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Redwood Sequoia
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Planet: Jupiter Element: Fire Symbolism: Balance Deity: Norse God Thor who is the spirit of thunder, storm and lightning, and the Stag-god Orion who in Greek tradition is the archetypal Hunter. Also, Heaven and Earth. Rune: Alferic Ogham (looks like a twin spearhead.) Constellation: Sagittarius, the Archer, and the Centaurs.
Medicinal properties: Inner bark infusions treated jaundice and purified the blood, and warmed foliage was used for earaches. The gummy sap was taken with water as a stimulant and a tonic.
Magical properties: drawing down power from Heaven to Earth, spells of religious seeking and discipline, spells of mystical union with nature and wild animals, hunting magick, the martial arts as spiritual discipline, and spells for innovation and sudden revelation.
Milled redwood is excellent for wands, which has a very broad and beautiful grain, is quite lightweight and soft, and which has a dark red color without the need of any stain. The wood tears easily as so is not well-suited to detailed carving. Redwoods are resistant to fire because they produce very little resin and pitch. They produce tannic acid which protects them from rot and insects. When an old Redwood dies or is cut down, a new one sprouts from it's roots. The roots never die. The Giant Redwood is the most magnificent of all evergreens
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My son had the honor of visiting the Redwoods in California (and all I got were these lovely pictures)
The Redwood's bark is 1-2 ft thick
Redwoods are the largest living creatures on the Earth |
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The only way to stop a Redwood from growing is to have it struck by lightning. |
Instead of chopping down the trees, humans tunnel through them |
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photography by Gwendolyn LaFae July 2003 |
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Though a tree grows so high, the falling leaves return to the root.
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Sequoia by Faerywillow http://www.faerywillow.com
Sequoia is a genus in the cypress family Cupressaceae, containing the single living species Sequoia sempervirens. Common
names include Coast Redwood and California Redwood (it is one of three
species of trees known as redwoods). She grows quickly reaching sometimes over 300 ft in her first few hundred years. As she ages and accumulates wisdom she thickens, up to 26ft in diameter. But she will tell you 'don't call me fat, my thickness gives me strength'.
Not only is Sequoia a tall and massive tree, she is a survivor. She will withstand many forest fires in her lifetime and she will carry the scars to prove it. Many of her children and younger sisters will not survive the fires. But she will tell you 'do not hate Fire; he is only doing his part for Gaia. Without him the whole forest would suffer'. It may take hundreds of years but her scars will heal and she will regenerate what she has lost. (see below, right, for a fire survivor) |
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So call upon Sequoia when you are in your darkest times. She
will give you the strength to survive and heal your own wounds. photography by Faerywillow, May 2008 http://www.faerywillow.com
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Pray Peace
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