 Imbolc 1st February- 19th march Imbolc is that burst of light, that emergence of blossom, the first tentative steps into a still cold, harsh climate patched with moments of warm sun daring the hardiest of nature to come out and play.
This is a time not depicted by the slow steady ceaseless play of light and dark but by the less predictable play of the green world. The hedge-hog, snake and hazel catkins unfurl from a winter lull and it is they who announce it is time to wake. Imagine our leaders looking to nature to begin a new political agenda, surrendering to the knowledge of trees and animals to decide our fate. This is not some ungrounded fantasy but recognition of being part of nature for it is nature who tells us it is Imbolc and that the time has arrived to sow early crops, help the birthing of lambs and prepare for the new growing season. Imbolc Fire Ritual Imbolc or Oimelc can be translated as butter-bag and the key component of the festival is the birthing of lambs. It makes sense therefore that the festival is dedicated to the Goddess and to the women who start to bring creation into birth. The archetypal young mother of Celtic belief is Brighid, so exalted and honoured she continued into Christian lore and was feared by the patriarchal sect of Christianity. In Christianity she took the form of the high abbess of Kildare and her sanctuary which no man could enter was tended by nineteen or nine nuns. At this time her importance was considered to be greater than the bishops which upset the Roman Catholic Church. A papal decree was passed in 1151 to close the hermitage which was later reopened, only to be challenged again in the reign of Henry V111 when the sanctuary was closed forever. However she still lives on in our culture as the archetypal mother of all and as the caretaker of Celtic society. She takes on many roles as a healer, foster-mother and midwife, demonstrating the strength and power of the Goddess. In Celtic lore the most important aspects are played out in threes, this was long before the idea of the holy trinity in Christian lore. Brighid is also seen as three, in the form of the three sisters, the daughters of the Dagdha. Each sister represents a key component of Celtic life which are poetry, healing and smith craft. In her form that represents poetry she is honoured as the patron of the bards and a source for their inspiration. In these times she is needed more than ever as a symbol of true womanhood, power and strength, a beloved Goddess. The Sacred Three My fortress be Encircling me, Come and be round My hearth, My home. Fend Thou my kin And every sleeping thing within From scathe, from sin. Thy care our peace Through mid of night To light's release. Traditional Celtic Prayer We can use the prayer to Brighid on the front page of the last course to open the Imbolc cermony. This can be spoken standing, with people holding hands, as the invocation is very much about feeling the support of Brighid and the memory of tradition. By holding hands we can feel that support and connection to others and allow the spirit of Brighid, the Goddess to endure. We can feel again the qualities of the season through poetry, this time with the words of Coleridge. One month is past, another is begun, Since merry bells rang out the dying year, And buds of rarest green began to peer, As if impatient for a warmer sun; And though the distant hills are bleak and dun, The virgin Snowdrop like a lambent fire, Pierces the cold earth with it's green-streaked spire And in dark woods, the little wandering one May find a primrose. Hartley Coleridge Feb 1st 1842 Brighid's Bed ( Leaba Bride) The next part of the ritual involves bringing in a small Wicca basket to represent Brighid's bed. The basket can be decorated with seasonal flowers and hazel catkins on a bed of straw. A white wand of willow or poplar can also be put onto the basket to represent justice, peace and purity. The bed is honoured and passed around, we can use this time to focus on the women who have inspired us, and honour and bless the powerful presence of women in our lives. A moment of silence can be observed before invoking the protection of St Brighid's cross. ' May the protection of Brighid be given through Bogha Bride, St Brighid's cross' - the cross can be passed around and a silent prayer can be made to the Goddess. The wand on the bed can now be offered to the fire as we chant: Now we banish winter, Now we welcome Spring. We can also gather all evergreens left over from Yule and burn them on the fire at this point in the ritual. Wishing you all a blessed Imbolc. If you would like to learn more explore our Woodland Bard Course at: https://www.walkwithtrees.com/woodland-bard-course.html
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Samhain 1st November- 19th DecemberSamhain 1st November- 19th December
