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Text of the page (random words):
ting for more than one day in honour of mother earth s seasonal cycle i choose to write and draw according to her timetable hopefully also living by her example unfortunately for this post i struggled with my artwork it lies unfinished in a folder ready to be refreshed and completed for next year maybe as some of my regular followers already know the last 6 months have been traumatic and unsettling as my beloved recovers from major heart surgery that journey for her has of course impacted my routines especially regarding my own creative activity so with small steps mirroring her progress i too recover so a photo this time must suffice the oak tree in the photo is bursting with new leaves and soon i won t be able to see the many branches it is in a neighbour s garden and i see this tree as being ready to embrace the light and warmth of the summer sun like most oaks in the uk she acts as a host to over 2300 different species who live on or within her being from birds and squirrels to insects and fungi whilst sometimes referred to as being male i believe the oak tree embodies so much that is female a mother indeed to so many new lives i thank brigitte on a recent zoom meeting the ogham grove for mentioning that she envisaged the shape of an oak tree as being similar to that of a womb wow with her branches held ready for an embrace the oak tree a vessel an ark welcoming all a doorway home the oak tree is sacred to the druids in fact the word druid means oak person also the words for oak and door have ancient connections in the celtic tree ogham the letter d duir is represented by the symbol shown in the photo below i whittled a piece of oak to show the symbol i will note at the end some of the books i refer to for my writing here one that i am still reading is galahad and the grail a story told in ballad form which i find irresistible for now i should mention a new book that will be coming from the poet singer and priest malcolm guite the easiest way to do this is to include a short video from youtube but here s a taster of his words i hope malcolm will forgive me if i ve got the line breaks wrong he knew each living oak is not itself alone its roots reach out to other trees a woven web of mysteries from darkest soil to lightest breeze embodying the memories of every year its grown thank you malcolm here are the books that i look to for help sacred earth celebrations by glennie kindred the ogham grove by yuri leitch voices from the grove by yuri leitch if you search on youtube you will also find a series of videosmcalled the ogham grove for now happy beltaine to everyone who visits here ashley spring equinox 2026 march 20 2026 march 19 2026 ashley 45 comments ash leaves artwork by ashley love ash the branching tree of all the worlds beautiful ash trees fraxinus excelsior whose timber is a tough hardwood with a straight grain and well used to absorbing shocks but now under the threat of a disease ash dieback hymenoseyphus fraxineus a fungus which may wipe it out under normal circumstances the tree can live to the ripe old age of perhaps 400 years but now its future is bleak can they survive typically it has been used for making tools especially handles that absorb shock hammers axes spades and oars so useful perhaps that s why in mythology it has been referred to as the tree of life it is the 5th tree in the celtic tree ogham and below i include a photo of my own piece of ash with the ancient symbol for the tree buds opening bright on this dull day the spring equinox from this day onward the days will become longer and warmer i recently came across this wonderful album called songs for the trees by kate daisy grant and nick pynn in the notes to the album kate says there needed to be songs written to honour and portray some of the innate powers characters and stories of the trees so they could be central characters themselves what a wonderful thought and one which i applaud with kate s permission i have included the track od s song for the ash the last lines of which are as follows t he brightest of the noble trees that reaches through the skies mighty tree you ll be my steed as i wade through the river and rime through boiling waters with a scream and a gift for all mankind you will see what is not yet and back to early time as above is so below without is so inside so drink up revel in the cheer the three worlds come to life for the swing and the sway is the only way to where all worlds collide to all who pass this way happy spring equinox love trees one of our oldest companions ashley international women s day march 8 2026 ashley 18 comments today should be a moment of celebration and in many ways it is we celebrate the progress won by those who believed in safety and dignity for all and the women who are leading countries and communities around the world but right now that progress is under threat countries are facing a backlash against women s rights around the world women s safety is in crisis their voices silenced and their lives threatened one in three women globally will experience physical or sexual violence let s make this international women s day more than a day in history let s protect what has been gained and keep pushing for progress i have copied the above from care international uk s newsletter received this morning and i will sign their open letter to forward to our uk government