Sacred Tree-Yew
taxus baccata
The Yew tree is a tree of life, death and rebirth, be careful when approaching her berries for death is closer then one might think upon her feathery branches...
The Sacred Yew:
The Yew, Taxus baccata, is an ancient tree species that has survived since before the Ice Age and as such as been revered and used by humankind throughout the ages.
Because of its longevity and its unique way of growing new trunks from within the original root, it has now been estimated that some English Yews are as much as 4,000 years old!
No wonder the Yew is associated with immortality, renewal, regeneration, transformation and access to the Otherworld and our ancestors.
There are about 10 different species of Yew in the northern temperate zones of Asia, Asia Minor, India, Europe, North Africa and North America. They are all thought to have descended from Paleotaxus rediviva, which was found imprinted on a Triassic era fossils more than 200,000,000 years ago. Recently, more fossils of the Yew have been found from the Jurassic era, 140,000,000 years ago. These numbers boggle the mind.
The Yew has managed to survive many huge climatic changes on our planet, adapting and finding ways to live longer than most species alive today. According to pollen counts taken from peat bogs of Europe, the Yew trees grew in greater abundance at the time of the Ice Age than they do now. As the glaciers receded northwards, the great forests of Europe contained up to 80% of Yew trees, and since these times have been in continuous decline.
This is worrying to many scientists and Yew tree lovers alike because the yew is such a wondrous and mysterious tree, that also we are discovering may have healing properties for diseases such as cancer.
The yew tree, bark and berries, or rather the seeds found within the pulp are all very poisonous and eating even one berry is said to kill a grown human quite quickly.
The wood can be worked with but breathing in the dust if sanding the wood is what is dangerous...
Yew trees can be propagated through cuttings, seed, graftings or layering. It is also possible to find small trees growing near bigger trees, which transplant well.
They prefer a moist, fertile, sandy loam soil, but can also grow well in most soils except water-logged ground or sticky wet clay. They also grow well on chalk. Yew has been found to be beneficial in propagating other species. Cuttings soaked in an infusion of crushed Yew and water produce quicker and healthier root growth.
A huge Yew planting program began in Britain in 1996 led by David Bellamy, encouraging the churches and villages to replant the Yew trees again.
Because of its longevity and its unique way of growing new trunks from within the original root, it has now been estimated that some English Yews are as much as 4,000 years old!
No wonder the Yew is associated with immortality, renewal, regeneration, transformation and access to the Otherworld and our ancestors.
There are about 10 different species of Yew in the northern temperate zones of Asia, Asia Minor, India, Europe, North Africa and North America. They are all thought to have descended from Paleotaxus rediviva, which was found imprinted on a Triassic era fossils more than 200,000,000 years ago. Recently, more fossils of the Yew have been found from the Jurassic era, 140,000,000 years ago. These numbers boggle the mind.
The Yew has managed to survive many huge climatic changes on our planet, adapting and finding ways to live longer than most species alive today. According to pollen counts taken from peat bogs of Europe, the Yew trees grew in greater abundance at the time of the Ice Age than they do now. As the glaciers receded northwards, the great forests of Europe contained up to 80% of Yew trees, and since these times have been in continuous decline.
This is worrying to many scientists and Yew tree lovers alike because the yew is such a wondrous and mysterious tree, that also we are discovering may have healing properties for diseases such as cancer.
The yew tree, bark and berries, or rather the seeds found within the pulp are all very poisonous and eating even one berry is said to kill a grown human quite quickly.
The wood can be worked with but breathing in the dust if sanding the wood is what is dangerous...
Yew trees can be propagated through cuttings, seed, graftings or layering. It is also possible to find small trees growing near bigger trees, which transplant well.
They prefer a moist, fertile, sandy loam soil, but can also grow well in most soils except water-logged ground or sticky wet clay. They also grow well on chalk. Yew has been found to be beneficial in propagating other species. Cuttings soaked in an infusion of crushed Yew and water produce quicker and healthier root growth.
A huge Yew planting program began in Britain in 1996 led by David Bellamy, encouraging the churches and villages to replant the Yew trees again.
