January 24–February 20
Fourth Lunation, February
Ogham: Saille (sahl yeh), S: 
Keywords: The feminine principle, cooperation, fertility, intuition, the moon and her cycles, water, emotion, creativity, community, shared power, women’s issues and themes
Totems: Bee, dove
Guides and Deities: Brigid/Brigit, the maiden aspect of the Goddess
Practical Guidance: Listen to your dreams, intuition, and imagination. Create.
Saille/Willow Month Ceremony
Holiday
Imbolc is February 1.
Purpose
To celebrate the portal of the Willow and honor Brigid. To focus on healing, creativity, and our power to manifest through our intentions.
Preparation
Make copies of the principles of manifestation from Appendix A and your personal tree of manifestation (included here at the end of the ceremony). Have colored pens or pencils available.
Greetings and Welcome
Welcome to the Willow month ceremony. Introduce yourself and go around the circle having each participant share their name and why they came to the circle. Have them close their eyes and share a moment of silence to prepare for the ceremony. You can use a Willow branch for a talking stick.
Call the Directions
Call in Willow tree energy (the feminine principle, creativity, cooperation, healing of the feminine) and the totems, guides, and deities of Willow (bee and dove). Call in the energy of Brigid, the maiden aspect of the Goddess, with her love of creativity and inspiration. Have the participants call in the divine feminine in the names they are comfortable with, aloud or silently.
Teachings
Share about the Willow tree for the month of February. Willow represents lunar rhythms; the bleeding cycle and the blood mysteries; “night vision,” better known as our intuitive giftedness; and the female collective. Willow helps us to manifest our heart’s desires. She is the muse for all creative acts. She is our inspiration. The celebration of Imbolc/Candlemas and Brigid/Brigit falls within the Willow month. The Goddess Brigid represents the crescent moon phase of beginnings. She is the spark and beginning of the growing seed beneath the ground. We honor the magic of that seed igniting into growth after the winter’s rest. We too are ignited with this magic as our deepest heartfelt desires and wishes begin to grow. Brigid is all about creativity and inspiration. The dove and the bees as the totems of Willow represent our ability to work together in community. We are encouraged to create sweetness like the bees and peace like the dove in everything that we create together.
Sing
Sing songs and drum together. Choose songs that honor women, the earth, and the trees. We especially honor the maiden aspect of the Goddess.
Chant
What is the teaching of the Willow? Peace.
Our sweetness comes from sharing.
Behold! The magic spark of life returns.
And we are happy to build community.
We seek inspiration from the feminine.
What is the teaching of the Willow? Create beauty.
Sing
Choose songs that honor the maiden aspect of the Goddess. Remember you can always play music for your group if you are not comfortable singing. On the other hand, drumming and creating songs or chants on your own is great fun.
Guided Meditation
Sit quietly and take some deep breaths. Go to your heart center and breathe into this place. Allow all that has transpired in your day to fall away. Simply become your breath and feed your heart flame. Watch it grow and allow that warmth to spread out to every part of your body. Let your busy mind quiet through the softness of your breath and the quiet of the room. Take some time with this …
Imagine yourself in a meadow. Just in the distance you see the most magnificent Willow tree. Notice her long, slender leaves and the way her branches bend to the ground. Her trunk is strong and sturdy although it is hard to even see her trunk through her amazing foliage. She is large, and her expansive branches provide a huge umbrella of protection from wind, storm, or too much sun. She is nurturing and present to you. Feel her beckon you to her.
Move toward her and duck under her leaves and branches to go to her trunk and touch her. Does she respond back? Take a moment to feel this communication … Thank her for her majesty. Acknowledge the breath she provides you. Look up and see the sky through her branches. Look down and see the magnitude of her root system. In your mind’s eye, find a comfortable place at the base of this tree where you can sit as you journey with Willow. Sit with her energy for a time. Rest here in her healing presence. (Long pause)
Now you feel a beckoning coming from beyond the tree. Give your gratitude to your Willow tree, and as you walk out from beneath her umbrella of leaves, see a figure walking toward you. She is Brigid. Take a moment to see how she comes to you. Notice what she is wearing and what she looks like as she comes right up and greets you with her youthful smile. (Pause)
Brigid holds the secrets of the feminine principle. She is the keeper of the moon and lunar rhythms and all cyclical patterns. She holds the magic of fertility and procreation and she holds the secrets of the blood mysteries. She upholds the dignity of the feminine and she understands the incredible magic of giving birth, whether it be a child or a creative pursuit or project. She protects, nurtures, and mothers. She knows your pain and she is aware of the long history on our planet of assailing the feminine principle. She knows what we seek healing for.
