Earth Wisdom

Elder – Ruis in Ogham is the ultimate tree of The Goddess. She represents all aspects of the triple goddess – Maiden, Mother and Crone, or Wise Woman. The Maiden is represented by the pure white flowers with their delicate perfume. We see them everywhere at this time of the year.

Later, in early Autumn, we see the stems turning red, followed by juicy black berries which ooze the colour of blood. Red represents the Mother aspect of the triple goddess, and black the crone. The legend says that to destroy an Elder, which a lot of people consider a weed, angers the Elder Mother who dwells in the shrub. Anyone who does not respect her has a curse placed upon them.

Both the blossom and berry have great healing powers, especially for conditions of the lungs and bronchial tubes. A delicious syrup can be created with the flowers, berries, blackberries and hawthorn or rosehips.

The Ogham symbol for Elder is Ruis 

It is a powerful symbol to use at Samhainn, when the veil between the world between the physical and the spiritual is thin, and we can communicate with the ancestors. It teaches us that physical death is not to be feared, reminding us of the never-ending cycle of life, death and rebirth, just as the seasons of Nature demonstrate.

J.K. Rowling had done her homework when describing Professor Dumbledore’s Elder wand as the most powerful. When cutting an Elder branch for your wand, or for any other purpose, tune into this most respected of trees, introduce yourself, and ask permission to take the branch. Tell the Elder Mother why you need to cut it, and the purpose for which it will be used. Leave a small offering and give thanks. In this way your wand will be triple blessed, and its power increased.

You may or may not be aware that the RSPCA have mounted a campaign
to inoculate all the badgers to stop TB and to STOP the CULL of all badgers
Found this info today in the Metro

Text badger to 70123 to give £3
To sign petition www.rspca.org.uk/badger

Wow! What a fantastic time I have been having over the last few days!

On Friday, the Midsummer Solstice, as usual the Sun rose, but there was no sign of it. The energy at the moment is tangible, however, as the Solstice coincides with a powerful Full Moon. The sky at night is full of light which never completely fades. I just love standing outside in the quiet dark, and filling myself with this energy. It feels as if anything could happen, and the potential for miracles is crackling with vibrant expectancy.

On Friday 21st at midday in Brighton there was a ceremony to celebrate the unveiling of a blue plaque for the first Witch ever to be recognised in this way. Her name was Doreen Valiente, and when the Witchcraft act was repealed in 1951 she was a brave pioneer in the education of true Witchcraft.

So many people from across the globe were at the Old Steine to celebrate this momentous occasion, and at 2-30 we all trailed up to where the plaque had been erected, outside her modest council flat.

Here are a few pictures, but I will put many more on facebook.

Happy Solstice, everyone! Full Moon and Solstice energy – manifest your deepest desires. Don’t hold back, and trust that the Divine will give you all the help you need to co-create your own happiness x

A most remarkable thing is happening this Friday, 21st June 2013 – the Summer Solstice. A blue plaque is being erected on a modest building in Grosvenor Street, Brighton.

This plaque is the first ever to be erected in honour of a Witch. Those of you who follow the Old Path will have heard of Doreen Valiente, known as the Mother of Modern Witchcraft. She worked closely with Gerald Gardner, the creator of modern Wicca, promoting the wisdom of the old ways openly after the Witchcraft act was repealed in 1951. Up until then Witchcraft was punishable by imprisonment.

Well done to Brighton and Hove Council for having the courage to honour this brave and pioneering lady. We get enough pillorying in 2013. Just imagine the abuse and hatred that must have been directed at witches, healers and seers in the 1950s.

On Friday there is a Merry Meet on the Old Steine gardens at midday. The plaque will be unveiled at 2-30pm, and there is merrymaking in the evening. I won’t be staying for the evening as I will have been up before dawn to welcome the Solstice sunrise. If anyone would like to accompany me please let me know. Otherwise it would be great to see some of you there.

This is a momentous step forward in our work to expand awareness of Earth Wisdom, and the importance for our survival as a species of working in harmony with the rest of Nature. One day there may even be an apology from the church and/or government for the torture and murder of so many innocent women during the witch-hunts of the 16th and 17th centuries.

For more information on Doreen Valiente and the blue plaque please visit www.doreenvaliente .org.

See you on Friday, and hopefully on Sunday for our own Solstice gathering.

Apologies for missing one week of Tree of the Week! This beautiful time of year just goes too fast!

Willow – one of the most visually beautiful trees to see. The Weeping Willow is a very feminine tree, with her delicate sweeping branches, and twisting, sensual leaves.

The smaller Goat Willow, or Sallow, gives us furry catkins, or Pussy Willows in Spring.

Willow – Saille in Ogham – is a tree of the Moon. It is a tree of intuition, psychic awakening, dreams, emotions and  the rhythms of women’s cycles. It is drawn to water, which represents the emotions and hidden secrets. The branches are very flexible, so are good for creating fences and natural garden structures. The ancient word for Willow means “to bend”. Some authorities believe this is where the word “Witch” originates, as Witches bend the four main elements to their will when spellcasting.

This is the Ogham symbol for Willow, Saille. When placed into our energy field this symbol strengthens our intuition and psychic skills. It helps with divination, Tarot readings, dowsing and manifesting. It helps women to be at one with their innate femininity and sensuality, connection to the Earth Goddess, fertility, motherhood and Earth wisdom. Saille can help those who have not been valued and honoured in romance. Connecting to Saille at these times helps us to remember the power of the feminine, and to strengthen our resolve  to value our uniqueness.

The old Irish word for Willow is Saileach, from which the mantra Saille is derived. The Irish poet W.B. Yeats wrote a beautiful poem about the misunderstanding of the depth and passion of female love called Down by the Salley Gardens.

Willow makes a beautiful, pale wooden wand with a smooth touch and wonderful energy.

I could go on much more, but please discover this magical tree for yourself. Sit beneath a Willow by the water’s edge, and open up to the messages and emotional healing she offers.

I have been hearing a cuckoo for a few days now. These birds, like so many others, are fast disappearing from our lands.
Because the cuckoo lays its egg in another bird’s nest, and is reared by the unwitting foster bird we have derived the word “cuckold”. This is when a spouse has been cuckolded, or cheated on by their partner without her/his knowledge.

Sad to think the word “cuckold” might survive whereas the bird “cuckoo” may not.

Actually when I look at the map, the arrow pointing from the car park to Seaford Head might be confusing. For the ceremony we will be turning left at the barn, not right. This way we have the famous view of the Seven Sisters cliffs.

For those of you who have shown an interest in a Summer Solstice ceremony, the general concensus is that Sunday 23rd June would be the most suitable day to hold it.

I think 10am would probably be a good time, and Seaford Head again for the venue. We will meet in the car park on top of the head.Please take my mobile number with you in case you are unsure of directions or location.

The ceremony will go ahead in any weather conditions, so be prepared for that.

I know some people won’t be able to make it, and I hope you enjoy celebrating the longest day of the year in your own way.

Sorry there has been no tree of the week for a while, but I am back now, and  enjoying this wonderful time of the year.

We do love to complain in this country, don’t we, about the weather most of all? But when the English countryside gives us a show there is nothing to beat it. Nothing brash or showy, just a gentle, elegant unfurling of delicate blossoms of bluebells, pink campions, daisies, buttercups and cow parsley (a general heading as there are several similar plants).

Tree of the week just has to be Hawthorn. I was fretting whilst in Japan to think I must have missed all these delights, but thanks to the unusually cold weather here it seemed as if Mother Nature was waiting for me to come home! An egotistical idea, but it added to the thrill of seeing the Hawthorn blossom so deliciously prevalent everywhere.

When leaving Heathrow a blackbird welcomed me with his wistful, unmistakable song, and on driving home my heart was singing with joy at the colours in the fields and at the roadsides. Especially the white Hawthorn blossom, the tree of Maytime and the festival of Beltaine. A fire and fertility festival to welcome the fullness of the Wheel of the Year.  The time of maturity, adulthood, the responsibility of guardianship, the honouring of beauty and love, and creativity. The Hawthorn is a tree of the Faery folk, which is why you may see them decorated with ribbons and gifts at this time.

The Ogham symbol for Hawthorn is Huathe.

When we receive this symbol into our energy field it expands our connection to Nature. Nature Spirits can communicate more easily with us, and can help us with any desires we may have, in particular to attract  the right partner, to help end a relationship that no longer serves us, or to help with fertility problems.

The maypole which traditionally we dance around at Beltaine, or Mayday as it is now called is symbolic of the union between the Earth Goddess and the Lord of the Greenwood. Their partnership gives birth to the responsibility of guardianship of the land. The maypole represents this by the pole seen as masculine, and the round hoop at the top as feminine. In days not so long past maidens would run through the woods at midnight on Beltaine eve, where their lovers – or optimistic village lads would be hiding, ready to jump out and claim any girl as their prize, if she was lucky, or unlucky enough to be caught.

This late Spring and early Summertime reminds us of the beauty of fertility and birth – the natural attraction and union of the feminine and masculine. The continuous dance of the seasons which echo our own, if only we were more in tune with the rest of Nature. Who could fail to feel even a little hint of the deep connection we have with her at this time of year? Expand on this feeling, and it will feed your heart, mind and spirit.