I love plants and as a pagan, they are deeply integrated into my spiritual practices. Walks in the woods, vegetable gardens, and rooms filled with herbs and succulents.
Yule holds such a special place among pagans. Our ancestors yearned for the light of spring and the warming of the earth.
During this magical season, we decorate our homes with plants that are symbolic of our religious experiences. Let’s take a look at some Yule plants and discover their symbolic meaning, uses in rituals, and how we can use them to grow as pagans.
What is Ethnobotany?
Ethnobotany looks at how people of a particular culture use indigenous (native) plants. This can be a past culture or us today.
Plants are so important to every society. They provide food, medicine, building materials, clothing, soaps, cleaners, and even contribute to the air we breathe.
Plants also have religious connotations and were important in rituals as well as having qualities that helped the user. For example, they may be believed to have protection or healing powers.
Photo by Ame Vanorio
Sacred Evergreen Trees
Trees have a special relationship to the human spirit. These strong evergreen trees remind us that life is a continuous cycle.
Fir
Fir forests were considered the dwelling place of the Gods in Scandinavian and Germanic cultures. A fir can grow to 200 feet tall and fir forests offer shelter to wildlife in winter.
Fir branches are believed to offer protection and ward off harmful influences. The branches were placed in the doorways of homes and barns for protection.
Fir’s hit all our senses. They provide that traditional evergreen smell and look like our classic holiday tree. The needles crackle when burning and produce a cloud of white evergreen-smelling smoke.
The fir tree symbolizes hope and the need to stay positive throughout the dark season. For our agricultural ancestors, the short cold days made it harder to farm and people faced starvation if they didn’t have enough food stored.
Today we may have enough food but the short days can lead to sadness and anxiety. SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, is very real for many people.
Fir boughs are often used in spells for the future, such as looking for a job or recovering from an illness.
The fir tree has a strait strong trunk and grows very tall. Focus on this symbol of leadership when you want a promotion or start your own business.
Burn a few fir needles before magic work for grounding energy.
Pine
The pine symbolizes the continuation of life and resurrection. If you found a treasure under the pinewood you would have a lucky day.
The scent of pine is intoxicating and often used in candles and incense.
Larches are deciduous conifers in the pine family. In the Alps where larches are common, they are referred to as the mother of God tree and they are considered home to forest fairies. It is common for people to offer them gifts in exchange for a branch.
The God Saturn has the pine tree as a symbol of being everlasting. The staff of Osiris has a pinecone on top of two snakes curved together.
Pine has healing and cleansing properties. During Yule, we often place pinecones on our altars to ward off evil spirits and protect us from harm. They are associated with the Third Eye.
Burn dried pine needles at your altar for protection.
Pine boughs and pinecones are popular Yule decorations for the holidays.
Pine nuts are used in the kitchen and are a great ingredient of pesto.
Celtic pagans use pinecones for fertility rituals.
Learn more about the magic of the pine in my video.
Spruce
Spruce branches were brought into the home to worship the forest spirits. The blue spruce makes a beautiful landscaping tree.
The needles are made into a calming tonic and taking a bath with spruce essential oil is calming for the nerves.
Spruce makes an amazing healing salve. You can make a spruce salve from the pitch by following the video below or you can purchase some from Amazon here.
Spruce bark stimulates psychic abilities and channeling. It also works well when doing New Moon rituals.
Place spruce needles on your altar to enhance your spirituality.
The Lakota culture of Native Americans used black spruce to stimulate their connections with the spirit world. In addition, it was used for cleansing and purifying rituals.
Are you driving to visit relatives during the holidays or making a business trip? Spruce scents are great for helping with attentiveness.
Yew
If only the eldest yew could speak to us, should we listen! The Balderschwang Yew in Germany is believed to be over 1000 years old. The Totteridge yew which grows in London in the churchyard of St Andrew is thought to be 2000 years old.
Sadly yews were heavily logged before the 16th Century for heating, shipbuilding, and for fence posts. This depleted many of the old forests in Northern Europe.
Groves of yews were often planted as holy places. Not only because they lived so long but because they can regenerate.
