#belili

Ishtar—Claudia Olivos

Dream also calls her Astarte and Belili—I’ve always wondered why the latter. Astarte makes sense, because Ishtar and Astarte are pretty much the same deity (who also strongly influenced the idea of Aphrodite/Venus), with Ishtar (or Inanna) being more Babylonian/Mesopotamian and Astarte more Canaanite/Northwestern Semitic. They both stand for love, sex and war/victory (plus some other worship that sometimes overlaps and sometimes doesn’t).

But Belili is rather a Mesopotamian deity of the underworld who is associated with grief, mourning, death and rebirth. And I have, to this very day, not figured out if this is an oversight or on purpose. I want to believe the latter of course, both because of Ishtar’s own arc but also as foreshadowing for Dream’s:

(Salix alba) Safe to interact with.

Folk Names: Osier, Pussy Willow, Saille, Salicyn Willow, Saugh Tree, Tree of Enchantment, White Willow, Witches' Aspirin, Withe, Withy Gender: Feminine Planet: Moon Element: Water Deities: Artemis, Ceres, Hecate, Persephone, Hera, Mercury, Belili, Belinus Powers: Love, Love Divination, Protection, Healing

Ritual Uses: Burial mounds in Britain which are sited near marshes and lakes were often lined with willows, probably for symbolic associations with death.

Magical Uses: Willow leaves are carried or used in mixtures to attract love, and the wood is used to fashion magical wands dedicated to Moon Magic. If you wish to know if you will be married in the new year, on New Year's Eve throw your shoe or boot into a willow tree. If it doesn't catch and stay in the branches the first time, you have eight more tries. If you succeed in trapping your shoe in the tree you will be wed within twelve months—but you'll also have to shake or climb the tree to retrieve your shoe. All parts of the willow guard against evil and can be carried or placed in the home for this purpose. Knock on a willow tree ("knock on wood") to avert evil. The leaves, bark and wood of the willow are also utilized in healing spells. If you wish to conjure spirits, mix crushed willow bark with sandalwood and burn at the waning Moon outdoors. Magical brooms, especially Witch's brooms, are traditionally bound with a willow branch.