The Willow is a lunar and water tree. Saille is a tree connected to the mother and to the nurturing side of our natures rather than the warrior side. One way to say this would be to say that Saille is feminine rather than masculine, but this is only true if we keep in mind that all of us are both feminine and masculine. Being connected to the Mother is completely universal because we were once all helpless babies depending on our mothers. So can we all look to the Great Mother for help, care, and understanding.

It is vital to understand how important water is to us, both as a symbol and as an actuality. We are conceived in wetness and develop in our own sac of water until we are ready to be born. Biologically, we are mostly water on the inside and must constantly replenish ourselves to remain wet enough to live. Ecologically, the health of our water supplies is the indicator of our quality of life. World-wide, the cycle of water being drawn up and released governs the planet's weather, affecting every part of humankind and our well being.

The importance of water to us in the real world is mirrored by its symbolic importance in the spirit world. Water is the element of the West. It is the element of life and of mystery. It is the paradigm of the spirit world itself: we need it to live but we cannot live wholly in it without drowning. We must refresh ourselves in the spirit world but we cannot immerse ourselves in it.

Willows bend gracefully over the water and move gently with every breeze. When great storms come parts of the trunk or major branches may be broken off, but the main tree will adapt and survive. Often the broken portions will grow where they have fallen spanning the stream. This is the message of Saille; to go with the flow and to maintain spiritual balance. Balance and tranquillity are the watchwords. The card reversed tells us that we are lacking in balance and that we should bring the different parts of our lives into harmony. Lagu is the corresponding rune, the water rune of flow.

The message is not one of inaction, however. The bird symbol is the kingfisher, a water bird. Kingfishers will sit on a branch overhanging the water, still and balanced. They seem to be immobile but they are actually alert to every detail of their surroundings and when the opportunity is at hand they hurtle into the water and reappear with a fish. This card tells us to bend and adapt but to also be alert and ready to act when necessary.