Celtic tree month of Alder

RE: Celtic tree month of Alder

Lovely as ever oakapple - and as I grow ever more interested in the celtic lore of the trees, hopefully I will find just the inspiration I need!!

Thank you

RE: Celtic tree month of Alder

Alder Treelore

The wood of the Alder was used for making magical whistles and flutes. This Faery tree is considered sacred to the God Bran the Blessed , ( Meaning crow or raven ) .and therefore oracular and used for divination. The wood of the Alder hardens when submerged in water , making it ideal for bridges and under - water supports......When felled the tree literally bleeds turning from white to red........Medicinally the Alder would have been used to rid people of fleas and boils......This tree also protects and aids awareness of difficulties, often offering solutions and a direction towards a resolution , whilst teaching us to trust in our intuition .

Slayer of winter, art thou here again ?
O welcome, thou art bring' et the summer nigh !
The bitter makes not thy victory vain,
Nor will we mock thee for thy faint blue sky.
Welcome O March ! Whose kindly days and dry
Make April ready for the Throstle's song.
Though first redresser of the winter's wrong!

WM. MORRIS

" The roaring moon of daffodil and crocus."
&n

RE: Celtic tree month of Alder

Custom & Legend

Ancient legend tells of Alder and Willow becoming trees of the water-ways, the rivers, lakes ,streams and ponds which give life to the land. At a great feast in honour of the fertility deities when all life-forms of the natural world celebrated together, the Alder and Willow stood apart from the other trees, gazing longingly into the waters of the flood. The Gods were angered by their lack of interest and declared that as they had shown their preference, there they should remain, binding them to gaze forever into the waters. However by such actions the Gods gave a great gift to the land, for as King and Queen of the waters the alder and willow reign supreme, enhancing the process of water move-ment which ensures the life of the land is continued .In ancient Greece " Cronos " was represented by an Alder tree. One of his epithets was Fearinus, which translated means, Of the dawn of the year ,i.e.,the Spring , when the Sun ,Wind and Rain bring the growth of plant life .The Irish/Gaelic ogham name for Alder is ...Fearn.
In Norse legend, March was known as " The lengthening month of the waking Alder ", In Norse countries this specific time was called Lenct, and was a period of natural fasting, as the last of the winter provisions ran low. When it was adopted by the church and used for religious ideals, this time of fasting became ...Lent.

In Irish legend the first human male was created from alder, As the first female was created from rowan . Alder was history regarded as a faerie, tree , able to grant entry to the faerie realms Itis also a tree which shows strong associations with the elements of life ( water,fire air and earth, almost as thou it were an axis round which they flowed and formed.
Cad Goddau

" Sure-hoofed is my steed impelled by the spur,
The high sprigs of Alder are on thy shield
Bran art thou called, of the glittering branches "

Sure- hoofed is my steed in the day of battle,
The high sprigs of the Alder are on thy hand.
By the branch thou bearest
&n

RE: Celtic tree month of Alder

The present day Ravens at the Tower of London are evidence of the superstision that surrounds Bran the Blessed, for it is said that Britain will fall if they ever desert the Tower. The Ravens power is oracular and prophetic when they are used as totems, and Raven Cults grew around many gods and kings of the ancient world...Bran, Cronus, Apollo, Odin, Lugh and Arthur are all associated with these cults.Because of the death connotations Ravens were also linked to the Fate - Goddesses who in Britain formed the following trinity ;

Ana; known in folklore as;...... Black Annis, She dropped spider - like from trees upon people.

Badb the Crow;....Also known as The ..Watcher at the Ford

Macha;...The Red' or Raven', the battle- aspect ,who's poles of Macha had heads of slaughtered men stuck on them.

These three Goddesses are collectvely known as " The Morrigan " or the " Great Queen ". She was invoked onto the battle field by a war horn sounding like and imitating a Ravens croak.

Blessings

Oakapple

RE: Celtic tree month of Alder

The Alder and faery folk

The Alder is connected to the faerie as Robert Graves states in the 'White Goddess'. The Alder was and is celebrated for yielding fine dyes; green from the flowers, brown from the twigs, red from the berries - typifying fire, water and earth. One reason for the Alder's sanctity is that when it is felled the wood, at first white, seems to bleed crimson as though it were a man ( or Dryad or Faerie tree spirit). The green dye is associated in British folklore with faeries' clothes, so in so far as the faeries may be regarded as survivals of early tribes, forced to take to the hills and woods. The green of the clothes is explained as protective colouring: foresters and outlaws also adopted it in medieval times. Its use seems to be very ancient. The Alder is protected by water spirits, the Undines.

Here is a spell for summoning faeries:

Sit where the cat sits, cross your toes
Close your eyes and smell a rose
Then say under your breath
'I believe in faeries, sure as death'

Gadflykins! Gladtrypins!
Gutterpuss and Cass
COme to me, faerily
Each lad and lass

Excert from 'Lady Cottingtons Pressed faerie book'

Water elements that protect the Alder

The Undines are the elemental beings that compose water. They are able to control to a great degree, the course and function of the water element.

