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Yew
Taxus baccata
Tree of Resurrection, Tree of Eternity
Winter Solstice, December 21st
Fifth vowel and last letter of the Ogham alphabet Idho
Planet: Saturn and Pluto
Element: Earth and Water
Symbolism: The Tree of Life, Immortality, Rebirth, Protection, Longevity, Change,
Divinity, Strength
Metal: Lead
Stone: Olivine
Birds: Eagle, Hummingbird
Colors: Black, Dark Green
Deity: Banbha, Dione, Artemis, Persephone, Hecate, Astarte, Odin. Yew embodies the crone aspect of the triple
Goddess. Yew is one of the Guardians of the Underworld that assist in guiding souls from one world to the next.
Sabbat: Winter Solstice
Runes: yr and eolh (positive benefits of transformation.)
The Green Man Tree Oracle
by John Matthews & Will Worthington
PERSEVERANCE LEADS TO ACHIEVEMENTThe perseverance
associated with the yew is that of all life, which continues
in the face of overwhelming odds and grows stronger
because of it. Much of the yew's symbolism is concerned
with transcendence, the transformation that arises from
death (not necessarily a physical death.) The
association could also be because of the Yew's
connection with tales of doomed love, in which only the
lovers' tenacity keeps them together, and sometimes
results in their reconnection beyond the grave.
Idho is similar to the Gaelic word for salmon. Both are
considered the oldest of their kind (oldest tree.... oldest
fish....) and have a connection with wisdom. It is possible
the original compilers of the Ogam lore recognized this
link, and sought to combine the enduring quality of both
wisdom and perseverance in the name of the letter.
The Green Man wisdom here is clear he suggests that if
we continue to persevere, the tasks we undertake are
more likely to be achieved.
Green Man Tree Oracle
Magickal Properties:
Immortality, renewal, regeneration, rebirth, everlasting life, transformation, protection against evil, connecting with
ancestors, shamanism, dreaming, heightening psychic abilities, and olde magick. Yew is used in spells to raise the
spirits of the dead. Burn Yew to contact spirits of the deceased. Carve Ogham characters onto sticks of Yew for
divination use. Yew wood is very strong, great for making wands, bows, spears, relic boxes, and dowsing rods.
Medicinal Properties:
Every part of the Yew is very poisonous except for the fleshy part of the berry (used as a diuretic or laxative.) Even
the seed inside the berry is deadly. Historically the Yew poison was used in small amounts as cardiac stimulant. It
was also known as the Forbidden Tree because it was used to stimulate abortion. The leaves and bark contain small
amounts of an anticancer agent Taxol that inhibits cancer cell growth.
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The Yew is a medium sized British evergreen with a very long lifespan (at least 2000 years) and it grows red flashy
berries called arils. Many ancient Yews are found in churchyards. It is believed that some of the circle arrangements
were planted to protect the power spots in the community.
Yew grows well in the shade of other trees, but little will grow under Yew shade.
There is a documented case of an incident at St. Mary's
churchyard in Selborne, January, 1990 where an ancient
Yew fell over as a result of a terrible wind storm.
The root ball was lifted out of the ground, and with it
came the bones of as many as 30 of the tenants of that
graveyard.
The bones and the roots were entwined with each other.
Old Yew, which graspest at the stones Archeologists were called in and allowed to use this rare
That name the underlying dead, opportunity for a dig...
Thy fibres net the dreamless head,
Thy roots are wrapt about the bones.
~Tennyson
The Yew is the only living creature biologically capable of living indefinitely.
Deirdre and the Yew Tree
At the birth of Deirdre, daughter of the bard Phelim, a druid foretold that the girl would grow to be so beautiful that
wars would be fought over her and many would die because of her.
Some who heard the prophecy warned that she would be put to death there and then before she could bring about
these horrors, but Conor MacNess, king of Ulster, said that he would marry her and keep her safely hidden from the
world. He set her aside under the care of Lavercham, his old nurse, and visited her from time to time, to see the first
part of the prophecy, at least, fulfilled. Deirdre was indeed stunningly beautiful.
When she was almost old enough to wed, she told her nurse how much she pined for a younger man, and
Lavercham became the link between Naoise (one of the three handsome sons of Usna) and Deirdre (the betrothed of
the king.) Their love grew strong and reckless, and eventually they fled to Scotland, protected by the two brothers
of Naoise. There they lived peacefully for some years.
