Despite the Christian association with the Devil and temptation, ancient rituals connected with the Apple tree were all about love, romance and having fun. In many cultures and religions, the apple tree is respected as a holy tree and in many countries it is unlucky to destroy an apple tree.
The apple is the fruit of the gods and if sliced horizontally, it will reveal a pentagram.
Apples are a good source of fibre in the diet and they help keep the liver healthy. Apple juice is used spiritually and medically for good health, insight and vision. Apple blossom incense is used for love spells and Venus related spells. Bach flower remedy Crab Apple is used to help calm someone who is excitable or nervous. It can be used for treating obsessive compulsive disorders and for bringing balance between mind, body and spirit.
It is believed that an apple a day helps reduce the risk of cancer and helps regulate bowel movement as well as keeping the heart healthy. Dried apple peel can be made into a tea for rheumatism.
The ancients would use apple wood for making small tools and dowsing rods. Burning the pruning and cuttings of an apple tree will bring blessings of love and luck to your home.
The cherry tree is sacred to Apollo and Venus. The bark can be burned as an incense in love rituals. Its wood can be used as a love wand. The dead wood of cherry trees are sometimes used for magic fires and for house blessing fires.
Medicinally, cherries are used for pain relief and can be a good alternative for aspirin. Herbalists use cherry bark as a mild sedative and to calm excitement. Wild cherry bark is also used for coughs and colds, asthma and bronchitis and as a tonic for the digestive system.
Bach flower remedy Cherry plum is used to help relieve stress and calm a fearful mind.
Both apples and cherries are fruit that are believed to enhance fertility and increase sexual energy. Both are used in magic for love spells.
Sources
http://www.mymedicinalplants.com/
http://www.rwood.com/Articles/Cherries_Natural_Remedy_for_Aches_and_Pains.htm
http://www.herbalextractsplus.com/wild-cherry-bark.cfm
http://www.rainbowcrystal.com/bach/bfr/cp.html
http://www.bachcentre.com/centre/38/cherrypl.htm
© C Somerville. This article has also been published in Yahoo Voices and Helium. Permission to republish in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.