Etheric in nature they exist within the water itself and that is why they can't be seen with normal vision. These beings are beautiful to look at and are very graceful.

They are often seen riding the waves of the Ocean, they can also be found in rocky pools and marshlands. They are clothes in a shimmery substance looking like water , but shining with all the colours of the sea, with green predominating. The concept of the mermaid is connected with these elemental beings.

The Undines also work with plants that grow under the water and with the motion of water. Some Undines inhabit waterfalls,, others live in rivers and lakes. Every fountain has its nymph, every ocean has its Oceanides.

The Undines closely resemble humans in appearance and size, except for those inhabiting smaller streams and ponds. The Undines often live in Coral Caves under the ocean, or on the shores of lakes and banks of rivers. Smaller Undines live under lily pads.

The Undines work with vital essences and liquids of plants, animals and human beings, they are present in everything containing water.

The song of the Alder Faery

Blessings

Oakapple

RE: Celtic tree month of Alder

Alder Symbols

Gemstone;....... The Alder gemstone is the Ruby, which is next in hardness to Diamond. It's a stone of glowing brilliant red. The Ruby was treasured throughout the East as the most precious of all gemstones. Rubies were given as offerings to Buddha in China and Krishna in India. It was believed that the Ruby would change colour and become darker if the owner was in danger or when an illness was about to occur. It was believed that the stone could chase away the spirits of the dead and any evil phantoms not contained within the gates of Hell.

The Ruby was considered a powerful amulet, giving protection from pestilence and plaque and encouraging a more positive outlook for the wearer. It was also believed ,that this stone could help to overcome sorrow and depression.....In the form of a ring this stone was believed to bestow knowledge, Health and Wealth.
In and around the tenth century in China and Europe, dragons and snakes were carved into the stones, to increase the flow of money and power to the wearer. The finest Rubies are found in Burma and Ceylon, and have a prominent place in the " Crown Jewels " of almost every empire.

The medicinal powers of the Ruby were said to range from snakebite antidote , to a cure for heart and liver ailments and the Ruby was highly prized as a symbol of " LOVE ", passion and friendship.It helped guarentee success in battle.........To dream of Rubies was thought to bring success in trade for the businessman and a bumper crop for the farmer

Blessings

Oakapple

RE: Celtic tree month of Alder

Alder symbols

Flower:....The symbol flower of the Alder is the broom. Its branches are long and slender and are also very tough. They were often used in the past for making brooms for sweeping, hence its English name. It was mentioned in the earliest herbals as ''Genista'. It benefits bladder and kidney infections. Paper and cloth were made from the fibre of the broom and the twigs and branches were used for thatching cottages and cornricks. In heraldry the broom was used on the badge of Brittany and Geoffrey of Anjou thrust the flower into his helmet just before battle commenced in order that his troops would follow him.

Legend states that the broom was cursed by the Virgin Mary, as she and Joseph fled into Egypt due to the cracking of the ripe seed pods that had fallen from the broom and then trodden underfoot and exploding, therefore drawing attention to them from Herods soldiers.

Blessings

Oakapple

RE: Celtic tree month of Alder

Alder Symbols

God;..... Bran was regarded as the totem God of the Alder, thus figures in many ancient legends of the West. He was a much loved God, and was said to be of such great stature that no house could accomodate him. He was possibly one of the race of guardian giants of ancient Britain, who in the minds of people became Gods. His role in the Mabinogion, which were Medieval Welsh written prose, He is the God of prophecy , the arts, God of war, the Sun, music, writting, ....A master of the Isle of Britain, he is a cauldron-God, associated with a cauldron of regeneration which would revive the dead while leaving them voiceless.

Methalwch, King of Ireland, visited Bran to ask for the nad of his sister Branwen in marriage. Bran agrees to this, but during a feast to celebrate the betrothal, Efnisien, a half-brother of Branwen and Bran, arrives and asks what was going on. When told, he is furious that Branwen has been given in marriage without his permission, and vents his spleen by multilating Metholwch's horses. Matholwch is deeply angered until Bran gives him a magic cauldron which restores the dead to life.
He set out with an army to avenge the ill-treatment of his sister Branwen by her husband. Once in Ireland, she is treated cruelly by her husband, Matholwch, and is forced to work in the kitchen. She tames a starling and sends it across the Irish Sea with a message for help to her Brother, Bran. He sails with his brother, Manawydan to rescue her. When Matholwch sees him, he asks for peace, and as a show of good faith, builds a house big enough for Bran to enter. Matholwch agrees to let Bran live with them and to give his Kingdom to Gwern, his son by Branwen. The Irish Lords do not like the idea, so they hide themselves in flour bags to attack the Welsh. Efnisien guesses what is happening and kills them in their bags, then throws Gwern into the fire.

