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. 1st with Birch, followed by Rowan in December, Alder in January and Willow in February. The tree associated with March is Ash or Nuin. It represented the letter N.
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| Nuin, N |
The Celtic Ash was Fraxinus excelsior (European Ash) and it
towered above the Oaks. In my area of central Canada, there are at least 3 of
the 14 Ash species: Fraxinus americana or White Ash, Fraxinus
pennsylvanica or Green Ash and Fraxinus
nigra or Black Ash which is the one that the Potawatomi make baskets from.
Ash prefers to grow in mixed deciduous woodlands. They are deep rooted. Ash trees have also been planted along roads
and in parks. Ash leaves are compound
with four to eleven pairs of leaflets with toothed edges that are opposite on
the central stalk. Each tree has both
male stamens and female seed vessels.
Once fertilized, the seed vessels change into flat “keys” that hang in
bunches like a key ring, sometimes until the following spring. These keys spin to the ground once they are
released from the stem. Once in the soil
they don’t grow until their second year.
The word ash and Fraxinus both come from words meaning
spear as the wood was good for spears since it is strong and flexible. Ash wood is now used for tools, handles,
furniture, sports equipment, walking sticks, tent pegs, oars, gates, and wheel
rims. It was used in airplane wings in
WW2. In Wales and Ireland, all oars and
coracle slats are made of ash to protect against drowning. The Vikings made
their boats from oak but all the magical parts were of Ash. It is still thought to bring protection to
travelers.
Both the European
and the North American Ash have a biochemical called escin which tightens the
peripheral arteries of the skin. In
Calabria in southern Italy, ash is grown as a crop tree for the sap. The sap is high in sugars and can be
extracted by puncturing the bark. As the
sap accumulates and dries it forms a white mass that is called “manna”. Manna contains four sugars and some
medicines. This could be the manna
referred to in the Bible.
In Ireland, Ash sticks were used in the game of hurling
which is like field hockey. Ash wood was also used to make wagons, coaches,
fencing, rails, poles, furniture and implements. It was sometimes used instead of yew for bows
and it was used for the shafts of arrows. The wassail bowl that the druids used
to toast the harvest of apples was made from Ash and it was the traditional
wood of the yule log at the Solstice to call back the sun god.
Ancient wisdom referred to the Cosmic Ash or the World
Tree. In Norse mythology, the Ash is
Yggdrasil, the tree of Odin which spans the Universe as well as the Odin’s
vehicle for travel (his eight legged horse).
The roots of this World Tree are in the underworld, the branches support
the heavens and the Earth is at its centre.
“In Celtic cosmology in particular it connects the three circles of
existence – Abred, Gwynedd and Ceugant … or past, present and future…” (Murray
p. 32) So, the Ash can be seen as spanning the macrocosm and the microcosm which
can be expressed in the phrase “as above, so below.” For the Celts, Ash was a Chieftain tree. It is associated with gods and goddesses
throughout ancient Europe and a spear is often part of the association. It is a tree of power. Ash is also Gwydion’s tree Gwydion was a Celtic shapeshifter and
trickster and he had a spear made of ash which helped with transmutation. His story is thought to be the origin of
April Fool’s Day because he fooled his sister into arming his nephew Lleu.
The Teutons had great reverence for the Ash tree and after
the Germanic tribes entered Britain, Ash replaced Birch as the wood of the maypole and it became
a symbol of the sun and the axis mundi or axis around which the “sacred dance
of life takes place.” (Peterson, p.158)
Ash had a connection with the sun and lightning and it loved the water.
According to Glennie Kindred, Ash represents knowledge such
as: “a key to universal truth; every action has a reaction; interlinking
circles of existence; healing the inner child; and the power of positive
affirmations.” (p. 21) “Every action on
one level affects the other levels.
Every action has a reaction; physically, mentally and spiritually,”
writes Kindred. (p 22)
And so, Ash is about how everything is connected. “Through Ash we can translate the past and
realign our realities of the present with a wiser view to the future. Through Ash, we become aligned with the world,”
writes Peterson. (p. 157) Ash is “the tree of balance.” (Peterson, p 160) It
links inner and outer worlds. It is
ruled by the sun but responds to water.
It’s connection with the past helps to “heal the past and reclaim our
true spiritual heritage.” (Peterson, p 161)
I pondered all these things today as I walked through the
forest that has welcomed me into its community of beings for the past
year. The Emerald Ash Borer has moved
into the area and the County Foresters are taking out the dead and dying Ash
trees from the forest. As I walked, I
could hear the machines that are cutting the trees down. The logs are being
stacked by the road for eventual pickup.
The pile grows and grows. I
believe they are doing this to stop the spread of the insect. I also know that there are hundreds of Ash
saplings throughout the forest that will be left.
The pile of logs reminds me of the bodies of senior citizens
who have died of COVID. I wonder what
the forest will look like once we are allowed back into the cutting zone. It is where the Wild Leeks, Trilliums and
Blue Cohosh will emerge in a few months.
I honour the fallen Ash trees with an offering, a witness to their
passing. I imagine that the spaces in
the canopy will urge Maple, Beech and Balsam saplings to grow quickly. This will be an opportunity for them. And the forest will change its composition. And I
wonder what our world will look like without all of those seniors and younger
people who have passed on. The
composition of our world will shift. Will
new things grow in their place? Of course they will. It is the way that things work.
And I wonder about the symbolism of the world tree, the
tree that helps us to heal the past as it is dying all around me. I wonder about the wounds of the past caused
by war, by the spear. I wonder about the
protection that Ash offers to we travelers as I see the Ash logs piled up, ready for
transport. Will all this death transform
how we see our world? Will we value our
seniors and trees more as we see them pass away? The tree that has a connection to the sun, is
falling at a time of climate change. How
can Ash’s message about how everything is connected help us to heal? As this axis mundi falls, it seems to symbolize to me the fact that we have lost our centre. Nature is no longer at the centre of our spinning world. It has been pushed to the sidelines leading to species destruction and habitat degradation.
The sound of the forestry equipment in the sanctuary of the
forest is heartbreaking. The inability
to see or talk to my aged father in a nursing home with a COVID outbreak is
heartbreaking. The urge to walk away, to close my eyes, to plug my ears is
strong. It takes courage to witness
these events and to stay present with compassion. It takes courage to imagine a different way
of living, of honouring all our relations.
Ash wood is strong and flexible as it connects all realms. Ash is the tree of balance. Perhaps my ancestors’ ancient wisdom can
support me here and now as I follow Ash’s lead to find strength, flexibility, balance and courage to take part in this healing story.
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.
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