|
The
day for this tree is the winter solstice.. A death tree in
European countries. Sacred
to Hecate in Greece and Italy. In Rome when black bulls were
sacrificed to Hecate they were wreathed with Yew. In Ireland the Yew was the coffin of the vine, wine
barrels were made of Yew. It
is thought to make the
best bows. One of the five magical trees of Ireland.
(White Goddess p 193)
Magical
properties - gender - feminine, planet - Saturn, element - water,
powers - raising the dead. Highly toxic. (Cunningham's Encyclopedia of
Herbs p. 228)
The
Yew is the central tree of death, said to root in the mouths of the
dead, release their souls and absorb the odor of putrification, and
the phosphorescence of the bodies. Therefore it is Hecate's tree, Goddess of all
composting material as a gift to the fertility of the underworld.
The yew is life in death because she takes longer than any
other tree to come to maturity except for the oak.
(Fruits of the Moon
Tree. p. 111)
This
is the essence of the self, that which is inherited from the ancestral
past. It is the eternal
root of the self. It is
the ultimate measure of the passage of the soul from life to life.
The I refers to transformation from one state to another or
movement of some kind. It
can be fraught with discomfort and a sense of loss.
There is a high likelihood that the Letter I indicates that
there is either ignorance of a certain forthcoming transformation, or
it is indicating that one is immanent.
The main challenge is the inner feeling of loss and sorrow.
This grief must be worked through before change can be fully
understood. Keep in mind
that birth always follows death in the endless cycle of creation.
Botanical
Information
The yew is a
slow-growing conifer, as can live as long as 1000 years, possibly
reaching 65 feet in height. Because its hard, springy wood was the source of English
longbows it is much less common in recent times.
The evergreen
needles are very broad, and the seeds are produced in red, berry-like
cones. Yews are toxic; one of the toxic compounds, taxol,
is an effective treatment for some cancers.
Yew is in the Yew family.
|