In the ensuing war, the Irish at first have the advantage because of Matholwch's magic cauldron. When the Irish dead are placed in it, they came to life and were able to fight as well as ever, though they cannot speak. Efnisien lays down among the dead and is placed in the cauldron, then breaks it, bursting his heart and dying in the process. The Welsh eventuall win the war, but only seven men survived. Bran himself is mortally wounded and orders that his head should be cut off and buried in London. When the survivors return to Britiain, Branwen dies of grief for all the destruction done on her account; she is buried beside the River Alaw in Anglesey.

The talking head;... For seven years the seven survivors, amongst them Manawydan and Pryderi, stay in Harlech, where they are entertained by Bran's Head, which continues to speak. They later move on to Gwales where they live for eighty years without perceiving the passing of time. Eventually, one of the men opens the door of the hall facing Cornwall and the sorrow of what had befallen them returned.. As instructed they take the now silent head to the Gwynfryn, the 'White Hill' (thought to be the location where the Tower of London now stands), where they bury it facing France so as to ward off invasion. The imagery of the talking head is widely considered to derive from the ancienct Celtic 'Cult of the Head', the head was considered the home of the soul and the practice of headhunting was prominent in Celtic Culture.

According to the Welsh Triads, Bran's head was buried in London where the White Tower now stands. As long as it remained there, Britain would be safe from invasion. However King Arthur dug up the head, declaring the country would be protected only by his great strength. There have been attempts in modern times to link the still-current practice of keeping ravens at the Tower of London under the care of Yeomen Warder Ravenmaster, and with this story of Bran, whose name means Raven.

Blessings

Oakapp

RE: Celtic tree month of Alder

King of the Faeries.

THe Alder has the honour of being " King of the Faeries "because it grew in swampy, uninhabitable soil along river-banks and their flood plains.It made the primordial swamp habitable for life as we know it .

It is said that faeries used the female alder catkins to dye their cloths which makes them invisible to the human eyes........This made sense to our ancestors, with their poetic storytelling traditions and their unbalanced, self-centred human traits. They percieved these magic energies dressed in green, made by the life juices of this balancing tree.
Now, we are to much out of focus,....out of tune. Our feeling, thinking and doing are seperated, so we can't perceive the faeries.
Traditionally they are only seen by children and "simpletons", who remain pure ,and by people with a heart full of love.
Another way of putting this wise bit of folklore into words is; The material the faeries are weaving is the material of life itself............Gradually the living knowledge of Natures energies was reduced to folklore and the meaning behind the poetic images was slowly forgotten or taken far to literally. Some of the old wisdom survived as superstitions.

In Denmark and Germany, The spirit of the Alder tree was said to carry children off to the otherworld. Goethe's ballard " The Eri - Konig " ( The Alder King ), set so beautifully to music by Schubert, is a famous example of this belief.......A father rides on a horse through the woods with his ailling child in his arms, the child says " My Father, my Father, can you not hear it ? It is the Alder King, who is speaking, calling me!"
The father tries to reassure the child, but at the end of the journey ( and the song ) it lies dead in his arms.

It is common to come across this theme of life taking life in order to renew itself countless times when you explore the spirit of the trees.........No doubt, the Alder tree has to make it's own territory from other plant life that grew in it's place before. It has to " feed " on other " energies ", such as minerals and water, the air, the sunlight in order to grow......but lets not forget that, in turn it will" sacrifice " it's own life to.

Blessings

Oakapple

RE: Celtic tree months

Alder Symbols

Goddess;.... Morrigan, Moon Goddess of the sea. Queen of fate. She was capable of shape-shifting into a Raven, and was often invoked during battle to bring death to the enemy.She is assosciated with the sometimes uncomforatable, unpredictable and firghtening aspects of feminine energy. She was the basis for Morgan Le Faye, who is the Goddess who conveyed King Arthur's body across the sea to Avalon at his death, and Mary Magdalene. She is associated with the letter N, nion, Ash. The ash is sacred to Poseidon, god of the sea. It is considered the tree of sea-power and the power resident in water. This moon usually occurs in March, the month of floods.

Morrigan

The Myth

The Morrigan is a Celtic Goddess who has been known as the Great Queen, Specter Queen, Supreme war Goddess, and Queen of Phantoms, Great Mother, Moon Goddess, Great White Goddess, Queen of the Fairie, Patroness of Priestess and Witches, and Goddess of Magick. She is a trifold Goddess in three parts, a shapeshifter, and a warrior. Yet, the Morrigan Herself seldom actually killed; rather, she used her power and Magick to stir up the warriors she favoured and to weaken those whe wanted to lose. It was believed that she was the washerwoman who would be seen by a lake or river washing clothes and any one who saw her would die.

She is basically a Goddess of battle, strife and fertility. But like all the Celtic Goddesses, she is not totally evil or good. She is a balance. Like the Greek Goddess Athena, the Morrigan often steps in to wage justifiable war. She is called upon by warriors, and if she agrees with their battle she will aid them in their fight.

Fighting was a part of every day ile in Cetic times, they loved nothing more than a fight. They built their cities around schools of warfare. They were fierce warriors who even surpassed the Romans for a time in their ability to fight. They were certainly not afraid of death, their motto was 'win or die' there was no losing. Often even the women would go to war with their men.