As low-hanging branches touch the ground they can grow roots and form a new tree. This symbolizes the cycle of seasons, birth and death, and new birth, making this an all-powerful tree.
Legend says that Robin Hood and Maid Marion were married under the Yew tree in Doveridge, Derbyshire.
Yew comes from the Gothic word aiw which means always eternal and evergreen. A symbol of immortality, yews are common trees to plant in cemeteries.
Yew Ogham is the last rune letter and represents the Tree of Life.
Yew trees are toxic to people and pets and should be handled with care. One way is to place the branches or needles in a glass Mason jar with a lid. This doesn’t minimize the power of the plant.
Wands made of yew are very powerful.
Yew is a good plant for protection and will ward off evil spirits. It is a great wood to use when connecting with ancestors.
Place yew branches in a container on a child’s altar who is afraid of the dark.
Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly
While not a tree, holly has evergreen species that do not lose their leaves in winter. Holly is sacred to Druids and many other pagan peoples.
The holly’s red berries embody the energy of women. It is a symbol of eternal life and wisdom.
Holly brings luck and protection to the house. Hang a sprig on your door.
Ancient Romans and those following Bacchus, believe holly is the female to the male ivy.
You can read more about Bacchus here.
Nordic people connected holly with Freyja or Freia, the Great Mother. This is a good time of year to give thanks to Freya. Place holly, red and silver candles, and frankincense on your altar.
The Green Man wears a crown of holly leaves
The Fly Agaric Mushroom
Fly Agaric or Fly Amanita Mushroom
These adorable psychedelic mushrooms frequently grow in evergreen forests and have become endemic in modern media. Think Disney, Super Mario, and the Smurfs all had them within their movies, games, or television shows.
Mushroom decor is popular during the winter holiday season. Traditionally popcorn, cranberries, and mushroom were strung on strings to be hung on the tree.
They appear in late fall and often grow beneath fir and spruce trees. When eaten they produce a rosy glow on the cheeks which may be linked to the vision in the poem by Clement Clark Moore, ”His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry”!
Fly agaric mushrooms have a long history of being used by shamans. They are identified as poisonous yet can be ingested after cooking for their hallucinogenic properties.
Many shamans ate it as part of their rituals. It has been traced to Siberian nomadic people and Native Americans. The experience is explained as a flight of the soul which has related several of the Gods with the fly agaric. These tend to differ with geographic regions.
One legend connects Odin, the God of ecstasy and knowledge, and his horse Sleipnir and his flight across the sky with the propagation of the fly amanita. It is said that the exertion caused Sleipnir to foam and bleed from the mouth. These droplets hit the ground giving rise to more mushrooms.
This tale was used to later describe the superhuman strength associated with Santa and his reindeer pulling his sleigh.
Today we see fly amanita mushrooms as a symbol of good luck.
Frankincense, Myrrh, and Gold
The gifts of the three Maji to the baby Jesus have deep pagan roots and connections to the earth.
Frankincense comes from the resin of its tree which is native to Somalia. It was gathered by making cuts in the bark of the tree.
Myrrh is also a resin but from the myrrh tree. Caspar the Magi that brought the myrrh was known as a healer. Myrrh has a delightful scent and was used by the Egyptians in embalming their dead.
Gold is obviously not a plant but you can incorporate it by using a gold-colored dish or ribbon.
Smudging or Incense Mixture
In Arab cultures, they make the following mixture for smudging. Use a mortar and pestle to grind Frankincense and Myrrh together and then stir in seeds.
Great for relaxation and divination.
Two tablespoons Frankincense (Boswellia sacra)
One tbsp Myrrh (commiphora )
One tbsp Syrian rue seed (Peganum harmala)
You can sprinkle this on embers while smudging or burn it in an incense charcoal burner made for resins.
Author, Ame Vanorio, is the founder of CPH, and loves the Yule Season!
One idea that binds us together as pagans is reverence for the natural world. Groves of sacred trees were and are places for ritual practice, community, and tribal discussions (politics). Stewardship of the earth is a central common practice.