Blackthorn – Perseverance

The icy winds will eventually give way to warmer vernal breezes; in the meantime perseverance is the key. Don't let this get you down. There is a strong creative element to this period even if it is a bit of a slog. You can see it as an obstacle or approach it with courage and dignity, then you will see that out of the darkness comes a strength. Some people will let you down, others will make your heart grow with their benevolence.

The Blackthorn is a thorny plant, the wood is strong but as a timber it was only used for small objects like tool handles. The Sloe fruit does not ripen until very late in the year. There is a saying that relays it should not be tasted until the first frosts have arrived.The shrub is the ancestor of the orchard plum. The gin made from the sloe was known as Mothers Ruin because it had abortive properties.

The Blackthorn was a bush for witchcraft. The thorny or knobley wood was good for staffes, a rod with with a knucle duster combined. Doubtless the wise woman would have used it, to help the women of the village, as a medieval form of birth control.