The following is taken from "The Celtic Tree Oracle" by Liz and Colin Murray. This barely scratches the surface on what can be found there, so if you're interested, pick up a copy of the book-you'll be glad you did.
According to Brehon Law, the trees of the Ogham alphabet had different ranks (Chieftains, Peasants and Shrubs), and these rankings had more to do with the symbolic importance of each to the druids than with their stature or physical form.
Also included is the color associated with each of the trees, some in their Gaelic names:
Beith=white
Luis=grey and red
Fearn=crimson
Saille="sorcha", bright
Nuin="necht", glass green
Huathe=purple
Duir=black and dark brown
Tinne=dark grey
Coll="cron" brown
Quert=green
Muin="mbracht' variegated
Gort='gorm', sky blue
Ngetal=grass green
Straif=purple
Ruis=red
Ailim=light blue
Ohn=yellow gold
Ur=purple
Eadha=silver white
Ioho=dark green
Koad=many shades of green
Oir=white
Uilleand=white yellow
Phagos=orange brown
Mor=blue green
And now, please study the trees,
Beith Birch
The ancient celtic year begins on the First of November, after the celebration of Allhallows, or Samhain in the Celtic calendar.
The Celtic calendar has 13 lunar months, and each one is named for the name of a tree.
The first is the Birch.
Off the west coast of Scotland, on the Isle of Man, criminals were ceremoniously "birched" in an effort to drive out evil influences,
although this practice is no longer practiced. The meaning was that the new year could not begin until all the evil and influences
were driven away.
The Birch stands out as a graceful, slender tree, and has a white bole. The white stands forcleanliness and determination in overcoming difficulties
Luis Rowan
The Rowan tree has had a long reputation of protection against enchantment. It's name connects with the Norse 'runa', meaning a charm, and the Sanskrit 'runa', meaning
a magician. Rune staves, canes or sticks having runes carved on them, were cut from the Rowan tree. Another use of Rowan wood was for the divining sticks used in metal divining,
in the same way that hazel wood is used for water divining.
The Rowan played a central role in Druid ceremonies (along with certain other trees). Some of these traditions remain today.
In North Britain, for example, you may find rowan sprays fixed to cattle sheds in order to protect the animals from harm. In Strathspey, the farmers used to drive their goats through
Rowan hoops. Sprigs were also placed over the door of the house, or worn on the person, to ward of an evil enchantment.
In Wales (or Cymru) Rowans used to be planted in churchyards to watch over the dead, the same way that the yew is planted in other areas.
If you really look at a Rowan berry, you'll see that opposite the stalk it carries a tiny five pointed star, or pentagram, which is the ancient magic symbol for protection.
Fearn Alder
The Alder is a water loving tree, and it's wood os oily and water resistant. Because of this, it'soften used as underwater foundations. Parts of Venice and and many medieval cathedrals
were built with Alder piling.
Bran the Blessed, or Bendegeit Bran, is the god linked with this tree. He is said to have used his body to span the river Linon, thuscreating a bridge for his followers to aviod the dangerous waters.
This is what the wood does when it's used as a builing material. Bran, mortally wounded in a battle with the Irish, predicted the events that would happen after his death, and instructed his followers to cut off
his head and carry it with them. They traveled to Harlech, where the head sang for seven years, and then to Gwales, where the head remained uncorrupted and predicting all the while.
Eventually they came to rest in London, Caer Lyyndain, and buried Bran's head at the White Mount, or Bryn Gwyn, which is now the site of the Tower of London. It was believed that as long as the head
remained hidden, it would give p rotection against plague from across the sea. King Arthur, it is believed, once dug it up. An unwise action, since the Saxons then invaded the country.
The name Bran means raven, and even now the memory of the power of Bran's head is preserved in the legend attached to the presence of ravens at the Tower. They are given special care, sice it is believed that
as long as they remain, the Realm is safe from attack. So much so, that when the royal menagerie was transferred from the Tower to Regent's Park in 1834, the ravens were intentionally left behind.
The raven was respected as being endowed with the powers of prophecy. Many birds were used by Druids as a means of divination, by interpreting their movements and calls. But the raven was held to possess particular oracular strength
due to its alert, intelligent air. The alder epresents spiritual protection in disputes, same as Bran offered to his followers.
Saille Willow
The willow stands for the female and lunar rythmns of life. She is water-seeking, and thrives on the banks of rivers and lakes. Water and the tidal movements of the sea are governed by the pull of the moon.