Yew Tree Identification:
Leaves
The needles on the yew tree are flat and measure about 2 centimetres long, with a pointed tip. They grow spirally on twigs but twisted so that they appear to grow in two rows.
Cones
To say the yew has an actual cone is a little misleading, because what they grow looks more like a berry which consists of a coral-red fleshy cup that is open at one end and contains a single seed. These berries are extremely poisonous and it is said that eating a single one can kill an adult.
Bark
The yew has quite thin, dark reddish or purplish scaley like bark that sheds easily off the trunk exposing a rose-coloured underbark.
Habitat
The Western yew grows a wide variety of areas, from dry and rocky to moist ravines; and generally likes to grow on sites that have abundant soil and nutrients. It often likes to grow near the with Douglas-fir, western redcedar, and western hemlock, as well as alongside such plants as salal, Oregon-grape, or skunk cabbage.
Many birds, such as blackbirds, waxwings and nuthatches - and various small rodents will eat the berries and in this way they scatter the seed away from the tree to grow elsewhere.
The needles on the yew tree are flat and measure about 2 centimetres long, with a pointed tip. They grow spirally on twigs but twisted so that they appear to grow in two rows.
Cones
To say the yew has an actual cone is a little misleading, because what they grow looks more like a berry which consists of a coral-red fleshy cup that is open at one end and contains a single seed. These berries are extremely poisonous and it is said that eating a single one can kill an adult.
Bark
The yew has quite thin, dark reddish or purplish scaley like bark that sheds easily off the trunk exposing a rose-coloured underbark.
Habitat
The Western yew grows a wide variety of areas, from dry and rocky to moist ravines; and generally likes to grow on sites that have abundant soil and nutrients. It often likes to grow near the with Douglas-fir, western redcedar, and western hemlock, as well as alongside such plants as salal, Oregon-grape, or skunk cabbage.
Many birds, such as blackbirds, waxwings and nuthatches - and various small rodents will eat the berries and in this way they scatter the seed away from the tree to grow elsewhere.
Yew tree/hedge viewing:
Magic and Folklore:
The Yew is considered to be the most potent tree for protection against evil, a means of connecting to your ancestors, a bringer of dreams, otherworld journeys and a symbol of the old magic of life, death and rebirth.
The yew unlike any other tree carries deep associations with the dead and underworld and the folklore surrounding the yew tends to lean very much into this realm.
The folklore surrounding the yew with regards to the dead is an interesting one, ranging for the belief that yew trees should be planted over the graves of those thought to be unwell in the afterlife and that may return to haunt, believing that the Yew roots would grown deep down into the coffin and surround it thus pinning the dead down, or that they would grow into the mouth of the dead not allowing them to speak in the afterlife.
It is said that if you are to have a dream of the yew tree or worse, sitting under one it foretells your death coming soon, but if you dream of seeing a yew tree form afar, you will live a long and healthy life.
Yew has long been part of funerary customs, which may vary from country to country and distinct area to area, but most share the same belief that the yew is a tree of death and mystical power, that can either curse or bless depending on the belief and area you live.
Some funeral customs involve carrying sprigs of Yew which are either thrown in the grave under the body or of being thrown in on top of the coffin.
With so much of folklore and superstitions including fears surrounding the ancient yew tree is is also not surprising that, eventually there would come to be a Christian overlay, especially given the deep Celtic and Druidic teachings and beliefs surrounding this tree.
This is why it is not surprising to see many yew trees planted in christian churches and graveyards, along with many carved trees along with sculls and whatnot along with the epitaph on the tombstone.
A lot of our ancient Yews are found in churchyards but to many there is simply no doubt that those trees were there long before the churches were built. Many churches and churchyards were built in the middle of a circle of Yews, which were probably a left over or taken from the Druids, as they bullied their way over the old ways and pagan sites of sacred groves.
.
It is said that over the centuries many tribal leaders were buried beneath Yew trees, with the belief that their knowledge and wisdom would be joined with the Dryad or spirit of the Yew so it would be be accessible to the tribe for generations to come.