The Celts looked at nature, saw the surrounding fields grow cold and empty in the winter, and then the Earth reawaken and bloom in Spring. They knew that death was necessary for rebirth and therefore worshipped the Morrigan as the one who brought about this honourable death, leading to rebirth. She was the one who brought about death but also life through her role as fertility Goddess, she was a symbol of life, not never-ending death.

(Celtic: Welsh) Sea Goddess; Triple Goddess. Names MORGEN/Marganan/Morgan: (mor,sea;of the sea) Correspondences: Moon/AIr/Water Morgen of the Ninefold Sisterhood rules death, rebirth, fate, and the sea. She is a shape-shifting shaman, a witch, and a healer. She and her eight sisters are expert in magic, medicine, and the arts. They are a triple version of the Triple Goddess who live in Avalon, the winterless Isle of Apples. It was to them that King Arthur was taken after his final battle.

It is believed that he still remains there healing. Morgen was seen as a sea sprite , or sometimes with wings, but originated as a death and otherworld Goddess. Some scholars associate her with" Modron " and Morgen is said to be Melin's wife, or the Lady of the Lake, in some traditions. During Christian times she devolved into Morgan le Fay, the manipulative sorceress of Arthurian legens. Invoke Morgen for enchantment, shamanism, witchcraft, healing, youth immortality, art, music, shape shifting, lunar magic, and herbal cures.

Many women who explore spi

RE: Celtic tree months ( Alder )

Alder and the " Darkside "

As time went by, old loyalties or reverence were often lost, and some even said there was evil within the Alder tree. It was possibly because the " Alder " was grown commercially for the gunpowder industry in the past didn't help.....The gloomy shaded areas given by the dark leaves within the Alder grove in Summer and the haunting appearance of its mystcal limbs reaching up to the grey Winter sky, its association with the Faery King, the blacksmith and the raven must have contributed to the theory that there is a dark scary heavy side to the alder spirit. This feeling can be felt when you walk amongst the boggy marshlands and stirs up stagnent emotions deep within ourselves which we fear to face. If we fail to transform the mass of old hurts, the sourness and resentments that lay there, life becomes a weary trek of just plodding along. We lose the springy step within our foundations and face only emotional marshalnds that may suck us in with every new step we take. This could have been experienced as evil if it went on long enough.

The Alder spirit blesses us with its continuous battle to integrate and balance water and fire, air and earth until it transforms the inbalance into fertile stable soil. This idea was similar to the old myth makers story of the toil of the Blacksmith. In order to appreciate why the Alder was thought to be I have written the story below...

The Alder and the divine blacksmith

The Blacksmith has always been considered sacred, because of his ability to transform the minerals of the earth into the jewels, weapons and armoury of life. He also has a role of the essence of the Volcano (his roman name being Vulcan) where he spews out carbon dioxide into the atmosphere (without which the earth would cool at an alarming rate) and as his role as Vegetation God, he takes the carbondioxide out of the air as the fuel and food for the plants and returns oxygen to the atmosphere. Therefore you can see that the work of the Divine Blacksmith was never ending.

The Alder was seen as a spirit that was endowed with the same Blacksmith Energy. It is the balancer of water and fire,the black smith works with molten metal, which in alchemy is a symbol of the joining of water and fire. Just as the tree utilises and changes the minerals of the earth, using water, into wood and leaves with the help of fire (in the form of the sun) so the smith melts the metal ore with the help of fire, which is then only revealed to us through the properties of its charcoal. Charcoal is virtually pure carbon, the food and fuel of organic life, and is also the substance which was needed (before coal) to make a fire hot enough to melt the metal from the ore and change it into objects of beauty and practical use by the smithy. Another similarity is when the metal is immersed into water when hot and glowing it is hardened, (known as tempering) , likewise the strength of the Alder timber is enhanced when it is immersed in a wet environment, which is the reason it was used as the foundations for buildings in soggy places.

Blessings

Oakapple

RE: Celtic tree months ( willow )

Willow 15th April - 12th May

The Celtic tree month of Willow begins today.;.......5th moon of the Celtic year. Saille (Sahl'yeh)

In folklore it was known as the Witches tree, Pussy Willow, Saiicyn Willow, Saille, Sally, Withe, Withy, Witches Asprin, Tree of Enchantment, Orier, Tarvos Tree and Sough Tree. The Anglo-Saxon 'welig' from where the name 'willow' is derived, means 'pliancy'.

Parts used;... Bark, sap, twigs, branches, wood.

Herbal uses:... The bark of the Willow has been used as a pain killer as the bark contains a glusoside called salicin that forms salicylylous acid which is the 'active ingredient' in aspirin. The bark has astingent qualities and can be used for rheumatic conditions, heartburn and as a diuretic. The sap gathered from the tree when it is flowering can be used to treat facial blemishes and dandruff.

To determine if you will be married in the new year:

'Throw your shoe high up
into the branches of a willow tree;
If the brances catch and hold the shoe
You soon will married be.'

