|
Linden,
shared with heather, the third solar tree, is sacred to Isis and the
Gallic Heather Goddess - Uroica.
Heather is a midsummer tree, red and passionate and is
associated with mountains and bees. (White Goddess p
192)
Magical
properties - feminine, Venus, water, Isis, protection, rain
making, luck guard against rape and violent crimes, to bring
good luck. White is
best for this - when
burned with fern attracts rain.
Has been used to conjure ghosts.
(Encyclopedia of Herbs Cunningham, p. 119)
|
| Midsummer
station, June 21. Main
feature - attracts bees.
The Bee represents soul and its immortal flight.
Bees take messages to the underworld, brought messages
from the underworld for the regulation of karma.
As the bee visits the heather back and forth so the soul
visits and revisits in reincarnations. Masculine element of tree cycle, as it comes at midsummer
when sun is highest and strongest. (Fruits of the Moon Tree p.
110)
This
is the sign of romance and dreams.
There is a strong connection between the conscious self
and the deep levels of the unconscious.
Linden as an alternate to Heather is the gateway
between the inner world and the outer one.
In it is the expression of the need for passion and
ecstasy in life. You
are being advised to find that gateway to passion in your life,
or you may find that the gateway is about to open for you.
The influence of dreams, imagination and intuition
is very strong. Do
not become trapped by merely dreaming.
Act on your passion, but act wisely.
|
 Basswood
or Linden
(tilia(species)
The lindens, basswoods or lins, are a group of forest trees distinctive,
yet as a group so similar that they are being considered together. They
grow chiefly in the mountains, where they are common and valuable timber
trees, attaining heights of 80 feet and diameters of 3 feet.
The bark is light brown, deeply furrowed, and is often peeled for
making rough camp buildings. The inner bark furnishes bast for making
mats.
The leaves are more or less heart-shaped, 3 to 6 inches long,
thin, saw-toothed, smooth on both sides in some species, but woolly on
the under surface in others.
The flowers
are yellowish white, in drooping clusters opening in early summer, and
the flower stem is united to the middle of a long, narrow, leaf-like
bract. They are very fragrant and from them the bees make large amounts
of choice-grade honey.
The fruit
is a berry-like, dry, 1 or 2 seeded and rounded pod, one-quarter to
one-half an inch in diameter covered with short, thick and brownish
wool. it remains attached in clusters to the leafy bract, which later
acts as a wing to bear it away on the wind.
The wood
is light, soft, tough, not durable, light brown in color it is used in
the manufacture of pulp, woodenware, furniture, trunks, excelsior and
many other articles. It is a favorite wood of woodcarvers.
|
