ALDER - Courage, evolving spirituality, self-reliance, adventurism, charm and leadership skills
ASH - Intelligence, wit, communication, knowledge, curiosity. Aids in communication and learning, removing blockages that prevent the flow of words and knowledge. It is the wood of the poet and the scholar. Promotes spiritual love and health. Protects against unwanted change.
APPLE - Sacred to Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, the gifts of this tree-especially the blossoms-go far in efforts of love, romance and seduction. The fruit is also used as a symbol of the Craft, for when sliced crosswise, the seeds and core form a perfect pentagram. For this reason, gifts of the apple tree are also used to add power to every type of magic.
BIRCH - Rebirth, patience, organization, leadership skills, diligence, loyalty, the calming of emotions. A very fire-oriented wood, the energy is very cleansing and purifying, burning away that which is not desired. It allows one to create, to exert their willpower and achieve positive results. For this reason, it is an excellent tool for magic involving wealth, luck, and goals. An unrestrained, fiery energy, this wood lacks grounding. Those who get carried away easily and are not grounded themselves may wish to avoid this wood. But it can help others release their baggage, be more impulsive, and see beyond that which is right in front of them.
CEDAR - Named Aromatic Red Cedar due to its intoxicating scent, this wood is often used for its pest controlling properties. The scent of the wood acts in much the same manner as moth balls, repelling insects. This wood can be found used in everything from bird houses to decorative mulch for this reason. Once finished, however, the scent is no longer detectable and the pest repellant properties likewise vanish. The energetic properties of this wood are mostly focused upon communication and information. It is an excellent wood for use in any divination, and will help a person obtain information from afar (either spiritual or physical in nature). It grants the ability to see what is happening, to know the truth behind any given situation. For knowledge-gaining endeavors, such as schooling of the start of a new enterprise, Aromatic Red Cedar in an invaluable tool. It will bring luck in any pursuit that requires the acquisition of new knowledge. In addition, this wood will aid a person in feeling at home with their spirituality, to love oneself. Often people struggle with feelings of inadequacy or guilt over their spiritual choices, and this wood can help a person to work those feelings out and know which decisions are right for their life. It can help us bring about an overall balance to our lives, a harmony between our spiritual beliefs and our outward expressions. Finally, this wood will help a person with healthy communication in all forms.
CHERRY - An extremely earth-centric wood, cherry has very grounded energy. Earth energy is very level-headed, non-impulsive. It helps us to see the here and now, think clearly, and act upon rationality rather than emotion. Aligned with the Moon and Mars, cherry is highly useful for intuitive magic and conquering conflict. This would be an excellent wood for divination or medium work, as well as healing and love magic. As a magical tool, it is highly recommended for those who identify well with earth energy.
ELDER - Faerie Magic, protection from evil, imagination, change.
EUCALYPTUS - One of the strongest healing woods known, eucalyptus trees have been used for medicines for centuries as well as for ritual items pertaining to healing. The energy of this wood is good and pure, clean like the earth from which it is born. This wood is highly recommended for any purpose combating illness or promoting good health. Eucalyptus is also primarily associated with positive luck, especially if related to knowledge. For instance, using eucalyptus in a ritual seeking a positive result to pending news (tests, interviews) would prove beneficial. Worn as a charm, this wood would promote positive luck for the wearer. It is also an excellent tool in divination.
FIR - Because this tree is an evergreen, its gifts are frequently used in efforts that deal with immortality and infinity issues, such as reincarnation or Karma. They also work well for matters involving good health and physical energy. *Note - some species of fir are poisonous.
HAWTHORN - Wisdom, psychic protection, patience, creativity, confidence, charm. Hawthorn LEAVES can be eaten, though they’re not very yummy! DO NOT eat any other part of this plant though.
HAZEL - Artistic ability, magical knowledge, optimism. The energy of hazel wood promoted love and creativity. It allows a person to shed their baggage, opening themselves up to their full potential. This wood is the bringer of change. Sometimes this change can lead to conflict, but sometimes conflict is needed to change a situation. This wood also promotes creative expression, eloquence, and art of all types. This was the most common wood used to create wands in the ancient Celtic traditions.
HOLLY - Purity, strength, logic, power transfer, protection. American Holly (the variety of holly that we use) is the whitest wood in the world. But all holly woods are known for their creamy to white coloring. Perhaps this is on of the reasons this wood has always represented purity and goodness. The energy of holly is very pure, so much so that it is linked to the mythological unicorn, the purest of all animals. The wood will not tolerate dark forces or energies, and will best be used to channel positive energy for the betterment of the world. Healing work, blessings, exorcisms, psychic shielding, and astral guidance are all activities that would be excellent for this type of wood.
