MAGIC OF THE BLACKTHORN

Blackthorn, Dark Mother of the Woods is associated with the dark side of the year.
Planets: Mars, Saturn
Elements: Earth, Fire, Water
Colors: Bright Purple, White, Black, Red
Symbolism: Protection, fate, luck. The inevitability of death, strife, negativity & revenge. Resentment, confusion, refusing to see truth. Unexpected changes, transformations, militancy, misfortunes, spiritual power.

Blackthorn holds a place in the early medieval alphabet Ogham, which was used to write the early Irish language. Straif is the 14th letter of the Ogham alphabet & means Blackthorn. Straif probably also means sulphur, a substance with a long history of associations with the underworld.
It is designated one of the Eight Chieftain Trees on the Ogham Tract & is said to be the Increaser of Secrets.
Magical Use of the Blackthorn Ogham:
protection, any kind of magical protection; active protection, magic shield, for communication with the Other world, time of the old & dark moon; dark part of the year, Samhain, participates in magical rites to destroy the old, break with the old, past, with what needs to be removed from life, used in malicious magic, magic of transformations, for drawing magic signs, seals, supports during magic practices & rituals, but only if one has experience & knowledge it is not suitable for beginners.

Blackthorn represents transformation, but through the hardening of strife. Its association with death, battles & transformation can be seen in the three colours that are found in it, red, white & black : blood, spirit & death, which associate Blackthorn with the Triple Goddess & the tree is especially sacred to the Irish goddess Morrígan who oversees matters of war, death & sexuality or Scottish Goddess of Winter, Beira, associated with the waning of life, the waning year & the waning moon. At times she carried a staff of Blackthorn wood & was often accompanied by her pathfinder Crow or Raven.

Vikings revered the Blackthorn as a plant endowed with wisdom & the gift of foresight, associated with Thor, god of thunder & lightning, associated with strength, storms, hallowing & fertility.
The runes Thurisaz, power of Thor, defense, change & conflict & Stan, the rune of one's strength, skill, achievements, are dedicated to Blackthorn.

Early practitioners of witchcraft favoured the wood cut from Blackthorn, tipped with the thorns as a wand -called the blasting rod or black rod- & used it for cursing. The rod would frequently have the ancient Futhark rune Thurisaz scratched or burned into it.

 
Blackthorn tree or Sloe is a symbol for strength, overcoming adversity, purification & protection, but also considered a trickster, bad luck if crossed & is easily used as a weapon in the wrong hands. Blackthorn is one of the most powerful trees & has the most sinister reputation in Celtic tree lore. Like Hawthorn, Blackthorn is associated with Faere Folk, generally considered the fae's favorite tree, especially those that grew near the elven hills. Especially dangerous were groups of trees made of two thorn trees & an Elderberry bush.
Blackthorn is regarded as a sister of the Hawthorn. Weaving together of Blackthorn & Hawthorn illustrates the darkness & the light represented by these sister trees.
Blackthorn is a winter tree & is used in protection against evil, creating boundaries, purifying, confronting our own dark side. Blackthorn dispels negativity, toxins, old wounds & impurities. It can be used in exorcisms & to inflict strife in any direction.
Blackthorn can be used against evil outsiders & demons in the same way Garlic can be used to repel vampires. Can be grown as hedges or simply gathered & strewn about an area.
Hung over doorways or carried, Sloe wards off evil & calamity, banishes demons & negative vibrations.
Chopping down the entire Blackthorn tree will cause impossible troubles.
Since ancient times, healers believed that where the seeds of Blackthorn sprouted – the land is sacred.

Blackthorn wood has the property of accumulating any energy & converting it into life-giving & healing.
Wand can be used for protection from fire & for general protection.
The wood makes a good divining rod.
Use the dried wood, thorns & berries in a herbal incense to banish negativity & in ceremonies of purification.
Blackthorn is often used for binding & blasting. Returns evil to sender.
Anoint a few twigs of Blackthorn with oil & burn a little as incense each day at noon & midnight for 7 consecutive days to banish even the most persistent negative forces.
Add Blackthorn wood to the Yule fire to banish winter & hail the return of the Sun & the lengthening of the days.

The spikes from Blackthorn have long been used to pierce wax images or poppets, both for cursing & healing purposes.
Pop a thorn or dried berry into your charm bag for added protection from negative spirits & to attract positive powers.
Fasten a scrap of ribbon or fabric to one of the thorns as you make your wish.

Unburden yourself of secrets by taking 3 sharp thorns from the tree for each secret you wish to tell. Bind them into bundles of 3 with a little red thread. Stick each bundle into an Apple, whisper your secret & hang Apple & its secrets onto the Blackthorn tree & leave it there.

For protection place 3 Sloe thorns at each corner of your house & say:
"With these thorns that I place;
negativity, be banned from this space
Protected by the Blackthorn tree;
this spell be strong.
So be it."

Blackthorn berries can be used to make a special wine for rituals that require the help & participation of faeries.
Sloe berries from Blackthorn can be used in wart-charming. Rub the wart with a plump berry, then dispose of the fruit. Before Sloe has shrivelled up, your wart will have vanished. Alternatively, rub the wart with a small piece of raw meat & hang the meat on a Blackthorn spike for the same result.
For magical workings, stick the point of a pen into a raw Sloe berry to obtain the purple-black juice & write your charm on parchment, linen or cloth. Hang the charm on a Blackthorn spike.

Blackthorn in bloom is considered an emblem of life & death together as the flowers appear when the tree has no leaves, just black bark & thorns.
It is extremely unlucky to bring Blackthorn blossoms into the house.
A blossoming branch from this plant is believed to precipitate an illness or death in the family when brought indoors.
It is also bad luck to wear the flowers in your buttonhole.
To bring a blooming branch of Blackthorn into the house brings death on one of the relatives, or it will be a sure reason for the beginning of discord & quarrels in the family.
To use Blackthorn flower petals for magical purposes, collect them by spreading a cloth under a Blackthorn & simply gently shake the bush.

To fall asleep under Blackthorn tree is to welcome prophetic dreams from the faerie realm; but be careful, these visions always come with a thorn.

Protection Spell:
Carefully gather a few thorns from the tree.
On a piece of paper, write the name of the person or situation from which you seek protection & wrap it around the thorns.
Bury this in the ground, if possible near the tree from which the thorns were collected.