#celtic trees

[skyggsja-art]

🌳 Celtic Birth Trees

New painting! It‘s a new one for my art series „Book of Shadows“ and it‘s about Celtic Birth Trees, all in watercolour with some details in coloured pencil.

About the series

These were first created when I was pretty new to digital art, so the first generation of artworks were from 2016/17.

Later, I got better at digital art and redid some of them and discontinued the others. The second generation of prints is available in my shop.

When I got my watercolours, I thought I could try and repaint some of them, and if they turn out nice they could become the new generation. Instead of recreating an existing one, I now worked on a new one. The Birth Trees haven‘t been part of the lineup yet. There are some that I thought I could also add that I haven‘t had before: a Bestiary of Dragons or something about wands? But if I do then at some point I‘d also redraw the existing ones to make it all match better ♡

[saganssorcery]

This is the box I have carved for my Ogams. The symbol is known as Feige Find or Fionn’s Window, it appears in the “Auraicept na n-Écea” an old Irish text on language and grammar. Each ring includes the well known Ogam feda and the forfeda (or additional feda) surrounding the second ring from the outer edge.

The symbol and its original uses are somewhat a mystery but people have adapted it as a meditation tool which ties Irish myth and cosmology together.

The idea here is that it can be used in meditation as a mandala or portal into the otherworlds, starting from the outer edge and moving your attention to the inner circles where the deeper secrets lay.

You'll notice that the feda are set into four “aicme” consisting of five feda running from the outer circle to the inner circle. At the top we have the Beith aicme. The right the h-Uath aicme. The bottom the Muin aicme. And left the Ailm aicme. This set up somewhat reminds me of the Rune Aetts and their categories but obviously not related or the same.

Anyhow I figured I would share a little about what this is and what I've been up to with it.

©️SagansSorcery 🔥🖌️

If anyone would like an Ogam reading please send me a DM. I'm offering three Ogams for £5 GBP or a 10 Ogam Celtic Cross for £15.

[scytheofdelphi]

˚ · 𖣂 ✧ celtic zodiac · ivy ✧ 𖣂 · ˚

grounded · kind · charismatic · giving · mystical

[hochgouez-nerzhus]

The Sacred Trees of Beltane

Three links :

- Hawthorn (Lore, medicine, magic, and mystery)

- Magickal properties of Birch

- How to make a Rowan Necklace for protection

Hawthorn

Hawthorn (Lore, medicine, magic, and mystery)

Hawthorn is a deeply magical tree and is one of the three trees at the heart of the Celtic Tree Alphabet, the Faery Triad, 'by Oak, Ash and Thorn'. Traditionally Beltane began when the Hawthorn, the May, blossomed. It is the tree of sexuality and fertility and is the classic flower to decorate a Maypole with. It was both worn and used to decorate the home at Beltane.

Birch

Magickal properties of Birch

Birch is regarded as a feminine tree and Deities associated with Birch are mostly love and fertility goddesses. 

It is one of the first trees to show its leaf in Spring. Eostre/Ostara, the Celtic goddess of Spring was celebrated in festivities and dancing around and through the birch tree between the Spring Equinox and Beltane.

Birch twigs were traditionally used to make besoms (a new broom sweeps clean). Maypoles were often made from birch and birch wreaths were given as lover's gifts.

Rowan

A tree of protection and healing. Branches of Rowan were placed as protection over the doors of houses and barns at Beltane to protect from increased Faery activity as they woke from their winter slumber. 

Sprigs were worn for protection also. Rowan berries have a tiny five-pointed star on the bottom reminiscent of the pentagram.

Protective rowan berry charm necklace, at the Boscastle Museum of Witchcraft in Cornwall.

Image by Thorskegga Thorn via Flickr

How to make a Rowan Necklace for protection

[calendulacraft]

:: summer days & witchy reads ::

((Celtic Tree Magic by the Witches' Almanac))

[trees-magic]

via pinterest

[the-witch-queen-persephone]

[sugarandmoss]

Blackthorn

Ogham Letter: Z Ogham Name: Straif Ogham Tree Meaning: Discipline, Control, Perspective Animal: Wolf, Black cat Color: Purple Planet: Saturn, Mars Element: Fire

Symbolizes:

Inevitability

Preparation

Constraint

Strife

    To the Celts the Blackthorn was considered a portent of challenges ahead, but with the promise of improvement once we push through those challenges. The Druids used the blackthorn tree’s growth as intuitive signs. The tree has some nasty thorns on them, and if you are cut by one your flesh can get infected fairly easily. In autumn it turns a sulfur yellow color and when the leaves fall off they expose a contorted body. This mangled imagery brought the concept of strife and suffering to the Druids mind.     This visual observation made the blackthorn a symbol of the other half of life that we often shrink back from. When the blackthorn first showed up in Ogham oracle practices, it could be considered a omen of war, illness or discouragement. it was a sign that you need to get ready and brace yourself for whats coming.        But don't worry, the blackthorn is not all bad. The Celts observed that this tree produced some of the sweetest berries among the sacred tribe of trees. These berries were at their most succulent and sweetest after a hard frost. Again, here we see the symbolism of strife, but this time we are shown that the blessing comes after the challenge. This represents that our sweetest fruit sometimes come after trials and setbacks. If we keep this in mind as we are in the middle of our challenges, we will know that when we come out on the other side of our challenges better and sweeter than we were before.      The blackthorn is a message that preparation is often the best solution for any difficulty. When we encounter the blackthorn in our life, whether its out in nature or by oracle, its a time to honor the bounty we already have and take practical measures to tie up any loose ends we might trip over in the future. It can also be a message of opportunity is we embrace our experiences as an avenue for growth. The blackthorn teaches us to learn when not to fight against fate and find strength and opportunity in adversity. 

     The blackthorn is such a power for magic, in Irish folklore it has its own faery tribe to guard it. The Irish believed it was protected by the Lunantishee fairies, who are spiky, angry creatures who will curse you should you be foolish enough to try to cut wood from the trees on Samhain or Beltane. A blackthorn rod is used for shapeshifting magic and is believed to confer the ability to bring about change.        The tree is sacred to the Crone aspect of the Triple Goddess, known in different guises as Morrighan or Cailleach or Beira, all associations with the waning of life, the waning year and the waning moon. She is sometimes depicted carrying a staff of blackthorn wood and often accompanied by her pathfinder crow or raven. Pop a thorn or Dried berry into your sachet for added protection from negative spirits an to attract positive powers.

     The blackthorn has a harsh energy, which may seem unpleasant or even hostile but definitely challenging. You can use the dried wood, thorns and berries in an herbal incense to banish negativity and in ceremonies of purification. If the negative influences are very strong, burn the incense for seven days at noon and midnight. They say you can make a tea out of the flower and fruit that is good for diarrhea and can help with bladder and kidney problems BUT the leaves and seeds contain cyanide, so it can only be taken in small doses so please be careful. 

~CelticMagic