This ritual is still practised by seasoned travellers of the Romany community in Britain today.

Blessings

Oakapple

RE: Celtic tree months ( willow )

Willow Folklore
Irish/Gaelic Fearn
Rank Chieftain
Ruling Planet Venus
Godform Epona
Tarot The Moon
Seasons Spring and Autumn
Abilities Divination. Oracular Heads. Protectin of self and country .Element of water
On the 23rd April, Rumanian gypsies hold their festival of " Green George ". This character, much like our British " Jack in the Green ", is impersonated by a man wearing a wicker frame covered with greenery. Green George epitomizes the spirit of vegetation which brings fruitfulness to the cornfields, and unlike Jack in the Green, he specifically propitiates the water spirits through the Willow tree. In order for this to be done properly , everything is prepared the evening before the festival.

A young Willow tree is cut down and erected in the centre of the activities, where it is dressed with garlands of young leaves and Spring flowers , there is a party atmosphere.That same night all the pregnant women gather round the Willow and each lays a garment of clothing beneath it. If overnight a single leaf falls from the tree onto their garment, it is taken as a sign that the Willow-Goddess is granting them an easy delivery of the child.

At dawn Green George appears. He approaches the Willow tree and hammers three nails into the trunk. He then removes the nails from the tree and takes them to a nearby stream,...throwing them into the water in order to propitiate the water spirits. This done he returns to the Willow and brings it to the stream, where he dips it's branches and leaves until they are heavy with water. Then with the benificial qualities of the Willow and Water Spirits evoked, the flocks and herds of the community are led towards " Green George ", who raises the Willow above them and shakes water onto the animals in blessing.

After this the Willow is again erected in the centre of the festivities and during the remaining celebration is approached for healing, It was considered especially favourable for old and young, giving comfort in condions such as rhumatism, and a vital energy for new born babies

At the end of the festivities each old person would ask another boon, ...approaching the Willow tree and spitting at it three times, saying, ' Willow tree, willow tree, you will soon die let us live '

Pagan associations have always been strong with the Willow, for in the traditional sense they where rev'ered as trees of the Moon Goddess......she who reflects the Moon magic upon the waters of Earth.

Willow was the tree most sought by the wise woman and healers.....eventually gaining the name " The Witches Tree ". Because of these associations the Willow was regarded as a sacred tree and people have always been advised not to burn it " lest grief befall them "
It is thought the origins of " knock on wood " came from the age old act of knocking on the Willow tree to avert evil and bring good luck.

By the peaceful stream or the shady pool
&n

RE: Celtic tree months ( willow )

Willow

Custom and Legend

In Greek mythology it is believed that Orpheus, regarded by the Greeks as most celebrated of poets, recieved his gifts of eloquence and communication by carrying willow branches on his journeys through the underworld. Orpheus was presented with agolden lyre by the God Apollo, who then instructed the Muses in its use. It is thought ,he enchanted not only wild beasts, but even the trees and rocks upon Mount Olympus when he played his music, so that they moved from their places to follow the sound of his golden harp. The ancient astronomers taught that upon his death the lyre of Orpheus was placed among the stars by Zeus, at the intercession of Apollo and the Muses. A bas-relief in a temple at Delphi portrays Orpheus leaning against a willow tree, touching its branches.

Many of the ancient Goddesses are associated with willows. Peresphone, queen of the underworld, Greek Goddess of the Earth had a sacred grove, that lay far West of Tartarus, which was synonymous with Hades. Robert Graves recorded that this grove was ' remarkable for it's black poplars and aged willows'. The priestesses of Helice were believed to use willow in every kind of water magic and witchcraft. In ancient times, the willow-muse ( or willow-tree faerie ) was called Heliconian, after Helice. The willow-muse is sacred to poets, for the sound of the wind in the willow trees exercise a potent influence on the human mind which results in inspiration. ' Treetop inspiration ', in ancient times was deemed preferable to intoxication or trance, for it promoted clarity of mind .

Blessings

Oakapple

RE: Celtic tree months ( willow )

Willow
Custom and legend

The Greek sorceress " Circe " had cemetery situated by a riverside, planted with willows dedicated to " Hecate " and her moon magic. In this cemetery male corpses were covered in untanned ox-hides and left exposed to the elements and the birds, in the tops of willow trees. Circe's cemetery shows the darker side of willows usage, as do the " Spartan Fertility Rites " associated with the Goddess Artemis....where a male celebrant was bound with willow thongs to a sacred image or tree trunk and flogged until the lashes produced an erotic reaction and he ejaculated fertilizing the land with his semen and blood.

The ancient Sumerian Goddess Belili, was a Goddess of trees, the willow in particular. She alsoruled over the Moon, love and the underworld.As a willow Goddess she resided over springs and wells......Belili was dramatically superseded by her willow-god consort Bel, who became the " Supreme Lord of the Universe " when male dominance in Europe by the Celtic tribes started to rever'e " Bel ". He was worshipped as " Lord of Life " by the migrating Celts and eventually ousted the indigenous lunar worship.

