Solstice Fire

 

Sol, the sun has

Stit, stopped.

So says Middle English

From Old French and

Latin – sostitium.

 

If the sun has stopped

Then we must call it back,

Coax it to move again.

Our ancestors knew this.

They lit fires, prayed, sang

Danced, did ceremony.

 

But, we modern people

Know in our heads

That the growing darkness

Is simply caused by our

Earth’s axis tipping away

From its source of life.

It is we who have moved away

Not the sun.

Yes, we know it in our heads,

With theories and scientific evidence.

 

And yet, our bodies

Feel the distance.

We cannot feel ourselves

Spinning, orbiting, or tipping.

We see the sun moving 

lower in the horizon

And our emotions struggle

To lighten in the darkness.

 

But then fire,

Yes fire, ancient and new

Reminds us of the sun.

We find comfort in the

Solar energy stored by

Photosynthesizing leaves

in wooden branches and trunks

As it Is released by fire

as heat and light.

We lean in, we circle it

As Earth circles Sol

With it’s southern parts leaning in

And its northern parts leaning out

At this the Winter Solstice in the North.

 

What could be better than

This heat and soft light?

Sharing it with others

Is even better and made

Particularly poignant during a pandemic

As this ancient knowing

Rises within us.

 

Warm drinks and tasty treats

Fill our stomachs and warm us

From the inside as calories

Stored in food are ignited

Within our cells.

Our bodies are coaxed away from 

The fear or separation, of abandonment.

 

Singing, storytelling, dreaming,

We circle the fire, leaning in

As Earth circles Sol and leans

Both in and out.

Time circles and for a moment

Stands still – we call it timeless

This mythos time that spans

Centuries and generations.

 

Each storyteller’s face shines

Yellow and orange, reflecting the firelight,

While the fire from within each heart

Becomes visible to the imaginal eye

 in that timeless moment.

We lean towards the hearths

of one another’s heart fires

And find our own hearts warmed

There in that imaginal space.

And we know in our cells and hearts

That we are fire to each other.

Our spirits always knew, never forgot

And our minds struggle to catch up

With the ancient knowing that

This is our inheritance, our gift

And our responsibility

Ogham for Winter Solstice

 The ancient Celts used the first alphabet in Europe which is called the Ogham script.  Each letter is associated with a tree or an important plant.  The alphabet was used as a mnemonic device to encode knowledge, the Celtic song of the universe, Ceolta na Cruinne (Diana Beresford-Kroeger).  Some of these trees or plants were important at the time of the Winter Solstice.  What is really interesting to me is that many of these trees or plants are still important to us today and are reflected in Christmas carols and traditions.  All this information is from Jacqueline Memory Peterson’s book Tree Wisdom.

Rowan:  At Winter Solstice, the Rowan has no leaves and when it is covered by frost, it looks like it is covered in stars.  Yule legends tell of a special star atop the mythical Rowan tree which heralded a return of the light.  Paterson writes that this star was incorporated into the Christmas story and that the Rowan was a forerunner of Christmas trees with a star on top which were celebrated inside instead of outside.

Yew:  At the midwinter or Winter Solstice, Yew sprigs were used for purification.  People threw away their physically outworn things and burned them on the great Yule fires.  The Yew was powerful in midwinter as it represented the passage of the sun through the darkest time of year.  All evergreens were revered as trees of light since their green foliage in the dead of winter emphasized that life would continue.  All evergreens were traditionally dressed with shiny, sparkling objects at Yuletide to attract the light of the sun back .  This practice has been adopted for the decoration of Christmas trees now.

