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The Story of My Name

When I was born, my name was Janice A. Sitton. But in the fall of 2011, the willow tree (Salix) claimed me for its own. 

For years, there was a large, grassy slope next to my home in Woodfin, NC with three willow trees. Over time, two of the trees died, but the last willow tree lived on. When the property was listed for sale in 2011, I made an offer on it, but was refused. I had dreamed of planting an edible landscape beside my home, and selling the food I grew at a walk-up roadside fruit stand. Instead, the property sold to another woman for the same price I had offered, and she began to build a home 10 feet off my property line.

Gone was the quiet privacy I had long enjoyed at my home. I felt angry, and resented my new neighbor for the loss and the disturbance her close proximity would cause in my life.

 

She knew I had a wood stove, and asked if I wanted to cut down the last remaining willow tree for firewood. When I asked my Dad, who was my go-to for all types of advice, he said that willow makes no heat when burned because it is a water tree. It would do me no good as firewood. Given that, I declined the opportunity to help my neighbor, and told her to take care of the willow tree herself.​​

A week or so later, I was watching the excavator prepare the space for her new house. I had thought someone would cut down the willow tree with a chain saw, but not so. When he got to the tree, he grabbed it with his earth moving machine, ripped it from the earth, and tossed it to the ground. Watching that almost broke my heart! I was devastated by how poorly that willow tree was treated.

I shared my experience with a circle of women later that week. They were saddened, yet thrilled with my story. They said the willow tree was magic, and I should go to the tree, speak with it, and ask it if I could harvest some of the wood. I had always been into nature and spiritual connection, but still thought that was a little weird. But, I agreed and went to talk with willow.

When I got to the willow tree, and started looking at it closely, I noticed several things that were rather surprising. First, most of its branches were completely straight and not bent as I thought they would be. After asking and receiving permission, I was able to cut eight walking staffs, one for myself and each woman in the circle. Then, I saw the main root of the tree. It was bright, blood red, sparking in the sun from the minerals clinging to it. It looked like a person standing, complete with arms, legs, and an umbilical cord. After asking again, I cut it from the tree to share it with the circle of women too.

When I presented these gifts from the willow tree to the circle of women, my name began to change. In that circle, I became Willow Walking, and I was told to go and learn as much about the willow tree as I could.

As I studied the willow tree, I learned that its flower essence helps to heal resentments. I started taking that flower essence to see what would happen, and it was liberating, greatly shifting my attitude toward my neighbor. I discovered the willow tree has long been used to help soothe grief and sadness, which I also needed after the loss of my Grandma and Dad. I found out that its bark had medicinal qualities that could relieve pain. It was the main ingredient in aspirin. In addition, the wood of willow is flexible yet strong, and its roots are well known for holding soils together. It has many, many other gifts, and I aspire to be as willow like as I can in my everyday life now.

On a trip to Oregon, for my very first Jin Shin Jyutsu healing arts class, I was sitting in a silent, natural hot tub looking over a river in nothing more than my birth suit at dusk. The pool was canopied by a willow tree. As I sat in the quiet of that evening alone, I heard a voice as plain as day tell me I needed to change my name to Willow Walker. It was such a clear message, I looked around to see if anyone was there, but found it was just me and the willow tree. When I got to my class, I wrote Willow on my name tag, and it has been my name ever since.

I never thought I would change my name, and never wanted to, until willow came along and changed my life. In 2013, I legally changed my name to Willow Walker since in a matter of only two years, almost everyone I knew called me by that name. Now, it is hard to imagine myself with any other name except in my dreams where my birth name still surfaces from time to time.

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