She represents the blessing of intuition and emotion. She loves all the water of the planet, be it the rivers, streams, lakes, oceans, the rain, or your tears. She has much to teach about cooperation rather than competition. She offers us a positive image of female fertility and power and the collective. She is the spark of creativity and she is the muse for all creative endeavors.
Look at Brigid eye to eye and give her your gratitude. Take a moment to embrace the gifts of Brigid and honor her feminine light. Are you willing to perceive yourself as a woman or man in this same sacred light? Are you willing to promise this goddess and her tree, the Willow, that you will always treat them, as well as yourself, with esteem? Let them know. (Pause)
As you stand with Brigid, listen and sense, or simply imagine and come into communication with her. She has courage and energy to share with you. Let her offer her healing energy to you. Listen to her message. (Long pause)
She wants you to embrace your own creativity and she encourages you to contemplate the power of your ability to manifest. Brigid reminds you of the magic of that spark that ignites all beginnings. She wants you to listen to your own inner voice and your nighttime dreams. She encourages you to go deep and take seriously your heartfelt desires. She invites you to write poems, listen to music, and do creative things. She asks you to use your tools of divination. Listen and receive from her. What does she say to you about what you truly desire? (Pause)
She says that these are the times when the creative spirit of humans and nature can work together for healing on the planet and it will come from the people when they stand up together and know they are powerful creators of their own lives. She says that you are sacred; she says that she is sacred. From that sacred knowing you can transform your world and it starts with you. Spend a few minutes with Brigid talking about what it is you wish to create. (Pause) She sends you her bees to remind you to make honey, and she sends you her dove to remind you to create peace.
Stay with your Brigid for a few minutes and thank her for her many gifts. Promise her that you will honor her and that you will honor yourself. When you have finished it is time to say goodbye. Stand firmly in your own feminine light (whether you are a man or woman) and honor the place in the cycle of life that you are. If you are a man, honor the women in your life and your own feminine side.
Sharing
Very gently, come back to this time and this space. You can return to this Willow and to Brigid anytime you like, because they live inside of you. Pass the Willow branch around and share a brief account of the journeys.
Activity: Manifestation
In the spirit of Brigid’s encouragement, pass out copies of the principles of manifestation (Appendix A of this book) and go through them.
State: “It is important to know that your desire is already yours, and to give gratitude as if you have already received your manifestation. It is important to feel the emotion of receiving. Thought, word, and emotion are important. Intention is everything.”
Make copies of page 59 or recreate the page yourself, giving each person a paper that has these words written at the top: “Your Personal Willow Tree of Manifestation: I am grateful for and gladly receive my good. I am so grateful for already receiving my heart’s desire, which is …”
The bottom half of the paper should have a large circle drawn upon it. Have colored pens or pencils available.
Ask them to draw a Willow tree within the circle as best they can without any judgment about being an artist. And then have them write on the paper a desire they want to bring into manifestation. Have them take a moment to really experience the feelings of already having what they desire and then feeling the emotion of wonder and gratitude.
Then go around and have everyone share their drawing and their desires. When finished going around the circle, each person should use their image of this tree to hold and support that which they choose to create.
Stand together, holding your papers to your hearts.
Read
Together we invite our tree helper and Brigid to infuse this work with their powerful and supportive energy. We are creating together. We are manifesting together. We are healing together. We are witnessing the sacred. We are witnessing together the healing power of trees. We are calling forth the creative power of Brigid in all her bright wisdom and creativity. We call forth the peace of the dove and the able cooperation of the bee that knows how to work within community for the good of all. We are transforming the world through our heartfelt dreams and desires. And for the highest good of all, we manifest this or better. If it harms none, so be it. Blessed be.