Holly:  Holly was brought inside during the winter because its shiny leaves reflected the light and the bright red berries could lift the spirits.  Its evergreen quality symbolizes the tenacity of life.  For the Celts, the Holly King ruled from Midsummer to Midwinter (when the sun is waning) and then a battle with the Oak King occurs which the Oak wins and then the Oak rules from Midwinter to Midsummer (when the sun is waxing).  The Christmas carol, “The Holly and the Ivy” is really about the male and female principles in life.  At Yule, it was the custom to dress a boy in the foliage of holly and a girl in Ivy.  Then they paraded around the town to lead the old solar year into the new one.  In some traditions the boy and girl played competitive games including singing songs.  The Holly represented the sun and the Ivy the moon.  “Of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown,” goes the carol.

Holly in a vase

Scots Pine: The Druids burned great fires of pine at the Winter Solstice to draw back the sun and the practice led to the burning of the Yule log.  Living pines were decorated with lights and shiny objects at Yule.  The Scots Pine is used as a Christmas tree because of its green needles and red bark.  And the Yule log is now a tasty dessert served at Christmas.

Apple:  Apple trees were Wassailed at the Winter Solstice or on the Twelfth Night.  This is a seasonal ceremony in which blessings and prayers are said to the trees to ensure good crops.  A toast is drunk to the spirit which inhabits the trees.  Songs are sung, poems recited and apple cider is poured onto the roots of the tree.  “Here we go a-wassailing…” is a song we sing at Christmas time.

Ash:  The wassailing bowl used by druids was carved from Ash.  Ash was also used as the Yule log.

Oak: Mistletoe has always been associated with the Sun and there was a tradition of gathering it at both solstices.  At the summer solstice, the wood was gathered and at the Winter Solstice, the berries and leaves.  Mistletoe that grew on Oak which was sacred to the Druids was thought to be the most powerful.  At Winter Solstice, the Mistletoe was lopped from the Oak and caught in a cloth so that it never touches the earth.  Mistletoe represents male fertility of the sun god that combined with the earth goddess renews her fertility.  I already mentioned the battle between the Oak and Holly at Winter Solstice.  In Druidic tradition, the robin and wren are associated with the Oak and Holly respectively and they also compete according to the season.

I find it very interesting that after a few thousand years of Christianity, these ancient connections with trees and plants endure.

Jacqueline Memory Peterson (1996) Tree Wisdom: The definitive guidebook to the myth, folklore and healing power of Trees. Thorsons: London.

 

 

Rowan: Ogham Tree for December

 

Rowan   Luis  L    December

The ancient Celts used the first alphabet in Europe which is called the Ogham script.  Each letter is associated with a tree or an important plant.  The alphabet was used as a mnemonic device to encode knowledge, the Celtic song of the universe, Ceolta na Cruinne (Diana Beresford-Kroeger).  The thirteen months of the year (pre-Gregorian calendar) were each represented by a particular tree.  The new year began on Nov. 1^st with Birch, followed by Rowan in December.  Rowan represented the letter “L” or Luis.

Rowan is a species of the Rose family along with Apple, Hawthorn and Wild Cherry.  Their compound leaves look like those of the Ash, thus the name “Mountain Ash”.  Each Rowan flower is like a small apple blossom.  Birds eat the berries. There are roughly 100 species of Rowan distributed in temperate Eurasia and North America.  Sorbus decora is a species native to Canada. Rowan grows on the rocky hillsides of Scotland and Wales. It will grow at the edge of a forest as it loves light and space.

The berries are high in Vitamin C and best used with the pulp and seeds strained out. Fresh juice was used as a gargle and the jelly and syrup were prescribed for gout. Modern herbalists make a tea from the dried and ground bark and the dried flowers to help with digestive and stomach disorders.  In Scotland, a strong spirit is made from the berries. The fruit must be cooked before it is edible. The Celts used it as a tonic. In North America, Indigenous people use the Rowan (different species than in the UK) to treat colds, cough, headaches, lumbar back pain, diabetes and cancer. Rowan is an anti-inflammatory.  Rowan has been used as an astringent and antibiotic. A decoction of Rowan bark was used to treat diarrhea. The seeds in the berries are poisonous to children but a strong astringent infusion was used externally to treat hemorrhoids and as a cure for scurvy.

Rowan bark was used as a black dye and a tanning agent. Rowan wood was traditionally used to make spindles and spinning wheels. The Celts used Rowan trees in hedgerows as a predictor of crops.  The date of the flowers blooming was used to predict the grain harvest.  Equal-armed crosses of Rowan twigs bound by red thread were made as talismans. 

The Celts believed that the faeries were enamoured with the beauty of the Rowan’s white flowers followed by the bright red berries in the fall. 

“As a vibrational essence, Rowan teaches the skill of discernment and gives psychic protection, as well as aiding insight.”  It also fosters imagination to overcome difficulties.   “:…Rowan counsels you to seek knowledge and protection you need to move forward successfully and in balance.” (Forest, 60)

According to Glennie Kindred, Rowan offers protection from harmful influences, intuition and insights, increased psychic powers, visions, meditation, vitality, spiritual strength and tenacity, the refusal to give up. These gifts are to help the potential set in motion by the Birch.  It offers the invitation to meditate, to quiet the mind and allow clarity and inspiration to enter. Trusting your intuition and insights strengthens your own personal power.

According to Liz and Colin Murray, Rowan was used to protect against enchantment.  Rune staves were cut from Rowan trees.  A Rowan branch was used in metal divining.  In the north of Britain, sprays of Rowan were fixed to cattle sheds and placed over the main door of the house as well as being worn by people.  In Wales, Rowan trees were planted in churchyards to watch over the spirits of the dead.

The Rowan is considered the female version of the Ash in Scandinavian myths in which the first woman was born from a Rowan and the first man from an Ash.  In Icelandic myth, the Rowan was very important in the Winter Solstice.  Yule legends tell of a special star atop the mythical rowan tree which heralded a return of the light.  There are many legends about the gifts of the berries. Rowans were associated with dragons and both were used for protection of the earth and the flow of earth energy.

“The calm atmosphere and beauty of rowan, the gracefulness of its spirit and the energy of life it represents, allow us to find healing, strength and purpose.” (Peterson, 231)  And finally, Elen Sentier writes, “Rowan is a portal, threshold tree offering you the chance of going somewhere… and of leaving somewhere.” (Sentier, 17)

This is a compilation of information taken from the following sources:

Diana Beresford-Kroeger (2019) To Speak for the Trees. Random House: Canada.

Danu Forest (2014) Celtic Tree Magic: Ogham Lore and Druid Mysteries. Llewellyn Worldwide: Woodbury, Minnesota.

Glennie Kindred, (1997) The Tree Ogham. Glennie Kindred: UK.

Liz and Colin Murray (1988) The Celtic Tree Oracle. Connections Book Publishing: London, UK.

Jacqueline Memory Peterson (1996) Tree Wisdom: The definitive guidebook to the myth, folklore and healing power of Trees. Thorsons: London.

Elen Sentier (2014) Trees of the Goddess. Moon Books: Winchester, UK.

 

 

Pluriversal Politics: The Real and the Possible

 

Every now and again, you come across something which seems to shine a bright spotlight on something that was previously hidden in the shadows.  “But, of course,” you say to yourself.  “Now I see.”  I had this experience recently as I read something that my daughter who is working on her MEd sent to me.  It was a chapter from the book Pluriversal Politics: The Real and the Possible by Arturo Escobar who is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and the author of several books.

Arturo Escobar

Escobar deals with the “politics of the possible” and writes about how our commonly held ideas of what is real and attainable get in the way of the emergence of alternative visions of the future.  He looks at the experience and practice of Indigenous and Afro-descendant people who are protecting their land from extractive industries in Latin America and shows how they are bringing about the pluriverse, “a world of many worlds”.  Escobar feels this is key in creating a myriad of different possible future stories that could bring solutions to planetary crises.