'These early November hours that crimson the creeper's leaf across. Like a splash of blood, intense, abrupt, o'er a shield; else gold from rim to boss And lay it for show on the fairy-cupped elf-needled mat of moss.' Robert Browning ( 1812-1889) The time of Samhain is when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest. A time for deep meditation and thought. The harvest of this time is of the inner worlds, the stage of old age where we touch the depths of true knowledge and have the opportunity to embody the soul. Once at this time, the winter stores were topped up and the cattle slaughtered for winter food. Great fires for the burning of the livestock’s bones were made called Bonfires (Bone-fires) which may be the origin of Bonfire night. This was known as the Festival of Tongues where all could speak freely. Samhain simply means end of summer and is a time for inner reflection and the remembrance of our ancestors. The guardian of Samhain is the Apple tree whose fruit can transport us to the Bright Realms. Light a candle and immerse yourself in deep meditation: Deep meditation True meditation is a deep connection to the soul, the eternal self. Relief of stress, clarity of vision and mind and improved focus are but symptoms of meditation rather than its essence. Its essence is beyond the mind, body and material world, a state untouched by the fore-mentioned symptoms. Through spiritual practice and soul nourishment it can be made into a permanent state of being. When a seeker starts to meditate energy is awakened in the base of the spine or a fire in the belly which flows upwards releasing sublime nectar, an exquisite feeling of joy and love for all life. It is like the joy of love-making for the first time and a feeling of being complete, sated. This state can be experienced when the body is in a focused flow such as when you skydive, abseil, rock climb or drive at top speeds. In meditation this feeling is prolonged and if you learn to sustain it, it will rise up within you awakening the inner senses, literally enabling you to experience the most divine touch, sound, taste and sight, saving you from the need to search for them in the external world. Imagine the time, money and resources this could save us! The next awakening is in the heart, though this process need not be linear as each centre can awaken at different times. The secret of unlocking the mysteries of the heart may be implemented in the very human act of heartache, and if one can fully experience a broken heart this centre is pierced. A divine love beyond human suffering may only be possible through the feeling of this intense pain. Entering this heart ache can erupt into an intense joy, a painful yet blissful longing to be complete. I believe that your partner, if you can love them with a pure heart, can take you to this state as a teacher, master or Guru traditionally would have. Through spiritual practice or mastering of an art form such as poetry, this exquisite pain can reach up to the next energy centre between the eyes. The sensation felt in this centre can also be very intense as it opens, piercing the brow and allowing bliss to enter the head, lifting the spirits and awakening a sensuous flow throughout the entire body. This moving energy is what the poets call inspiration, the fire in the head. In Gaelic, inspiration is called 'Imbas' and it’s source flows from the sacred water ways, the river Boyne (which could be likened to the river Ganges in India). The seeker becomes the salmon flowing against the current of ordinary life to the source of the Boyne, the Well of Segais where they obtain knowledge by the eating of hazelnuts, and are reborn in the well of inspiration. The understanding and assimilation of pain brings great knowledge and/or mastery of the arts. It is this time of Samhain that takes us deep within. If you would like to learn more about the traditions of the land you may wish to enrol on our Woodland Bard Course. Broad-leaved dockBroad-leaved dock ( Rumex obtusifolius) Curled dock ( R.crispus) Wood dock (R.sanguineus) Clustered dock (R.conglomeratus)
There are many species of dock but one often thinks of the broad-leaved when referring to it. The curled dock is the most commonly used for medicine today and the wood dock is the only species preferring the shade although will still grow in the open. Most of us have grown up with the idea of docks growing with nettles and it is indeed true that both these plants can grow together and often where humans tread. Both plants crop up in cultivated soils and especially in the case of dock on soil which has been compacted by feet or machinery. Dock of course is known as the cure for the nettle sting and this extends to any burn, scald or blister as the juice of this plant has healing properties. Ironstone quarry workers are said to have rubbed freshly cut dock on their forearm sores. Naturalists who have a love of the common species have been heard to dismiss this plant in a derogatory fashion but history has not done so. It is one of the four most commonly used herbs; elder, nettle and dandelion being the others. Its root is rich in iron and can be used to purify the blood and as a laxative. The bitter leaves are edible and traditionally used to wrap butter in. If you wish to learn more please subscribe to our free monthly newsletter or join us on a course where we can soak up the beauty and learn a deeper appreciation of nature. Ground Ivy Glechoma hederaceaThis common plant brightens up woodland glades and grasslands with its many mauve flowers.
