REED

Voice of the spirit
In a song of communication
Conduit of service
For harmony and transformation

Reed is the plant on the Celtic tree calendar for October 28 to November 24.  For a plant that is considered to be sacred and as useful as reed, I didn't find a lot of information.  Reed of some sort is found in many parts of the world, usually in wet or swampy ground.  It is known by a number of names depending upon the location.  Some of these include sweet flag and myrtle grass.  The Celts harvested a variety that they called ngetal that grew up to 20 feet tall.

In every area where reed grows, the local culture found a number of practical uses for the plant.  The Celts and other cultures used it for thatched roofs and for flooring.  The stalks soaked in fat can be used as candles.  The straight stalks can be used as arrow shafts.  Flutes of various types can be made from the stalks.  They can also be used to create writing pens and brushes.  

Reed is actually edible, or at least not toxic.  Native Americans used the seeds for food.  They also boiled the young shoots as a vegetable.  The roots can be ground into a healthy flour.  The Chinese use the roots and rhizomes as medicine.

Reed has magical properties as well.  If you have ever been near a stand of reed in the wind, you have heard one of these.  The wind in the reeds is believed to be the voices of other worlds.  If you listen carefully, you might hear the messages that they carry.  Reed is a symbol of communication and the magic music of a reed flute is used to communicate visions and stories.  The roots of reed run deep and is the strongest part of the plant.  It speaks to the secret strength that each of us possesses if we dig deep enough to find it.  Reed is hollow and is seen as the door to the inner consciousness and what is hidden in the shadow.  Many cultures consider reed to be the mother plant, protecting those in her charge and providing for the needs of her community,

There is one more aspect of the symbolism of reed.  It parallels the concept of the hollow bone.  It is the ideal of emptying yourself of the self centered and ego driven desires.  It speaks to being the conduit for spirit to flow through to serve the community.  It is the ability to provide and serve your community in balance and harmony and to take collective responsibility for the health of the community.

Woodrow Wilson summed it up in this way:
"The provision for others is a fundamental responsibility of human life."