The moon is considered female, contrasting with the male sun's daily and yearly turnings. In several ways, the Celts held women in higher regard than we do today. On the material level, women were property owners,
and whoever controlled the property controlled the marriage. Women of all types and ages appeared in Celtic history, the spiritual strength and life-giving qualities given by both female and male recognized equally. There were many
colleges of Druidesses--learned women and teachers--respected especially for their gifts of seer-ship, often expresses through dreams, or night visions.
The goddess Brigit, one of whose endowments is as a seer, has her fire festival during the willow month. This festival, Imbolic or Brigantia, os one of the two female Fire Festivals among the yearly cycle of four. The willow is additionally
sacred to the moon goddess, who rules this month.
The willow also offers protection against damp diseases, and there are many references in folk lore to the strength of this tree against such complaints. Modern chemists extractsalicin from willow bark to be used to treat rheumatic fever,
so proving that there is truth in many folk remedies.
Nuin Ash
The ash of the Ogham is the Cosmic Ash, or World Tree. It also appears in Norse mythology as Yggdrasil, the tree of Odin, or Woden, who hung from it in order to gain enlightenment in the secrets of the Runes, and whose Celtic equivalent is
Gwidion. The Ash tree has deeply penetrating roots and sours the soil, making it difficult for other vegetation to grow beneath it. Its twigs are thick and strong. In Norse mythology, this tree spans the universe--its roots in hell and its
branches supporting the heavens, with earth at its center. In Celtic cosmology in particular it connects the three circles of existence--Abred, Gwynedd, and Ceugant--which can be variously interpreted as past, present, and future, or as confusion,
balance, and creative force; there being no hell, but only continual rebirth as passage is made from circle to circle until the Land of the Blessed is finally reached.
Also the ash can be seenas spanning both microcosm and macrocosm, the little world and the great world. In this interpretation, man and Earthly things are reflections (in miniature) of the universe, the cosmos being
reflected in us, and so expressing the meaning of the old expression: as above, so below.
Huathe Hawthorn
According to the Ogham calendar, April, the month of the female Hawthorn, leads up to the fertile central Oak month following on from Mayday, or Beltane. This is the spring Fire Festival of fertility and renewed growth and strength.
The Celts marked the passing of time by the dark periods followed by the light, and they divided the year into a dark half and a light half. So, the new year on the first of November, introduced the first dark winter half of the cycle, and then Mayday startedthe light summer
portion. Marriages were allowed only to take place during the light half of the year, though often preceded by a "trial marriage" of a year and a day.
The hawthorn is a small tree, growing with many twisted branches. Due to its growth being impenetrable, it is mainly used as hedging, and the origin of her present name comes from the Anglo-Saxon 'haegthorn' meaning hedge-thorn. Other common names are whitethorn and may.
Whitethorn originates from the contrast of the smooth grey bark and the powdery black bark of the blackthorn; the name from the time of her flowering, when the blossom is used to form garlands on houses and maypoles for Mayday. She also has thorns for defense.
Duir Oak
Every house has a front door. If you wish to enter, the door must be approached and your presence made known. Then the door is opened. The very word 'door' comes from the Gaelic and Sanskrit 'duir', a word for solidity, protection, and the Oak tree.
In the essential forest, the Oak is King. It stands solid with great branches, matched only by its still greater roots. It os often struck by lightening. The force of the strike and the heat bursts the sap and stem apart, leaving the trunk gnarled and withered, but it still
manages to survive. It's growth is slow but sure.
The Oak's place in the Celtic lunar calendar is seventh among the thirteen months. He is central and stands between Huathe Hawthorn on his left and Tinne Holly on his right. His month is the one of the fertile dance of spring.
The Oak has always protected England through the use of its timbers for the building of ships, like those that defeated the Armada. Oaks have also been used to mark the boundaries between one area and the next. Ancient Ovates, Bards, and Druids preached under
oaks, gaining strength from its strength. Edward the Confessor preached under the Gospel Oak at Parliament Hill, Hampstead, gaining power for his Kingdom, and tradition from the many years of strength that lay way back in the past.
Tinne Holly
The Holly is best in the fight. He battles and defends himself, defeating enemies, those who wish to destry him, with his spines. The leaves are soft in summer, but in the winter, the evergreen Holly is likely to be attacked by browsing animals looking for scarce food sources.< br>
It hardens its leaves, and spines appear, keeping him safe. The old name for the Holly is Holm, prserved in names like Holmsdale, Surrey, whose motto is "Never wonne, we never shall". With the coming of Christianity, the Holly became the Holy Tree, the tree symbolic of the crown
of thorns, and so representing the fighting of the soul's battles that eventually unites this life with the one that follows and, also, runs parallel.