"Bel" or Belins feast days were 30th April - 1st May. So these celebrations became known as ........" Beltaine " and duringthemgreat fires were lit in Belin's honour...also spelt Beltane.

blessings

Oakapple

RE: Celtic tree months ( willow )

Willow
Custom and Legend

Legends surrounds the Goddess " Anatha " or ( Anat ) who had a willow cult at Jerusalem. Jehovah's priests not only ousted her but claimed the " Rainmaking Willow " as Jehovah's Tree at the feast of the tabernacles, where to this day the time of the "Fire and Water " ceremony is called the day of " The Day of the Willows "

The most powerful Willow-Moon Goddess was " Hecate ". She was descended from Titans, and was the only one of them to retain power under the rule of Zeus. She was a mighty Goddess of the Underwold, who could send out terrible phantoms at night....She was a teacher of witchcraft and sorcery and haunted cemeteries and crossroads....Her totem animal is the dog, and is depicted on her tarot card " The Moon ", with the dog howling at the Moon, this is her month, the " Willow " month..

Willow, water, and the Moon are a strong combination, with regard to deities associated to the Sun.The Sumerian God " Bel " moved from being a local ..Willow-God..to a Sun-God worshipped throughout the world, and young sun-gods in many traditions are set afloat upon the water in baskets made from willow branches, where along the way they are plucked from the water and planted.

Blessings

Oakapple

RE: Celtic tree months ( willow )

Wow Oakapple... that place you took photos of is wonderful... where abouts is it? And is it true that you learned all that in THAT river?

Amazing 🙂

RE: Celtic tree months ( willow )

It sure was, A lot of the young men were Coalmen in the area where we lived, so instead of taking baths they would go to the local river or stream to bathe. Of course us younger one's would follow along......so you see it was the place to be. The young men attracted the young girls , so it was a popular place. It's nickname was " Stonies "

That river in the picture is the river" Bourne". A subsiduary of the river Wey. As we got older we gathered by the larger river which was the river " Wey". A place called " Triggs Locke".Swimming, boating, fishing, girls, football,cricket rounders.....life was much simpler.....Sunday afernoons were spent having a swimming contest to the windmill and back....some half mile !. hard work swimming back against the currant of the river....or a community game of footie.....Yep good memories

Oakapple xx

RE: Celtic tree months ( willow )

Willow
Custom and Legend

We find the' weeping willow 'which supposedly began drooping in sympathy for the Jews in captivity

By the rivers of babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst therof,
PSALMS 137: 1, 2

Willows was associated with many funerary matters, and has always been the herb use at funerals. In megalithic tombs, flint shaped willow leaves have been found....Old country folklore tells us to plant a willow, and allow it to grow, to ease the passage of the soul at death. Traditionally willow branches were placed inside the coffins, and young willow saplings were planted on the grave of the departed. This echos Celtic tradition, whereby the spirit of the dearly departed rises within the sapling and retains their essence.

Burial mounds, when sited by marshes or lakes were lined with willow trees to protect the spirits within the mounds. To ' wear a willow' once mean't, to grieve openly and garlands for mourning were traditionally woven from supple branches......the willow is still seen by some as an emblem of grief.

Oakapple xx

RE: Celtic tree months ( willow )

Willow
Faeries and Magic

Beltane, like Samhain, is a time when the veil between the worlds is thought to be thin, a time when magic is possible. Whereas Samhain revelers must look out for wandering souls of the dead, Beltane merrymakers must watch for Fairies. Beltane is the night when the queen of the fairies will ride out on her white steed to entice humans away to Faeryland. If you hear the bells of the Fairy Queen's horse, you are advised to look away, so she will pass you by; look at the Queen and your sense alone will not hold you back! Bannocks were also sometimes left for the Fairies, in hopes of winning their favor on this night.
Knowing the name of the faery, gives you power over it so faeries guard their names very secretively. Heliconian is the willow faeries name. Remember tonight; if you hear the ringing of a bell, it is the faery queen, look the other way or you will be whisked off to faery land!!

The maypole, which was either a permanent feature or cut in a ceremony during the gathering of the nine sacred woods, was a symbolic union of the God and Goddess. The maypole itself represented the male, a phallus thrust into mother earth, while the ribbons that were wound around it represent the enveloping nature of the woman and her womb. The maypole was usually danced after sunrise, when disheveled men and women would stagger back into town carrying flowers they picked in the forests or fields. The area around the maypole was decorated with the flowers, and then the winding of the ribbons would begin. Sometimes the flowers were put into baskets and left on the doorsteps of people who were too ill or old to attend the Beltane celebrations. In this way, the entire town could participate in the joys of the coming spring.

We were there last night when the dark drew down:
we set the bonfires leaping.
Then we vanished in the heather
and we couldn't be found until the dawn came creeping.

Did it get a little warm around the fire last night?
Were the flames a little higher than they had the right?
Was your breath a little heavy and your dress a little tight
and the moon too bright for sleeping?

