Cosmic Ash Bridges the Circles of Existence

 

Once upon a time, the Ash trees used to tower over the Oaks in the lands of the Celts. They were Fraxinus excelsior or European Ash.  In many European cultures, the Cosmic Ash was a World Tree.  The Norse legends talked about Yggdrasil, the tree of Odin which spans the Universe.  The roots of Yggdrasil were in the underworld, the trunk was in the Earthly realm and the branches supported the heavens. Ash was the bridge that connected them.

 For the Celts, Ash was a Chieftain tree and in the Ogham script, it represented Nuin or the letter N and was the tree of what we now think of as the month of March.   “In Celtic cosmology in particular, Ash connects the three circles of existence – Abred, Gwynedd and Ceugant … or past, present and future.” (Liz and Colin Murray, p. 32)   Once again, Ash provides a bridge or a pathway that connects what appears to be separate.

The Teutons had great reverence for the Ash tree and after the Germanic tribes entered Britain, the Ash replaced the Birch as the maypole and became a symbol of the sun and the phallus of the god round which the “sacred dance of life takes place.” (Jaqueline Memory Paterson, p. 158)

Ash wood is strong and flexible.  Both the words Ash and Fraxinus come from words meaning spear as Ash wood was used for this purpose. Ash wood is also good for making tools, handles, furniture, sports equipment, walking sticks, oars, gates and wheel rims. I’ve seen it used for the gunwales of canoes.  Ash was known as a tree that provided protection and so in Wales and Ireland, all oars and coracle slats were made of Ash to protect those who used them from drowning.  The Vikings made their ships from Oak except for the magical, protective parts which were made of Ash.  The wassail bowl which the Druids used to toast apple trees and the traditional Yule log at the Winter Solstice were both from the wood of the Ash.

Each Ash tree has both the male stamens and female seed vessels.  Once fertilized by wind or insects, the seed vessels form long “keys” that eventually flutter to the ground.  They are called keys because they hang in clumps that resemble key chains.  I like to imagine what these keys may unlock as Ash supports the continuous flow of energy and information between various levels of existence.  As Ash allows us to access these levels within ourselves perhaps the keys unlock hidden rooms and treasure chests.

I was recently listening to Thomas Hubl (https://thomashuebl.com/ ) speak in the Ancestral Healing Journey course that I am taking on-line.  His words made me think of the Cosmic Ash.  Hubl spoke about resourcing ourselves from below, from the Earth and from our ancestors.  He also spoke about resourcing ourselves all around us from the people around us and from the ”we space” of groups that gather for collective healing.  And he spoke of resourcing ourselves from the inspiration and energy that comes from above that seemingly lands in us. 

Beaded Cosmic Ash with the Ogham script for Nuin and three keys

I could picture the Cosmic Ash while he spoke.  I could imagine Ash providing the bridge that I can travel on when I move into the territory of my ancestors to feel into their stories and the trauma that they couldn’t integrate as well as feeling into their resilience.  Ash can provide a pathway for me to bring this information, this wisdom into the present.  Ash can support me as I feel the emotions that were too much for my ancestors and as I digest and integrate this information.  The branches of Ash can act like antennae for inspiration that lands and travels into my body where I can add it to the wisdom from below and take the story further.

Can the Cosmic Ash also help me to understand the Ash Dieback and Emerald Ash Borer insect that is currently resulting in the death of Ash trees?  Ash dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) is a fungus from Asia that was introduced to Britain about 30 years ago.  Since the European Ash did not evolve alongside this fungus, it is resulting in the death of about 80% of the Ash trees in Britain.  The fungus doesn’t cause much damage to the Manchurian Ash and the Chinese Ash which evolved alongside it.  The Emerald Ash Borer is an insect native to northeastern Asia.  It was introduced to North America and Europe.  The females lay their eggs in the deep crevices of Ash bark and the larvae feed underneath the bark which eventually kills the trees.

Dead White Ash trees are being cut down at the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre

In Southern Ontario where I live, I have been noticing large stands of White Ash that are dead.  In managed forests, these dead trees have been cut down before they fall down and potentially injure humans.  I wasn’t aware of how much of the forest was Ash until I saw them all lying on the forest floor like broken bones.  Our modern ways of travelling, importing plants and climate change, just to give a few examples are being felt by the Ash trees.  Ash used to be thought of as an axis mundi, a stable point around which the world revolved.  Perhaps, we have lost the connection to nature which acts as our plumb line, our axis and things are flying out of control.  Perhaps the Ash are pointing the way still, as they lie scattered across the forest floors.  The compass needle is spinning as we try to find our way.

I didn't realize how much of the forest was made up of Ash trees until they were cut down.

In believing that we are separate from nature instead of being nature, we have made catastrophic decisions based on the idea of unlimited growth.  The Ash lying around us say that this is not the road to wellbeing.  As I listen to scientists plead for us to wake up, I notice that they get very close to using the word sacred.  But, there is the church/state divide yawning before them like a deep gully.  Scientists are supposed to use only the language of science, not the language of spirituality.  How can they find a bridge across this gap?

This is where, I believe, the ancient wisdom of the Indigenous Peoples of these lands can provide the bridge.  This wisdom remembers that the Earth is sacred and that it should be treated as such.  There is no divide between Indigenous science and spirituality.  They haven’t lost the bridge that non-Indigenous peoples have.  Perhaps for those of us of Celtic ancestry, Ash can provide a bridge between the wisdom of our ancestors and the present moment. Perhaps, honouring those Ash trees that are still living, is a way to connect science and spirituality within ourselves. 

I am imagining the fallen Ash trees that I see, reconfiguring to create bridges over the gullies and gaps, providing us a pathway to find our way back to balance.  I am imagining the Cosmic Ash as a teacher and guide in the work of ancestral healing.  And I am imagining the healing of these ancient traumas and the renewal of the forests.  I am can almost see the Ash trees towering once again.

 Bibliography:

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.