The book is written is scholarly language that can feel a little daunting but underneath it is a striking clarity.  Escobar feels that the planetary crisis that we face “is the crisis of a particular world or set of world-making practices, the world that we usually refer to as the dominant form of Euro-modernity.”  Therefore, he reasons, “If the crisis is then caused by this heteropatriarchal capitalist modern world, it follows that facing the crisis implies transitions toward its opposite, that is, toward a multiplicity of worlds we will call the pluriverse.”  If the diversity of these worlds is infinite, then the narrow Eurocentric vision of the world can hardly have exhausted all the possibilities, he argues.  Here, is a good example of how another point of view that is Latin American based sees the dominant Eurocentric worldview; as simply one among many.  I found that very refreshing.

If the Eurocentric worldview is seen as the only one, then what does not yet exist is impossible, concludes Escobar as he writes, “Here again we find an insightful formulation of the es [Epistemology of the South] framework: what does not exist is actively produced as nonexistent or as a noncredible alternative to what exists.”  This sentence elicits an image of Europeans with blinkers on in my imagination.  I hear this kind of thinking all of the time.  For example, when people discuss electricity derived from renewable sources, they often bring up the problem of storing the energy created.  Thus, they conclude, renewable electricity production is a bad idea.  When I hear this, I think, well, clearly, we need to develop better ways of storing energy so that we can use renewably produced electricity.  But most people discard the idea as implausible since it does not yet exist.

Another key area that Escobar writes about is the network of interrelations that makes up the world.  He writes, “To put it abstractly, a relational ontology of this sort can be defined as one in which nothing pre-exists the relations that constitute it. Said otherwise, things and beings are their relations; they do not exist prior to them.”  This is clearly different than the idea that things are disconnected and autonomous and that they then choose to relate to one another.  The relational ontology (ontology deals with the nature of being) that Escobar writes about is a bit of a mind puzzle for anyone brought up with Newtonian and Cartesian science.  But it is well worth puzzling over.  The first thing that springs to my mind is procreation in which a new life emerges from the relationship of its parents.  But, relational ontology goes deeper than that.  The African word Ubuntu is sometimes translated as “I am because we are” or “I am because you are.”  This example of relational ontology is worth thinking about. 

Escobar quotes the anthropologist Tim Ingold who says “these worlds without objects ‘are always in movement, made up of materials in motion, flux, and becoming; in these worlds, living beings of all kinds constitute each other’s conditions for existence; they ‘interweave to form an immense and continually evolving tapestry.’”  In this way, everything contributes to the inter-relational weave thereby creating the conditions necessary for existence.

It is easy in a comfortable home with lots of food to eat and the money to pay for it, to forget that we are a part of this tapestry.  But, stop for a moment and think about where today’s ingredients for the meals you ate came from.  Think about the soil they grew in, the rain that watered them, the people who tended them or fed them, who prepared them for sale, who drove them to the all the places they needed to go before they got to the store where you bought them.  Think about the electricity that powers all of your conveniences and the fuel that heats your home, the people that built your home and the places where all the materials came from.  Very quickly, you will understand that you exist because of all these others.

Another key to the future is a new story says Escobar as he writes: “Given that we cannot be intimate with the Earth within a mechanistic paradigm, we are in dire need of a new story that might enable us to reunite the sacred and the universe, the human and the nonhuman. The wisdom traditions, including those of indigenous peoples, offer a partial guide toward this goal of re-embedding ourselves within the Earth. Within these traditions, humans are embedded within the Earth, are part of its consciousness, not an individual consciousness existing in an inert world,” writes Escobar.  He goes on to quote a Nasa Indigenous leader from southwestern Columbia: “Somos la continuidad de la tierra, miremos desde el corazón de la tierra” (We are the extension of the Earth, let us think from the earth’s heart).

What stories could emerge from the earth’s heart, I wonder.  Instead of taking an “objective” viewpoint and talking about relationships, how can we think from the relationship?  How can we understand ourselves as embedded within the earth?  These may seem to be very heady questions but without this change in thinking, we in “the west” are likely to keep on going around in circles of despair and destruction.

