Did you know that trees possess their own calendar? In the ancient Celtic tradition, it was believed that there were two powerful energy sources that arrived on Earth long before man appeared. They were known as Celi and Cerridwen - male and female. Within them, they held all of the laws of the universe and those of the natural world. Celi and Cerridwen spread their knowledge by creating spirits known dryads, who were the keepers of all knowledge and lived in the trees. The dryads composed an alphabet consisting of twenty five trees, runes, and Celtic letters. Fifteen of these trees became part of the Celtic calendar. By the way, the tree alphabet was used throughout the British Isles from approximately 600 BC until AD 700.
Celtic tradition and culture honored the Earth as Mother. They also paid great attention to the cycles of the moon and the sun. Early on, the Celts realized the great healing power of trees. They prayed to Earth's elements, the animals, trees, and rocks. When the British Isles were invaded, many new laws and beliefs were imposed on the Celtic people. This seriously curtailed the ancient teachings and beliefs. For centuries the ancient knowledge stayed buried.
Today, we are beginning to revere and learn about this ancient wisdom about the earth. We recognize that these beliefs hold the keys to the survival of Mother Earth. On the North American continent and throughout Europe began to develop their own folklore and legends acknowledging the interconnectedness of all life. This treasury of information was passed down to each new generation
Unfortunately, as the continents were deforested, .
we lost our connection with Mother Earth again. As a species, we are responsible for considerable destruction on our planet. We need to immediately begin to preserve what can still be repaired. In order to create a spirit of peace and harmony, we have to respect all life forms. We should be thinking of ourselves as caretakers of a mysterious, wonderful paradise before it is too late.
Mankind could not survive without trees. They take in the carbon dioxide we exhale, and they clean our air. They stand on the earth just as we do. Trees parallel our sense of awareness of life traveling from our roots connecting us to the earth, to the branches reaching to the sky. This concept is called the Tree of Life, or djed.+
Celtic lore tells us that each tree species has its own knowledge and healing powers. As we progress through the Wheel of the Year, I am going to share my knowledge of the Celtic Treen Calendar. Next week we will begin with the Holly Tree, which shares the month of June with the Apple and the Hazel. See you then!
