BURSTING FORTH WITH WISDOM: Learning through Trees

Spring is truly upon us. The sun is warmer. The light lasts

longer. And the one thing we anticipate with expectant eyes,

is the arrival of the first shoots of green, sending the message

that life has indeed returned to the Land.

To the ancient peoples, including the ancient Celts, the

relationship to the Land was more than symbolic and

representational. The Land was alive and everything that

grew from it and upon it was imbued with Spirit. The Celts

saw the Land as the Divine Feminine and the survival of the

Tribe was dependent upon honouring and nurturing that

relationship. The Clan or Tribe Chief was viewed as the

representative of the Divine Masculine responsible for the

welfare of the Tribe through his relationship with the Land.

But even the Head of the Tribe deferred to the Druids who

were the true leaders of a people who really had very little

else to bring them cultural cohesion. The Druids oversaw the dynamic interplay of Land and Tribe

through their knowledge of the workings of both spiritual and mundane realms. Festivals celebrating the

turn of the yearly cycle were definitely a part of that. But going even deeper, the relationship that the

Druids had with Nature and particularly with trees brought the perception of the Land as Divine to a

level of ongoing relationship touching all aspects of life.

Before delving into an exploration of Druidic concepts of the Divine, of Nature and of trees, it is

important to point out that not much is actually known of what the Druids believed and practiced. Part

of the Druidic concept included a belief that those things of a sacred nature should not be committed to

any practice that would lock them down to stagnation and possible dogma. Hence, the Druids relied on

an oral tradition rather than committing sacred practices to any written form. Much of what is known of

the Druids comes either from Roman writing (around 55 BCE and later) which is undeniably, though

perhaps understandably, biased or from medieval writings (around the 13th – 14th centuries) which run

the risk of having a true image clouded by the mists of time and have a different sort of bias imposed.

Much of what is written of the Druids and their beliefs comes from piecing together mismatched puzzle

pieces: trying to find underlying truth in myths, discerning ancient practices in folkloric traditions and

much reading between the lines. Anyone who says they know absolutely and for a fact what the Druids

believed and practiced is standing on very shaky ground indeed. However, there have grown to be

certain established “acceptances” which form a certain foundation for the modern Celtic and neo-

druidic movement.

One of these “acceptances” involves the meaning and root of the name “Druid” itself. It is now

commonly accepted, through etymological study, that “druid” is connected with various words in

different tongues for “oak”. In Greek “oak” is “drous”, in Welsh “derw”, in Gaelic “duir”, in Gaulish

“dervo”. There is a thought that this root “dru” was combined with the Indo-European word “vid” which

means “to know”. “Dru-vid”, thus, becomes the word signifying “one with knowledge of the Oak” or

“Wise One of the Oak”. The Druids were the Celtic priestly class intimately connected with the language

of the trees.

There are 3 traditions that can be explored from the perspective of this special druidic relationship with

trees. Two of these traditions do have their roots in the ancient past and there is evidence to support

that they formed a significant part of ancient druidic tradition.

The first is the Celtic lunar calendar. This ancient astrological calendar was based on 13 lunations of 28

days each with one additional intercalary day. Hence, the term: a year and a day which is often found

referenced in ancient writings as a time frame connected with contracts, agreements and commitments.

Each of these 13 lunations was associated with a tree which carried certain energies, gifts and

challenges. This is not to suggest that the ancient Celts went around identifying each other’s personality

traits by the tree in whose month they were born. But that, particularly with the Druids, there was a

recognition that each month held a special energy that would be taken into consideration when

planning for rituals, ceremonies or transactions.

The trees (in English and Gaelic) and their monthly and energetic associations are as follows:

Tree Gaelic Month Basic energy

Birch Beth Dec 24 – Jan 20 Tenacious and hardworking Rowan Luis Jan 21 – Feb 17 Far-sighted and inventive Ash Nion Feb 18 – Mar 17 Sensitive and artistic Alder Fearn Mar 18 – Apr 14 Courageous and energetic Willow Saille Apr 15 – May 12 Resourceful and resilient Hawthorn Huath May 13 – June 9 Communicative and multi-talented Oak Duir June 10 – July 7 Optimistic and determined Holly Tinne July 8 – Aug 4 Trustworthy and generous Hazel Coll Aug 5 – Sept 1 Perceptive and idealistic Vine Muin Sept 2 – Sept 29 Methodical and analytical Ivy Gort Sept 30 – Oct 27 Artistic and conciliatory Reed Ngetal Oct 28 – Nov 24 Mysterious and forceful Elder Ruis Nov 25 – Dec 22 Adventurous and outspoken Mistletoe (Nameless Day) Dec 23 Dedicated and persistent There is, clearly, far more depth to each tree than can be presented here. Each tree in itself is more than

deserving of an entire article. The Druids themselves had particular traditions and uses for each of the

trees. With the resurgence of interest in Druidry and the particularly pagan focus on correspondences,

an entire system of associations including myths, gods and goddesses, animals and so on has grown up

around each of the trees. It is a fascinating area of study well worth the time spent exploring and

discovering.

