MAGIC OF THE ELDER TREE

Elder tree can be used to make wands & flutes to summon spirits.
Elder twigs woven into head-dresses can enable the wearer to see spirits & undo evil spells.
To have an elder tree growing near the house is a sign of prosperity.
It is unlucky to burn the elderwood.
No furniture should ever be made of elder, especially no cradle, for some harm will certainly befall the child sleeping in it.
To tamper with an elder tree after the dark is bad luck, because witches love to lurk under it.
When the elder is cut, it bleeds, weeps & begins to speak. Therefore it is thought that within it is imprisoned a living soul.

In Germany & England it is thought to be unlucky to bring the wood into a house as this would bring ghosts or devils into the home & the wood is rarely used for practical applications.
The most auspicious time to encounter fairies in medieval times was held to be on Midsummer's Eve under an elderflower bush, where it was believed that the Fairy King & Queen, together with their retinue, could be seen passing.
To this day, on the Isle of Man, every cottage has an elder growing outside its front door to ward off witches.
It is believed, however, that witches like to turn themselves into elder trees, perhaps because of the knobbly & gnarled bark.
In Shropshire, it was said that someone in the family would die if you burnt elder wood on the fire.
In Scotland the wood was hung above doors & windows to guard against evil spirits. Also it was said the elder grew only where blood had been spilled - which, given that country's history, explains why it grows almost everywhere.
In Sweden,expectant mothers kiss the elder tree for good fortune in the coming issue.
As Hel was revered, among other things, as goddess of death, the Elder played an important role in death cults. Elder wood was used to make crosses for graves, the dead were laid out on Elder branches & Elder tea was drunk during the wake.
In the Tyrol, Elder branches are still put on graves today. If the branches sprout this is considered a sign that the dead person has been welcomed into the realm of the dead.
The wood was said to reveal sorcerers & witches in an area if burned on a particular date.
Christmas Eve in North America & St John’s Eve in other locations.

Elder tree with so many good spirits have healing powers.
People bury objects such as items of clothing or milk teeth in its shade to protect the owner from evil spells & disease & spells are used to try to divert an illness from a sick person into the Elder bush.
Wear a piece of Elder wood close to the body to ward off illness.
Before picking leaves or flowers, ask the shrub's permission to as not to anger it & make it lose its healing powers.
*A bit of green wood of elder, carried in the pocket will cure rheumatism.
Another remedy against rheumatism comes in the form of a charm or amulet, which is made by tying several knots into a young Elder-twig that have to be carried close to the body.
*Elder twigs were also believed to cure warts. For this purpose the wart was rubbed with a freshly cut twig, which thereafter had to be buried in mud & left to rot.
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*Chew an elder twig & then stick it in the wall, saying:"Depart, you evil spirit," & it will cure your toothache.
*Take 3 spoons from a sick person's bath-water & pour it onto the roots of the elder tree. Many illnesses, from epilepsy to pneumonia could be cured this way.
*To cure an epilepsy the sufferer have to go & lie down under the Elder tree upon the first attack.
*For pneumonia the person should lie face down under the Elder-tree, with out stretched arms. Another person should measure him from one hand to the other & from head to toe with a piece of string. The string is then hung on the tree & when it is rotten away, the pneumonia is cured.

Take an elder twig & knot it thrice. Enchant it by visualization & spoken spell & then carry it in your pocket.
Elder Tree is guarded by a female spirit & it is unlucky to bring the wood into the house.
If you want to use the wood you have to ask permission from the supposed spirit living in the tree.

Dream of Elder is deemed to be an omen of sickness.