The yew unlike any other tree carries deep associations with the dead and underworld and the folklore surrounding the yew tends to lean very much into this realm.
The folklore surrounding the yew with regards to the dead is an interesting one, ranging for the belief that yew trees should be planted over the graves of those thought to be unwell in the afterlife and that may return to haunt, believing that the Yew roots would grown deep down into the coffin and surround it thus pinning the dead down, or that they would grow into the mouth of the dead not allowing them to speak in the afterlife.
It is said that if you are to have a dream of the yew tree or worse, sitting under one it foretells your death coming soon, but if you dream of seeing a yew tree form afar, you will live a long and healthy life.
Yew has long been part of funerary customs, which may vary from country to country and distinct area to area, but most share the same belief that the yew is a tree of death and mystical power, that can either curse or bless depending on the belief and area you live.
Some funeral customs involve carrying sprigs of Yew which are either thrown in the grave under the body or of being thrown in on top of the coffin.
With so much of folklore and superstitions including fears surrounding the ancient yew tree is is also not surprising that, eventually there would come to be a Christian overlay, especially given the deep Celtic and Druidic teachings and beliefs surrounding this tree.
This is why it is not surprising to see many yew trees planted in christian churches and graveyards, along with many carved trees along with sculls and whatnot along with the epitaph on the tombstone.
A lot of our ancient Yews are found in churchyards but to many there is simply no doubt that those trees were there long before the churches were built. Many churches and churchyards were built in the middle of a circle of Yews, which were probably a left over or taken from the Druids, as they bullied their way over the old ways and pagan sites of sacred groves.
.
It is said that over the centuries many tribal leaders were buried beneath Yew trees, with the belief that their knowledge and wisdom would be joined with the Dryad or spirit of the Yew so it would be be accessible to the tribe for generations to come.
Tree Ogham carved by my dear friend Sarah Lawless.
The Yew also holds deep connections with the underworld, with deep connections to Hecate who had it growing in her garden, Persephone, and the Crone aspect of the Triple Goddess; both being guardians of the Underworld, death and the afterlife.
Some also say that that the germanic world tree is actually the Yew rather then the Ash tree as there is speculation on the the word, the evergreen Yes is also known as Ash and old yew wood is associated with the rune magic and the rune Eihwaz also means yew...
Yew wood was also regarded as deeply magical to the Celts because of its connection with the dead and the ancestors which were deeply respected, and archaeologists have recently found well-preserved Yew wood carvings at ancient sites of springs and wells which were they are assuming were offerings.
Yew wood is pretty easy to carve and known to be very beautiful with a deep golden orange, with a deep red core which polishes up wonderfully, but beware breathing in the dust of the yew tree is poisonous and can cause extreme breathing difficulties.
Traditionally yew was used for making wheels, spoons, handles, bowls and any turned items including sacred carvings.
The Yew tree is the last of the 20 trees in the Tree Ogham, a beautiful language and system of divination used by the druids.
These tree ogham symbols can be found on the edges of some standing stones in Ireland and Wales, but they were also used for magical and communication purposes.It was used as a silent communication system by the Druids using their fingers and thumb to form the symbols that only they could understand amongst each other, and is recorded in some medieval manuscripts. The place of Yew, or Idho, was at the base of the Mercury finger (the little finger) at the line which separates it from the palm. The connection of the Mercury finger with the Yew is made by Mercury's conducting of souls to the place presided over by the death Goddesses and mother, to who the Yew was sacred.
The tree ogham Idho, is also a link to spiritual guidance through the ancestors and guides of the otherworld. The Yew reminds us that there are other levels of understanding and existence beyond this material plane and that if we can begin to understand the illusionary nature of life we can begin to live our lives more awake and in the present. Yew teaches us to see death as a form of transformation and that it is never final.
Yew can help us overcome our fear of our own death and, by freeing us from this fear, bring us a greater stillness in our lives.
The Yew can also be used to assist Otherworld journeys and to increase communication with the Otherworld, and it is said that the druids would carry sprigs of juniper and yew in their pockets burning small amounts of each for purification and to assist them in journeying to the otherworld.