Sing
Choose ending songs that embrace the maiden aspect of the Goddess or choose “May the Circle Be Open,” “Merry Meet,” or “We Are a Circle.”
Chant
She is the crescent moon. She is our own lovely daughter.
She is the seed of our creativity. She lights the candle at Imbolc.
She is our inspiration. She is our beloved Goddess Brigid.
Ending
Thank the seen and unseen helpers, Brigid, the spirit energy of the Willow tree, the bees, and the dove. Give thanks to each participant for their participation. In closing, ask each participant to look at trees as sacred, to take the time to slow down and feel the trees’ energies, to develop a dialogue with them, and to understand their immense love and life-giving benefits for their human companions. Release the directions and open the circle.
Your Personal Tree of Manifestation
I am grateful for and gladly receive my good. I am so grateful for already receiving my heart’s desire, which is …
A Willow Story: Give the Universe a Little Time
In February of 2003 I was preparing a workshop I was to do for the Women of Wisdom Conference in Seattle. This was a wonderful yearly conference that lasted a week and brought in famous female spiritual leaders as well as local presenters to teach about women’s spirituality. My workshop was entitled The Healing Power of Trees and I was focusing on Willow tree energy.
Weeks before the conference I began searching for a Willow tree, but I just couldn’t find one. As the days passed I was still unable to locate a Willow. Finally, on the day before the workshop, as I was driving home from work, I remembered one of the principles of manifestation that I had learned. If what you are doing isn’t working, try its opposite. “Oh, stop looking!” I thought to myself, “I’ll just give the universe a little time to consider my need.”
Then, right on the next block, lo and behold, I spied a gigantic Willow tree. “Wow!” I thought to myself. I stopped the car, got out, and asked the tree if I might have a few of her branches to use in my ceremony. She allowed this. And then as I looked down the street I saw another Willow. As I gathered some branches I noticed how long, graceful, and supple they were. I took a moment to contemplate what it means to be graceful, supple, and flexible. I gave my gratitude.
I used one of the branches in my workshop as our talking stick, and some thirty-five women held her power in their hands. She provided her gentle healing to all of us as we placed the remaining branches at the center of our altar in a beautiful vase.
I kept these branches in water at my home for quite some time afterward, and I watched them bud and sprout forth in the spring. Willow has never been the same for me since inviting her energy in to help teach about the healing power of trees. Whenever I see Willow I feel blessed and am reminded to honor the feminine principle and my own female light. She is such an incredible healing force. Now I find Willow trees everywhere!
When you begin to work with a specific kind of tree you will open to new teaching and new experiences. See if you can find a Willow tree to build a relationship with. Spend time with this tree. Gather her branches and leaves and pods. Although she is an incredible healer for any distresses and challenges that relate to women, she also offers healing for our grief and loss. Here is list of themes that this lovely tree will assist you with:
• Loneliness and depression
• Grief caused by change
• Grief after losing a loved one or a pet
• Abandonment, separation, or divorce
• Menstrual challenges
• Miscarriage, death of a child, abortion, or giving up a child for adoption
• Grief of not being able to have a child
• Issues of abuse and violence
• Injustice
There is so much to be healed under the umbrella of Willow’s protection. If you are suffering with one of these issues, sit with Willow and ask for her healing. She is a balm for our pain. You can breathe in her mothering unconditional love and protection. She also directs us to work in groups or to create support circles. She reminds us that connection with others is another important aspect of healing and moving through our pain, trauma, and isolation.
She also is a muse. What are you excited to create? The energy of this tree and her guide Brigid will infuse you with inspiration and enthusiasm if you but ask. Make a list of what you want to create with colored pencils and invite in the energy of Willow to support you to bring these into manifestation. Place your list on your mirror or close at hand. Review the principles of manifestation and use them regularly. Above all, remember that your attention is your coin, your payment for entrance into this work with the spirits of the trees. The more time you spend with the energy of Willow, the more she will offer you.