Birch Bark cut

Birch is beith, the first letter of the Ogham alphabet, and in folk magick it is the tree of clearing out the old and starting fresh.

Origin & Traditional Use

Birches are the pale, fast-growing trees of the northern forests. Their waterproof bark was made into canoes, baskets, roofing and writing sheets, and birch tar from the bark served as glue as far back as the Stone Age.

Uses by Tradition

Witchcraft & Folk Magick

• Cleansing smoke: burn a little bark on charcoal to clear a room after illness, arguments or a move.
• Threshold wash: steep the bark, strain, and wash the front door and step to welcome a new start.
• New-home charm: keep a pinch in a small bag hung inside the door to protect a newly moved-into house.

A Simple Working

• Open a window in the room you want cleared.
• Light a charcoal disc in a heatproof dish.
• Sprinkle a pinch of birch bark and a pinch of frankincense on the coal.
• Carry the dish around the room counterclockwise, letting the smoke reach every corner.
• Say: “The old goes out; the new comes in.”
• Finish at the open window and let the smoke clear out of it.

Pairs Well With

• Frankincense, for consecration smoke.
• Angelica root, to protect the cleared space.
• Sea salt, to seal the cleansing.
• A white chime candle, for new beginnings.

Lore & History

Birch twigs were a traditional material for brooms and besoms. In Britain and Ireland, birch boughs were hung over doors at May Eve and Midsummer, and in Russia birch trees were decorated with ribbons in the spring festival of Semik.

What You Receive

Cut dried birch bark, available in 1 oz, 2 oz and 1 lb.