The Holly is male, so symbolizing paternity and fatherhood. With the Ivy and the Mistletoe, the Holly has always been regarded as a potent life symbol, both for the year-long foliage and for its winter fruits. Concealed within the verses of the 'Song of Amergin' chanted by a chief Bard as he
landed on the shores of Ireland, is the line "I am a battle-waging spear"--the wood of the Holly was used in fashioning spear shafts.
Coll Hazel
According to Celtic lore, Fintan 'the White Ancient' was able to take the form of animals, one of which was the salmon. Salmon are associated with the Hazel in Irish legend, swimming in the River Boyne under the overhanging Hazel tree from which the nine nuts of petic wisdom
fell. These were eaten by the salmon who absorbed the inspiration they encapsulated. The Hazel is also strongly associated with meditation and mediation. The Druids were the inheritors of the knowledge of measurement and calculation of the earlier 'dodmen', the prehistoric
surveyors of the ley lines and trackways portrayed in the ancient chalk-cut figure of the Long Man of Wilmington, shown holding staves or rods. Also skilled in the law, the Druids were called upon to mediate in disputes concerning property and land boundaries, much as,br>
present day surveyors.
Hazel twigs have traditionally been used for divining because of their pliancy and affinity with water. The Hazel embodies many talents; poetry, divination, and the powers of mediation.
Quert Apple
It is quite possible that the apple of the Ogham alphabet is the cultivated apple, and not the wild 'crab' apple. The words for 'apple' in all the Celtic and Slavonic languages are similar, indicating a common linguistic root to a fruit that is known to have been cultivated
from the earliest times. The apple is associated with choice. The choice you may have to make may be between similar and equally attractive things, making it difficult to choose. At Congresbury, Somerset, an auction used to be held for single-acre plots on two pieces of common land.
The plots were marked and matching marks made on apples. These were placed in a bag from which the commoners were allocated their land by a distribution of apples.
The apple represents a choice of beauty, the beauty of life and youthfulness. Linked to this is Avalon, or the magical 'Apple-land'. Glastonbury is set within the Celtic apple-lands. From the Welsh poem 'Avellanau' we learn that the Bard Merlin secretly revealed to his lord the existence
of this orchard. It was bourne from place to place by the enchanter on all his journeyings. The ignorant however, must not eat of its fruit, for within the Apple is contained a pythagorean pentagram. Cut it width-ways and its secrets are revealed in the shape of the pips.
This gave beauty in the judgement of Paris, to Aphrodite.
Muin Vine
The vine of the Ogham alphabet is the grape vine. Unlike the other Ogham trees and shrubs, there is no doubt that the vine has been known and propagated in the British Isles for a long time, its distinctive fruits and foliage appearing frequently on Bronze Age artifacts. The Fire
Festival of Lugnassadh, or Lammas, falls on the first of August, at the very start of the month governed by the vine. It isthe Celtic autumn ha rvest festival, celebrated by the gathering and sacrifice of the fruits of the soil, and it was considered a potent time for omens and predictions.
The principal deity of this month is the sun god, Lugh, also known as Lug Lamfhada (of the long arm) ot Luf Samildanach (many skilled).The vine is concerned with the relaese of prophetic powers. The use of the grape and the effects of wime are well known. The phrase 'in vino veritas' almost expresses
the meaning of this. Wine dissolves the inhibitions, and often allows you to speak more perceptively and truthfully than you otherwise would.In a similar way, if you let go of your logical and intellectual attitudes, you may gather other resources in order that subtle intuition
can surface and lead. During such periods, your psychic sense will be a more reliable ally that yyour common sense.
Gort Ivy
The ivy grows, spreads and flourishes in many conditions--cultivated land and wasteland, in light or in near darkness, in fertile soil or on rubble and stones. It will push its way through tiny cracks and crevices to reach the light and it is strong and diffiult to sestroy. Since
ancient times, the Vine and the Ivy have been regarded as enemies. If the vine, through intoxication, releases prophetic powers, the Ivy, in contrast, puts you in touch with your own inner resources, giving you the ability to see through the eyes ofthe sould beyond the everyday world. The color associated
with the Ogham Ivy is gorm, sky-blue. Retain a vision of the clear blue sky to which you aspire in your mind's eye-don't be gormless. It represents the spiral of the self and and the search for self. The maze of the labyrinth is also linked to the ivy, since it, too,
sybolizes the wandering of the soul, circling inward and outward seeking nourishment and exper i ence from the outside and from within itself, to achieve finally its goal of enlightenment.
Ngetal Reed
Thin and slender is the reed. He stands in clumps at the edge of the river and between his feet hides the swift pike awaiting an unsuspecting minnow to come his way. In his thin-ness the reed resembles arrows that fly up into the unknown air to land at the very source that one had searched for all
these years. Firing arrows off into the unknown is an expression of the desire to search our basic truths. If you loose off without direction, the place of landing will be random. If the firing off is carried out with the correct conviction, determination, and sense of
purpose, then the act becomes secondary to the event that comes both before and after the moment.
Straif Blackthorn
The blackthorn is a wintery tree. The fruits, known as sloes, rpen and sweeten only after the first frosts. The white flowers open early, often before the leaves appear. A cold spring was trditionally known as 'a blackthorn winter'. Black barked and with vicious thorns, the blackthorn forms dense thickets
when given the oppportunity to spread. The Gaelic word 'straif' has links with the English work 'strife'. The wood of the blackthorn is that traditionally used for the Irish cudgel, or shillelagh;the thorns, those used in witchcraft to pierce wax images.
Blackthorn represents the strong action of fate ot outside influences on your life and journey.
Ruis Elder
Folklore holds that it is unlucky to us Elder wood for a child's cradle, which should always be made out of Birch for a new start and inception. In the Ogham calendar, the Elder rules the thirteenth month. This is, in fact, a short three-day period, a "make-up" month, ending in the Samhain,
the last night of the year and now known as Halloween. The new year, on the 1st of November, and the month of the Birch follow on after. The Elder, with its distinctive, easily hollowed, pithy stems, is a tree of regeneration. It regrows damaged brances readily and it will root and grow rapidly from any part.
The Island of Anglesey, Mona, was known in pre-Roman times as Mona mam Cymru (meaning, Anglesey, the Mother of Wales). This was because it waas flat, mild in climate and fertile. It fed the rest of the country wand was the granary or bread basket that provided nourishment. It is also remembered as the site
of the massacre of the last of the Druids by the Romans. Althoughthey fought fiercely and fanatically, few escaped and their power and leadership were effectively at an end. The Celts were such fearless warriors because of their belief in the Cauldron of Rebirth; by immersion in the Cauldron
they would be restored to life and strength, enabled to return to the fight time after time until thebattle was won.
The Elder is linked to the eternal turnings of life and death, birth and rebirth. It represents the end in the beginning and the beginning in the end; life in death and death in life; the casting out of the devils of the old year and the renewal and creativity of the new; the timelessness of the cycle by which the fading
of old age is always balanced by the new start of birth.
Ailim Silver Fir
The family name of the silver fir is Abies. Abies comes from the verb 'abire', meaning to go away, referring to the great height or distance from the ground that these tall slender trees can achieve. The 'Adam' and 'Eve' trees, a pair of siver firs planted by the Duke of Argyll in the early
seventeenth century and standing until recent times, reached heights of 130 and 124 feet, respectively. Silver firs grow in mountainous regions on the upper slopes overlooking the surrounding forests, and reaching into the clear air towards the distant blue sky.
So here is a tree that can see over a great distance, to the far horizon and on to the greater realms beyond, both through its own height and its elevated position on the mountainside.
The silver fir is also the tree of the Three Brigids, portrayed with three faces or aspects--those of maiden, or 'bride', celebrated in the spring, matron ruling summer and fuitfullness and, finally, hag of the winter months; a continuous yearly cycle. She is also smith maker, healer, and seer. It represents a
clear-sighted progress.
Ohn Furze
The furze is a yellow-flowering shrub that grows profusely on moreland and commonland. It chooses for itself a position far away from other trees where it can bask in the sun. However, although the furze has its densest cvering in the spring and early summer, there is, in fact, no month in the year when it
is totally devoid of flowers. The flowers are rich and plentiful in pollen and nectar, goving off a strong honey scent in the warm sun, and providing rich rewards for gathering bees. The Fire Festival the furze is particularly associated with is Lugnassadh, at which time it possess a strong value, linking the inner
and outer worlds with richness and fulfillment. Although just apparently a common lowly bush, the furze in the Ogham alphabet is, according t o Brehon Law tree order, a Chieftain. It therefore ranks among the highest echelon, along with the Alder, Ash, Oak, Hazel, Vine, Ivy, Blackthorn, Yew,
Mistletoe (Heather) and Beech and it is, therefore, a precious quide to your spiritual journey.
