an antiseptic, expectorant, and tonic. An infusion of the pine needles makes an inhalant for relieving congestion. Pine needle tea can aid with healing bladder, urinary tract, and kidney problems. The needles and shoots are rich in Vitamin A and C. Use the cones and needles in a bath for breathing disorders, skin complaints, and rheumatic pain. The essential oil is used in aromatherapy for its antiseptic, antiviral, bactericidal, deodorant, and diuretic properties.

Meditate with Pine to help alleviate your dark moods.

It is also good if you suffer from guilt, and if you have a hard time being satisfied with your achievements.

A renewal of energy can be obtained by sitting under a pine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The pine tree seems to listen, the fir tree to wait: and both without impatience:

- they give no thought to the little people beneath them devoured by their impatience and their curiosity.
- Friedrich Nietzsche, The Wanderer and His Shadow, # 176.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blessing Spell

Gather needles and cones.

Tie a small bundle of needles together

with thread and burn them in your cauldron.

Pass the cones through the smoke

and then place them in a location

where you will see them frequently

and be reminded of your blessings.

LESSON OF THE PINE

from The Wisdom of Trees by Jane Gifford

From its lofty position above the tops of most other trees, the pine reminded ancient peoples of the importance of taking the overview, encouraging objectivity and farsightedness. We are advised to cleanse ourselves of negativity, neither dwelling on mistakes nor apportioning blame. Pine is a symbol of the elevated mind and the birth of the spiritual warrior.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Pine Fairy

is and ancient spirit indeed, for pines are conifers and are among the oldest of plants, flourishing just after the glacial period and before the advent of broad-leaved trees. Scots pine is the only tree from northern Europe to have survived the Ice Age. Clumps of pine are believed to act as ley-line markers.

Pine is associated with Attis, love of the goddess Cybele. When he was unfaithful, she changed him into a pine tree. Her son, Zeus, seeing her regret decreed that the pine should stay green throughout the year as a consolation. Attis is one form of the dying and resurrecting god of Nature, giving pine (despite its evergreen status) a strong link with the cycles of living. The pine fairy may be solitary and a little melancholy, but he has a healing presence and can banish negativity. The pine fairy has seen so many things come and go, and one of the things he likes to see gone is your lack of confidence! The wind in the pines is blowing up a new future that can help you leave your mistakes behind, for the past really is the past.