There are over 400 species of trees and shrubs belonging to the willow family. I have at least 3 trees immediately behind my backyard fence. Willows are deciduous; the leaves die are the last to die in the fall and the first to come back in the spring. The bark of willow trees contain salicylic acid which is used to produce aspirin* aka acetylsalicylic acid.
Willow trees are associated with the Feminine, moon, emotion, wisdom and water. In fact, willow trees are planted near unwanted pools of water because their roots are quite thirsty. Bodhisattva Quan Yin, a Buddhist figure of compassion, holds a willow leaf that she dips into an elixir. In the Wiccan Rede, willow is mentioned as one of the sacred trees and guides the dead to the afterlife. In ancient Kemet (Egypt), the willow is sacred to Osirus; it gave shade to his coffin. A person's ba or spirit is said to reside in willow groves.
| Grandmother Willow |
*Aspirin with a capital A remains a registered trademark of Bayer in several countries. However, in the US, aspirin is now a generic term.
Great post Janai! I have a willow in my back yard that is slowly dying :( The middle of it is for some reason but I refuse to cut it down. Use to think it was a creepy ole tree up until a few years ago, then I noticed it's beauty. :)
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