Yew was also used for summoning spirits for communication and so it is not surprising that it is linked to Samhain, when entry to the Otherworld is thin and our dreams are most potent. Carry a sprig of Yew in your pocket or hold a piece while working with the spirit realm.
Because the Yew is poisonous, there is no herbal remedies, although it was sometimes called the forbidden tree as it was used to stimulate abortions. In the north, the Yew was used for dowsing to find lost property (enlisting the help of the ancestors?).
A strange belief in the north of Scotland concerning the Yew was that a person, when grasping a branch of Yew in the left hand, may speak to anyone they wish without that person being able to hear, even though everyone else present can. This may have been useful if someone wished to prejudice the clan/community against a chief without receiving punishment for their insults!
In Suffolk it was considered unlucky if some Yew came into the house with the Christmas Eve decorations and a sure sign that someone in the family would die before the year was out.
However if you are from Derbyshire, it is important to include the Yew in the evergreens brought into the house at Christmas, although it was on no account to be taken from the churchyard, and to be used specifically as part of the decorations around the window.
Some also say that that the germanic world tree is actually the Yew rather then the Ash tree as there is speculation on the the word, the evergreen Yes is also known as Ash and old yew wood is associated with the rune magic and the rune Eihwaz also means yew...
Yew wood was also regarded as deeply magical to the Celts because of its connection with the dead and the ancestors which were deeply respected, and archaeologists have recently found well-preserved Yew wood carvings at ancient sites of springs and wells which were they are assuming were offerings.
Yew wood is pretty easy to carve and known to be very beautiful with a deep golden orange, with a deep red core which polishes up wonderfully, but beware breathing in the dust of the yew tree is poisonous and can cause extreme breathing difficulties.
Traditionally yew was used for making wheels, spoons, handles, bowls and any turned items including sacred carvings.
The Yew tree is the last of the 20 trees in the Tree Ogham, a beautiful language and system of divination used by the druids.
These tree ogham symbols can be found on the edges of some standing stones in Ireland and Wales, but they were also used for magical and communication purposes.It was used as a silent communication system by the Druids using their fingers and thumb to form the symbols that only they could understand amongst each other, and is recorded in some medieval manuscripts. The place of Yew, or Idho, was at the base of the Mercury finger (the little finger) at the line which separates it from the palm. The connection of the Mercury finger with the Yew is made by Mercury's conducting of souls to the place presided over by the death Goddesses and mother, to who the Yew was sacred.
The tree ogham Idho, is also a link to spiritual guidance through the ancestors and guides of the otherworld. The Yew reminds us that there are other levels of understanding and existence beyond this material plane and that if we can begin to understand the illusionary nature of life we can begin to live our lives more awake and in the present. Yew teaches us to see death as a form of transformation and that it is never final.
Yew can help us overcome our fear of our own death and, by freeing us from this fear, bring us a greater stillness in our lives.
The Yew can also be used to assist Otherworld journeys and to increase communication with the Otherworld, and it is said that the druids would carry sprigs of juniper and yew in their pockets burning small amounts of each for purification and to assist them in journeying to the otherworld.
Yew was also used for summoning spirits for communication and so it is not surprising that it is linked to Samhain, when entry to the Otherworld is thin and our dreams are most potent. Carry a sprig of Yew in your pocket or hold a piece while working with the spirit realm.
Because the Yew is poisonous, there is no herbal remedies, although it was sometimes called the forbidden tree as it was used to stimulate abortions. In the north, the Yew was used for dowsing to find lost property (enlisting the help of the ancestors?).
A strange belief in the north of Scotland concerning the Yew was that a person, when grasping a branch of Yew in the left hand, may speak to anyone they wish without that person being able to hear, even though everyone else present can. This may have been useful if someone wished to prejudice the clan/community against a chief without receiving punishment for their insults!
In Suffolk it was considered unlucky if some Yew came into the house with the Christmas Eve decorations and a sure sign that someone in the family would die before the year was out.
