was denied elder flowers.

topic posted Tue, June 16, 2009 - 6:24 AM by  amanda
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i am thinking of this one, trying to wonder any connection. haha.
there were three or four beautiful bushes/trees in a large field across from a house i work at. i asked the lady (and i understand that having strangers come to your do to request of your weeds is a little odd, and may throw a few off) if it was alright if i were to harvest a bit, but she declined saying she was afraid i would get hurt. i told her i understood, but if she would think on it, i could come back with a note saying she wouldn't be held responsible....but she was weirded out and said no. so i left.
a little up the road there was another field and wayyy off in the field were a few more. so i went to pull off of the road to go check it out and maybe harvest a few. ha. but there was nothing to pull off onto. so my van goes boom on its axles on the edge of the road. i got the girls out through my door, afraid the van would tip, haha- i was shaking! so i walk around to see, and the weeds come up to my knees. geez i have to be more careful!
so three hours and 95$ later while sitting in a nice patch of poison ivy, we got to go home. and i *think* my car will be ok. i hope.

so twice denied elder. i couldn't leave the girls in the teetering vehicle while i checked out the elder and it was too far off in the deep grass to lug them along through it all too, so i did no communing with the plant. i am left wondering why, and what the message may be.
posted by:
amanda
Maryland
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  • Re: was denied elder flowers.

    Tue, June 16, 2009 - 10:09 AM
    I'd say the message was loud and clear!
    • Re: was denied elder flowers.

      Tue, June 16, 2009 - 2:37 PM
      Hi Amanda,
      What a great story! Yes, it seems a strong message. Elder is a powerful plant. I have heard legends about it that one must not harvest it without the plants permission. And if you don't, there will be consequences. Next time you could ask the Elder if you can harvest and then proceed with getting permission if it is in someone's yard. It might save your car bills...:<) I have gone to harvest elder up in the mountains and although it appeared to be within reach, there was this steep ditch between me and it......your story is probably common with elder harvesters......peace, Julie
    • Re: was denied elder flowers.

      Tue, June 16, 2009 - 3:19 PM
      the message is LOUD and clear.

      i also say with children in the car it's best tonot play with any spirits.
      • Re: was denied elder flowers.

        Tue, June 16, 2009 - 3:55 PM
        Amanda..you painted the picture so well I could actually see you ..What was the $95 for?Perhaps it is just not the right time or place to harvest and it's just a matter of waiting ...
        • Re: was denied elder flowers.

          Tue, June 16, 2009 - 5:28 PM
          Greetings. Yes I have had experiences, where the plant was just not up for being harvested, and since they can't move they use their energy. This of course is part of the journey, of discovering how, when and where. We all go through this in our own ways, but we go through it. My experience is, if we learn to listen, the plants ally themselves even more strongly. Personally I see this as a deepening of your herbal wisdom, as an initiation if you will...congratulations! Glad you are on the journey and that no one was hurt.
          Blessings
          Linda
          • Re: was denied elder flowers.

            Tue, June 16, 2009 - 10:54 PM
            I have been denied elder as well. Funny I read this today. About a month or so ago I harvested a bunch of elder flowers and put them in alchol to soak. Then I came on here and found out that I need to be careful as to weather they are red or blue elderberries. As the red ones are toxic I belive? So I just let the concoction sit until I could see if the berries were red or blue. Today I went up there again, and unfourtunatly they were red :( So now I have a powerful tincture that should not be used. Thanks for your story as well!
            • Re: was denied elder flowers.

              Wed, June 17, 2009 - 4:45 AM
              glis: that was for the tow truck.

              and moonica: i had the exact same thought last night! matt wood paints some powerful pictures of elder with his stories.

              i will have a good time watching (and listening to) this plant this year. and maybe i will just prepare a few new areas and plant my own trees. haha.
              • Re: was denied elder flowers.

                Fri, June 19, 2009 - 4:23 PM

                Maybe the elder wanted you to wait and have berries instead of flowers.
                • Re: was denied elder flowers.

                  Thu, June 25, 2009 - 8:07 PM
                  i think so :) i have been seeing it (her) everywhere now after this. funny how i never even noticed till now.....i may have thought it didn't even grow here. but new plants show themselves each year. (prunella vulgaris did too. in a patch that would be rather thick if my neighbor didn't mow so often. i caught one lonely flower blooming under our boxwood that made me go check her patch. i will enjoy watching it this season....seeing the time frames of it's life cycle and hoping for a larger patch in my yard next year)
                  anyway, driving out to a friends farm, the mountain is covered with elder. up against his house he has a very beautiful elder. it was nice to talk of it to my son, and to it in a way. and just be there.
                  i didn't harvest that day, and visions of ideas for the berries have been rolling around since.
                  • This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.

                    Re: was denied elder flowers.

                    Wed, July 1, 2009 - 3:45 PM
                    A great story!

                    I too have had difficulties harvesting elder and maybe didn't take the message becasue while I was drying the flowers for use in the winter it made the whole house stink - worse than elder has ever smelled in the past. But I must have been forgiven and thought to learn my lesson because the house I had moved into at the time was bordered with elders from a neighbors yard that overflowed into mine. I had an abundance of unrelucant elder - I just had the beat the starlings to the berries if I wanted berries and flowers! Those birds would come in and eat the whole batch in under an hour. I still haven't gotten to recreate my mother's elderberry wine.

                    -Maurie

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