The Magick of the Mighty Maple

Written by Whitney Nellé for WytchWood

There is nothing quite like the sugar maple. Vermonters know these mighty but humble trees as a cozy blanket. The thrilling anticipation of the changing colors in autumn, the lonely sigh of Stick Season, the dizzying bloom of green in summer – we owe it all to this hardy tree. How fitting that it is known as the Tree of Offering. It offers us a sense of home.

Sugar maples are a tree of practical magick. They provide food and shelter to animals and people alike. Their use in witchcraft, woodcraft, and food-craft make them versatile in a way many trees can’t compare. As a hardwood, Maple wands are excellent for spiritual healing and cleansing. They will not crack under intensity.

Photo: Magical Food Department

Maple fits easily into the casual (or lazy!) Witch’s life. Known for abundance, you can find maple leaves and seedlings scattered all over the ground, or you can pluck straight from the tree itself. The tree that offers up its sap will not mind. These bits can be used in altars and spells. The syrup can be used in candle magick and in the kitchen.

Great horned owls, long associated with wisdom, are the spiritual birds of maple trees. Have you ever gone for a walk in the woods and felt clarity wash over you? That could be the spirit of the owl mingling with the trees to guide you. Seek out this guidance whenever you can!

Have you ever picked up a particularly blazing red maple leaf in autumn and brought it home with you? The magick that compels you to pick up that leaf is the same magick Wytchwood tries to infuse in our maple syrups. We match flavors with the essences of gods and goddesses to bring a little magick into everyday moments. Try Freya for fertility and love, Odin for wisdom, or Blodeuwedd for renewal.

 

(Source: Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs)