Friday, June 08, 2007

THE MIGHTY OAK



Before I begin, my computer screen has gone a rather unpleasant pink colour, so my colour values etc are distorted, so it is fingers crossed that my text and illustrations work as I can't see the true colours until my screen is sorted
Ansel Adams

On 10th June, the Celtic month changes again and this month will be the month of the Oak. A tree to me that is quintessentially English, phrases such as the Mighty Oak, Hearts of Oak and From Little Acorns Great Oak Trees Grow. The Oak has always protected England from time immemorial, it was the sacred tree of the Druids, they had their Oak Groves, and throughout history the boats that were used by the English Navy to defeat invaders to our isles were made from from slabs of the mighty Oak. The Armada was turned back by these ships crafted from English Oak. Therefore, from the 10th of June we have the 7th Moon of the Celtic Year, Duir, the Oak Tree. Duir meaning door.

Herne

The month of Duir, also contains the Summer Solstice, and of course, the symbol of the Summer Solistice is the magnificent Oak tree. Every civilisation that has had access to Oak trees seems to have realised the mystical properties of it. The Oak is one of the three most sacred trees, Oak, Ash and Thorn and is thereby known as King of the Grove. English legend believes that King Arthur's Round Table was made from a massive slab of Oak tree. The oak is allied to the element of Fire and is ruled by the Sun. It also has associations with the God of the Forest Herne and the Wild Hunt and the Oak or Green man who is a potent symbol in English folklore. It was an Oak tree that Robin Hood was supposed to gather his men round and an Oak tree in which King Charles is supposed to have hidden to avoid detection by the Roundheads. It is a very long lived tree and grows to enormous widths, therefore it is a symbol of long life. It is also associated with the Gods of Thunder and Lightning, due to its reputation as a lightning attractor. The bird connected to this Oak Month is the wren and the stone is moonstone.


The Green Man


The parts of the Oak used are the bark, wood, leaves, and acorns, which I will leave until last, as they are another interesting part of Oaklore. Oak bark tea is very astringent and is thought to be good for sinus infections. Oak can be used in spells of healing and fertilitiy, protection, strength and success. One belief is if you listen to the Oak at the Summer Solstice you can hear what the future holds by listening to the wind rustling through its leaves. Oakwood is a very powerful protection herb and are used as land boundary markers because of this. Also an Oakleaf worn next to your heart is said to protect the wearer from decption and falsehood. Try a handful of Oak leaves in your bath to cleanse you in body and spirit.



Acorns, themselves are very useful and powerful small items. Acorns are said to be able to increase fertility, not just of the body but your creative fertility too. Play with a couple in your hand to ease pain or put some in your window or on your windowsill to deflect lightning and protect you from night creatures of evil intent. You can also carry them in your pocket for basically the same reasons, to protect from storms, from getting lost and from those spirits or people intent on ill wishes towards you. Three acorns threaded together can be made into a charm to preserve youthfulness and to help you achieve in life. You must thread a piece of your hair with the three acorns, and bless them every new moon and full moon, for twelve months. Acorns can also be planted in the dark moon days to bring financial rewards. You must harvest the Oak tree by the waning moon. The acorns in daylight and the wood and leaves at night. Don't forget that part of your Summer Solistice fire should be of Oak wood.

Mercury

Remember what I said about my computer at the beginning of this posting, well going round the blogs quite a few of us are having various problems with our computers at the moment. Dare I tell you, guess what it is? Yes, Mercury goes into retrograde in a few days time, so don't forget everyone be careful around items of communication. This retrograde Mercury will last from 15th June [with a build up from about ten days before that] until 10th July , but don't forget about the kickback effect that lingers on a while.

A Wren


Keep having a look at my Poetry Fest Website, link near the top of my sidebar, poems are still coming in, and if you haven't participated yet there is still time for this month's Poetry We Loved as Children.



15 comments:

Julie said...

Wonderful information on Celtic/English customs! Sadly, oak trees are very scarce in North Dakota.

Sheila said...

Very interesting Daisy, thank you for the folklore and history.
I remember the Mitre Oak near my old home in the West Midlands, one of many that laid claim to being THE one King Charles hid in.
It was/is ancient and almost completely hollow, though the branches still bore leaves and acorns.
They are magnificent, and although we get them here in Canada they never reach the girth of the mighty oaks that grow in Britain.

Kim Campbell said...

I love this post. Ansel Adams is one of my favorite artists. And as my soon to be husband is of Scottish ancestry, I love earning about Celts and their history.

Patty said...

Very informative post. Thank you. I don't think I had heard about the acorn charm before. I love all the photos you used with this one.

Tinker said...

I love the Green Man and all the other images and information. I love to collect acorns, and now I have a good reason why. We mainly have what are called live oak and scrub oaks here, though.

My computer's started doing better now - it's still not 100 percent, but much better than it was. I hope it doesn't have a relapse during the retrograde. Hope yours heals soon as well!

Bimbimbie said...

Loved reading this post Daisy, so much information to soak up and enjoy and marvel at the various connections nature has *!*

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful post! I didn't know that the round table was made of oak or any of the info. that you gave us! That is sooo kewl! I feel like I just got out of class I always learn great things here. Interesting and wonderful wonderful photo's as usual! Thank you for sharing!
*HUGS*

Rowan said...

I so enjoyed reading this post, I hope we'll be getting more of the same as the months pass. I have an oak tree in the garden and last June my younger son and daughter-in-law were married beneath it. Oak,ash and thorn all grow here - I must admit I didn't know that oak had a reputation for attracting lightning though! Another instance of ignorance being bliss as now I shall worry every time we have a storm as it is quite close to the house....

tlchang said...

I have that very same Greenman plaque-thingy hanging on my bedroom wall.

Your tree posts rank amongst my favorites!

Miss Robyn said...

so you are seeing blog world through rose coloured glasses are you, Daisy? oh, how I wish I had some :)

June is the first month of winter here - so what tree is equivalent for me?

when I was little, there was a mighty oak at my school and I was the only little girl who would spend her lunch time collecting acorns. figures.

gma said...

We have what they call scrub oaks here....but I love them too. The acorns woven with a lock of your own hair sounds like something I would like to try if I could.
:-)

natural attrill said...

Hello Daisy Lupin,
Thanks for leaving a comment on our blog, Toby has replied to you there.
I love trees, especially oaks, I will try putting some oak leaves in my bath, never heard of this before. When Toby was younger we often used to listen to a audio tape about wonderful and strange trees around Britain, read by Thomas Packman.
Wrens are so sweet, I often see them out of our window.
Penny.
x

Janet said...

Ok, I just learned so many things that I never knew about oak trees and now I'm off to locate some acorns. They seem to do a lot of things that I need right now....creative fertility for sure (the other kind is long gone!!)

I keep saying this but I love all the knowledge you have about plants and nature. You are amazing!

KaiBlue said...

I love your blog and all the interesting things you post about home Daisy,
Peace, Kai xx

Julie said...

As I commented before, there are few oak trees in North Dakota. Does a fake acorn count? I found a little rosin bluebird sitting on an acorn and brought him home to sit on my computer desk. I will need the acorn to protect me from storms. ND has seen some real storm activity (Heavy thunderstorms, hail, tornadoes) this summer, and right this minute our sky is very dark and we are under warnings!