Oakapple xx

RE: Celtic tree months ( willow )

Willow
Underlying Energy

The Willow help us to find the female side of ourselves, whether we are male or female, being sacred to the Moon, it helps us to keep in touch with our lifes rhythms, our deep unconscious, our dreams, and our thoughts and feelings.
It hes been used as a symbol of grief as far back as man can remember. Deserted lovers would 'wear the green willow' to share their heartache with others. In times of crisis or loss, sometimes an emotional numbness sets in because the feelings are too painful, the willow teache us that these feelings must be brought to the surface and dealt with. This realease is an important part for a person to move on through the sadness and find inner strength and healing from the experience.

The word 'Saille' (willow) comes from the latin 'salire' to leap, and becamed anglicized to 'Sally' which means a sudden outburst of action, expression or emotion. This is the key to willow energy - the importance of letting go of emotions, letting out feelings and following our intuition into action.

The twigs are found to be very flexible and teach us to move with life rather than resist what we are feeling. When one of its branches becomes dosconnected, it will grow into a new tree if it is planted, teaching us that contained within a loss or a new direction is the ability for growth and healing.

It is one of the best divining woods along with hazel and birch. It is said to bring good luck in childbirth, but beware willow catkins should never be brought indoors.

Blessings

Oakapple xx

RE: Celtic tree months ( willow )

Willow
Healing Properties

Willow is an old remedy for rheumatism, arthritis, muscle aches and stiffness and all diseases caused by damp conditions. The bark in particular, which contains salicin, is made into salicyclic acid, the basis of aspirin. You can collect the bark in spring time, being careful not to ring the tree.

The leaves are also potent and can be chewed to help bleeding gums and mouth ulcers. Use an infusion of the leaves as a gargle for sore throats, cold, flu and to bring down a fever. If used on a wound it can help stem the bleeding, and is often used to eliminate toxins from the body through the urinary system.

Willow can be used as a tonic after illness and like aspirin it can be used for circulation problems as it prevents rapid blood clotting. It is useful as a sexual sedative, reducing sexual desire.

On a spiritual level the leaves, bark or flowers can be used to assist in the release of emotional pain through expressing inner feelings, crying and allowing sadness to come to the surface. This is a very necessary thing to do as stuck emotions will contribute to ill health. The flower essence will help clear discontent, old patterns of resentment which may be smouldering benerth the surface and a negative outlook.

Willow will help lift the spirits and bring recognition that we are not victims. We are all responsible for our own destiny by what we ourselves contribute to life.

Willow connects us to out intiution and if we follow our intuitive response immediately, in the momnet, in the here and now, there are no blocks to the ultimate divine flow. Here is the key, everything is dealt with in each moment and accumulative emotional baggage does not build up inside.

Willow is ruled by the moon and linked to the element of water. You can meditate with it to connect to inner longings, dreams and visions. Burn dried will bark, leaves and wood shavings as an incense. This will help you to act on inspired leaps of your intuition to bring changes into your life. It wil lenhance deep emotional healing and clairvoyance, making these accessible and integrated.

Blessings

Oakapple xx

RE: Celtic tree months ( willow )

The wood and its uses

The willow grows quickly where there is an abundance of water and therefore it thrives in wet or damp ground. It grows easily from cuttings, particularly taken in late Autumn/early winter, they should simply be stuck straight into the ground. It can be coppiced (cut down to ground level) or pollarded (cut to head height) to give regular supplies of straight poles or withies for binding, weaving, basket making, fencing or firewood. If they are cut during the winter months they can be stored under a hedge to keep them flexible.

Willow has a pale and fine textured wood which is the traditional wood for cricket bats as it can absorb energy without splintering. It has been used for Harp sound boxes because of its ability to take the tension of the strings and remain vibrant.

The charcoal made from Willow is used by many artists. It is made by making a hot fire of previously dried willow sticks which,once burning, is then covered with soil making a small air hole and left for 24 hours.

In healing, willow wands or touchwoods are used to bring about emotional release and change. It will bring connection to the moon and water; if slept with under the pillow, it will help you dream more intensely; in the pocket, it will enhance your ability to respond to your intuition.

The leaves produce a cinnamon coloured dye. The roots can be boiled to obtain a purple dye, traditionally used to decorate eggs at easter.

Oakapple xx

RE: Celtic tree months hawthorn

Hawthorn 13th May - 9th June

Today begins the Celtic Tree month of Hawthorn, The Hawthorn is a small tree of the rose family, and is refered to as the " village" tree, because it is used for hedges in and around villages as boundary markers and borders. It provides food and shelter for many species of wild-life, including birds,small mammals, butterflies and insects.....Hawthorn is also known as Whitethorn and is closely accosiated with it's cousin the Blackthorn and can be found growing together in hedgerows.

Hawthorn is closely accosiated with the faerie realms and is also known as the " Wishing Tree ".

To make a wish use a cloutie (a piece of biodegradeable clothe ripped from a personal item) and tie it upon the hawthorn bush, meditate a while to make your wish come true.

