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.