I invite you to think about this and to listen for stories the come from the earth’s heart.  I imagine that they can only be heard from within the relationship.

Arturo Escobar (2020) Pluriversal Politics: The Real an the Possible. Duke University Press: Durham, North Carolina.

 

Ailm: Breaking New Ground and Having Clear Vision

 

Ailm  Ogham Letter A   Scots Pine / Silver Fur 

The Birch represents the New Celtic Year which begins on Nov. 1^st.  It pairs very well with Ailm for new beginnings so I thought I would include this new letter for the beginning of the Celtic New Year.

Scots Pine

Ailm is the first vowel in the Ogham alphabet.  It represents the letter A and is represented by Scots Pine or Silver Fur.  Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) is a very ancient tree.  It is native to Europe and Asia in the area of the Boreal Forest.  It formed large parts of forests in Britain particularly in the north of England and in Scotland until 8000 years ago.  Between 4000 and 1500 years ago the Irish and West Scottish pine declined massively and the Irish pines went extinct.  This may be why the Silver Fir was taken for Ailm in the early Middle Ages.  Scots Pine went extinct in Wales and England due to over-exploitation and grazing 3-400 years ago but it is now being re-introduced.  The oldest Scots Pine tree was found at Inverary in 1951.  It was thought to be over 330 years old.  According to Jacqueline Memory Peterson, pines can live to be 600 years old.

Scots Pine has fairly short, blue-green needles and orange-red bark.  This tree is very hardy and its deep roots allow it to colonise in extreme climates, from very dry to boggy and even sandy soils.  It was introduced to the US in 1600.  It can grow up to 40m tall.  The Silver Fir can grow up to 50m and has grey, smooth bark.  It is not as hardy as Scots Pine and likes moist soils and high humidity. Both Scots Pine and Silver Fir are used as a Christmas tree in Europe.  With its red trunk and evergreen needles, Scots Pine was traditionally associated with the Winter Solstice. 

Scots Pine is excellent for wildlife and it supports lichen and insects.  Therefore, many birds live in pinewoods.  The level branches are good nesting places for large raptors such as the golden eagle and squirrels eat their seeds.

Scots Pine was used to make tar in the pre-industrial age and is also a source of rosin and turpentine.  The resin is a good fire starter. Pine resins are used to clear cold and chest infections and killing germs.  Their vapours can also boost circulation, ease aches and pains and clear toxins from the body. Pine wood was used to make containers for butter and milk as its wood prevented rancidity.  The Druids prescribed walking in pine forests to help breathing and to clear the lungs from colds and flus.  According to Diana Beresford-Kroeger, pines release an atmospheric aerosol complex of a biochemical called pinene.  This is easily absorbed by the skin and the surfaces of the lungs and has recently been show to boost the human immune system.  Twenty minutes in the pine forest will boost the immune systems’ memory for about thirty days.

As the first vowel sound in the Ogham alphabet Ailm is about breaking new ground, motivation and birth (Danu Forest). According to Elen Sentier, Ailm is all about rebirth and regeneration.  When Scots Pine is cut down, new stems will grow from the roots.  According to Glennie Kindred, Ailm is represented by Fir which is about objectivity, far-seeing and wisdom.  Fir helps us to develop the perceptions and insights necessary to see beyond the present.  It can also help us to see things from another person’s point of view.  The Fir is a strong energy that supports an elevated state of mind.  Liz and Colin Murray also write that Ailm is represented by Silver Fir (Abies alba) and it represents long sight and a clear vision of what is to come.

One can imagine themselves climbing up the branches of the Pine or Fir to get a clear vision of what is ahead by rising above the clutter of the forest. From this viewpoint we can also gain insight into the past and see patterns.  This can help us to let go of patterns that no longer serve us and adopt new ones to take us forward.

Silver Fir

This is a compilation of information taken from the following sources:

Diana Beresford-Kroeger (2019) To Speak for the Trees. Random House: Canada.