But King Conoro did not give up his desire for Deirdre, and by subterfuge and treachery he enticed them back to
Ireland. War and bloodshed ensued, and the three fine sons of Usna were killed, leaving Deirdre at the mercy of
Conor. For a year and a day she lived with him, but in that time she never spoke or smiled.
In the end she committed suicide, and from her grave grew a Yew Tree. "The branches twined and spread across the
wide countryside until they found the branches of another Yew which had grown from the grave of Naoise."
from "The Celts" by Frank Delaney, and Myths of the Sacred Tree by Moyra Caldecott
THE CELTIC TREE ORACLE
by Liz and Colin Murray
The easiest place to find the Yew tree is within the
ancient cemeteries. In all truth, any particular Yew may
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well be far older than the cemetery that surrounds it. The
Crowhurst Yew in Surrey is reputed to be at least 1,600
years old. This capacity for age is given the Yew by its
peculiar form of growth. Its branches grow down into the
ground to form new stems, which grow to become trunks
of separate but linked growth. In time, the central trunk
becomes old and the insides decay, but a new tree grows
within the spongy mass of the original. So the Yew
represents great age, rebirth and reincarnation. The Yew
is the fountainhead of youth in age and of age in youth,
the new year that is born from the old, the new soul
sprung from ancient roots in a seemingly fresh new
body.
In Breton Legend, the tree is said to grow a root into the
open mouth of each corpse buried in the graveyard. This
root is a symbol of rebirth with the spirit reborn in much
the same way as the tree itself is reborn.
Yew trunk tends to hollow out as time passes, leaving no tree rings to determine its age.
Yew grows new trunks from the original root bole, symbolizing death and reincarnation.
Winter Solstice
Winter Solstice comes at the middle of winter and marks the longest nights. The ancestors energized hope for the
Sun's eventual return and the Earth's renewal by making a "spiritual cradle" or psychic space for the newly
conceived light to eventually fill. Winter Solstice celebrates the presence of Spirit and the power of faith and hope
that our visions of the future will come into manifestation.
In the mythic cycle of the Goddess, She becomes the Hag of Winter who goes to seed and becomes bone.
Containing the seed of Her own rebirth, She releases Herself from the physical world to conceive Herself anew as
the Infant Light so the new solar cycle can begin.
It is out of the darkness that flowers eventually emerge, babies are born, and inspiration for poetry and ideas is
nurtured on the page and through our voices. Surrender to your dreaming and celebrate the dark where your inner
life is honored and nurtured. Relight your inner lights. What dreams do you carry inside? What are you visioning or
hoping for?
excerpt adapted from Women's Rites, Women's Mysteries by Ruth Barrett 2004 and We'Moon '07
Tree Magick
by Gillian Kemp
Just as the Yew tree possesses
an immortal ability to renew itself,
so too do you.
Living for centuries, it is a silent witness
to the passing of time.
Evergreen, its red, waxy
cupshaped berries,
enclosing a small poisonous seed,
predict protection.
A good thing in your life will continue,
just as a branch grows down
inside the hollow trunk,
embedding itself in the soil to sprout a new tree.
If you remain working quietly at what you want,
like the inconspicuous small
green female flowers,
you will attract your aim.
Communication will surprise you
in the same way that the large
bright yellow flowers on male trees
throw out clouds of yellow pollen
when ready to mate.
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Warrior Queen, Queen of Heaven, Goddess of love and fertility, Mother Goddess, call upon Astarte for resilience,
independence, and success. You can and will survive life's battles and achieve your goals with her behind you,
riding her Chariot and wearing horns of the bull.
OGHAM The Celtic Oracle
by Peter Pracownik and Andy Baggott
The Yew is the grandfather and grandmother of the Celtic
woodland. The longest living of the native British trees, it
sees the wheel turn many, many times and so
understands well the cycles of energy that unfold in
mankind time and again. It can live thousands of years
and when the central trunk begins to decay, a new tree
sprouts from within to keep the cycle of life turning. It is
thus the tree of death and rebirth and hence
transformation. The most sacred and mysterious of
magical sites were found in the groves of yews and
indeed many ancient churches have yews growing in
their grounds that predate the arrival of Christianity and
indicate an ancient sacred site.
It is said that a fence post made of Yew will easily outlast
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one made of iron and has earned the title "Yew of
Resilience."
Pray Peace
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