Connected to the tree calendar although separate, is the second tradition with its roots in the ancient

past. The Ogham is an ancient alphabet in which each letter is associated with a different tree. The 13

trees of the Celtic tree calendar make up the 13 consonants of the Ogham. An additional 7 trees

complete the 20 letter alphabet with vowels and complex consonants. They are: Apple (Quert),

Blackthorn (Straif), Elm (Ailm), Gorse (Onn), Heather (Ur), Aspen (Eadha) and Yew (Iodo). There is some

speculation that if the 13 consonant trees make up the 13 lunar months of the calendar, then the

remaining 7 letters of the Ogham relate to the 4 Celtic Holy Days (Samhian, Imbolc, Beltane and

Lughnasad) and the 3 Realms of Land , Sea and Sky.

This system of 20 letters was originally established as 4 sets (tribes or “aicme”) of 5 letters each and was

written as horizontal or slanted lines in relation to a central vertical line. Beth, as the first letter of the

alphabet is a single straight line jutting out on the right side of the central column. Luis, as the second

letter, is 2 straight lines to the right. Reaching Huath, as the 6th letter and the 1st letter of the second set

sees a switch. It is written as a single line jutting out to the left of the central column. The third set of 5

letters consists of increasing numbers of lines drawn on a slant right across the central column. The last

set is also drawn across the central column but they cut straight across, rather than on a slant.

1st Aicme 2nd Aicme 3rd Aicme 4th Aicme

Birch (Beth) Hawthorn (Huath) Vine (Muin) Elm (Ailm)

Rowan (Luis) Oak (Duir) Ivy (Gort) Gorse (Onn)

Alder (Fearn) Holly (Tinne) Reed (Ngetal) Heather (Ur)

Willow (Saille) Hazel (Coll) Blackthorn (Straif) Aspen (Eadha)

Ash (Nion) Apple (Quert) Elder (Ruis) Yew (Iodo)

A medieval text, “The Book of Ballymote” makes extensive reference to the Ogham in 2 significant ways.

The origins of the Ogham are explained as having been invented by Ogma, a Celtic God of Poetry and

Eloquence. Ogma was one of the Tuatha de Danaan, the original tribe of Ireland and literally, “The

Children of the Goddess Danu”. He created the Ogham (to which he gave his name) for the wise and

learned to be used both for inscription and for sign language, as the deceptively simple system of lines

can be signed across a palm for silent communication. But also, this ancient text outlines a 5th set of

letters which had seemingly been included with the original 20. These are not made up of straight lines

but are more complicated patterns to one side or across the central column. These five represent

dipthongs “ea”, “oi”, “ui”, “oi” and “ae” with the Ogham letters for Koad (Grove), Oir (Spindle), Uilleand

(Honeysuckle), Phagos (Beech) and Mor (The Sea) respectively. These 5 are also referred to as “The

Crane’s Bag” which probably gives a clue as to why Mor (The Sea) is included in a system which

otherwise consists entirely of tree-related energies. In Irish myth, Manannan mac Lir, the Celtic God of

the Sea had a magical Crane’s Bag which held all his precious possessions. It was said to include all the

letters of the Ogham alphabet. From this connection it is said that one could read ogham in the patterns

made by flying cranes’ legs.

Interestingly, “The Book of Ballymote” also references another way of placing the trees of the letters

into sets with Chieftain Trees, Peasant Trees and Shrubs. The Chieftain and Peasant Trees are fairly well-

noted, leaving a nebulous “all others fall into the Shrub category” message. It is here that we see

descriptions of tree energies beginning to appear with very lovely, although somewhat cryptic

descriptions of their characters.

Chieftain Trees Peasant Trees Shrubs

Alder (Fearn) Birch (Beth) Elder (Ruis)

Oak (Duir) Rowan (Luis) Reed (Ngetal)

Hazel (Coll) Willow (Saille) Spindle (Oir)

Vine (Muin) Ash (Nion) Honeysuckle (Uilleand)

Ivy (Gort) Hawthorn (Huath) Elm (Ailm)

Blackthorn (Straif) Apple (Quert) Aspen (Eadha)

Gorse (Onn) Yew (Iodo) Beech (Phagos)

Heather (Ur) Holly (Tinne) Grove (Koad)

There are many references to the Ogham in myth. The famous “Cattle Raid of Cooley” saw the Irish hero

Cuchulainn writing in ogham letters on a hoop which he then placed around a stone in the path of an

approaching army. In “The Wooing of Etain”, the Druid Dalian inscribes Ogham letters on 4 sticks of yew

and casts them in order to determine where Etain is hiding. Ogham writing is also still evident on many

standing stones in Britain and Ireland.

