Willowy means limber, lithe, and supple. Willows flow and stretch in ways that other trees won't. My favorite field guide says if the tree is leaning over a river or a fisherman, it’s probably a Willow. Willow loves to have her toes in the water, just like her mate Alder, King of the Waters. Walk along a lake, river, or other body of water and you’ll often find these two together. Willows often stand at the edge of water, symbolizing a bridge to the undulating Underworld that lies beneath rivers and lakes.The water’s edge is where the Underworld begins, the ephemeral space where life becomes death, and death becomes rebirth. The trees that stand there offer spiritual and emotional healing when we grapple with life's transitions. These trees are also allies to those of us who traverse very different realities as we move through the world.