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(Fearn) from Mar 18th Apr 14th:
The Pentacle and the hawk, red fox, ram, stallion.
A strong foundation, the planet Mars (Maurth), the Vernal Equinox,
Bran, Arthur, Airem and Teutates: The alder is associated with courage and it represents the evolving spirit.
Bran was a mighty warrior of ancient Britain. Not always the victor, but never defeated.
In one battle Bran fights the Ash King. Thought he loses the battle, he is still recognized as a great warrior.
The period of the Vernal equinox is an extremely important period in the Celtic year,
as it represents free will and liberty in a moral context. It is still considered a crime
to cut down a sacred alder tree, and he who does is considered the cause of any trouble in the
village. The Fae of the Alder have been know as the "dark Faeries". They are very protective.
When they leave their trees they take the form of a Raven. These trees are protected by water spirits.
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(Quert) represents beauty and youthfulness, all things fresh and innocent, eternity.
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The symbol of stability and evenness.
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(Beth) from Dec. 24th Jan 20th:
White Stag, the Sun, Arthur Taliesin, the sun god Hu, the invisible creator
Celi: The Birch Tree represents inception. The rebirth of the sun from the winters Solstice:
The first tree that takes away the decay of the mysterious elder.
Both the birch and the elder stand on either sides of the one Nameless day.
They both represent a link between life and death, with the Birch being the
beginning of all things. It is associated with the training of the Druids. It
symbolizes the birth of new life energy and spontaneity.
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(Straif) member of the rose family, it is the faery tree.
Guarded by faeries, if harmed or cut on the wrong day,
misfortune will follow the one who fells the tree (bush).
It represents strength in adversity.
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Represents protection from harm and evil forces.
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Symbolizes sadness and morning.
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Symbolizes glamour and refinement.
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(Ruis) from Nov 25th Dec 22nd:
The Black Horse, the raven, badger, healing, the planet Saturn,
the Winter Solstice (Alban Arthuan), Pryderi,
Bran: The symbol of both death and rebirth.
Like the Winter Solstice, the elder highlights a time of evolution.
The Celts believed that it was during this time that their sun,
or solar spirit, was held prisoner, just as Pryderi was forced into
exile. It is also a time of trouble and struggle for supremacy. Indeed
what is now will one day be no more, and that which is to come,
will also, one day, be no more.
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Symbolizes the dark side of the psyche.
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Represents change and shape shifting, and objectivity.
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(Onn) a thorny shrub associated with the Spring Equinox. It is a symbol of fertility.
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(Uath) from May 13th June 9th:
The chalice, Vulcan (Govanna),
Govannan or Goibniu: The hawthorn tree is associated with the sacred and the unlucky.
To destroy a hawthorn was to incur great peril to the person responsible.
The hawthorn tree is embodied in the character of the chief giant Yspaddaden
in a Welsh romance of Kulhwch and Olwen. A guardian figure who tries to protect
the virginity of Olwen, he is felled and the blossoms of summer soon open, thus
symbolizing the advance of summer defeating winter, at last. It is also associated
with Govanna (Vulcan), a smith god that is the custodian of the celestial fire and
higher powers of the mind. Thus it is symbolized as the Chalice, as it too represents
divine secrets and everlasting life.
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(Coll) from Aug 5th Sept 1st:
The Rainbow Salmon, the planet Mercury (mugher),
Ogma and Mannanan: Celtic legend says it is the receptacle of knowledge.
As an emblem of concentrated wisdom, hazel is associated with the salmon,
another sacred symbol of wisdom. In Irish Lore it is the hazel that was the
Bile Ratha where in which the poetic faery lives. It was also a capital crime
to cut down a hazel tree. Ogma, who is credited with creating writing, is associated
with great knowing. It is he who said to have mandated that the oral tradition of the
Celts be closely guarded and preserved, yet through his creativity he created the
alphabet based on tones and sounds.
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Represents elation, fertility, loss of inhibition and exhilaration. The hazelnut
is the emblem of concentrated wisdom - one could gain knowledge simply by eating them.
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(Ur) a large shrub, another name for Venus or Guinevere.
It is a symbol of generosity and persistence. The fae of
this flower are attracted to shy humans. Fairies that live
among the heather undisturbed are said to feast on the heather
stalks. A flower of peace and solitude.
