Always fascinated by trees, their shapes, sizes, types and temperaments, literally amazed by their intricate evolution but for some reason, I never got around to learning how to identify them (yet).
Today, completely randomly, I learnt that in Celtic culture they would track the passage of time on a lunar calendar over 13 months, as opposed to the Gregorian system of 12 that most of us live by nowadays (I’ve since discovered there is doubt to the historical and mathematical validity of a 13-month lunar calendar system within Celtic and other ancient cultures).
I also learnt that trees are an integral part of a Celtic divination system, similar to how tracking and analysing the stars led some of our ancestors to develop astrology systems.
The Celtic and Norse cultures recognised immense power in trees, animals and the forces of nature in general. Along with the observation of the phases of the moon, these elements were used to determine the kind of energies one would encounter along their lifetime.
“…Celtic astrology based on ancient Ogham wisdom is far more dynamic than other astrological systems. Celtic Druids, who created this special star-casting system, spent decades observing trees. In fact, Druids were able to see signs, omens and divine future events just by the rustling of leaves. The same kind of intense invocations and divination were performed by Druids by meditating upon the moon and her motions.”
From Celtic Tree Astrology at whats-your-sign.com
It so happens that my birthdate corresponds with the energy of the Oaktree (Chêne in French). Regardless of whether we can learn, or project, any kind of meaning onto a person from this association, it is a sacred tree in many ancient traditions. Curiously, I’ve just moved to a region where there are several types of oak growing abundantly all around me.
I’m pleased to be learning the wisdom these lands contain, seizing the coincidences and synchronicities, swimming in the flow of our natural teacher and welcoming the secrets of our ancestors who walked these paths before me.
Also I really just love trees, they help us breathe, give us shade, literally hold the ground together and look cool as fuck, so why not send some silent admiration next time you walk past a tree and like, I dunno… stop wasting paper?
