Image Descriptions



|
The Birch | The Rowan | The Ash | The Alder | The Willow | The Hawthorn |
| The Oak | The Holly | The Hazel | The Vine | The Ivy | The Reed | The Elder |

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Birch Leaf The Birch Birch Leaf

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The Birch is associated with the letter "Beth" in the Celtic Tree Alphabet, being the first of the thirteen consonants of the Celtic letters which formed a calendar of seasonal tree magic. In this illustration, the spirit of the Birch projects the faint aura of the sun, representing the rise of the Solar King from the dark slumber of night. This ethereal light symblolizes the divinity of the Dryad (tree spirit). The Golden Eagle which flies overhead carries in its beak the Salmon, a bright symbol of knowledge. The statuesque White Stag represents the eventual fate of the Sun King, who will reign for seven months in the thirteen-month calendar of the Druids.

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Rowan Leaf The Rowan Rowan Leaf

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The Rowan stands in the center of Stonehenge...ancient gathering place of the Druids. The location is guarded by the Green Dragon, a powerful representation of life during the time of year when night still ruled the day. Symbolically, Stonehenge formed a giant candle at the Celtic feast of Candlemas, which marked the quickening of the year. The Dragon's fiery breath ignites the vital current of energy pulsating through the stones and regenerates the flames of eternal life.

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Ash Leaf The Ash Ash Leaf

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The Ash is symbolic of the power of the sea, illustrated in this image by Lir the Sea God, one of the ruling divinities in Celtic legend and a mighty deity who represented the mystical fusion of Man and God through the element of water. The Ash was also sacred to Gwydion as a Tree of Enchantment and he fashioned his wands from its twigs. A Druidical Ash wand bearing a spiral decoration was unearthed in Anglesey during an archeological find. This instrument of magick dated from early in the First Century.

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Alder Leaf The Alder Ash Leaf

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Armed with spear and sword, Bran...the mighty giant and ancient Celtic King of Britain...has slain the Green Dragon in order to establish his hold upon the seasons. The power of the Sun has triumphed, having reached the Vernal Equinox. Day will now rule the night and the Sun have dominion over the Moon.

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Willow Leaf The Willow Willow Leaf

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The coils of a Serpent hidden within the branches of the Willow protect two scarlet-colored eggs containing the infinite potential of the World. A beautiful young maiden who has been chosen Queen of the May holds the branches of the tree. She will preside over the Beltane celebrations...a fire festival held on the first day of May. The roots of the Willow tap into the Sacred Spring of the mysterious and awe-inspiring aspect of the Lunar Goddess who is known as the Cailleach. It is this deity who is depicted within a dark cavern under the tree, seated upon a silver throne.

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Hawthorn Leaf The Hawthorn Hawthorn Leaf

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The Hawthorn is symbolic of the spiritual quest that demands chastity and purification following the earlier festivities of May. The Goddess is depicted here holding the silver chalice of the Holy Grail...also known as the Cauldron of Cerridwen. A young warrior prince is seen to be abandoning his weapons in preparation for the ascent up the hill which looms before him...representative of the Sun's journey toward the ultimate act of sacrifice which will take place at the Summer Solstice.

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Oak Leaf The Oak Oak Leaf

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The Oak stands amid a circle of fire...flames engulfing the sacrificial Oak King who is mounted upon his White Stallion. Deep within the roots of the tree lies the double head of Janus, dual God of Life and Death who is symbolic of the turning year...from Summer to Winter. The Golden Wheel of the Celts represents the changing face of the Sun, which has now reached its highest apex in the sky and is about to begin its descent. The Summer Solstice (celebrated on June 21) was known to the Druids as Alban Hefin. This time marked the turning point in the calendar of the Druids...when the Sun appeared for a moment to be immobilized as it reached its most northerly point in the heavens.

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Holly Leaf The Holly Holly Leaf

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Clothed in scarlet, the Earth Goddess represents fruition and the beginning of Autumn. She holds the triple symbol of the Earth, Moon and Sun. A flaming spear has pierced the ground at her feet, representative of the renewal of this deity's power at the Celtic festival of Lammas...an ancient fire ritual celebrated on August 1 which was associated with the transformation concept of female magickal powers.

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Hazel Leaf The Hazel Hazel Leaf

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As the leaves of the Hazel gradually turn to gold, the nuts form clusters of three...the sacred number of the Universal Goddess. The nuts drop into a crystal-clear pool and feed the Salmon, a magickal symbol associated with knowledge of the Arts and Sciences. A young man sits by the spring and gazes into the water, seeking to gain knowledge and wisdom...not from the book by his side, but from the ancient symbols of the Universe which are revealed to the subconscious mind, if the mind of an individual is open to receive such information.

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Vine Leaf The Vine Vine Leaf

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In this illustration, the Vine grows over a mysterious entrance into the Castle of Arianrhod, Lady of the Silver Wheel. Deep within the citadel lies the seat of Annwn...in Celtic legend, the center of the astral plane. The four White Swans represent the radiant aspect of the psyche approaching another revelation and initiation. The Vine is associated with the Celtic festival of the Autumn Equinox, known to the Druids as Alban Elfred, celebrated on September 23.

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Ivy Leaf The Ivy Ivy Leaf

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The tiny figures of the faery people known as the Sidhe dance with abandon in the moonlight while they await the rebirth and resurrection of the souls of the dead. The Butterfly is symbolic of the Sidhe and represents this metamorphic transition. A coverlet of Ivy almost concels the ruins of an ancient temple. The Men-an-Tol stone in Cornwall is believed to be the solitary survivor of an ancient temple built by the same individuals who constructed Stonehenge. The Druids would use these sites for their own rituals, carving their symbols on some of the stones and erecting additional stones inscribed with Ogham.

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Reed Leaf The Reed Reed Leaf

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The Celtic festival of Samhain was a time when doors were opened between the natural and supernatural worlds. For the Celts, this was the most important celebration of the entire year since it officially marked the beginning of Winter as well as the beginning of the Celtic New Year. In this illustration, Pluto, God of the Underworld, resides in a subterranean cavern where he guards the four treasures that the Celtic people inherited from the Tuatha Danaan...a race of immortals who became their Gods.

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Elder Leaf The Elder Elder Leaf

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The magickal purple berries of the Elder relate to inception...the beginning of the mystical birth of the Celtic Sun God. In this illustration, a gigantic Black Raven flies above the child, a wreath of Mistletoe around its neck and a lustrous Black Pearl held in its beak. This bird is the messenger of impending death...the physical death that precedes spiritual rebirth. To the Celtic people, the secret of Annwn was revealed at this time...the time of the Winter Solstice, which marks the shortest day and heralds the rebirth of the Sun. The Winter Solstice on December 22 was known as Alban Arthuan in the Druid calendar.

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