Working with tree energy, whether through one’s astrological sign or the Ogham is powerful work.

There are few systems that are so grounded in tangible aspects. From a divinatory perspective, it is

easier to lay one’s hand on a piece of apple branch to create a Quert Ogham than it is to put a cow in a

bag for a Fehu Rune (as a silly example). There are traditions that hold specific uses for different trees

that we can easily reclaim in this day and age. Using reeds as writing tools, hazel branches as wands or

apple branches as signals to enter meditative space are a few examples. Connecting with others through

an awareness of symbolic levels can give deep dimension to relationships. Gifting heather to a new

home for blessings and prosperity or honeysuckle to bring sweetness to one working through challenges

is a blessing whether the receiver is aware of the added nuances or not. Working with a Druidic eye to

trees will definitely move one to embrace tree-hugging, if one is not already moved to do so. And feeling

the particular energy of that tree meeting one’s own energy and coursing through is a truly beautiful

experience indeed. One may even begin to hear the ancient Language of the Trees that the “Wise Ones

of the Oak” could hear!

There is a third tradition involving tree energy which has grown beautifully out of a deep cultural and

intuitive understanding of Celtic Spirituality and working with energy. This is the modality of Celtic Reiki.

Many of us are familiar with traditional or Usui Reiki. Developed in 1922 by the Japanese Buddhist,

Mikao Usui, Reiki is a method of healing by using energy, or “ki” transmitted through the palms of the

practitioner to the receiver of the treatment. The teachings of Reiki were received by Usui during a

retreat involving meditation, fasting and prayer. In the short time he had left on this Earth plane, he

taught the practice of Reiki as he had received it to many others who continued to teach and share the

wisdom. In the past number of years interest in the practice of Reiki has blossomed into a very active

modality of energywork with an ever-growing community of Reiki practitioners.

Martyn Pentecost, based in the U.K. of Welsh ancestry, trained in the traditional Usui Reiki method after

recognizing the limitations of his previous scientific, analytical approach to life’s circumstances. The

deeply moving experience of holding a friend’s cat as it passed from this world to the next made him

realize that some things are too profound to rest on the explanations of pure science. Working with

Reiki opened him to the transcendent and the healing power of “ki”. It was through his work in

traditional Reiki and, what one might call a pioneering accident that Celtic Reiki came to be. In his book

Celtic Reiki: Stories from the Sacred Grove, Martyn shares of how, many years ago in a cemetery in

Wales, he came across a lone Fir tree that had been cleaved in two by lightening. One part of the Fir was

still standing, but the other was lying on the ground a short distance away. Something in the scene or

the setting compelled Martyn to use his Reiki training to help heal the part of the tree that was still

standing. He describes feeling the tingle and energy that signaled the activation of Reiki energy flowing

through his hands, but that, as he neared the Fir tree something happened. The energy began to wane.

Thinking perhaps this indicated the need was for the broken part of the tree, he shifted his focus. But

the same experience of not feeling the Reiki energy flow occurred with this part of the tree as well.

Considering the situation and with a stroke of inspiration, he placed his left hand on the broken part of

the tree and his right hand on the still living part. As he describes:

I was overwhelmed by the sudden jolt of vibrancy that felt as though it were clambering up the inside of

my left arm. Concurrently, the right arm became alive with a contrasting sensation; similar to the Reiki

connection I was familiar to, yet somehow different. These two vibrant feelings converged in the heart

and head areas of my body and at once I was wrapped in the most indescribable joy. (Celtic Reiki: Stories

from the Sacred Grove, pg 27)

It was in this healing treatment of the damaged Fir tree that Martyn heard the Lost Language of the

Trees. He recognized that what had happened was the life-force of the tree had passed through him

from the dying part of the tree into the surviving part, creating wholeness even as the parts lay separate

in the material world. And a voice that echoed and boomed inside his head said “thank you”. From this

experience, he spent years traveling the countryside of England, Scotland and Wales working with all

varieties of trees, building upon druidic understanding with his own energetic experiences. From his

extensive work, Celtic Reiki was created.

Celtic Reiki focuses on the energies of trees as doorways into and Essences through which to create

healing and change in one’s life. As each tree has a different energy, teaching and wisdom, working with

Celtic Reiki allows the practitioner to use these energies individually or in conjunction with each other to

enhance a powerful healing environment. It is a tradition deeply connected with Earth energies,

allowing for a grounded experience of working with higher energies. One of the most wonderful aspects

of working with Celtic Reiki is that it opens one to the Lost Language of Trees. Coming to a place of

moving full circle back to the experience the Druids must have had, working with trees through Celtic

Reiki opens a dialogue between the practitioner and the trees. They truly become our friends. They are

truly alive and have wisdom to share.