It is probably most well known for its use as an alternative to hops in the brewing of ales. Up until the 1500s it was used in brewing to clear the fermenting liquid and add a sharp flavour. This beverage was known as gill-ale and unlike most ales was reputed to clear the head effectively often within 24 hours. Jonathon Swift (1767) is quoted as remarking on this drink. Like many of our common plants ground ivy is overlooked and yet has a long impressive history of use. Traditionally ground ivy is infused with nettle to make what is known as ‘gill tea’. Every spring children from Warwickshire drank this bitter tea for nine days for good health. This tea not only can help soothe the stomach including griping pains, coughs and chest disorders it also will help clear mucous membranes and as an inhalant help colds, coughs and respiratory complaints. The dried leaves can be used as a snuff and the herb can clear up skin complaints, bind wounds and draw out splinters. If you wish to learn more please subscribe to our free monthly newsletter or join us on a course where we can soak up the beauty and learn a deeper appreciation of nature. Self heal Prunella vulgarisFolk names: Hook- heal, Sickly-wort, Carpenter’s herb.
Self heal survives well in grasslands, waste spaces and more open woodlands. A close cut lawn in summer can look beautiful with the purple flowers of self heal to enliven the otherwise monocultural sward. There is a rarer species known as the cut-leaved self heal ( Prunella laciniata) which has cut leaves and white flowers. Both the Latin and common name of this plant point to its continued use as a herb. Prunella or Brunella is the German name for a sore throat. Dioscorides knew of the plant’s use for sore throats and treated inflammations of the throat and tonsils with this plant. Its common name self heal implies an obvious connotation to medicinal usage. In the doctrines of signatures( the concept that every plant has a signature that implies its use), the flower of this plant is said to resemble a hook and as in the past the most common wounds were from billhooks and sickles this implied its use to stanch bleeding. Self heal does staunch bleeding effectively and is also used for internal bleeding as a syrup or as a tea. It is also used for respiratory complaints, piles and in Ireland to treat heart trouble. It is less known as a cure for colds. If you wish to learn more please subscribe to our free monthly newsletter or join us on a course where we can soak up the beauty and learn a deeper appreciation of nature. Autumn EquinoxAutumn Equinox 20th September- 31st October
Autumn is a time of ripening and the beginning of maturity as we enter into an older phase of the life cycle. We gather the harvest of the year and reflect on the season behind us as we step into our strength, wiser and more confident of our abilities. This time of high tides and abundant fruit reflects the life-giving properties of the experienced mature mother as she radiates vitality before retreating into her depths at Samhain. The male energy is also at his peak, mature, giving, and nurturing. He has nothing to prove for he also radiates an inner strength as the fruition of his life unfolds. The guardian of this time is the fruiting Elder that can cure ailments and guide you at this time. She is the protector of the land, the animals and the mind. A powerful symbol of strength and wisdom. Use this time to truly acknowledge all you have achieved this year and in your life. Be at ease, confident in your abilities and allowing them to nurture and aid a new generation. This is a good time in the words of Sir Walter Scott ( 1759-1796) - “To see the heath-flower withered on the hill, To listen to the woods' expiring lay, To note the red leaf shivering on the spray, To mark the last bright tints the mountain stain, On the waste fields to trace the gleaner's way , And moralise on mortal joy and pain.” If you would like to learn more about the traditions of the land you may wish to enrol on our Woodland Bard Course. Broom- Cytisus scopariusBroom Ngetal (Gaelic Ogham name) Cytisus scoparius ( Latin)
nGetal, Fern or Broom. A physicians strength, broom. Beginning of heroic deeds, healing. Robe of physicians. Book of Ballymote 1391 Broom is the ogham of healing, it signifies a good time to soak yourself in a bath of healing herbs, nourish yourself and tidy up your life both externally and internally. Use the broom to make a clean sweep. Broom today seems to escape notice and yet seems to have had a very key role in the Celtic Tree Ogham for healing. The Irish deities connected to healing are Dianecht, his daughter Airmed and son Miach. In a jealous rage Dianecht kills Miach and it is said 365 herbs appeared where Miach was buried positioned on the parts of his body they would cure. Airmed collected them to preserve the knowledge but Dianecht destroyed them thus taking away the higher