Rowan is one of the trees considered sacred by ancient druids and has also been held supreme by many a witch over the years.
I once felt rowan wood’s dominance as the witches’ wood undeserved, and its power greatly overrated. And … well, I felt modern use of rowan was simply trendy. Oops! My bad! Eventually, I understood rowan’s many benefits, and why it deserves its prestige. I’ll address two of its traits here.
But first, two photos, so that you get to actually see the gorgeous wood of the tree under discussion:
Rowan protects from evil magic. That’s commonly known but, duh, Francesca, so important for witches because they are constantly in the realm of magical doings! Plus … drumroll … I intuit rowan fosters the ability to spot evil magic.
Why the drumroll? Ability to spot negative mojo and protect oneself from it is pivotal to me because I’ve repeatedly seen great suffering for witches who either didn’t realize the prevalence of nasty magic or recognize it when it manifested in their own life. I suffered myself until I learned to spot it more consistently and protect myself from it more effectively. Sadly, I’ve learned that discernment regarding evil magic and protection from it need more attention than some Pagans realize.
As an example, my warnings of negative Fey and their human agents tend to be ignored or minimized. I have repeatedly experienced, after explaining the prevalence of Unseelie (Unseelie is the term for evil Faeries) and other negative spirits, someone not quite hearing me. They respond that they are sophisticated and insightful—or quite intuitive and experienced magically—so not easily duped. Fact is, they’re no one’s fool, but they don’t understand how easily mal-intended magic can slip past even a consummate psychic unrecognized. Or they’ll understand my warning in one context, but not in others.
I am sophisticated, I am intuitive, I was raised in a family tradition of witchcraft. I nevertheless fell prey to evil magicians before I learned better.
Overconfidence isn’t the only reason some Pagans don’t realize they might need help spotting negative energy. To continue using my example of negative Fey, a person might not know the Unseelie weave a glamour to hide their true nature. Another person might not be able to admit when someone’s deeds are thoroughly and consistently evil; such a reality can be just too much to bear. Yet another person might not understand the magical realm is, like the mundane world, a constant weave of good and bad; so during the day it can be hard to notice all the evil threads the Unseelie weave into the fabric of the enchanted world that day.
The list of reasons go on and on, but I’ll stop here. My point is that the ability to recognize evil magic is not as easy as most magical practitioners believe, and far more important than most magical practitioners think.
Sidebar: Unseelie are highly invested in distracting us from our true selves, including our true Feyness, go to great lengths to create such distractions, and are quite skilled at it. They and other negative spirits with whom they keep company will lead a person on a wild goose chase for decades, convincing that seeker they’re traveling a rare path to power, while in fact they are on the road to complete self-destruction. That’s only one example of the harm Unseelie cause.
Ask the Faerie Queen, also know as the Seelie Queen, to protect you from Unseelie. And wear rowan. End of sidebar.
Rowan gives good witches an edge, fostering the discernment to spot evil magic of humans and of otherworldly beings, and providing protection against it. Rowan even helps you spot when a person is harried by a negative entity.
A few ways to bring rowan’s enchantment into your life: wear a piece of rowan as a pendant, tuck a piece into your pocket, put rowan on your altar, or hang it in your home.
Dear reader, I make one-of-a-kind wood talisman sets, available exclusively to my newsletter subscribers. Crafting amulets only for folks traveling alongside me feels true to who I am. If you don’t subscribe yet, click here for a free subscription: https://www.outlawbunny.com/newsletter/.
Please note: The person from whom I acquire most of the amazing wood I use is no longer a supplier. Despite months of searching, I haven’t found other sources for the diversity and quality of wood I require. So I don’t know how long I’ll continue crafting wood talisman sets. Also, making wooden talismans is part of a quest I’m on. I don’t know if I’ll continue to craft these pieces when the quest ends. Before the quest, I made few wood charms, only now and then.
