Cedar

Often referred to as arborvitae - ‘Tree of Life’ in Latin. Cedar has been used for healing, purification, and spiritual protection for thousands of years. Cedar drives out negative energy and brings in good influences. When burned, Cedar acts as a purifier, cleansing the area in which it is burned and emitting a pleasant scent. It’s one of the four sacred medicines for the North American indigenous people, the other three being sweetgrass, sage, and tobacco.

Cedar is the main purification herb used at the Lakota sun dance ritual. In sweat lodges, Cedar was offered to the fire to smudge the whole area as well as the people, and cedar branches are used to cover the floors inside. It is believed to aid clairvoyance, revive the tired mind, body, and spirit, and ward away sickness.

Wood from the Cedar tree is associated with longevity and protection, it’s regularly used in charms to enhance these desires. Cedar can be used externally to make oils and ointments for sore muscles, chest congestion and colds. When it’s mixed with sage for tea, it cleans the body of all infections. For a cleansing and stimulating magickal bath, place cedar needles in a loose-woven bag and run bath water over it.