As a child, I collected loads and loads of acorns. I put them in jars and let them sit on my little shrine in the woods. There is something about the little brown or green seeds that fall from the marvelous Oak tree that truly captivates us, especially in childhood. And, of course if you’re a witch or druid, you might still be drawn to work some acorn magic in the Fall (or whenever the acorns fall from your local oak trees). In this witches cabinet article, we discover the true power of the oak tree and why the Druids and witches of the past found it so sacred. And we learn how to use acorn magic in our daily and seasonal rituals.
First, What is the Oak Tree?
Have you ever sat under an oak tree and just stared up into its branches? Have you hugged its massive trunk, collected its leaves and acorns, and listened to its whispers? I have! And I’m here to tell you, the Oak Tree is the King of the Forest, IMO. A little scientific information on our friend the Oak…
The Oak (Scientific name Quercus) is a tree in the Beech family. There are at least five hundred species of Oak that grow naturally across the Northern Hemisphere. The most species of Oak are found in North America – in Mexico and the United States. China also boasts a large variety of Oaks with nearly one hundred different species. The Oak Tree is monoecious, meaning it has both male and female sexual parts in order to pollinate and procreate. The fruit of the Oak is none other than the magical acorn, which contains one (sometimes two or three) seeds. The acorn takes up to a year and a half to fully mature! Live oaks are considered evergreen. Oak fossils have been discovered and may date to nearly fifty five million years ago!
The Druids and the Wise Oak
Contrary to popular belief, Druids were a specific class of Celtic priesthood that lasted a few centuries…not thousands of years. Which, in my opinion, doesn’t make them any less powerful…but possibly moreso. Otherwise, how would we know of their existence if they didn’t make a substantial mark on the annals of time? But why am I bringing the Druids up in this post? What do they have to do with the Oak tree and acorn magic? EVERYTHING.
The term Druid is believed to be derived from the word doire which means Oak tree and also wisdom. Therefore, the class of powerful priests and priestesses of ancient Celtic times is not only linked to the Oak tree, but their wisdom is too. Another similar word to take note of is the Greek word for tree spirits – dryad. Sounds and looks an awful lot like Druid, doesn’t it? The words doire, duir, and door also show some resemblance…does this mean the Druids believed the Oak tree might have been a DOOR to the Otherworld?
In addition, there is an early Medieval alphabet called Ogham that some believe is based on a script used by the ancient Druids. This script, made up of single and multiple slash marks, corresponds to the Celts’ sacred trees and plants. And one, of course, is based on the Oak tree. It is the seventh letter in the Ogham, called Duir or Dair, and when used as a means of divination means wisdom and strength.
Oak and Acorn Magic Properties
We will present Oak magical properties here as being the same as acorn magic properties, since the acorn comes from the Oak.
- Wisdom
- Strength
- A door to the Otherworld
- Divination
- Prosperity
- Fertility
- Purification
- Healing and health
- Protection
- Vitality
- Authority / leadership
- Friendship, sisterhood, and brotherhood
How to Use Oak and Acorns in Your Magical Practice
Now that we know how magical the oak tree and acorns truly are, how do we use them in our witchcraft practice? There are SO many ways! Here are a few of our favorite:
1. Magical Acorns As Decorations
Gathering acorns in the Fall can be such a fun activity. But what do we do when we are done collecting? It’s as simple as setting them on your Mabon altar or Samhain altar…and just leaving them around your home to serve as Autumnal decoration!
2. Acorns and Oak Leaves in Spell Bags
Spell bags are potent little charms crafted for various magical purposes. If you’ve gathered acorns and oak leaves, be sure to dry them out completely. Then add them to your spell bags and carry them on you to bring wisdom, strength, and clarity to any situation. Acorns placed in dream spell bags can be placed under the pillow to aid in connecting to Celtic ancestors in dream time.
3. Acorn Magic in Spell bottles and jars
Witch bottles are a powerful way to protect your home and date back as far as five hundred years. We have evidence of them from Europe and Colonial America as being used to ward off spirits and malevolent witches. Make your own personal witch bottle to bury on your property and add magical acorns to amplify the power. You can also put oak leaves and acorns in a protection spell jar and keep it near your front door.
4. Acorn Magic on Garland
This Fall season, gather magical acorns and string them onto natural twine to make an Autumnal garland. Then, to bring prosperity and protection, hang it from the front door, the rafters, and around your altar space. You can also add acorns to Fall wreaths and hang on your front door.
5. Keep an Acorn in Your Pocket
Keep an acorn in your pocket or place in your purse to boost fertility. Remember! Fertility doesn’t just mean physically being fertile. It also means fertility of the mind and heart. Acorns and oak leaves can boost creativity and bring fertile ground with which to sow your creative seeds!
6. Oak Branch as Wand
The leaves, acorns, and bark are all useful in magical practice. But so are the Oak tree’s branches. We recommend collecting the perfectly fallen oak branch and harnessing its energy by employing it as a wand. You can sand down the bark and carve runes into the wood. Or any symbols you’d like. Then wave the wand over your altar, tools, and spells to amplify your magical intentions. Or hang above your altar.
7. Dair Ogham Stave
Consider studying the Ogham, the Celtic tree alphabet of old. And, in this case, when speaking of oak and acorn magic properties, using the Dair stave in your magical workings. I like to carve the Dair oak stave into candles, wands, etc. to invoke the energy of the Oak. I will also paint the Dair stave onto jars and in my grimoire to symbolize this powerful tree.
8. Make the Bark Into a Magical Powder
An amazing trick I learned from a witchy friend is to use tree bark in my magic. YES, the bark of a tree can yield powerful protective results. Cut or peel off a little of the bark from a local oak (with its permission) or gather some from fallen branches. Then dry it out completely on a table OR in a dehydrator. Last, crush into a powder with a mortar and pestle. I have used oak tree bark in many workings including for wisdom in dire situations, to protect my house, and shield my car.
9. Sit against the trunk
Last, but not least, is to simply BE with the magical Oak tree. Sit underneath it. Lean your back up against its trunk and soak up its vibrations. Consider meditating while sitting under the Oak tree. Hold an acorn in your hand for full effect! Read a magical book or take a nap and feel this wise tree’s energy all around you.
The Witch’s SECRET Uses of the Magical Acorn and Oak
In this day and age we are lucky (most of us) that we are able to talk about witchcraft online and in a public forum. Just a few hundred years ago, people were accused of magic, jailed, tried, and sometimes even tortured and executed for it. Many of these people weren’t even witches! So imagine the folks who really did do magic how scared they might have been! All of the magic we are discussing in this post NEVER would have been uttered back in those days. But witches need friends. And sisters. So how did they make friends if they weren’t allowed to talk about their craft? With symbolism!
One of those symbols was the magical ACORN. I can’t find the original source, but essentially, it’s been said that in Medieval Times, a witch would pass an acorn to another witch to signify their status. And that they wanted to work with the other witch. And, with all that the acorn represents, it makes sense witches would use it as their sacred handshake.
Another “secret” of the magical Oak tree is the pure magical potency it holds in its leaves. Druids were said to bathe in purified waters with floating oak leaves all around them. You can emulate this ritual by gathering three oak leaves and adding them to your ritual bath. This brings wisdom, strength, protection, and purifies the soul from negative energy.
