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.