I was having coffee under the Willow just now ..having a peaceful morning, (after the last few days of chaos), and that’s when the idea for this blog came from. So I guess it is time to share some secrets of personal magic!
You see, I am a Witch, and I have a Willow Tree in my garden..and this is our story..sort of!
Am not sure if many people have a beautiful tree in their back garden in these urban city places we live in – but I am lucky to have that. It was the Willow tree in the garden (and a nice pond) that made me fall in love with this house, and aptly persuade my mother to buy this place years and years ago. And I grabbed the room that over looks the garden – and every day as I wake up, I draw the curtain and look out to `my’ beautiful Willow.
For many years, as I explored magical worlds, and pagan communities, this Willow tree was my grounding place…and even my `first magical partner’. Yes, it is possible to have a tree as one’s magical partner. It was also my representation of Gaia and the Earth Goddess. I have spent many a days and nights – doing personal rituals under her protective sphere – for when the Willow is in full growth in spring & summer months, it creates a nice space under it..a bubble where no one can see me…even if I am naked beneath it, doing meditative or magical rituals (mostly at nights).
Every few years, when I start the pruning process (she doth grow so much! 🙂 I do a special magical auric work. I make my pruning intentions clear to the tree a good few days before hand (just sitting under it and thinking to it!). And on the day of pruning, I first do a n aura expanding exercise.. of expanding and merging my own aura with the tree! I then ask it to guide me where pruning needs to be done… and get pruning.
Now anyone good enough to workout the intricacies of this process will instantly work out what happens to me and my life, as a result of this. What ever happens to the tree.. happens to me! Because I have merged auras, and accept that my aura-life is geometrically and magically mapped to the tree, and so the northern part of the tree now corresponds to all things North/ Earthy in my life- work, stability, structure..and the southern part of the tree links to my own creativity etc.
I mindfully prune the Willow, and when am done, clear the space under it, separate our aura-bonds, and that evening I do a small meditative ritual under the Willow. I am fully aware – that not only have I trimmed small and huge branches of the Willow, but by this magical work, I have also accepted and magically set the process of pruning corresponding parts of my own life!!
And in the coming weeks, that starts to take effect! I’ve done this for many years!
And recently, due to some neighborhood wrangles, I have had to do some very very drastic cutting, trimming and pruning of the Willow. It was a traumatic time for the tree, and me. Huge limbs have been hacked away by me and my newly bought electric chain saw. Afterwards, I could not face the tree for weeks. I left the fallen limbs as they were. And I guess I was in a state of trauma and transition too.
And then I picked my self up, and started tidying up. Branches have been selected, separated according to size etc. And as usual, I make tree-branch sculptures of those fallen branches. And there are some new ones slowly taking shape underneath it, by my outdoor altars.
And now I start to see the effects of this in my life- huge areas of my life are drastically altering, traumatically even. Communities I was once a serious part of are going through flux – and my place in them shifting. Also, other initiatives and ventures are suddenly taking shape in my life- matters that have stalled for so many years suddenly are growing at warp speeds 🙂
By the way, I don’t advise anyone to do this kind of magical work, unless you are seriously able to cope and deal with the intense changes it brings.
I am looking at my world-tree through my window, as I type this.. Sun is shining. There’s a slightly unusual bit of breeze where the long trailing tendrils are waving. A few birds have had a rest-stop and flow away. More will be along through out the day.. especially parrots!
And as for my beautiful Willow (world) tree, where I had once hung upon upside down in a midnight Odin ritual…..she is fine.. and so am I.
-Mani Navasothy
Link to my Witchcraft & Magic website
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