The Tree Calendar & the wheel of the year
Saturday, October 31, 2009 (18:09:14)
Posted by Cougar
This article has been borrowed from Anna Fraser's writing for the series of Mother Nature's Celtic Tree Remedies, which Anna created.
the celtic connection
There is a healing tradition, once practiced widely in the Northern hemisphere, both by native Americans, as well as by the Celts and other people of Northern Europe.
The core of this therapeutic tradition was simply to stay in tune with the whole of our extended body, mind and spirit, in other words: Nature. The way people did this was by observing, what they called ‘The Wheel of the Year’.
Staying in tune with the cycles of the seasons equals harmonising with the ebb and flow of life itself and was said to prevent “power-loss”. The power spoken of was not the power of control over others, but the power that rises from deep within, from the very source of our being. It is the power of spontaneous flow and renewal, because it resonates in harmony with the life-force itself.
The tragedy of so many modern human lives is, that we are particularly susceptible to lose sight of our unity with the rest of creation, through deep hurts, fears, anxiety, disappointments, conditioning, insecurity and lack of self-worth. And when we are vulnerable, we protect ourselves by closing off, so we end up feeling alone, alienated and separated.
Separation and disharmony with our ‘extended’ body-mind-spirit ultimately creates chaos, pain, misunderstanding, disorder and destruction. Harmony and ‘at-one-ment’ create joy, health, beauty, peace and vitality.
Our range of Tree Remedies is based on the time-honoured tradition of the Wheel of the Year and the Celtic Tree Calendar. It offers modern people, wherever they live, a chance to connect and work, on a deep level, with natural cycles.
the wheel of the year
We value voices singing in harmony for the pure beauty of it. We know a well-tuned car engine gives the greatest economy. We see a soaring seagull adjusting its wings in tune wit air currents for ultimate efficiency. All resonating energy systems have immense power, which can be used to enhance our lives, energise and heal us.
Working with Mother Nature's Celtic Tree Remedies and the wheel of the year provides us with the greatest and most natural of all the energy systems with which we can resonate. The eternal (e-turn-all) cycles of Nature give us an endless circular reservoir of energy, which is lacking in our linear mode of measuring time. For example: instead of our physical and mental abilities increasing in youth and then declining steadily into old age (“It’s downhill all the way from here onwards...”), we can resonate to Nature’s cycles of constant renewal and then withdraw to nourish our inner world, in an ever-maturing richer landscape. An old tree may lack the flexibility in its trunk which the sapling had, but it makes up for it in many ways with a different sort of beauty.
Aligning with the ebb and flow of Nature throughout the seasons enhances healing on a deep level and can enrich our lives in a multitude of ways.
the celtic tree calendar
The wheel of the year illustrated here is based on the tradition of the Celtic Tree Calendar. In the Celtic Tree Calendar the year is divided into 13 months (or ‘moons’) of 28 days each. That leaves one day to make up the 365 days of a year. This special day is the Winter Solstice, which was seen as the pivoting point, or the center, of the whole cycle. On the Winter Solstice, the Sun is as far away in the Northern hemisphere as it will go. From now onwards the days will start lengthening again. The light is returning and a new year is ‘born’.
You may have heard the expression: “A year and a day”, which is related to this calendar. Our division of time into weeks and fortnights is also derived from this system, since every 28 day month divides exactly into 4 weeks or 2 fortnights.
The ancient people honoured the trees by naming these months after them. The old Celts were able to match the tree spirits with each month and season in such an admirable way, that the combination helps to bring out the essence of the subtle changes during the ‘Wheel of the Year’.
Mother Nature’s Tree Remedies have built on this old therapeutic tradition. No ‘Celtic Tree Calendar’ can be said to be a 100% authentic. The many clans and Northern tribes had slightly different versions of the calendar, depending on the landscape they lived in. Moreover, Celts passed on their knowledge through the spoken word, rather than in writing.
The Tree Calendar we present to you is based on a frame, commonly accepted by scholars but, where necessary, we have been guided by our own knowledge of the Tree Spirits, gathered over many years. And all along, it has been inspired by our deep love for Nature and the Trees.
You will notice 3 overlapping cyclic patterns in our Tree Calendar: The seasons, the months and the 4 directions and elements. They are summarised on the opposite page and in the diagram of the wheel of the year on page 28.
Working with the Mother Nature's CelticTree Remedies in accordance with the Celtic Tree Calendar provides an all the year round supportive process, aimed to enhance personal growth and increase our awareness of the Divine Spark within us.
This can be as simple as taking three drops of the appropriate remedy on rising in the morning and before going to
at night, but can be extended, according to personal preference and circumstances, to include other life-enhancing, healing practices such as meditation, involvement in and observation of Nature all around us, celebration of the eight festivals, which mark the turning points of the year, contemplation on the abundance of lessons we can learn from the Tree Spirits, and so on.The Wheel of the Seasons:
Winter: ELM - Transformation
Spring: GORSE - Joy
Summer: LIME - Blossoming
Autumn: POPLAR - Wonder & Mystery
The Wheel of a Year and a Day:
Dec. 24 - Jan 20: BIRCH - Regeneration
Jan 21 - Feb. 17: ROWAN - Attunement
Feb. 18 - March 17: ASH - Connection
March 18 - April 14: ALDER - Integration
April 15 - May 12: WILLOW - Inspiration
May 13 - June 9: HAWTHORN - Love
June 10 - July 7: OAK - Realisation
July 8 - Aug.4: HOLLY - Peace
Aug.5 - Sept.1: HAZEL - Wisdom
Sept.2 - Sept.29: APPLE - Sexuality
Sept.30 -Oct.27: BLACKTHORN - Nurturing
Oct.28 -Nov.24: ELDER - Cleansing
Nov.25 - Dec.22: SCOTS PINE - Vitality
Dec.23 (Winter Solstice): YEW - Immortality
The Wheel of the 4 Directions &Elements:
East (Air): BEECH - Learning
South (Fire): GREEN SPIRIT-Balanced growth
West (Water): ORCHARD - Fruitfulness
North (Earth): FOREST - Wealth
(The spokes of this wheel can be seen as the warp-threads (i.e. the threads already set up on a weaving loom) to the weft-threads of the seasons and the months. The directions and elements represent all the forces and energies that are always there: a steady back-drop of wholeness to the ever-changing patterns of the seasons and the months).