Promises #midnighthaiku

Wishes on the wind

Ephemeral promises

Made and forgotten

Meant in the moment

Without true dedication

Tradition withers

The tradition of tying pieces of cloth to a tree, especially when it grows close to a holy or healing well, is an ancient one. The strips of cloth are usually called clouties (or clooties). They were once strips of fabric, dipped in the water of the well and tied to the tree. The idea was that as the fabric rotted away, so would the ailment.

Please have a care if you are tempted to tie your own cloutie to a tree. The fabrics originally used were made of natural fibres and would quickly disintegrate. Most modern ribbons and fabrics have some element of synthetic fibre and will not do so: they remain and cause harm to the tree as it grows.

The two photos above were taken in Cornwall on an unplanned visit to Madron Holy Well and the Celtic Chapel.

About Sue Vincent

Sue Vincent was a Yorkshire born writer, esoteric teacher and a Director of The Silent Eye. She was immersed in the Mysteries all her life. Sue maintained a popular blog and is co-author of The Mystical Hexagram with Dr G.M.Vasey. Sue lived in Buckinghamshire, having been stranded there due to an accident with a blindfold, a pin and a map. She had a lasting love-affair with the landscape of Albion, the hidden country of the heart. Sue passed into spirit at the end of March 2021.

View all posts by Sue Vincent →

12 Responses to Promises #midnighthaiku

GrannyMoon says:

January 15, 2020 at 00:05

Reblogged this on GrannyMoon's Morning Feast.

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- Sue Vincent says:
  
  January 15, 2020 at 06:32
  
  Thanks, Granny.
  
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Alethea Kehas says:

January 15, 2020 at 00:17

As you know I’m not a huge fan of this tradition. I can recall naked Barbie dolls hanging with ribbons at the Nine Ladies. 😬

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- Sue Vincent says:
  
  January 15, 2020 at 06:36
  
  I know… not a good thing to find…
  
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Sadje says:

January 15, 2020 at 02:52

Interesting!

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- Sue Vincent says:
  
  January 15, 2020 at 06:35
  
  It is something many will not have realised.
  
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  - Sadje says:
    
    January 15, 2020 at 07:29
    
    I agree!
    
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Anita Dawes says:

January 15, 2020 at 08:32

Most people wouldn’t have thought of this, I certainly didn’t!

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- Sue Vincent says:
  
  January 15, 2020 at 08:53
  
  A lot of modern fabrics won’t decay, so you can see how they could damage trees. Leaving lit votive candles unattened is another problem, though it is to be hoped people would realise that.
  
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Adele Marie says:

January 15, 2020 at 18:22

Very true about using natural fabrics, Sue. I remember a red cloth always being used to cure a sore throat or a raw potato for sciatica. lol I used this on my uncle Tommy’s knee, it worked, or so he told me. xxx

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- Sue Vincent says:
  
  January 16, 2020 at 06:57
  
  Ribbons are probably the worst culprits these days. But a lot of the old folk remedies do work… xxx
  
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H.R.R. Gorman says:

January 18, 2020 at 17:53

Wish/prayer/thought trees always intrigue me – I think it could be a very soothing, meditative experience, and I think I’d like to try it.

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