If one were to look at just one tree through the 3 different facets explored in these articles, it is easy to

see how different the approach is for each. But also how they serve to support and enhance each other.

For example, the Hawthorn is a gorgeous May tree associated with the Festival of Beltane and opening

the doorways to the faerie realm.

In the Celtic Tree Calendar, it presides over the period from May 13 to June 9. It brings in energies of

fertility and chastity, how to honour being in relationship, offering prosperity and protection. One born

under this tree might be concerned with protection and guardianship of one’s home and family, how to

allow one’s creative juices to flow while maintaining focus on the guiding intention and balancing living

in the mundane world while experiencing a sensitivity to Otherworldly realms.

In Ogham work, the appearance of this tree might signal that you are entering a time of dramatic change

and growth during which your wild energy may feel out of sync with the more cultivated aspects of your

journey and that it would be wise to listen to both your heart and to the symbols in your dreams. It may

prompt you to clarify your vision for the future and put that intent into a ribbon to hang from a branch.

In Celtic Reiki, using Hawthorn Essence helps clear the way of negative thoughts and obstacles in order

to open the way to new ventures (in a somewhat similar way to Birch). Of working with Huathe

(Hawthorn), Martyn writes:

It is not the easiest of species to work with and has taken its fair share of blood (which surprisingly is the

way of Huathe). There is a price to be paid, but the rewards are great! Huathe is unlike any other species

of tree that I can mention. He is abrupt, to the point, acerbic and can be fickle – yet his wisdom and

ability is second to none. He offers wisdom and magic from a very different perspective. In times of real

need, this can be exactly what we need to get us through. (Celtic Reiki: Stories from the Sacred Grove,

pg. 196)

It is evident that each of these approaches to trees offers similar information in a slightly different way.

In exploring how to work with all 3, I tend to see the Celtic Tree calendar as connecting more to the

informing energy that brings us to the place we now stand. It may be connecting to our current mindset

or character. It may be the place of standing in the flow of life – the energy around the time of year and

season. In a 3-card Tarot spread, the Celtic Tree calendar would be akin to the first card drawn: the Past

or that energy which is feeding into the Present. The Ogham on the other hand points the direction or

intend of where one is going. It is the energy of future-making: analogous to the last card pulled in a 3-

card Tarot spread or that which is flowing from our Present to the place we are moving towards. Celtic

Reiki acts as a beautiful bridge between these 2, drawing on the very Essences of the trees themselves

to shift, align and heal our energy (or that of our clients). It places us squarely in the Present moment:

the central card of a 3-card Tarot spread. The position of true creation. The only place, really, where

change can occur.

There is a thought that the Druids believed the human race was descended from trees. That there may

have been a time when true communication between the race of humans and the race of trees was not

beyond the realm of comprehension. On the contrary, it was the wisdom of trees that formed the very

foundation of ancient Celtic spirituality. So perhaps it is not that surprising that modern DNA research

has discovered a link through scientific exploration. And in our very own country of Canada, no less. In

1996, after an 800 year old cedar was tragically cut down, Dr. Eleanor White, a Natural Resources

Canada scientist began research into tree DNA as a method through which to solve the problem of

illegal tree harvesting in British Columbia. Not only did she discover that it is possible to solve these

crimes by linking DNA stump samples with harvest samples, she found that tree DNA is surprisingly

similar to human DNA. She noted that the DNA building blocks are the same. The bases to the DNA are

the same and they are arranged in the same way. In basic language, Dr. White determined that the

genetic code is the same in trees and humans. Working with the energies of trees through Celtic Reiki

and opening ourselves to hearing once again the Lost Language of Trees could very well be bringing us

closer to our true nature than we imagine. Certainly the trees have much to offer in terms of awareness,

enlightenment and connection to ourselves, the Earth and our highest potential.

And so, as Spring continues to unfold, is it really that surprising after all that we look expectantly and

hopefully to the trees to see evidence of the first light green buds? Perhaps, harkening back to ancient,

ancient knowledge that we still carry within our very DNA, we respond to a kinship and, as the trees

reawaken, we respond with a reawakening of our own. How lovely it would be to greet these fresh buds

with a “Welcome back, dear friend”!

Recommended reading:

A Druid’s Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine by Ellen Evert Hopman Celtic Astrology: How the Mystical Power of the Druid Tree Signs Can Transform Your Life by Phyllis Vega Celtic Reiki: Stories from the Sacred Grove by Martyn Pentecost Celtic Wisdom Sticks (divinatory system) by Caitlin Matthews Magical Alphabets by Nigel Pennick Ogham: The Celtic Oracle (divinatory system) by Peter Pracownik The Mastery of Celtic Reiki by Martyn Pentecost Tree Wisdom by Jacqueline Memory Paterson The Wisdom of Trees by Jane Gifford

“Tree of Life” by artist Willow