Ur Heather
The outer meaning conveyed by Ur, Heather is the symbolic gateway linking the fertile earth and the spiritual world. Uchelwydd, Mistletoe, traditionally known as 'all heal', is the invisible fertility symbol on solid foundations, revealing the inner meaning. At the time of the midsummer sunrise, the sun casts three spreading
rays of light, which opens the gates of Annwyn, the portal to the other world. These three bars of light--known as the Awen (Tribans in Cornwall and Brittany)--harmonize with the threefold nature of the Celtic universe. The honey bee, which orientates itself on its journey from the heather to the hive in relation to the position and angle of
the sun, was regarded by the Celts as a messenger travelling the slanted sun-lit path to pass through the gateway to the spirit world.< br>
The mistletoe literally grows on solid foundations, and was venerated by the Druids particularly when found on the oak, a rare occurrence. A survey by the Botanial Society during an 11-year period revealed only 12 oaks in Britain bearing mistletoe. Wehn found, the plant was ritually gathered with golden sickles
by the phases of the moon at mid-winter, and it was believed to contain the fertile life essence of its mighty host, the oak.
If you examine a mistletoe berry wou will find four black semi-circular marks around the central dot. These represent the mystic cities of the Sidhe, or world of Faery: Falias-North; Finias-South; Gorias-East; and Murias-West. The central dot is the etheric fifth, thus encompassing the circles of existence.
Eadha White Poplar
Of all the trees in the Ogham alphabet, the White Poplar, or aspen, is the one most concerned with the earthly and material aspects of life. It is also concerned with finding the spiritual strength and endurance to face the harsh realities that life presents to us, often unexpectedly, ot over a long, wearing period
of time. It conveys a sense of the ability to endure and conquer. The poplar has three attributes: an ability to resist and to shield; an association with speech and language; and a close relationship with the winds.
This tree is natually equipped to resist drought and is also the ancient shield-makers' tree. It thus has power to protect from death and injury and intervene between you and the worldly problems you fear, even those over a long, debilitating period. It is associated with the power of speech and language through
its link with the wind. The long flattened leaf stalks let the leaves grow in such a way that they move and ripple and make a noise with every gust or breeze. Poplars are commonly referred to as the 'whispering' or 'talking' trees and, in Irish Gaelic, as 'Crann Critheac', the 'quivering tree'. Throughout the world
and by many religions and cultures, the wind is regarded as being the messenger of the gods or as carrying the 'small still voice of God'.
Ioho Yew
The easiest place to find the yew tree is within the ancient cemetaries. In all truth, any particular yew may well be far older than the cemetary that surrounds it. The Crowhurst Yew in Surrey is reputed to be at leat 1600 years old. This capacity for age is given the yew by its peculiar form of growth. It's branches grow down into the ground
to form new stems, which grow to become trunks of separate but linked growth. In time, the central trunk becomes old and the insides decay, but a new tree grows within the spongy mass of the old and eventually cannot be distinguished from the original. So the yew represents great age, rebirth, and reincarnation. The yew
is the fountainhead or youth in age and age in youth, the new year that is born from the old, the new soul sprung from ancient roots in a seemingly fresh new body.
In Breton Legend, the tree is said to grow a root into the open mouth of each corpse buried in the graveyard. This root is the symbol of rebirth, with the spirit reborn in much the same way as the tree itself is reborn.
The present name of the sacred isle of St Columba, off western Mull, Scotland, is Iona. There was a mistake in a fith century manuscript, and this name should have been Ioho ot Ioha. The traditions of the island of Iona are linked to rebirth and reincarnation. The ancient Bardic Groves were taken over by St Columba,
who had fled from Ireland, to seek fresh pastures to conquer. Iona became a place of reincarnation and enchantment for the Christian faith, expressing through the life-ling work of St Columba. Standing on the Hill of Eternal Youth, Dun I, in the north of the island and looking at the clouds that pass by Iona to fall upon the mainland
as rain, one is reminded of the strength of the soul and it's ability to be reborn, continually. The Bay at the Back of the Ocean faces the setting sun, the islands of the outer Hebrides, and the essential dream time of the wandering Celt.