Danu Forest (2014) Celtic Tree Magic: Ogham Lore and Druid Mysteries. Llewellyn Worldwide: Woodbury, Minnesota.

Glennie Kindred, (1997) The Tree Ogham. Glennie Kindred: UK.

Liz and Colin Murray (1988) The Celtic Tree Oracle. Connections Book Publishing: London, UK.

Jacqueline Memory Peterson (1996) Tree Wisdom: The definitive guidebook to the myth, folklore and healing power of Trees. Thorsons: London.

Elen Sentier (2014) Trees of the Goddess. Moon Books: Winchester, UK.

 

What the Eye Beholds

 

This has been a year of unfamiliar events for the whole world.  And the same is true for the forest near my home that welcomes me into its community of beings.  The mixed hardwood part of the forest that was idyllic during the lock downs of the summer of 2020 was changed drastically by logging activities in the late winter of 2021.  Mature Black Poplars, White Ashes and Maples were cut down.  Most of their canopy branches were left lying on the forest floor after the loggers left.

Once spring came, the canopy was punched through with holes left by the now absent trees, allowing the sun to stream down full force onto small Balsam Fir, Maple and Elm saplings that had been slowly growing for the past few years.  In the early summer the LDD moth caterpillars ate all the leaves of the remaining canopy and the sun like a giant grow light welcomed new growth from the roots of the logged trees.  Ashes and Maples suckered up from the stumps left behind.  But the Poplars which have root systems that are two to three times the height of the tree took full advantage of the light sprouting saplings everywhere possible. They shot up quickly in the sunny forest and reached six feet in height by the end of the summer.

An unusual Fall forest scene.

Now that it is Fall, the leaves which regrew in the canopy have fallen and the forest is once again filled with grey vertical trunks.  But, the new Poplar saplings are still green.  The sun once again is unobstructed and the bright green leaves are backlit and brilliant.  They are slowly turning brown but they feel like excited children who don’t want to go to bed.  "We just got here!"  It is not a usual, familiar Fall scene that I am used to and I spent some time watching and listening to these youngsters as the stiff November breeze got their leaves to dancing.

I thought about the difficulty for people in my area to face another winter of restrictions.  People talk about impending snow with a mixture of distaste and resignation.  Many are tired of COVID restrictions that change their normal way of getting through the winter.  Some have nothing to talk about now that they can’t travel to warmer places.  I watch for signs of depression.   And yet…

And yet, here is this Fall forest full of new growth, an abundance of green that is the result of logging and caterpillar feasting.  It is a result of the death and destruction of the big trees.  The Poplar saplings remind me that new growth is possible, that we can create new ways of being and doing from our deep roots.  They remind to look around the world for this new growth.  They suggest new eyes for seeing what is also there.

I spent some time photographing these new saplings in the forest to share here with you.  I was focused on the bright green when my partner noticed that the fourteen foot painted wooden snake that usually lies on top of a pile of branches was no longer there.  He asked me if he was looking in the right place.  He was.  It was hard to imagine someone walking out of the forest with a fourteen foot snake over their shoulder.  Perhaps someone didn’t like snakes and had thrown it deeper into the forest.  My partner wandered around looking for it on the forest floor.  Perhaps, we wondered, someone has relocated it within the forest.  We walked along the path looking from side to side but found no sign of it.

The fourteen foot snake emerging from a pile of branches in its usual spot.

The snake had been the prompt for many stories told there in the woods during the summer.  Some people told us that they were afraid of snakes.  My partner had wanted to situate it up in a tree but I thought that might make it more frightening so he agreed to lay it on top of a pile of branches as if it were emerging from them (see picture above).   In fact, the snake was made from one of these branches and had been transformed with bright paint to represent the seven species of snakes that live in our area.  Subsequently, my partner made a much smaller snake and painted it red.  He balanced it between two trees that had grown together while leaving a hole just perfect for a small snake to balance on, just a few feet off the ground.

