Olive

I love the craggy trunk on this old tree. Or young tree. Since olives have been cultivated for thousands of years, this one is still just a baby, although it is older than most of the ones I have seen. Of course people eat the olives. But the oil has been burned for light and it was massaged into the skin long before moisturizers were available. 

This tree can be considered sacred because it is a part of many religious traditions. In Greek mythology, it was a gift from Athena, and considered the greatest gift to humankind. Although some may think the grape deserves that credit. Muslims used to wood to make prayer beads. Of course, in the bible, there is the story of the dove bringing the olive branch to Noah to let him know that the floods were subsiding. 

Seems like the olive has always been a symbol of peace. 

Iris

I love iris. I have planted many in my yard, but few bloom. They are so fickle! But this beautiful purple and white one bloomed a few years ago. Gorgeous! I like iris because so many have beautiful purple flowers. But they are named iris, after Iris, the Rainbow Goddess, because they come in all colors of the rainbow. So iris is not really a sacred plant. It is just named after a mythical creature. 

Iris are mostly used in gardens for their flowers. But the roots have been used to make perfume. Which, after drying for five years, ends up smelling more like violets than iris. Strange!

Sacred Myrtle

In Greek myth, myrtle is sacred to Aphrodite. She wore a belt of myrtle that made her powerfully attractive. So a myrtle girdle created irresistible eroticism. Sexy! However, in Jewish mysticism, myrtle was a symbol of masculine force, and myrtle branches were given to grooms before they deflowered their new wife. Maybe myrtle is just good for sex, no matter what gender. 

Myrtle is also used during Sokkot, which is sort of a Jewish Thanksgiving. For this holiday, a Sukkah is built of four kinds of plants, citron, palm, willow and myrtle. Then while celebrating, people are supposed to eat in this structure. Ritual and prayer are also involved.  

Myrtle has white flowers and fragrant leaves. It grows about 15' high and can make a lovely evergreen hedge. 

Oak

This is the coast live oak growing in my backyard. It started out as a sapling when we moved in, but it is huge now. It is home to many insects, which attracts birds. But this post isn't really about my tree. It is about tree magic. 

To the druids, the oak was sacred. Not much is known about the Druids, because they didn't write anything down. But they worshiped outside in groves of oaks. Trees are also home to many small magical creatures, like elves,sprites, fairies and dryads. 

When the Christians wanted to covert the Druids, they built  churches in the groves. I guess it worked, I think the Druids died out, but it seems sacrilegious to me.