Koad Grove
In Alba, present day Scotland, there exist certain groups of trees that have always been revered. Superstitions surround them, that their branches, for example, should never be lopped or prined. Such groupings are known as 'Bell trees', from the Gaelic 'bile', meaning a cluster of trees. Theese trees are supposed to be the remanants,
the survivors of ancient Druidic Groves, usually composed of Oaks but sometimes of other trees, and always situated near a spring. It is a fact that the present tradition of free speech stems from the Druid practice of holding all meetings in the open, "in the face of the sun and the eye of light". Such gatherings were
held for both ritual purposes and the giving and receiving of law and judgement.
Parliament Hill, the Llandin, in north London is so called because itwasa Gorsedd, or meeting hill, from ancient Cymric (Celtic) times. It bears traces of artificial terracing and ditching carried out in its distant past. A spring, since diverted, used to arise from its flank.
Oir Spindle
The hard wood of the Spindle tree was used in the making of pegs, bobbins, and spindles-hence its common name. It is a delicate and small tree, with smooth grey bark and tiny white flowers. Bright crimson, deeply lobed fruits on slender stems show it at its most attractive and vibrant in the autumn hedgerows. Its meaning is illustrated at a
deeper level by a legend concerning Lugh, whose father Cian was killed by the three sons of Tiurenn-Brian, Iuchar, and Iucharba. As the punishment they were set eith tasks by Lugh, the final ine being to make three shouts on a hill, Croc Miodhain. Having completed the first seven, acquiring various magical animals and objects Lugh
desired, they turned to their final task. But the hill was owned and guarded by an enemy, and so they fell, mortally wounded, after reaching the summit and uttering their three shouts. Thus the sons of Tiurenn completed the hardest and final task that brought completion
and repayment.
Uilleand Honeysuckle
The Watts Mortuary Chapel at Compton in Surrey was built and designed by Mrs GF Watts in the 1890's for her husband. This unique and jewel-like building, constructed on the plan of a Celtic cross, is rich in Celtic design and allegorical illusion, the inside being painted and the outside covered in handmade terra-cotta decorations. High on the outside walls
are three medallions representing 'the way', 'the truth', and 'the life'-'the life' is represented bya tree and a Cretan maze, or labyrinth, symbolizes 'the way'. The twisting, coiling wild honeysuckle, or woodbine, like the ivy, is involved with the self. Whereas the ivy is concerned with the search for self, the honeysuckle
shows the way in which to achieve this-the special dance or step that leads into the labyrinth of inner knowledge.
The bird connected with Uilleand, the honeysuckle, is the lapwing, or peewit, which hides the secret at the very center of the labyrinth. The la p w ing, when disturbed on its nest, will fly upward and away, uttering its distinctive cry to draw attention away from its vulnerable and exposed eggs lying camouflaged in the nest on the ground. To find its hidden
secret, you must look at the base of its flight, and not at the intended distraction.
Phagos Beech
Beech wood is closely grained and easy to work, giving a very smooth, even surface. In the past, Beech tablets were used as writing surfaces because of these qualities. The words 'book' and 'beech' have the same origins. 'Turning a leaf' is a familiar phrase to us all, referring to reading a book or making a change of mind or direction, as in 'turning over a
new leaf'. Pagos, the Beech, is convcerned with ancient knowledge as it is revealed through old objects, places, and writings. This guidance from the past can help you to attain insight, which is a protection for the solid foundations upon which all else depends. As the wisdom and beauty of the past and tastes and ideas change or are discarded, the thirst for knowledge of the questioning
spirit will always continue. You will often need to turn to the past and its works in order to rediscover lost wisdom and to find a firm basis on which to construct further ideas and interpretations. If a writer or craftsman has felt the urge or commitment to express his feeling in a tangible way, you too have an obligation to observe this work and further it in your own time.
Mor The Sea
Manawydden, or Mahannan, the god of the sea owned, according to legend, a special Crane Bag, formed from the skin of a magic crane, in which he kept all his precious possessions. It was said that at full tide these possessions were visible to the eye; at low tide they disappeared. now, cranes are sacred birds that substituted for Druids. They were
revered because their wings made Ogham patterns when they flew. Manawydden's Crane Bag is thus a Druid's bag of secrets, the Celtic equivalent of the Kabbala, and is a metaphor for the Ogham cypher language itself.
The 'crane cleric', St Columba, was so called because of his Druidic knowledge and training. St Patrick was the son of a Bard. The Culdee church, the earliest British church, using Greek rather than Latin, absorbed many of the previous Druidic beliefs. Many Culdee monks and clergy we the spiritual descendants of Druids who had feld from Mona, or Anglesey,
after the Roman massacre there. St Columba, arriving in Iona, was re-establishing a manastic community on an island that had, long before, sheltered Druidic mystics.
