Saturday 12 May 2018

The Apple Tree by StormloverWolf


The Apple Tree by StormloverWolf




I know, I know you are thinking “Storm, apples are really about Fall aren't they”? Well with Ostara and Spring coming on I wanted to talk to you a bit about the apple tree, as in Spring is when it first begins to breathe again for the coming season.

Spring brings us such beauty does it not? Vibrant colours of new grass, and flowers popping up and then there is the incredible beauty of fruit trees breathing new life into some of the most beautiful flowers that I have ever seen.

A bit of background -

Malus, a genus in the large rose family (Rosaceae), comprised about 25 different species of small deciduous trees of the northern temperate zone. Apple leaves are softer with a more downy feel than those of the pear tree (Pyrus). The flowers of the apple trees have five styles as against the solitary styles in the flowers of plum trees (Prunus).

The wild apple tree of north western Europe is the crab apple, M. sylvestris. The white or pink flowers are followed by a greenish-yellow, sometimes even red flushed, with fruits that are smaller than 2 inches (5cm) in diameter, crowned by the persistent calys, calys being the sepals of a flower forming a spiral that encloses the petals and forms a protective layer around a flower in bud.

Let’s look at apples and Natural Healing, shall we?

Apples are a wonderful source of various minerals, such as potassium and iron, as well as vitamins such as E and A, many of which are more abundant in the apple's skin rather than in the flesh itself. These fruits help the body to detox, and are beneficial to the bowels, the liver and also the brain.

They are used to treat headaches, gout, rheumatism and high blood pressure, and are of special value to heart patients (apple with honey has been a remedy for heart problems since ancient times). The health benefits of eating apples indeed justify the English saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”.

In traditional Chinese medicine, apples are categorized as cool, sweet and sour, and ton yin, they produce fluids, lubricate the lungs, enhance digestion and detoxification, and increase the blood sugar level. I do have to add here, I am a diabetic and must watch my blood sugars daily. My “treat” instead of candy or ice cream in the evening is to have an apple with a bit of cheese, or even some walnuts. I do not have a problem with this making the sugars too high for me and they are really good to eat, and I love the sweeter apples of Gala, Bremerton and Fuji. I live here in Spokane, WA so we have a lot of apples from here Always check first with your Doctor to make sure this is alright for you!

In Ayurveda, apples are regarded as sweet and astringent. The Bach Flower Remedy of crab apple has an emotionally cleansing effect, as does the tree essence of the orchard apple.

Myth, Symbols and Culture -

The apple was already a symbol of fertility in ancient Greece, having been sacred to Demeter, the goddess of corn and sustenance, and also (along with quince and the pomegranate) to Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

The apples association with fertility and marriage customs lasted down through the ages, becoming particularly pronounced in Europe during the Middle Ages and the centuries that followed. In many European fairy tales, the eating of an apple ensures offspring. In France, during the Renaissance period, a young man would woo a girl by offering her an apple. In Transylvania (Rumania), there is a custom in which a red apple is waved at the bride at her wedding. A medieval love charm from Germany suggests writing certain letters on a “love” apple and then giving it to the object of your affection to eat. An Italian tale relates how such a love apple was eaten accidentally by a pig, with the result that subsequently the pig would not leave the wooer's side which I find extremely funny. Nothing against piggies, love them; just maybe not so much in the “wooing area” if you will.

In Arthurian legend, Avalon is the Isle of the Blessed, the Celtic paradise into which King Arthur passes, mortally wounded, on a boat with three accompanying maidens or priestesses. “Avalon stems from the word apple (Welsh afallen, Scottish Gaelic abhab. In the real world, this place is believed to be related to Glastonbury (and its famous Tor or hill) in Somerset, England, which still has many an orchard (in Latin “avallonia”).

According to a Saxon myth that was first recorded in the Middle Ages, the goddess of spring, Iduna, supplies the gods with fruits that give eternal life. This is an ancient theme connected with the Tree of Life, but we don't know whether or not we can trust the scribe's use of the word “apple” here. However, we can see this tale as a medieval way of paying homage to the apple by extolling its health-giving and life-enhancing properties.

Symbolism: Health and fertility

Divine Associations: Demeter, Hera (both Greek; Pomona (Roman), Frigga, Freya (both Norse); Rhiannon, Aphrodite, Morgan le Fey, Cerridwen, Apollo, Hera, Gaia, Athena, Zeus, Astarte, Diana, Venus and more yet.

Astrological Associations: Sun and Venus

Element: Water

Gender: Feminine

Zodiac association: Cancer

Magical Properties of Apple Tree:

Love, luck and is used in immortality spells. Apple is a great wood for a magical wand. It is a favourite Witch tree. The fruit is used at Mabon and Samhain, as well as for most love spells. Apple is also offered in the Dumb Supper at Samhain by some.

Eating an apple opens the gateway into other realms, most often fairyland. It provides illumination and the gaining of knowledge. Dreaming of apples symbolizes prosperity and the good life. At Samhain, winning the game of bobbing for apples meant that you would be blessed by the Goddess for a year.

Since apples were symbols of Avalon, capturing one from the water represented crossing the holy isle. The apple is also considered one of the foods of the dead, so they are often piled high on Samhain altars, for Samhain is sometimes known as the “Feast of Apples”. If cut horizontally, the apple reveals the pentagram pattern, which is considered the gateway to occult powers.

The Egyptians offered apples to their highest and most powerful priests, whom they considered guardians of hidden knowledge. In the Middle Ages, sliced apples were used to foretell the future and eating them regularly was said to enable a person to live over 200 years. Apple blossoms were included in love sachets and used to scent candles to attract love into your life. To insure happiness in your relationship, cut an apple in half and share it with your loved one.

Magicians like Merlin and Taliesin were said to carry a silver bough from the apple tree hung with bells and ripened fruits that allow them to cross in the other worlds, and then to be able to return to ours. Unicorns have also been associated with the apple tree, whose fruits they are said to really enjoy eating!

Two spells that you might like to try....

Apple Seed Love Spell – to Bring Love into Your Life


You will need:

One piece of Rose Quartz Crystal
One red rose
One red apple
One green candle
One pink candle
One oil burner and rose essential oil

Pick a time when you know you will not be disturbed. While getting all the things you need together, think of the kind of love you would like to invite into your life.

Light the oil burner and the red and green candles.
Place the red rose in front of the burning candles.
Hold the Rose Quartz in your hand and as you stare into the candle flame, repeat the Angel Invocation below:

“Archangel Anael, I invoke thee
To grant me my wish
I ask for love eternal and true
May the flame of the candle
The fragrance of the Rose
Carry it afar
And grant me my heart’s desire
So Mote It Be!”

Thank the Archangel Anael for helping you and leave the candles to burn out in a safe place. Eat the apple and save the seeds.

Place the rose, the apple seeds, and the rose quartz crystal on a window ledge where they will attract the magic of the noon. The following morning as soon as you wake up, plant the apple seeds in a pot with suitable growing soil.

Look after your seeds in a caring way and as the seedlings begin to grow, love will come into your life. Keep the rose in a vase and when it wilts, dry the petals and keep them in a special place along with your rose quartz as a keepsake of your love spell!

Quit an Addiction Spell


You will need:

Apple
Boline/knife
Black salt
Something to represent your addiction

Take your apple and carve the name of your addiction on it with your boline. Then, spread the black salt on it so the word is easily visible. Go outside and dig a hole two apples deep. Place the things representing your addiction into the hole. Now, place your apple in the hole as well. As you are covering the items in the hole with soil, imagine yourself quitting the addiction forever. Finally, stand on top of the fresh soil and say...

“This addiction I shall stop,
as this fruit in the ground rots”.

Go on with your day and remember what you vowed to do. You might want to leave something on top of the fresh mound where all your ingredients are so that you can remember and even continue to say the ending sentence!

Superstition: In the 19th century in Lower Saxony, Germany, the first bath water used by a new born baby was poured over the roots of an apple tree to ensure that the child would have red cheeks, and if it was a girl, large breasts as well.
Hope you all enjoy apples in your diet, they can be used in so many ways and always of course, for the “good” in all spell work!


StormloverWolf



Sources:
“The Meaning of Trees” - Fred Hageneder
herballore.com
wiccanaltar.com

No comments:

Post a Comment