IVY - Determination, strength, optimism, spiritual growth.
MAHOGANY - Mahogany is an interesting wood mainly because, while most woods have a variety of differing uses, this one is very specialized. This wood is very focused on fertility, growing. It has a very powerful bond with the Earth, and will channel Earth energy better than any other. Secondary to fertility, this wood has other uses as well. Enhancing intuition, strengthening bonds with blood relatives (especially the mother/son relationship), and exploring and clarifying goals are all possible uses for Mahogany. This wood would not be good for divination.
MAPLE - Maple is a fascinating a beautiful wood due largely to the great deal of variation in its appearance. Some maple wood is without any interesting grain, while some has an amazing wavy (called “curly”) appearance with remarkable translucence. And some maple is known as “Bird’s Eye” maple because it has tiny little spots in the grain, like miniature knotholes, throughout the wood. And still other maple is “spalted,” or crossed with very dark lines within the grain. It is sometimes hard to tell that all of these woods come from the same type of tree. Maple is one of the most spiritual woods in existence. Because of this, the primary use of the wood is that of spiritual healing. It is also amazing when working with moon magic. Maple is a traveler’s wood. Those who are always on the move and changing will feel right at home with this type of energy. It allows a person to focus in on the choices in any situation, eliminating luck and chance. It enhances intellectual pursuits and learning.
OAK - Truth, steadfast knowledge, protection. To the ancient Celtic people, oak was the protector, provider, benevolent king of the trees. Oak provided the people shelter in the form of building material, protection by providing material for weapons, and nourishment through its edible acorns. Oak is an excellent healing wood. Connected strongly to the Earth, it can easily channel natural life energies, and help sense where healing might be needed. This wood helps center the mind, allowing it to focus on the task at hand and ignore distractions. It can also help bring about desirable change in love matters. Oak help promote both observation and intuition. Oak provides a very balanced energy, skewed neither toward the light or the darkness.
OLIVE - Balance between the spiritual and physical aspects of life is often difficult to attain. The central energy within this wood bring about this balance. It will allow a person to travel between the spiritual and physical words at ease, and thus is an excellent tool for astral projection or communication with spirits or the dead. This energy is somewhat chaotic due to its extremely powerful connection with the spiritual realm, and may bring unwanted communication as well. The spiritual journeys brought on by this wood can bring about self-love and a balance of energies, as well as a greater understanding of life and death. Rebirth.
PEAR - Extremely earth-centric energy, very grounded. This type of wood is best used for healing, and will appeal mostly to those who have a passion to heal. This wood would not be useful for spiritual exploration, such as astral projection, divination, etc, but is extremely useful in earth-centric matters. It brings a creative, inspiring energy to the home. This wood is excellent for use with money and prosperity spells.
POPLAR - This wood has incredibly diverse energy, allowing it to be an all-purpose wood for magickal workings. While containing almost entirely masculine energy, it is also influenced by the power of Venus, bringing a softer, intuitive, feminine energy as well.Spiritual energy is strongest within this wood, followed by the power of water. Water and spirit combined make this wood excellent for any working dealing with change, acts of will, or evocation (this is the wood we use to create our athames). This is also an excellent healing wood. The diversity of the energy in this wood makes it useful for evocation as well as banishment rituals.
REED - Wisdom, scholarship, fearlessness, destiny.
ROSEWOOD - This wood’s energy is primarily feminine, and focused on spiritual, intuitive health and beauty. Bolivian Rosewood is motherly, spiritual, and nourishing. It lends a boost to intuitive thought and feeling, and is thus excellent in divination and scrying. A healing wood, rosewood can be used in all healing rituals but is especially effective in spiritual healing. In matters dealing with beauty, rosewood can be very effective. Carried or worn as a charm, this wood will enhance female beauty and feminine grace. It would be good for love spells as well, but only those conducted with maturity and wisdom. Frivolous energies will not be enhanced by this wood.
ROWAN - Originality, free-thinking, psychic ability, love and understanding.
WILLOW - Death and rebirth, cyclical energy, change, emotion, will. Willow is an amazing wood for magickal tools because it is already perfectly aligned to magick (the movement of energy guided by will ). This wood reacts to the will of the one who is utilizing it, enhancing it accordingly. The stronger the will, the more effective the wood. Willow is extremely useful in healing. It is also good for love spells and rituals involving emotion. It also increases psychism, and is a great tool for divination as well (especially concerning luck matters).
YEW - This tree is highly charged with masculine energy. Great for anything related to the God and divination. This tree was believed to be between worlds, and has a wonderful mystical quality about it. It is also evergreen; it never dies.