Aids in communication and learning, removing blockages that prevent the flow of words and knowledge. It is the wood of the poet and the scholar.
Promotes spiritual love and health. Protects against unwanted change.
Birch
Gender Association:
Masculine
Date Association:
December 24 - January 20
Planetary Ruler:
Sun
Animal Association:
The White Stag
Elemental Association:
Fire
Ruling Deity:
Lugh
Magical Properties:
Rebirth, patience, organization, leadership skills, diligence, loyalty, the calming of emotions
A very fire-oriented wood, the energy is very cleansing and purifying, burning away that which is not desired. It allows one to create, to exert their willpower and achieve positive results. For this reason, it is an excellent tool for magic involving wealth, luck, and goals.
An unrestrained, fiery energy, this wood lacks grounding. Those who get carried away easily and are not grounded themselves may wish to avoid this wood. But it can help others release their baggage, be more impulsive, and see beyond that which is right in front of them.
Elder
Gender Association:
Masculine
Date Association:
November 25 - December 23
Planetary Ruler:
Saturn
Animal Association:
Raven
Ruling Deity:
Cailleach Beara
Magical Properties:
Faerie Magic, protection from evil, imagination, change
For more woods go to. http://www.goldentreewands.com/magicpropertiesofwood.htm
Unfortunately, most lists of magickal properties of woods are based on European, specifically British Isles, woods, and ignore the rest of the world.
The qualities of ebony (an African wood), rosewood (African & South American), madrone (North American), sandalwood (Indonesian), and baobab (African & Indian), are ignored, because the lists are derived from ancient Celtic lore.
And it's good lore--but people who aren't part of the Celtic culture have no reason to value it more than Yoruban lore, or Cherokee lore, or Scandinavian lore. Or the different types of lore that talk about the trees native to the United States--sequoia, cedar, magnolia, dogwood, maple (from which we get syrup--Now *there's* a life-giving tree!), hickory...
I would love more people to work with the land around them than the magicks of people living in an entirely different place, with different energy-currents.