Today starts the month of the Hawthorn tree on the Celtic calender. It goes from May 13 - June 9. This is a great time for magic concerning peace, prosperity, protection, fertility and marriage.
The Hawthorn tree can be seen in variations of trees and shrubs. The druids were said to use it's leaves and flowers to make medicinal teas. And the wood from the Hawthorn was known to provide the hottest fire. The Greeks and Romans saw the Hawthorn as a symbol of marriage. Although in Medieval Europe, the Hawthorn was associated with witchcraft, and was therefore seen as unlucky.
In Ireland, Hawthorns covered in "clootie" prayer strips guard sacred wells. These are little strips of cloth blessed in the well, and then tied to the tree with a prayer. This magical little tree is also associated with the faeries. It is said that a Hawthorn growing on a hill near a sacred well is a marker for the faery realm.
To celebrate the Hawthorn tree, pray to the Goddess Cardea, for the Hawthorn was her sacred tree. She is known as the Goddess who protects the home, put a piece of Hawthorn over any windows or doors in your home for protection from this Hawthorn Goddess.
For more information on the Hawthorn tree, check out : Dutchie.org
For more information on the Goddess Cardea, check out : ThaliaTook.com
Blessings )O(
Photo courtesy of TypesofFlowers.org
What a beautifully written post! By knowing now to call upon Goddess Cardea and using Hawthorn to protect our homes, I feel safer already. Blessed Be!
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