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(Tinne) from July 8th Aug 4th:
The Unicorn, War Horse, The Flaming Spear, Balance, Earth (Abred), The Fire Festival of Lammas
Danu: A symbol of luck and good fortune.
In Celtic mythology the holly is the evergreen twin of the oak.
It is called a kerm-oak. The oak rules the light part of the year,
while the holly rules the dark part. The Unicorn represents a horse with
a horn that resembles the flaming spear. The Celtic symbol of the flaming
spear is associated with the Celtic month of Tanist, because the Celtic T is
shaped like a barbed spear. Both the oak and holly are symbolized with the
Summer Solstice, and the White Horse of the oak becomes The Unicorn of the
holly in transformation. The fire festivals that took place during this time
were usually in honor of the earth. Therefore, the holly also represents those
eternal, evergreen aspects of Mother Earth.
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(Gort) from Sept 30th Oct 27th:
The Butterfly, the Mute Swan, the Boar, progress and tenacity, the veiled moon,
the planet Persephone, which is said to exist just beyond Pluto,
Rhiannon and Arianrhod: The Celts associate ivy with their lunar
goddess, Arianrhod, and their ritual to her marks the opening of the
portal to the Otherworld, thus the dark side of the moon.
In contrast to the vine, ivy is evergreen,
and it represents the perennial aspects of the human psyche.
This door symbolizes and entrance to the world of the faery people.
The Butterfly is the symbol of the faery faith. Thus ivy represents
the mysterious and the mystical.
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Graves makes a case for an additional blank ogham, the un-hewn dolmen arch,
which he associated with mistletoe. Mistletoe had great ceremonial importance
to the Celts and is associated with birth and rebirth.
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Symbolizes continuation and hardiness.
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(Eadha) a symbol of courage and endurance.
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(Ngetal) from Oct 28th Nov 24th:
The White Hound, the stone, the planet Pluto (Pwyll), The Fire Feast of Samhain
Dis, Pwyll, Arawn: Identified with the submerged or hidden dryad,
the reed represents the mysteries of death.
The Fire Feast of Samhain celebrates the dead and, on Samhain,
the boundary between the Otherworld and this world dissolves. It
is a night of great divination. Or, in another fashion, it represents
the hidden roots of all life. The reed is associated with being both a savior
and custodian. Pwyll, the Celtic ruler of the Otherworld, was given The Stone,
one of four treasures given to him for safekeeping. The Stone represents the right
of the king and queen to have divine power. Thus the reed is also the symbol of royalty.
The White Hounds represent the dogs that guard the lunar mysteries.
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A symbol of wisdom and longevity.
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(Ailm) a tall tree associated with the Yuletide and Winter Solstice.
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Represents versatility and symbolizes coldness.
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Symbolizes development, perseverance and vitality.
They are often able to grow where no other tree can.
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(Muin) from Sept 2nd Sept 29th:
The White Swan, lizard, unlocking, the planet Venus (Gwena), the Autumn Equinox,
Branwen, Guinevere, Etain: The vine is the symbol of sensuality and emotions.
A hardy, long-lived plant, the vine's symbol, the White Swan, represents
the radiant divinity of the gods, who are said to go to their underground
forts during the Autumnal Equinox. The White Swan is also associated with the
White Ghost, or the White Phantom, Gwenhwyvar. To the Celts, the Autumnal Equinox
is a time when the light will eventually give up its hold to the darkness, but for a
brief moment all is in balance - the light of the mundane and the supernatural, the
mortal and the immortal.
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(Saille) from Apr 15th May 12th:
The Sea Serpent, cat or hare, intuition, the moon (Llun), The Fire Festival of Beltane
Cerridwen, Morrigan, Morgan le Fay, and Dana.
The willow tree, since ancient times, has always been associated with death.
In Northern Europe, the word witch and wicked is derived from the name of the willow.
It is considered to be a tree of enchantment. In Celtic mythology it is associated with
the creation myth of two scarlet serpent eggs that contained the sun and the earth. These
eggs were hidden in the boughs of the willow tree until they hatched, thus bringing forth
earthly life. The willow is also associated with death as it is the obvious conclusion
to birth and life.
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(Idho) symbolizes death, rebirth and reincarnation, change and regeneration.
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