knowledge of healing and herbs forever! This story is centred around the story of the first battle of Moytura where a great well is prepared with healing herbs and in the later Fenian stories of Ireland the Druid Caolite prepares herbal baths to uplift the wives left behind when their husbands go to war. Broom also seems to have been a key plant in Celtic times due to its bright yellow flowers that come forth about the time of Beltaine. In the Welsh poem ‘Cad Goddeu’ or ‘Battle of Trees’ Balor appears masked as broom and is depicted as a solar hero rather like Beli who Beltaine is said to be named after. Balor lives in a great castle with his daughter Floripar which means born of a flower rather like the stories of Yspaddeden Pencawr and Olwen also in Welsh lore discussed under Hawthorn. This connection seems to connect broom yet again to the flora and maybe the healing wells and herbal baths of our ancestors. The yellow flowers of broom, like hawthorn perhaps also depicted the time to break the winter camp when our ancestors lived a more nomadic live. Broom is also the plant used to make brooms as it has ideal stiff yet flexible foliage. These two facts point to broom as a plant of new beginnings, of a clean sweep and when we examine the two Ogham letters that represent broom we notice the combination of N for Nion, the ash tree and G for Gort the ivy plant. Combined these letters tell us broom is about breaking free from lethargy ( represented by the ash tree) and the inevitable back lash (represented by ivy) that will result from that. Broom therefore is a great plant to clean up problems of an especially emotional or spiritual nature encouraging us to outwardly demonstrate this by cleaning our living spaces especially where we sleep and/or meditate. Medicinally the young branches or seeds of broom can relief gout, sciatica and painful joints though are liable to cause vomiting. The oil from the stems of broom drawn out over the fire is said to relive toothache and help clean the head of parasites and the skin of parasites like lice. The ogham name Ngetal can also represent reed, fern and guelder rose also known as water elder which can cause some confusion. If you wish to learn more please subscribe to our free monthly newsletter or join us on a course where we can soak up the beauty and learn a deeper appreciation of nature. HoneysuckleThe honeysuckle's name invokes the beauty of a scented plant enticing pollinators to its embrace and the gift of nectar. It speaks in lore of affection as it binds itself to a tree and reaches to the sun and faithfulness to enrich the shaded woodland by its climbing efforts.
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine... Shakespeare However it is also known as woodbine as it clambers up the trees, twisting in such a way it carves itself into the wood for eternity giving rise to 'dragon wands' which symbolise the rising of the earth energy upon the branch of the tree. It was Shakespeare who also spoke of this twisting and although referred to gently he did not deny its strength. and its relationship with the life-giving sun, which does not penetrate the depths of the earth where it grows. 'So doth the woodbine the sweet honeysuckle Gently entwist...' 'steal into the pleached bower, where honeysuckles ripen'd by the sun, forbid the sun to enter...' In Celtic lore the honeysuckle is exalted as the 'King of the Trees' by Iubdhan, the king of the leprechauns. 'Monarch of Inis Fail's Forests woodbine is, whom none may hold captive; no feeble sovereign's effort is it to hug all tough trees in his embrace...' A climber that is very much celebrated with its nectar rich trumpet-like flowers which exude a scent on summer evenings. Its leaves are amongst the first to appear in the woodland scene sometimes as early as December. If honeysuckle is brought into the house it is said a wedding will follow and placed in a girl’s bedroom will bring dreams of love. Samuel Pepys, a 17th Century diarist called honeysuckle the trumpet flower whose bugles blow scent instead of sound. Honeysuckle flowers can be used to help headaches, lung diseases and asthma. Its bark can make cordage and it is said it was used as rope to move the great stones of stonehenge! It seems this climber has been respected throughout history as a king and a lover, a woodland delight to be respected and honoured. If you wish to learn more please subscribe to our free monthly newsletter or join us on a course where we can soak up the beauty and learn a deeper appreciation of nature. Tenacious Ivy Ivy Hedera helix ( Latin) Gort (Ogham)