However if you are from Derbyshire, it is important to include the Yew in the evergreens brought into the house at Christmas, although it was on no account to be taken from the churchyard, and to be used specifically as part of the decorations around the window.
Yew/Ioho Tree Ogam:
Some may say that much like the classic tarot death card the yew runs along a similar line, and in that same way if you draw the yew ogam it suggests that a big change may be coming your way--a death of sorts, but a death of a job or perhaps it is foretelling of a move or change/small death in a relationship.
The yew is a tree of life, death and rebirth so even if this card or stav is drawn reversed, it only means big change and sometimes this kind of change can be a powerful catalyst for something great, so not to worry.
The yew is also a great protection tree so hold your charms close and prepare yourself as best as you can.
Some may say that much like the classic tarot death card the yew runs along a similar line, and in that same way if you draw the yew ogam it suggests that a big change may be coming your way--a death of sorts, but a death of a job or perhaps it is foretelling of a move or change/small death in a relationship.
The yew is a tree of life, death and rebirth so even if this card or stav is drawn reversed, it only means big change and sometimes this kind of change can be a powerful catalyst for something great, so not to worry.
The yew is also a great protection tree so hold your charms close and prepare yourself as best as you can.
Hedgewalking with Yew
If you are able and fortunate enough to live near a yew tree or even a bush/shrub, the first thing I suggest is getting under it for this work!
if you are doing this in the fall, watch out for spiders as they seem to love building their web's in the branches during this time. This makes such sense to me as they know their lives are soon to end and the females need to get ready to lay eggs and pass on the next generation, the yew is a perfect place for this life, death cycle and I am sure the spiders know that!
if you are working through issues with life, perhaps wanting a baby or being pregnant, or death on any end of the spectrum from grappling with your own death to the death of a loved one etc.. the yew is who you want to take your troubles and questions to.
Know this though, the yew will offer up answers that rise above what our minds sometimes can grapple with offering us a higher perspective that one should be prepared for.
Offerings for the yes are in pruning if it needs it, and alcohol ideally brewed by yourself or something that your ancestors owuld have loves.
The yew is an ancestor tree so if you have questions you wish to ask your ancestors {Healthy healed and properly crossed ones} the yew is great at facilitating that communication.
if you are doing this in the fall, watch out for spiders as they seem to love building their web's in the branches during this time. This makes such sense to me as they know their lives are soon to end and the females need to get ready to lay eggs and pass on the next generation, the yew is a perfect place for this life, death cycle and I am sure the spiders know that!
if you are working through issues with life, perhaps wanting a baby or being pregnant, or death on any end of the spectrum from grappling with your own death to the death of a loved one etc.. the yew is who you want to take your troubles and questions to.
Know this though, the yew will offer up answers that rise above what our minds sometimes can grapple with offering us a higher perspective that one should be prepared for.
Offerings for the yes are in pruning if it needs it, and alcohol ideally brewed by yourself or something that your ancestors owuld have loves.
The yew is an ancestor tree so if you have questions you wish to ask your ancestors {Healthy healed and properly crossed ones} the yew is great at facilitating that communication.
Yew Tree Healing, Life, death, rebirth....
A few years ago I {Nikiah} had the opportunity to work in an animist way with the yew tree under the guidance of Michal Dunning{www.yewmysteries.com} a man who spent 9 years in initiation under a yew tree. Based on Michael’s teachings I learned that the reason the Yew is a tree of both life and death is because it is continuously regenerating itself in the death and life process, and some of the most ancient yew trees on the planet are over 2000 years old!
I would like to share a little bit about my experience with the Yew as it can be powerful and overwhelming when working with it. The Yew is a source tree in that it contains both birth and death within its spirit.
In my journey to the yew I was at once transported into the centre of it’s branches, but instead of looking like a tree I realized that I was in a womb. The trunk was the umbilical cord and the branches the veins spreading out…
In this place I was held and comforted, but I also understood that soon things would change…In a flash that I can not explain, I began to see many different visions, some of them disturbing such as my death and some of them like a giant “download” of information. I began to see my own spirit work and it was like a thousand puzzle pieces began to take shape and then snap into each other.
I saw the placenta bag that I made for my daughters birth 12 years ago, that was called to become a medicine pouch for both my priestess and my shamanic work, and I saw the placenta and the tree of life merge, becoming one, life and death….we all travel the same route when we die as when we are born…
The yew became a large placenta with it’s branches like the blood vessels that sustain new life, and the roots going deep into the earth, down into the dark underworld…
When I came out of my journey I waited to speak with Michael about what I saw and pulled out my placenta pouch to show him.
He was not the least bit surprised and shared that he too had the same experience when he was under the Yew, for the yew really is the essence of the placenta/tree of life…
If you are interested in hearing about Michael’s initiation with the Yew Tree you can watch a series of interviews with him on You-Tube:
I would like to share a little bit about my experience with the Yew as it can be powerful and overwhelming when working with it. The Yew is a source tree in that it contains both birth and death within its spirit.
In my journey to the yew I was at once transported into the centre of it’s branches, but instead of looking like a tree I realized that I was in a womb. The trunk was the umbilical cord and the branches the veins spreading out…
In this place I was held and comforted, but I also understood that soon things would change…In a flash that I can not explain, I began to see many different visions, some of them disturbing such as my death and some of them like a giant “download” of information. I began to see my own spirit work and it was like a thousand puzzle pieces began to take shape and then snap into each other.
I saw the placenta bag that I made for my daughters birth 12 years ago, that was called to become a medicine pouch for both my priestess and my shamanic work, and I saw the placenta and the tree of life merge, becoming one, life and death….we all travel the same route when we die as when we are born…
The yew became a large placenta with it’s branches like the blood vessels that sustain new life, and the roots going deep into the earth, down into the dark underworld…
When I came out of my journey I waited to speak with Michael about what I saw and pulled out my placenta pouch to show him.
He was not the least bit surprised and shared that he too had the same experience when he was under the Yew, for the yew really is the essence of the placenta/tree of life…
If you are interested in hearing about Michael’s initiation with the Yew Tree you can watch a series of interviews with him on You-Tube:
Practical applications of Yew:
In recent years it has been found that taxol, a chemical found in the bark of the Yew, inhibits cell growth and cell division, and may have some promise in the fight against cancer. The biggest problem is that such a huge amount of bark is needed to produce even small amounts of taxol.
The Pacific Yew of North America has been found to have the most taxol in its bark, but the bark is only 1/8th of an inch thick. A 200-year old tree with a diameter of 10 inches will yield 6lbs of bark, which in turn will produce 1/5th of a gram of taxol.
The average amount to treat one patient is 2 grams, so clearly the problem of supply would be impossible and could result in the Yew becoming extinct. Although they have tried, scientists have not been able to make a synthetic version of taxol. Now researchers are trying to find ways of extracting the taxol from the twigs and needles.
The first nations people used the strong, stiff wood for making items such as bows, tools, paddles, and prying sticks. It is still used for making bows and paddles.
Interior peoples sometimes used the branches to make snowshoe frames.
An interesting note is that the word Taxus is Latin for the word "bow." and some historians believe that Robin Hood's bow was made from English yew.
The Pacific Yew of North America has been found to have the most taxol in its bark, but the bark is only 1/8th of an inch thick. A 200-year old tree with a diameter of 10 inches will yield 6lbs of bark, which in turn will produce 1/5th of a gram of taxol.
The average amount to treat one patient is 2 grams, so clearly the problem of supply would be impossible and could result in the Yew becoming extinct. Although they have tried, scientists have not been able to make a synthetic version of taxol. Now researchers are trying to find ways of extracting the taxol from the twigs and needles.
The first nations people used the strong, stiff wood for making items such as bows, tools, paddles, and prying sticks. It is still used for making bows and paddles.
Interior peoples sometimes used the branches to make snowshoe frames.
An interesting note is that the word Taxus is Latin for the word "bow." and some historians believe that Robin Hood's bow was made from English yew.
Magic Making with yew:
If you are fortunate enough to live near an old yew then you might decide that you would like to try your hand at creating a talisman, perhaps for your ancestors or to assist you with journey work or navigating other realms with protection on your aide.
