Elder lore - from a different perspective

"If verdant elder spreads
Her silver flowers; if humble daisies yield
To yellow crowfoot and luxuriant grass,
Gay shearing-time approaches."
DYER

following on from trying to bring folk lore into my very own life, I have decided to forego posting most of the celtic tree lore that belongs to the Northern Hemisphere... here is a great link if you would like to read more: ELDER
although I have Celtic heritage from way back when, probably even back to the Spaniards, living here in Australia, the tree lore doesn't really relate much to my life. However, I still absolutely love folk lore, it is part of my soul heritage so I am going to do my very own take on the monthly celtic tree calendar.. the calendar will run the same as the Northern Hemisphere, i just want to post about how I can bring the folk lore into my home & life here. I tried to work out what our equivalent calendar would be by reversing it but it was all just too hard and I became even more confused than I already am....it could be hawthorn for me now but I don't have any of that here so.. I will stick to Elder (are you confused yet?) - at least I can work out the solstice trees for me.. not that we have many of the Northern hemisphere trees growing here anyway... *sigh*
Leanne from Somerset Seasons does a wonderful job posting folk lore for the different trees... here is her post on The Elder ELDER tree

Elder is the Lady's tree burn it not or cursed you'll be.

ELDER. It seems to be a member of the Sambuccus family... I wonder if this is where the drink Sambucca comes from and is Elderberry wine made from this ?.... I only know of elderberry wine because I grew up with Elton John in my later teenage years.. while I was hoppin' & boppin' to the crocodile rock....
All parts of the tree - bark, leaves, flowers and berries - have long enjoyed a high reputation in domestic medicine. From the days of Hippocrates, it has been famous for its medicinal properties. The bark can be used fresh for headaches or can be dried and powdered and used in small doses as a diuretic. The leaves and flowers can be made into drinks, poultices and salves and Elderberry flower water is useful for soothing sunburns. Washing her face in dew gathered from elderflowers was believed to enhance and preserve a woman's youthful beauty. The Romans made use of Elderberry juice as a hair-dye, and Culpepper tells us that 'the hair of the head washed with the berries boiled in wine is made black.'
The berries are safe to eat when eaten ripe, and they can be used to make wines, jams and teas.
If I had an Elder tree growing, I would love to make some tea and the Elderberry flower water would come in handy at this time of year with the inevitable sunburn that we all get at some stage of forgetting to slip, slop, slap.
I guess I could also set an altar up to honour the wisdom of the Elder tree for this celtic month..Nov 25 - Dec 23 , except that pretty much runs into summer solstice and then the dreaded christmas... so I think I will set up a little altar for a week or so, because I truly do want to honour this part of my soul heritage... The Elder is associated with the element of air, so I could perhaps use a feather to represent this element along with the gemstone dark green Malachite which is the appropriate gemstone. The bird associated with the month of Elder is the rook. We don't have rooks.. well I don't think we do but they do remind me of Daisy.. she had them near her, I think.
Elder is also called the "witch's tree" and certainly the village hedge-witch would have used the elder in healing and Magick. I guess I had one growing near me back when I lived in that past life.... these days, I don't heal with things like this... a smile and a cup of tea is healing, or even a kind word. Plus, if i tried to heal with Elder, I would have to take out insurance and go and study to get a certificate in herbalism.. inner wisdom doesn't count for much in this modern world of law suits and such...
The month of Elder includes the Winter Solstice, which is celebrated as the Sabbat of Yule, a day to mark the return of the Sun. see? definitely doesn't fit down here... our Sun returned awhile ago back in June...
The Elder has strong protective qualities. Tiny twigs of Elder or dried Elderberry can be worn in a bag around the neck as a charm for protection against physical or psychic attack. *I usually white light myself these days.. and ask the Angels to protect me* As a protection against evil Elder branches were hung in doorways of houses and cowsheds. *I like this idea, if I can find some, I am going to make myself a little twiggy thing to hang over my door and also one for my chook pen.* Elder can be used to bless a person, place or thing by scattering leaves and berries to the four directions, and over the thing or person being blessed. The wine made from the berries was considered the last sacred gift of the Earth Goddess, and was valued and drunk ritually to invoke prophecy, divination and hallucinations (I guess it is like red wine)

Standing under an elder tree at Midsummer, like standing in a Fairy Ring of mushrooms, will help you see the "little people ~ I just have to find some Elder... but I am sure if I stood under wise old eucalypt or even the coachwood at the Witches Leap, I would see the faeries...