Greenest of pastures is Ivy. Greener than grasses, sweeter than pastures due to it’s associations with cornfields. Pleasing oil, corn. Size of a warrior. Book of Ballymote 1391 Ivy warns us if difficult times approach but also to rise above them and search for the ultimate truth through a more focused approach without restricting and binding us to any one concept. To love Ivy or not seems to be a big question, it seems to have a sinister deadly reputation alongside a positive deeply loved one. ‘Gort’ its Gaelic Ogham name originally meant ‘green field’ and early Celtic nature poetry speaks of its enduring quality, growing green and fresh amongst the highest canopies of the trees. Further works associate ivy with pleasing oil and sweet grasses, a plant that warns us of dangers and gives us direction and insight. Ivy became a Christmas decoration hung on doors, beams and fire places protecting the house from malicious spirits that cause havoc at this time. In Scotland Ivy was said to protect cattle and their milk from harm and in Shropshire cups were made from the lower stems of ivy which were used to give milk to infants and therefore protect them from whooping cough. However the other side of ivy cannot be denied as early scholars describe it as ‘size of a warrior’ as its thin wiry stems grow into trunks and climb to the greatest heights. Does it restrict, bind and suffocate its host? As early as the 3rd Century BC Theophastrus declared ivy an evil plant that harmed its host, yet the latest research has backed the romantic Celtic poets and the later Bishop Munt of the eighteenth century who praised it with great devotion. The research has shown that ivy will only grow on large canopy trees and dominate them when they are already dying back even demonstrating that if the tree should recover the ivy will pull back therefore proving a harmonious symbiotic relationship with its host! Our ancestors could not deny the incredible tenacious, raw survival qualities of ivy. It was used as a penalty for the farmer bringing in the last harvest as it was bond around a figurine then given to the farmer as a symbol of ill luck. The ivy girl of folklore was a shrewish wife, a meddlesome women causing trouble. The ivy that I truly love has autumn greenish-yellow flowers that secrete an abundance of nectar pollinated by wasps and flies etc… Birds feed upon the late berries when food is scarce and especially the holly blue butterfly caterpillars feed upon its leaves. Medicinally a brew of fresh leaves boiled in vinegar will soothe a stitch or headache and the leaves freshly picked can be used to clean wounds and sores. The leaves and berries powdered can be used as a snuff for blocked noses and stuffy heads. If you wish to learn more please subscribe to our monthly newsletter or join us on a course where we can soak up the beauty and learn a deeper appreciation. Ancient Sweet Chestnut Tree Ancient Lime Tree Exploring the wessex ridgewayI travel along the Wessex ridgeway like a highway man flanked by a shrubbery of grey and pussy willow intermingled with old hazel coppice. The ash trees stretch up high above the shrubbery and in the fields ancient oak and lime have an indomitable presence. A single shrunken, withered chestnut tree, a relic of noble splendour is hollowed out as a stately home to wildlife reminding me of the poem The Hollow Tree by John Claire: How oft a summer shower hath started me To seek for shelter in an hollow tree: Old huge ash-dotterel wasted to a shell, Whose vigorous head still grew and flourished well.. Wild angelica Sun spurge I then enter the watery realms guarded by water pepper and angelica creates a canopy of its own. In desolate places, where dark moisture breeds The pipy hemlock to strange overgrowth John Keats Then as I emerge from the mysteries only dark and moist places tell, I witness chenopodiums (goosefoots) and cardamines ( bittercresses) scattered in the fields whilst a lone sun spurge decorates the grass amongst white archangel. Rosebay willowherb Shepherds purse A purple haze of rosebay willowherb with shepherds purse educates the wanderer of past land management.
Fallen relics of brick arches, woodland tracks leading to pastures edged with melilot, redshank, mayweed and fumitory. Spongy wet paths support brooklime and drier paths breed flowering chickweed, plantain and wild pansy. I could be a marauding Viking or a settled Saxon as the timeless Wessex landscape unfolds before me. For our free Newsletter with articles on trees, plant and British folklore please sign up below. |
Poetry of flowersJoin me to explore the flora of the British Isles on this blog. My intention is to attempt to capture the unique quality and beauty of each species of flower, tree or shrub. For every species featured I will be growing many more wildflowers to celebrate the joy of their existence, their intrinsic conservation value and bewildering array of uses. For nearly 30 years I have noted, studied and explored wildflowers in the field much to the patience of the walker beside me. To share this passion is a heartfelt plea to respect, preserve and care for all British Wildflowers no matter how common they seem. Archives
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