We agreed that the large snake must be somewhere collecting new stories and reasoned that we could always make a new one since there were still loads of branches lying around.  As we headed back down the trail to the car, I wondered aloud if the little red snake was still in place.  My partner said, yes he’d noticed it there on our way in.  I thought I would still take a look for myself and as I approached the snake tree which I had already passed while taking pictures, I burst into laughter.  Seven feet in the air, above the red snake, was the fourteen foot snake balanced through another hole between the same two kissing trees.  Someone tall and strong had repositioned it up in the air where my partner had originally intended it to go.  Someone else had listened to the snake and put it in its true home.  We couldn’t stop laughing as we made our way back to the car.

The snake in its new position seven feet in the air above the little red snake.

Once I got home, I loaded my photos onto my computer and laughed once again.  Some of the photos that I had taken of the bright green saplings included the giant snake.  I had been so intent on capturing the bright green that I had not noticed the fourteen foot snake seven feet in the air in my photo.  This of course was the source of more laughter.

The fourteen foot snake is evident in the top left hand corner of the photo upon closer inspection.

We see what we focus on, what lights up for us.  I could focus on the empty branches of the mature trees or the bright green poplar saplings backlit by the sun. I could focus on death or new life.   I could focus on the green leaves or a giant snake hovering above me.  I can focus on the restrictions or I can focus on the relationships that people are now valuing more than ever.  There in the forest, the airborne snake reminded me not to take life too seriously for there is new life, creativity and joy to be found if I look for it.

Celtic New Year Begins with Birch

 

Birch   Beith  B

The ancient Celts invented the first alphabet in Europe which is called the Ogham script.  Each letter is associated with a tree or an important plant.  The alphabet was used as a mnemonic device to encode knowledge, the Celtic song of the universe, Ceolta na Cruinne (Diana Beresford-Kroeger).  The thirteen months of the year (pre-Gregorian calendar) were each represented by a particular tree.  The new year began on Nov. 1^st with Birch.

According to Diana Beresford-Krueger, Birch’s ancient name was Beith gheal or gleaming birch.  The bark has a “white periderm like glistening talcum powder.” (Diana Beresford-Kroeger, 197).  In the moonlight it gleams.  Birch was called the lady tree and it was held in high esteem as were women in the ancient Celtic world.  In the oral culture of the Celts, beith was a temple word, a trigger for the meaning of life including the body, mind and soul.  The word beith means to exist as a mystical constant outside of time. (Beresford-Kroeger)

Birch is a pioneering tree that is one of the first to repopulate an area that has been deforested.  It can grow quickly and is relatively short lived, providing nutrients for other species.  Both male and female catkins grow on the same tree and they emerge very early in the spring hence its association with new beginnings. Birch often grows in groves and it supports newly emergent growth. Birch is native to most of the northern hemisphere.

Tea made from the mature leaves of Birch is an ancient treatment for urinary tract infections.  It is mildly diuretic and is thought to be a gentle antiseptic for the urinary tract.  Birch can be distilled to form acetylsalicylic acid (ASA).  Also, birch produces a regulatory phytochemical called betulinic acid which is a growth regulator.  It can also kill human melanoma cells.  The Birch also contains xylitol that inhibits a bacterium responsible for tooth decay.  This is being added to chewing gum.

In North America, birch bark was used to make canoes, and cooking and storage vessels.  It is waterproof.  It contains oils that make it good for starting fires.  Birch wood is used for smoking food.  In Scandinavia, ground up birch bark was fermented in sea water and used to season sails and rope on traditional Norwegian vessels. The bark has also been used as paper for writing and drawing on.  The sap is used to make syrup.