Ideally small yew branches are ritually harvested in the fall early September and prepared for use closer to Samhain.
Gather your branches by asking permission first and debark them and then leave them on your altar to cure for another month or so.
If your wish is to have a talisman to assist you with journey work make sure that this is it's only use, so if you also wish for a talisman of protection, you will need two pieces.
If you spin or have access to some raw wool ideally you would now spin some white, red and black threads for use in these talismans.
Ancestral/otherworld journey talisman:
White is for ancestral work, or otherworld journeying and communication and red and black is for protection.
To create an ancestral talisman, or journey/otherworld talisman for assisting you in a smooth and productive journey:
Spin a small length of black wool or white wool that is dyed in black walnut ink or other black dye.
Taking your piece of Yew that has been sitting on your altar for one or more moons, take some time to carve or mark the ogham symbol on it's side {see mine above for how it looks}
Next take some consecration oil--which will be a different blend for each person and rub the oil into the talisman asking it to allow for a smooth transition into the otherworld as well as a smooth transition back.
Next taking a long strand of you hair, ritually wrap the white yarn around the talisman serving as an anchor to bring you back to your body when the journey is done.
Lastly, journey with your talisman asking the yew for it's support with this work, asking for blessings of a smooth transition in and out of the realms.
Close the ritual time by giving thanks and leaving offerings somewhere out in nature, ideally at the foot of the tree that offered up its branches.
Yew Talisman for Protection:
Following the same steps above, except using red and black threads for this work.
Take some time to carve or mark the ogham for yew as well as the rune for protection Elhaz each marking on either aide and consecrating them both with oils and if you have it red ochre.
Next taking your black and red threads weave or braid them together so they are woven as one...and twist them onto your yew stick asking for protection as you journey into the otherworld.
If there are other rituals you feel called to do please feel free to add them, as ideally this becomes your own and deeply personal to your own spirit work.
Ideally small yew branches are ritually harvested in the fall early September and prepared for use closer to Samhain.
Gather your branches by asking permission first and debark them and then leave them on your altar to cure for another month or so.
If your wish is to have a talisman to assist you with journey work make sure that this is it's only use, so if you also wish for a talisman of protection, you will need two pieces.
If you spin or have access to some raw wool ideally you would now spin some white, red and black threads for use in these talismans.
Ancestral/otherworld journey talisman:
White is for ancestral work, or otherworld journeying and communication and red and black is for protection.
To create an ancestral talisman, or journey/otherworld talisman for assisting you in a smooth and productive journey:
Spin a small length of black wool or white wool that is dyed in black walnut ink or other black dye.
Taking your piece of Yew that has been sitting on your altar for one or more moons, take some time to carve or mark the ogham symbol on it's side {see mine above for how it looks}
Next take some consecration oil--which will be a different blend for each person and rub the oil into the talisman asking it to allow for a smooth transition into the otherworld as well as a smooth transition back.
Next taking a long strand of you hair, ritually wrap the white yarn around the talisman serving as an anchor to bring you back to your body when the journey is done.
Lastly, journey with your talisman asking the yew for it's support with this work, asking for blessings of a smooth transition in and out of the realms.
Close the ritual time by giving thanks and leaving offerings somewhere out in nature, ideally at the foot of the tree that offered up its branches.
Yew Talisman for Protection:
Following the same steps above, except using red and black threads for this work.
Take some time to carve or mark the ogham for yew as well as the rune for protection Elhaz each marking on either aide and consecrating them both with oils and if you have it red ochre.
Next taking your black and red threads weave or braid them together so they are woven as one...and twist them onto your yew stick asking for protection as you journey into the otherworld.
If there are other rituals you feel called to do please feel free to add them, as ideally this becomes your own and deeply personal to your own spirit work.
Resources:
Celtic Tree Oracle by Liz and Colin Murry
Under the Witching tree By Corrine Boyer
Celtic Tree Oracle by Liz and Colin Murry
Under the Witching tree By Corrine Boyer