Scarlet Vamporium: Vamporium #2 (26 page)

They are not easily shattered by loss or misfortune. If there is a survivor in the tree zodiac it is the Willow person. No other tree grows with such ease. Willow cuttings grow prolifically and survive when just pushed into the ground (even upside down). This insight reveals how easy it is for a Willow person to take root. How easy it is for them to establish themselves and get their bearings. When the willow tree decides to grow it can shoot up as much as seven feet in one season.

Know that the Willow person will do the same thing when they have decided that they have found their vocation or environment which accommodates their passions. When they decide to grow they do it quickly. This insight shows how quickly a Willow person can go from mail boy to manager in a relatively short space of time. This ability comes easily and naturally to Willow people and they can come to expect it.

When things do not run as smoothly as they have come to expect they can become despondent and negative. They are accustomed to things going their way and are surprised and disgruntled when they don’t.

Willow trees use an immense amount of water. This characteristic reveals that Willow people need a lot of support. Willow people need to be given constant reassurance, encouragement, praise and acknowledgment. Without this constant emotional support the Willow person feels deprived and diminished.

However the willow tree has a suckering invasive root system. This is a warning to Willow people to be careful of draining the people around them excessively. It reveals that Willow people can do damage to relationships with their ever increasing need of emotional support. Willow trees have a reputation of damaging underground pipe systems with their roots.

Luckily though willow trees only grow where there is a constant water source around lakes, swamps and rivers. Most Willow people will be aware that their need for emotional nourishment will be provided to them primarily by their family.

Willow trees are most commonly known as weeping willows although not all of the salix species have this characteristic. The willow tree gently droops until it has its branches and leaves touching the water.

Water is commonly used as a metaphor for emotions. It is this characteristic of the willow tree that is revealed in Willow people. Just as the water beneath their branches reflects their image back to them, so too are Willow people deeply reflective in nature. These people are like the water they surround themselves with, moody.

Willow people can be vain because they are drawn to their own reflection, mirroring their trees environment. Just as the willow tree will grow in any kind of fresh water, so too will the Willow person survive everything that life throws at them. They may get moody and deeply reflective, but the Willow person will thrive as long as they have emotional (water) support. It does not matter if the water around them is murky (hardship) or clear (favorable), or for that matter, in flood.

However Willow people are much like their botanical namesake in masking their humor and varied interests. The willow tree has an understated bark of green / gray. But the underside of the bark is colorful ranging in colors between rusty red to yellow.

There is a colorful side to the Willow personality yet they don’t openly display it. It is this side of the Willow person that has them making and keeping friends. Once you know that aspect of the Willow person, you look forward to them revealing it again.

The bark of the willow tree contains salicin which is the main ingredient in the manufacture of aspirin. This aspect of the willow tree sees Willow people having a natural gift of knowing how to calm and soothe their friends and family, especially if they are in bed convalescing. Although in the negative, this aspect can see many Willow people feeling the need for sedation.

If the Willow person does not have the emotional support they require, they can feel compelled to “medicate” their emotional instability away. This includes any type of numbing drug, prescribed or otherwise. This is an aspect that Willow people need to be aware of and are warned to be prudent.

The willow tree is ingenious when it comes to seed dispersal. It waits until the spring rains are over before dropping its seeds, otherwise the seeds may be buried underneath soil deposits caused by flooding. Similarly the Willow person knows exactly when to say or do something with the maximum effect. It is this aspect to the Willow nature that creates the reputation of drama queen. They can maximize all words to have either the most profound effect, or the most cutting results. This can sometimes be a surprise to those around the Willow person, because true to their small, shiny leafed nature, the Willow person gives very little away.

Interestingly the willow tree is also monoecious, allowing the Willow person to be independent. This circumstance can be difficult for the Willow person who craves emotional support, yet keeps everyone at arm's length because they are too independent to want to answer to another. As difficult as it is for the Willow person, it’s downright confusing for the people they turn to for support.

As unsplintering as the wood of the willow tree is, the branches are weak at the point where they join the trunk. These branches are brittle at the base. This results in many branches being blown or broken off the willow tree in severe storms or icy conditions. Thus if a Willow person has had a traumatic experience it can leave them feeling broken in the same way. The tree will survive, just not whole.

This aspect carries over to the Willow person. They can feel as though they have lost a limb when severely traumatized. Yet like the person who truly has lost a limb, the Willow person will always feel where the limb was and sometimes the twitching reported of lost limbs can occur. It is this aspect of the Willow person that pertains to good memory.

The Willow person can never forget what they have lived through or lost. The presence of the “lost limb” is constantly felt and the ache can have the deeply reflective Willow person left hurting forever.

It is difficult for the Willow person to “get over it”.

Uath / Hawthorn

May 13 - June 09

The hawthorn tree is best known for its prolific colorful flowering in the month of may. Hawthorn people are colorful and outgoing. The showy display of hawthorn flowers allows Hawthorn people to be naturally drawn to careers where they are in the public eye. These people love attention.

Although Hawthorn people are lovely to look at they have a darker side. Unfortunately hawthorn flowers do not have a lovely fragrance. The flowers of this tree have the aroma of rotting flesh. So although Hawthorn people are outgoing and attractive, they can be mean spirited and selfish. The positive aspect of the flowers is that they turn into berries. Again very colorful and prolific. The healing properties of these berries is numerous. Thus revealing that the mature Hawthorn person can be loving and considerate. These berries have been used to make both wine and jellies. This reveals that the Hawthorn person can be both nurturing and sociable.

Hawthorn wood is incredibly hard and even the roots are hard enough to use as fuel. This makes hawthorn wood excellent for use in forges and is known as the hottest burning wood. So be warned! If moved to anger the Hawthorn person will scorch you. Seriously, when the Hawthorn person burns you, you shall bare the scars forever. The hardness of the wood reveals that it is hard to diminish the Hawthorn spirit. The hardships of life leave little impression on these people. They are totally secure in who they are and nothing said or done will change that perception.

The hawthorn tree is very hardy making them excellent foliage for exposed sites. This was seen in the use of hawthorns in hedges that divided properties. They also grow well in windy coastal regions. Similarly the Hawthorn person cannot be blown away by life’s trials and tribulations. Even when isolated they will thrive. Thus Hawthorn people adapt easily to a variety of conditions and circumstances.

However the vigilant usage of the hawthorn in Celtic and medieval times as a form of division reveals a characteristic of the Hawthorn nature. These people see everything as black or white. You are either with them or against them. This aspect of their nature can cause many minor divisions inside their circle of friends and within the family. In nature hawthorn trees are most often found alone.

They do not generate forests or grow in close proximity to other trees, although they can be found in these settings when planted by birds or people. This gives another insight into Hawthorn people. They can be loners or have had a period in their lives when they felt isolated and alone. However Hawthorn people need to entertain the idea that sometimes this isolation is self inflicted.

In regards to health, the Hawthorn person can be plagued by many different illnesses. Their outgoing, sociable behaviour often leaves them tired and weak. This opens them up to all manner of illnesses especially those related to mucous and bacteria. Similarly the hawthorn tree in nature is plagued after flowering by everything from aphids and caterpillars to mildew.

However the hawthorn tree is only pollinated by flies due to its unique fragrance (which repels bees). Similarly Hawthorn people often land up with unsavory partners. If there is a bad boy out there the Hawthorn will find him and want his children. This generally isn’t a recipe for eternal bliss and so the Hawthorn person can have many relationships throughout their lifetime while they search for Mr / Mrs right. This sentiment stays true for the young Hawthorn person too, often running in the “bad” crowd and getting into all sorts of trouble.

Hawthorn trees have white bark which gains us insight into the Hawthorn person. Like the brightness of their bark Hawthorn people are intelligent and bright. This can also refer to quick wit and mental agility.

The showy display of flowers that the hawthorn tree puts on every year reveals that Hawthorn people can be showy. When times are good they may be prone to brag about it. Similarly they can enjoy surrounding themselves with displays of wealth even when this is not necessarily the case.

The hawthorn tree puts on a colorful display for most of the year. Likewise Hawthorn people can have active lives and maintain their attractive appearance well into old age.

Duir / Oak

June 10 - July 07

Oak trees are known for their slow gradual growth. Because these trees live for so long and grow so large they cannot hurry the growing process. There are oak trees recorded measuring ninety feet wide. Like their botanical counterpart oak people cannot be rushed. These people like to take their time in everything that they do because whatever they do they intend to do it to the best of their ability. They could be considered perfectionists.

Some oak trees have been estimated to be up to the age of two thousand years old. However once an oak tree has celebrated its century birthday it grows less than half an inch a year. This insight reveals that Oak people are the “rocks” to the people around them. When an Oak person changes they do it so gradually that no one around them notices. They remain unchanging in character and constant in their interests.

Having an Oak person in your life can be very calming. Like their botanical namesake Oak people grow slowly. This isn’t physical growth, instead it is the slow process of working themselves up to the top of the corporate ladder. In their chosen fields they are constantly and gradually bettering themselves, acquiring more and more knowledge until they are considered to be one of the most accomplished. Oak people are more than happy to gain recognition this way. Because they are so unassuming they are both admired and revered by the people that they work with. Oak people will ensure that when they say anything at all, it is absolutely accurate, informed and purposeful. We could compare the Oak approach to the tale of the tortoise and the hare. Oak people are like the tortoise. They will take their time, remain focused and will eventually win every race that they enter.

Similar to their botanical twin many Oak people are tall. Even though they may stand head and shoulders above other people, their unassuming manner never draws attention to them. From their height advantage they can observe and learn from the people and circumstances around them. However because an Oak person never opens their mouth unless they have something informative and worthwhile to say, they can go unnoticed in social situations and gatherings. This does not bother the Oak person at all, because these people are incredibly humble and would prefer to go unnoticed.

The oak tree has a dense, even grain which is honey in color. This timber has been valued for thousands of years for its durability, elasticity and hardness. The light even grain of the oak timber reveals the mild manner and even temperament of Oak people. Oak people never seem ruffled or harassed. Even when they are experiencing these emotions it cannot be detected by an observer. The even grain of their wood seldom sees an Oak person raise their voice. It is totally against their nature to create drama or have a yelling match although as with all signs there can be exceptions.

Because the oak tree grows so slowly its timber is solid in every sense of the word. This makes Oak people solid in nature. They inherently know that they shall endure unscathed by life. Similarly the nature of this grain reveals that with Oak people “what you see is what you get”.

The uses of oak timber have seen it change our world. Many ships were built out of oak timber and Lord Nelson even requested of the crown that more oak forests be planted for this purpose. The ships built out of oak were so superior to others built in the same period that Philip of Spain ordered his men to burn and fell these trees wherever they saw them in a bid to conquer through sabotage. Similarly Oak people can be visionaries and pioneers. They make good inventors and mechanical designers. Through their own insights and inspirations they will change our world for the better.

Another pioneering aspect of the oak tree is the galls that grow on it. From the normal oak tree we obtain black ink from its galls. From the turkey oak we obtain red ink. Without this discovery writing, scribing and the recording of history might not have been possible. Thanks to the oak tree we have clear communication which can at a later date be referenced. Thus Oak people have a clear manner of communicating and are always searching for better, easier modes of communication. Similarly technologically versed Oak people have ease in understanding coded communication such as the type used on the internet. HTML code makes perfect sense to the Oak person. Likewise they understand and can communicate using the universal language of mathematics. I am confident in assuming that most code breakers or code developers would have been Oak people.