Birch symbolizes new beginnings and determination in overcoming difficulties.  When they shine, they stand out from the other trees and are easy to see, showing the way.  Birch was associated with light – moonlight, starlight.  Traditionally, in Celtic countries, birch was used for purification.  Birch twigs were used to beat out negativity.  Birch is about new beginnings after clearing away the old. According to Elen Sentier, the word birch means white, bright, to shine.  “Beginnings are times of initiating things and setting events in motion, creation, and especially activation.” (Sentier, 14)

Birch is a colonizer tree on disturbed soil, which it enriches as it drops its leaves. It is a tree of great life giving, vitality and nourishment.  Birch represents a new journey or opportunity and it can help you to adopt a new frame of mind to navigate change.  Glennie Kindred advises us to shed the old unhelpful things as Birch sheds its bark.   Birch teaches trust that all will be well and to not fear the unknown.

 

This is a compilation of information taken from the following sources:

Diana Beresford-Kroeger (2019) To Speak for the Trees. Random House: Canada.

Danu Forest (2014) Celtic Tree Magic: Ogham Lore and Druid Mysteries. Llewellyn Worldwide: Woodbury, Minnesota.

Glennie Kindred, (1997) The Tree Ogham. Glennie Kindred: UK.

Liz and Colin Murray (1988) The Celtic Tree Oracle. Connections Book Publishing: London, UK.

Jacqueline Memory Peterson (1996) Tree Wisdom: The definitive guidebook to the myth, folklore and healing power of Trees. Thorsons: London.

Elen Sentier (2014) Trees of the Goddess. Moon Books: Winchester, UK.

 

"Warrior's Lullaby" and "Crying Bones": Shy-Anne Sings the Truth

 

A friend recently sent me links to the music of Shy-Anne Hovorka.  She is an “award-winning songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, humanitarian and perfomer…   Shy-Anne holds, an “Honours Bachelor of Music” and “Bachelor of Education” and her “Masters of Education” Degree. When Shy-Anne is not touring as a solo, band or symphony act, she is a highly regarded school teacher, who works with youth in her community to help them improve their lives through music and continues the important tradition of teaching the Ojibwe Language, or out on the land reconnecting with the Earth.” (https://shy-anne.com/)

 

Shy-Anne Hovorka (https://shy-anne.com)

These two songs are part of a larger project that combines artwork with music.  Hovorka partnered with different artists for each song adding to the original image which emerges throughout the video.  Both of these songs are about the children whose unmarked remains were recently found on the grounds of Indian Residential Schools in Canada.  Shy-Anne sings the truth in a powerful way and her music combined with the emerging artwork is sure to touch the hearts and minds of those who witness this collaboration.

This first song, Warrior’s Lullaby is illustrated by artist Sonya Belisle.  Here are the lyrics:

Warrior's Lullaby "  by Shy-Anne Hovorka

Tiny hands, Tiny souls

Tiny lives that live no more

Your body’s gone, but your spirit flies

Creator has you by his side

Your flesh and blood, they became the trees,

Your bones buried are now free,

From where they laid in secret tombs,

Stolen from your mothers wombs.

Warriors,

Some survived, still walk this land

their bodies still carry the brand

The heat and fire that killed the mind

And their lives before still trying to find

You’ve lived your life, with fear and pain,

You hid your tears in the rain,

You wear the scars of life now lost,

Carrying this heavy cross...

Warriors Creator is waiting in the sky….

Creator’s been standing by your side….

 

You can view it here:

 

 

The second song, Crying Bones was illustrated by artist Vanessa Willow Giiniw-Ikwe.  Here are the lyrics:

 Crying Bones by Shy-Anne Hovorka

 Tried to hide the evidence of shame below the ground

Tiny little bodies tell the story now that their found,

Voices of the past have risen from the grave,

All their tiny souls are no longer enslaved

 

Chorus: Crying Bones Crying Bones

You’re not alone Crying Bones

 

Can’t deny the truth, or deny the words being told,

History has proven what memories of others hold,

Try to say you’re sorry now that the truth is out,

But the story is much bigger than what this song is about

History keeps showing us how we’ve been tried

Tortured, slaved, and punished and told many lies

Forced assimilation from the government still proceeds

Now you are faced with consequences of your deeds….

 

 You can view it here: