Elderberry Magick… Her Medicinal and Dark side

Last updated on: January 27, 2018 at 12:34 pm by Raven Wood

Elderberry Magick… Her Medicinal and Dark side 2018-01-27T12:34:29+00:00 Raven Wood

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Elderberry…….or Sambuka Nigeria is a truly enchanting tree; a tree as old as time, steeped in magickal lore and mysteries. So with the dark season now upon us there’s no better time to bring this beautifully dark tree to light.

7EC81F24-D729-4F56-8191-C95BAA7FFAAA

Today we see her hauntingly dark berries and we think of natural holistic cough syrups or tonics, due to her well-known reputation for being a restorative healing tree. Elderberries are reported to aid sinus infections, colds and flu. They lower blood sugar and prevent some cancers to name just a few of her healing attributes. Thats not even mentioning Elderberry mead, with it’s spices of cinnamon and ginger, which to say the least is beyond divine. Mead is Zen… just saying. Although her benefits are many, so is the lore and darkness of this mysterious tree.

The Elder is the thirteenth month on the Celtic tree calendar, a time of death and rebirth… and this tree has plenty of that. The Norse, the Anglo-Saxons, and many European societies believed that the Elder was sacred as a spirit of goddess stature resided and dwelled within the tree. This spirit known as the Elder Mother was a benevolent spirit if treated with respect and appeased. If one did not seek her approval or pay their due respects upon taking of her branches or berries, she would place a curse upon them sending bad luck, ills or worse to their door.

5D807090-21A5-4560-AD00-54E7C9E34167

The Elder’s branches where hung atop doorways and windows for protection. Folk made flutes or wands of her hollow branches. The leaves where carried for protection, and it was thought your home was safe if an Elderberry tree grew near. It is a plant of Venus, and in the element of water the waves to the underworld. Her branches and roots lying within life and death. She is therefore used in spellwork for lovers, either light or dark workings. The Elder has many connections there.

It is said that Elder branches where placed in the dead’s coffins to aid their trip to the Underworld. In England it is said that branches of Elder burned on your hearth would bring the Devil to sit upon your chimney so many only used her flowers and berries. Witches where said to inhabit the shrub, and it was known to be unsafe to sleep under an Elder’s branches. To do so would cause one to fall into a trance-like sleep during which time visions of the fae would come. Depending on whether the spirit or witch within the tree found favor with you, your visions could be lovely and serene or a completely dark nightmare. The Elder’s flowers having an intoxicating scent with sedative-like qualities and her roots giving off chemicals to keep other plants away. This plant is mysterious indeed.

2E5C9A2A-A173-4173-B44F-BA7656E092C8

So when Christianity swept through Europe all of the heathen folklore of this magickal tree did not sit well with those in power. The tree was first thought of negatively, as a plant of the devil and witches. Later it was transformed into a tree of religious stature said to be used for the wood of the Holy Cross. This story of Christ having to bear the weight of the heavy cross made of Elderberry wood to the place of his crucifixion is a bit odd, since Elder wood is hollow and porous and not at all a heavy wood. Thus showing that the Elder was among many Pagan beliefs and lore that was led to this fallacy.

Regardless through time the magick and lore prevailed with the Elder’s magickal attributes in tact. This lore will forever be if we see these beliefs as the gems they truly are. Take them to heart and pass them down for future generations to know and enjoy. I hope you do as well.

Dark and wild blessings )0( Raven

Previous Post

January 2, 2018

The Darker Side of Evergreens....

Next Post

January 30, 2018 Shapeshifting...The Way of a Wood Witch

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Haunted Road trip Autumn Equinox Conjurer Green Witch Hekate Hexing and cursing Lughnasadh Magickal Folklore Mirror Magick out of the broom closet Plant Folklore poisonous plants seer shadow work Shamanism Spring magick in the wood. Summer solstice The Fae Traditional Witch Traditional Witchcraft Uncategorized witch craft Witchcraft Spellwork witches fetch

Select a Month August 2026 March 2026 December 2025 November 2025 August 2025 March 2025 December 2024 October 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 March 2024 December 2023 November 2023 August 2023 April 2023 March 2023 June 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 September 2021 June 2021 April 2021 January 2021 November 2020 October 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 December 2019 November 2019 September 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 February 2019 December 2018 October 2018 September 2018 July 2018 June 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz