Native North American Woods Used for the Omphalos with Notations on Basic Properties
- Solomon Balch
- Solomon Balch
*earth - Cherry (Prunus serotina) - Summer Potentcy - Cyanogenic glycoside producer, this tree can be used as a cough remedy, sedative, or cause of death theoretically. It believed to be the cause of most livestock poisoning. Seeds can stay patiently in the ground for up to three years before sprouting. This wood is highly regarded for its reliability, intelligence and grounded sense of reality. Wielders are cautioned that these same traits, allowed to wander free, can lead to a wand that is cranky and fussy. Discipline! Virgo.
*air - Butternut (Juglans cinerea) - Autumnal Potency - Also known as the White Walnut. The lemon-shaped nut grows in groups of two to six and matures in mid-autumn. This wood is renowned for its kindness, gentleness, and love of perceived beauty. Wielders of this wood should be cautioned against taking advantage of the wood's inherent desire to please and difficulty saying, "No," as the wood, perceiving deception or misrepresentation, may rebel against its user with catastrophic results! Libra.
*water - Walnut (Juglans nigra) - Autumnal Potency - Pliny the Elder wrote: "The shadow of walnut trees is poison to all plants within its compass." Black walnuts are allelopathic; it releases chemicals from roots and other tissues which harm other organisms and give the tree a competitive advantage. Fruit ripening during the autumn into a fruit (nut) with a brownish-green, semi-fleshy husk and a brown, corrugated nut. The whole fruit, including the husk, falls in October or November; the seed is relatively small and very hard. The wood is known for strength, passion, intensity and loyalty. Users should be cautioned that this wood can manipulate and vie for dominance in a partnership. It is these traits that demand coupling with a Scorpio, AND NO ONE ELSE! EVER!
*fire - Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) - Autumnal Potency - Large, stinky, sticky, green and three-scaled buds form in summer within the petiole of the full grown leaf. Bark lacks elasticity, so unable to crack or stretch with growth, it sheds it bark as tree grows, like a serpent sheds its skin. The wood is most known for its properties of impatience and intransigence to a point, accompanied by an utter willingness to slough the old and courageously embrace growth and change. Sagittarius.
*earth - Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifer) - Winter Potency - Called the Tulip Tree, the leaves are distinctive, having four lobes in most cases and a cross-cut notched or straight apex. The tree itself is very fast growing, but does not suffer from the inherent weaknesses of other fast growing trees. Ambition, Determination, practicality, and helpfulness are associated with this wood, though these same traits can lead, through neglect, to a wand that is suspicious, resentful, inhibited, pessimistic and stubborn – They are soft, and their hard outer shells are meant to guard themselves against the hurt caused by rejection. Love this wand with all your heart and it will be your confidant and ally for life. Capricorn.
*air - Elm (Ulmus americana) - Winter Potency - Elm is the Arbitrator that listens without judgment. The wood of the elm was used for coffins in England, and you could find it in graveyards in ancient Greece. It was found at the entrance to the underworld as a living connection between the living and the dead, and at the crossroads leading to the faery world. Elm is very popular with the Ælves, as they use it almost exclusively for bows and staves. The wood of the elm is legendary for its Truthfulness, Curiosity, Affection, Frankness and Imagination. The insatiable curiosity of this wood, can however, lead to Unpredictablity, Inefficiency, and a Tendency to go off-track! A constant focus is required for this wand, which can be a challenge for Aquarius.
*water - Beech (Fagus grandifolia) - Winter Potency - A single tree has both female and male flowers. It produces beech nuts, a major food supply for small mammals. Prefers moist, rich soil, and has tight network of fibrous roots which allow Nothing to grow underneath. Beech is a symbol for the written word, and for the wisdom within ancient learning. It is the sum of the wisdom of all the other trees. It was used to make writing tablets, and thin slices of Beech wood were bound together to make the first book. A great deal of paper is produced from beeches. The bark is excellent for carving, this practice dates back to Roman times. The Beech tree reminded our ancestors of the need to preserve all knowledge in writing for the benefit of future generations. The wood of this sage tree is intuitive, generous, compassionate and extremely faithful and caring. The wood is also keenly impressionable. NEVER allow another to use this wand! You will regret it. Pisces.
*fire - Red Oak (Quercus rubra) - Vernal Potency - Under optimal conditions, northern red oak is fast growing and a 10-year-old tree can be 16–20 ft tall. This tree is extremely long lived and may survive upwards of 500 years. The wood is a Pale reddish brown, sapwood darker, heavy, hard, strong, coarse-grained. Cracks in drying, thus needing careful treatment. It is well known for being enterprising, incisive, daring, active, courageous and energetic. It is guileless and optimistic to a fault. However, it can also be impatient, impetuous, vain, proud and egoistic. You have a handful, literally and figuratively, Aries.
*earth - Hickory (Carya tomentosa) - Vernal Potency - Associated with archaic nut tree goddess, Caryatis. Combination of hardness and stiffness is unique. Hickory is very slow to grow. A typical hickory tree takes 30 or 40 more years to produce nuts. Furthermore, after you’ve waited the 30 or 40 years to see the tree produce nuts, if you’ve ever tried to get at hickory nutmeats, you’ll know its hard to get the full nutmeat out easily. Both of these qualities lend themselves to hickory being associated with patience. Hickory wood is prized for being nearly as strong as steel but very flexible. The wood is reliable, practical, ambitious, sensual, and independent. Oddly, it is capable of epic laziness, along with more predictable stubborness, and materialistic/possessive impulses.Taurus
*air - Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) - Vernal Potency - Starting in mid-summer, distinctive clusters of fruit appear on female plants, changing from green to blue-black as they ripen. The stalks bearing the fruits are especially distinctive as they enlarge and turn a bright coral red. In fall, the leaves turn a vibrant orange or yellow or red, calling attention to their unique patterns. Four distinct shapes can be observed with relative ease, sometimes on the same branch. There are elliptic leaves with no lobes, tri-lobed (three-fingered) leaves, and mitten-shaped leaves with either right-handed or left-handed lobes. Just try figuring out what, exactly, this wood is up to. It is well known for being expressive and quick-witted. However it can be sociable, communicative and ready for fun, while on the other hand it can be very serious, thoughtful, restless and even indecisive. Good luck, Gemini.
*water - Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) - Summer Potency - (French: acajou - Spanish: caoba) - straight, fine, and even grain, it is relatively free of voids and pockets. Its reddish-brown color darkens over time, and displays a reddish sheen when polished. It has excellent workability, and is very durable. The wood is prized by cabinet makers for acting as a very hard wood while carving like a soft. It is famous for creativity, spontaneity, and the greatest loyalty known. These traits may lead, and often do, to moodiness, pessimism, and clinginess. The wood bonds strongly with its user and insists upon being carried constantly. It truly loves and wants to care for you, Cancer.
*fire - White Oak (Quercus alba) - Summer Potency - Tree typically reaches heights of 80 to 100 feet (24–30 m) at maturity, and its canopy can become quite massive as its lower branches are apt to extend far out laterally, parallel to the ground. Trees growing in a forest will become much taller than ones in an open area which develop to be short and massive. The tallest known white oak is 144 feet tall. The wood of the white oak is known to be, competitive, adventurous, genuine, generous and highly charismatic. They adore showing off, being admired, praised and appreciated. They myopically strive to be the absolute best in whatever they do. Unfortunately this corresponds to mirrored traits like being domineering, egotistical, self-absorbed, aggressive, confrontational, melodramatic and easily bored. Beware a bored white oak wand as it will create drama and excitement where none previously existed. You DO NOT want to see white oak excitement....or maybe you do, Leo.
*aether - Ash (Fraxinus americana) - Nul - Norse mythology refers to ash as "the mighty tree that supports the heavens" and "below earth its roots went down to hell." The World Tree; Tree of Life Third month of the Celtic Tree calendar, February 18th - March 17th. Because white ash wood is tough, strong, and highly resistant to shock. It has excellent shock resistance and is good for steam bending. Ash wood was used for the traditional handle of the besom broom. Druid wands were often made of ash because of its straight grain, and the poles of witches' brooms were often made of ash and was representative of protection and strength. Ash wands are good for healing, general and solar magic, but like a swan, only bond once, and should never be bequeathed lest they surely wilt. Days of Change.
*air - Butternut (Juglans cinerea) - Autumnal Potency - Also known as the White Walnut. The lemon-shaped nut grows in groups of two to six and matures in mid-autumn. This wood is renowned for its kindness, gentleness, and love of perceived beauty. Wielders of this wood should be cautioned against taking advantage of the wood's inherent desire to please and difficulty saying, "No," as the wood, perceiving deception or misrepresentation, may rebel against its user with catastrophic results! Libra.
*water - Walnut (Juglans nigra) - Autumnal Potency - Pliny the Elder wrote: "The shadow of walnut trees is poison to all plants within its compass." Black walnuts are allelopathic; it releases chemicals from roots and other tissues which harm other organisms and give the tree a competitive advantage. Fruit ripening during the autumn into a fruit (nut) with a brownish-green, semi-fleshy husk and a brown, corrugated nut. The whole fruit, including the husk, falls in October or November; the seed is relatively small and very hard. The wood is known for strength, passion, intensity and loyalty. Users should be cautioned that this wood can manipulate and vie for dominance in a partnership. It is these traits that demand coupling with a Scorpio, AND NO ONE ELSE! EVER!
*fire - Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) - Autumnal Potency - Large, stinky, sticky, green and three-scaled buds form in summer within the petiole of the full grown leaf. Bark lacks elasticity, so unable to crack or stretch with growth, it sheds it bark as tree grows, like a serpent sheds its skin. The wood is most known for its properties of impatience and intransigence to a point, accompanied by an utter willingness to slough the old and courageously embrace growth and change. Sagittarius.
*earth - Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifer) - Winter Potency - Called the Tulip Tree, the leaves are distinctive, having four lobes in most cases and a cross-cut notched or straight apex. The tree itself is very fast growing, but does not suffer from the inherent weaknesses of other fast growing trees. Ambition, Determination, practicality, and helpfulness are associated with this wood, though these same traits can lead, through neglect, to a wand that is suspicious, resentful, inhibited, pessimistic and stubborn – They are soft, and their hard outer shells are meant to guard themselves against the hurt caused by rejection. Love this wand with all your heart and it will be your confidant and ally for life. Capricorn.
*air - Elm (Ulmus americana) - Winter Potency - Elm is the Arbitrator that listens without judgment. The wood of the elm was used for coffins in England, and you could find it in graveyards in ancient Greece. It was found at the entrance to the underworld as a living connection between the living and the dead, and at the crossroads leading to the faery world. Elm is very popular with the Ælves, as they use it almost exclusively for bows and staves. The wood of the elm is legendary for its Truthfulness, Curiosity, Affection, Frankness and Imagination. The insatiable curiosity of this wood, can however, lead to Unpredictablity, Inefficiency, and a Tendency to go off-track! A constant focus is required for this wand, which can be a challenge for Aquarius.
*water - Beech (Fagus grandifolia) - Winter Potency - A single tree has both female and male flowers. It produces beech nuts, a major food supply for small mammals. Prefers moist, rich soil, and has tight network of fibrous roots which allow Nothing to grow underneath. Beech is a symbol for the written word, and for the wisdom within ancient learning. It is the sum of the wisdom of all the other trees. It was used to make writing tablets, and thin slices of Beech wood were bound together to make the first book. A great deal of paper is produced from beeches. The bark is excellent for carving, this practice dates back to Roman times. The Beech tree reminded our ancestors of the need to preserve all knowledge in writing for the benefit of future generations. The wood of this sage tree is intuitive, generous, compassionate and extremely faithful and caring. The wood is also keenly impressionable. NEVER allow another to use this wand! You will regret it. Pisces.
*fire - Red Oak (Quercus rubra) - Vernal Potency - Under optimal conditions, northern red oak is fast growing and a 10-year-old tree can be 16–20 ft tall. This tree is extremely long lived and may survive upwards of 500 years. The wood is a Pale reddish brown, sapwood darker, heavy, hard, strong, coarse-grained. Cracks in drying, thus needing careful treatment. It is well known for being enterprising, incisive, daring, active, courageous and energetic. It is guileless and optimistic to a fault. However, it can also be impatient, impetuous, vain, proud and egoistic. You have a handful, literally and figuratively, Aries.
*earth - Hickory (Carya tomentosa) - Vernal Potency - Associated with archaic nut tree goddess, Caryatis. Combination of hardness and stiffness is unique. Hickory is very slow to grow. A typical hickory tree takes 30 or 40 more years to produce nuts. Furthermore, after you’ve waited the 30 or 40 years to see the tree produce nuts, if you’ve ever tried to get at hickory nutmeats, you’ll know its hard to get the full nutmeat out easily. Both of these qualities lend themselves to hickory being associated with patience. Hickory wood is prized for being nearly as strong as steel but very flexible. The wood is reliable, practical, ambitious, sensual, and independent. Oddly, it is capable of epic laziness, along with more predictable stubborness, and materialistic/possessive impulses.Taurus
*air - Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) - Vernal Potency - Starting in mid-summer, distinctive clusters of fruit appear on female plants, changing from green to blue-black as they ripen. The stalks bearing the fruits are especially distinctive as they enlarge and turn a bright coral red. In fall, the leaves turn a vibrant orange or yellow or red, calling attention to their unique patterns. Four distinct shapes can be observed with relative ease, sometimes on the same branch. There are elliptic leaves with no lobes, tri-lobed (three-fingered) leaves, and mitten-shaped leaves with either right-handed or left-handed lobes. Just try figuring out what, exactly, this wood is up to. It is well known for being expressive and quick-witted. However it can be sociable, communicative and ready for fun, while on the other hand it can be very serious, thoughtful, restless and even indecisive. Good luck, Gemini.
*water - Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) - Summer Potency - (French: acajou - Spanish: caoba) - straight, fine, and even grain, it is relatively free of voids and pockets. Its reddish-brown color darkens over time, and displays a reddish sheen when polished. It has excellent workability, and is very durable. The wood is prized by cabinet makers for acting as a very hard wood while carving like a soft. It is famous for creativity, spontaneity, and the greatest loyalty known. These traits may lead, and often do, to moodiness, pessimism, and clinginess. The wood bonds strongly with its user and insists upon being carried constantly. It truly loves and wants to care for you, Cancer.
*fire - White Oak (Quercus alba) - Summer Potency - Tree typically reaches heights of 80 to 100 feet (24–30 m) at maturity, and its canopy can become quite massive as its lower branches are apt to extend far out laterally, parallel to the ground. Trees growing in a forest will become much taller than ones in an open area which develop to be short and massive. The tallest known white oak is 144 feet tall. The wood of the white oak is known to be, competitive, adventurous, genuine, generous and highly charismatic. They adore showing off, being admired, praised and appreciated. They myopically strive to be the absolute best in whatever they do. Unfortunately this corresponds to mirrored traits like being domineering, egotistical, self-absorbed, aggressive, confrontational, melodramatic and easily bored. Beware a bored white oak wand as it will create drama and excitement where none previously existed. You DO NOT want to see white oak excitement....or maybe you do, Leo.
*aether - Ash (Fraxinus americana) - Nul - Norse mythology refers to ash as "the mighty tree that supports the heavens" and "below earth its roots went down to hell." The World Tree; Tree of Life Third month of the Celtic Tree calendar, February 18th - March 17th. Because white ash wood is tough, strong, and highly resistant to shock. It has excellent shock resistance and is good for steam bending. Ash wood was used for the traditional handle of the besom broom. Druid wands were often made of ash because of its straight grain, and the poles of witches' brooms were often made of ash and was representative of protection and strength. Ash wands are good for healing, general and solar magic, but like a swan, only bond once, and should never be bequeathed lest they surely wilt. Days of Change.