Oakapple xx

RE: Celtic tree months hawthorn

Hawthorn
Bark.The trunk of the Hawthorn tree becomes gnared and scored with thick furrows, as it ages,and often looks much older than it is. In Winter the dark grey trunk looks like twisted old rope and it's inter twinning branches are armed with fiece thorns and spines, forming a protective barrier for numerous hedgerow mammals and birds.

Leaves, In April the hawthorn's leaf-buds appear, as little bundles of green on each branch.The leaves are divided into toothed lobes, and are shiney green on top and grey-green below...they are numerous on the branches. The English Hawthorn doesn't change much in colour during the Autumn, as most of it's colour is shownby it's amazing blossoms.
The common hawthorns leaves however, do take on beautiful colours of red, oranges and yellows during Autumn.

Flowers, masses of flower buds are indispersed with newly open leaves, in Spring, looking like tiny white balls, revealing five tiny white petals with little pink heads set around slender stamen. Each branch becomes weighted down, and the rich evocative scent of the flowers permeates the air.The haunting smell of hawthorn in early Summer is a very special perfume.

Fruit, At the back of each hawthorn flower are five green serpals, looking like the rays of a star. Below this is a swollen stalk and contains the seed and by Summer will have grown into a small green berry. As Autumn appears so the berry ripens and becomes red. They hang on long stalked bunches awaiting the birds attention, who love to feast on the fruit and propogate the seeds upon their flight.

Oakapple xx

RE: Celtic tree months hawthorn

Customs and Legend

No tree is more deeply enshrined in traditions of the English country side than the Hawthorn, with many poems being written, praising the blooms and fragrace of this " Queen of the May ". It reflects the union of the forces of nature. It's erotic perfume has been linked to the sexual secretion of females, with many marriages taking place at this time of year.

In our Pagan past, many cults were formed, being ruled over by Goddesses connected to the Hawthorn. The first of the Celtic Goddesses was ' Olwen ' Daughter of ' Yspaddaden Pencawr ', A man called ' Giant Hawthorn '...Olwen was known as " She of the White Track " for in legend it was said , where ever she set her foot upon the Earth, White Hawthorn trefoils started growing.

In the tales of the Mabinogion , Culhwych, the nephew of King Arthur, fell in love with Olwen, when a spell was cast upon him by his step-mother, a queen who was angry that he had refused her daughters hand in marriage. These actions were also prompted by Culhwych's father Cilydd, for he had killed her husband, King Doged, and claimed the lands as well as his wife and daughter for himself .By casting this spell upon Culhwych, so he would marry no other than her daughter Olwen, the queen gave him 39 seemingly impossible tasks to perform before he could claim Olwen's hand.

With the help of Arthur, he sought and found thirteen treasures of Britain, and eventually help to overthrow ' Yspaddadans ' mighty power and married beautiful Olwen.

Oakapple xx

RE: Celtic tree months hawthorn

Custom and legend

Another goddess of spring that is associated with the Hawthorn is Blodeuwedd, who was magically created from flowers as a consort for Llew Llaw-Gywffes, a Celtic sun-god. She was formed form nine kinds of spring flowers, traditionally representing the light part of the year which gave balanced to Autumn...the Autumn god was made from nine kkinds of fruit.

The Queen of the May is Blodeuwedd's representation, originally dressed in blossoms at the May day festivities. The May King (Green man or Jack in the Green) courts the May Queen and wears hawthorn blossom in his leafy costume. He is a symbol of fertility and represents summer, the fields and woodland.

It is through Hawthorn that we can see the greatest tussle between pagan Nature worship and the the Christian Church. The Hawthorn stands supreme in the month of May, where it represents human nature, sexuality, reproduction and fertility.

Oakapple xx

RE: Celtic tree months hawthorn

Magic

Irish/Gaelic Huathe
Ruling planet Mars
Abilities Fertility, Guardian, Cleansing, door to the other world, happiness, the element of fire
Seasons Spring, autumn
God form Rhiannon
Tarot Judgement
Personality Passionate, ruthless
Opposites

In ancient Greece and Italy hawthorn was regarded as the symbol of marriage and fertility, and in France, England and all Celtioc countries it is still bound up with the pagan Mayday rites, which use the blossoms of 'the May' to symbolize love and betrothal.

During May the strength of the sun's rays and energy helps speed and healings performed with hawthorn. This effect is particularly powerful in healings worked at wells and springs and whatever is begun at such a time and place will gain most benefit from the naturally occurring patterns of growth in the natural world, for it utilizes the tides of the seasons.

Oakapple xx

RE: Celtic tree months hawthorn

Thank you for posting this. I have read the Oghams in the past - unfortunately I don't seem to have much time now to devote to it due to work commitments - and love the Celtic lore of trees and their calendar.
I am Celtic - although of mixed tribes - my paternal line is Cornish (the family have been traced back to a tribe of Celts who fought alongside Bodicea - don't ask me how!!) and my maternal line is Southern Irish and Welsh.

The Celtic tree-lore as always reached out to me. I intend to sit down a.s.a.p and read all your wonderful postings.
Thank you
Glenys