country areas examples are still found of ancient yew avenues.
Unlike other conifers, the yew produces no cones. It is known to be deadly, for its leaves and fresh seeds contain a poison called Taxin.
Because the seed-making process of the yew is dependent upon the wind, it produces extraordinary amounts of pollen, which when released can cover large areas with its yellow dust. On warm spring days the air is filled with its golden shimmer.
CUSTOM & LEGEND
An old folk-tale tells why yews are ‘dressed’ so darkly. When the yew was a young species, in times when there were few people, it thought that all other trees were more beautiful, for their colourful leaves could flutter in the wind, unlike its stiff needles. The tree pined, thinking that the faeries had deliberately made it unattractive. Yet the faeries wanted to please the yew, and one sunny morning it found its needles had changed to leaves of gold and its heart danced with joy. But robbers came and stripped the tree bare, leaving it confused and sad. The faeries then gave it leaves of purest crystal and the yew loved its sparkle, but a storm of hail fell and the crystals shattered. Then it was given broad leaves and it waved them in the air, only for them to be eaten by goats. At this the yew gave up, for it realized that its original dress was the best, for it was of permanence, of long ages and deep knowledge, and in this the tree found comfort.
There are many tales about yews springing into growth upon the graves of lovers. In Irish legend the graves of Deidre and Naoise were staked with yew branches by the High King Conchobar in order to separate them. Yet the stakes grew into yew trees which wove their branches together above the graves and joined the lovers even in death.
Two yew trees sprouted out of the graves of the tragic lovers Tristan and Iseult. At their full height the yews reached their branches towards each other across the nave and intertwined so intensely they could nevermore be parted.
The yew was revered as a sacred tree, and the custom of the first Christian missionaries to preach under and erect churches near yews was a continuance of the ancient druidic practice of associating the yew with a place of burial adjacent to a place of worship.
In Christian terms the yew came to symbolize resurrection and it was used in church at Easter and on Palm Sunday. Shoots of yew were put into the shrouds of the dead, for it was believed to protect and restrain their spirits. The Church also thought that the yew protected against evil influences interfering with the shades of the dead.
Other associations between the yew and churchyards were formed when armies met at churches for blessings before battle, and English archers gathered yew branches from the churchyard trees to make their famous longbows. It is said that many kings ordered the planting of yews in churchyards specifically for this purpose.
HEALING
Warning: It must be stressed that no one should self-administer yew. It is very poisonous and will cause death.
Culpeper states that the yew’s poisonous qualities rise by distillation into the most active vegetable poison in the world, which acts upon the nervous system and destroys vital functions, but does not bring on sleep like opium or other poisons. Yew’s Latin name, Taxus, is derived from the Greek toxon, meaning ‘bow’. The connection of the tree to poison formed the derivative ‘toxin’, which was given to poisons in general. Recent discoveries about the yew are exciting, for the chemical properties of Taxus are believed to contain a formula, Taxol, which is an anti-cancer drug.
In homoeopathy a tincture of young yew shoots and berries (not the seed) is used for treating cystitis, headache, neuralgia, dimness of vision, affections of the heart and kidneys, gout and rheumatism.
MAGIC & INSPIRATION
Because the yew is an evergreen tree of extreme longevity, the ancient custom of mourners putting sprigs of yew into shrouds and graves of the departed showed they believed death was not the end of life, but merely a passing through into the continuance of life to come.
The yew is most powerful in midwinter, for it represents the passage of the sun through the darkest time of the year. Along with other evergreens it was revered as a tree of light, its green foliage in the dead of winter emphasizing that life would continue. To enhance this, all evergreens were traditionally dressed with shiny, sparkling objects at Yuletide, to attract the light of the sun back into the year.
In the cold regions of the north wind the yew is associated with faerie wildmen and Pictish deities, most of whom are said to have the ability to conjure up a faerie darkness in order to disappear. This may well have reference to the yew’s ability to make things invisible for protection.
PHYSICAL USES
Yew sticks were cast by the Celts to divine the future. Yew rods were used for making written ogham scripts, because when the wood is seasoned and polished it has an extraordinary power of resisting decay. For this reason magical wands of yew are considered especially potent. When used positively, a wand or staff is a great healing implement, able to transform illness to health and sadness to joy.
Yew was included in the church decorations at Easter as a symbol of the continuity of life.
| IRISH/GAELIC | Tinne |
| OGHAM |
 |
| RUNIC |
 |
| RULING PLANET | Mars |
| ABILITIES | Strong protective herb. Clear wisdom and courage. Dream magic. To do with the element of Fire. |
| SEASON | Midwinter |
| HOLLY | Ilex aquifolium. Evergreen. POISONOUS (berries). |
The holly is an evergreen shrub or small tree which gains heights of 30–40 feet (9–12 metres). It often branches from the top to the bottom of its trunk and needs little sun, for its leaves reflect light like a mirror. Holly is a native of Britain and central and southern Europe where it once helped form the great primeval forests.
Holly leaves are tough, leathery and heavily lobed, with each lobe ending in a very sharp spine. At heights above 12 feet (3½ metres) the leaves become less prickly and are often unlobed with just one sharp point at the end, for at this height the tree need not protect itself.
The holly blooms in May and most often the male and female flowers are on separate trees. Only the female flower changes into the holly berry and this can only happen if there is a male tree nearby from which pollen can be transferred. Pollination is encouraged by insects such as wild bees which are drawn to the flowers by the smell of the honey liquid released from their bases.
CUSTOM & LEGEND
The evergreen leaves of holly have represented immortality to mystics of all ages. To the druids the holly was especially sacred. When winter descended they advised people to take it into their homes, for then it would shelter
