Yew

The eighth sacred tree is the yew with the berries used for magical purposes as well as straight rods made from the wood. The tree is a drooping evergreen which has poisonous berries and bark, which has a dark brown hue. It is widely cultivated for its fine-grained lumber, which has a light color with a warm brown hue.

Yew is the tree of death, decay and weapons.

Taxus baccata

Yew is associated with the letter Idho of the Ogham alphabet. Yew corresponds to Group VIIIB? on the Periodic Table (the eighth column). This means that it relates to Synnecrotic Conflict, the eco-relation (-,-), and the vocabulary of the previous balance. Yew is also associated with osmium? and a developmental number of 76. It is the first of the three trees which correspond to minor crises. The other two are hawthorn and willow.

The minor crisis precipitated at the level of yew is the totalitarian impulse, whose resolution requires the internal concept of freedom or other values which have to be seen for their own worth. The yew requires a commitment to such values, but no questions are yet asked about whether they are advocated openly or allowed for others.

The magicks associated with yew are based on decay:

• preservation spells
• death spells
• weapon spells

These magicks derive from the importance of decay for recycling old matter into a new form.

See also Synnecrotic Conflict, Holy Grove, Group VIIIB?, Woods and Wendings, and Idho.

— Scotus - 16 Jun 2001