february 2026 imbolc rowan february 1 2026 january 31 2026 ashley 34 comments it s february and on the ancient pagan calendar it is the beginning of spring whilst my first picture is from autumn last year it is of a berried rowan tree and the rowan or as it is sometimes called the mountain ash is featured in many myths and legends in celtic and pagan stories it has many other names witch wiggin tree wizard s tree rowanberry quickbeam true grit on a mountainside a rowan tree the tree is tough and frost resistant and can grow on the lower slopes of mountains up to 1800 m 5900 ft it is light demanding growing in the margins and clearings and is tolerant of most soils a good tree for small gardens too as it won t grow more than 15 m 50 ft with white spring flowers and orange red berries in autumn birds and insects love this tree the tree also has many associations with lichens and fungi the wood is easy to work and has been used to make small items such as spindles and stakes whilst it doesn t grow to be a very old tree it is fast growing and allows other trees to establish known as a pioneer tree it is tenacious taking root even in inhospitable locations rowan is the 2nd tree in the celtic tree ogham in old gaelic it was called luis pronounced loo sh and is believed to signify the letter l it is the sacred tree of brigit or brigid 1 who is celebrated on the 1st february heralding the arrival of spring a black 5 pointed star is conspicuous on the berries which is seen as a sacred mystical symbol the pentagram aligning with earth air fire water and spirit wands of rowan have been used to make protective magic circles or for summoning creative energy below is a photo of the script for rowan which i carved into a piece of rowan wood rowan the imbolc festival is the mid point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox and also celebrates creativity divination and the traditions of the arts especially poetry and song brigid is in fact the patroness of healing smithcraft and poetry so from mandy haggith s anthology see below i have selected a short piece from the poem robin s rowan 2 by colin will your power enchantress is in your leafy shield a berried blessing sanguine steadfast stand so for us for all your green hands shade and here is some more of my artwork to honour the lovely rowan love rowan in music i can only recall one song that features the rowan it is a traditional scottish folk song the rowan tree written by carolina oliphont lady nairne 1766 1845 and it was used in the 2022 movie living sung by lisa knapp here is a link if you wish to read the full lyrics of the song i ve added a link below 3 have a wonderful spring ashley links and resources 1 brigit brigid https druidry org resources brigid survival of a goddess 2 colin will s poem see into the forest an anthology of tree poems edited by mandy haggith published by saraband 3 lyrics https www scottish country dancing dictionary com rowan tree html here are some books for further reading sacred earth celebrations by glennie kindred 2023 walking with trees by glennie kindred 2019 the ogham year wheel by yuri leitch 2017 the spirit of trees science symbiosis and inspiration by fred hageneder 2006 the new silva a discourse of forests and orchard trees for the 21st century by gabriel hemery and sarah simblet published by bloomsbury 2014 winter solstice 2025 december 21 2025 december 20 2025 ashley 39 comments mid winter reflecting the growing light silver birch today the 21st december is the winter solstice and in celebration of this day i turn to a special tree the birch silver birch betula pendula although having a relatively short lifespan perhaps up to one hundred years will grow quickly if left alone and transform an open landscape into a woodland in the celtic tree ogham it is the first tree beith b and is known for its life giving properties its vitality its nourishment of the ground in which it grows and therefore in our human world we think of new beginnings and new opportunities in praise of trees this morning this evening everyday in praise of our oldest companions and of the earth sing out loud mother earth we welcome the growing light back into this bleak life the bright light of hope to everyone who visits here have a wonderful winter solstice and i wish you all heart happy good health for the new year and the new season ashley rainforest november 5 2025 ashley 25 comments it s not often i do this but below is a link to guy shrubsole s latest vital blog as the pm heads to the amazon remember that britain is a rainforest nation samhain 2025 october 31 2025 november 1 2025 ashley 37 comments in the celtic year samhain marks the end of summer and the beginning of winter a threshold a period of rest and regeneration before rebirth darkness grows an ending a beginning and renewal elder tree with berries i am fascinated by trees and the elder tree sambucus nigra is considered to be deeply connected to this midpoint between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice there are many superstitions surrounding the tree one that intrigued me was the idea of not bringing elder wood into the house and burning it in the fire thus releasing malevolent spirits i have recently learned that burning elder wood releases cyanogenic compounds these are found in the bark stems roots leaves and immature fruits 1 nevertheless when used correctly so much of the tree is benevolent to humans elder leaves and berries i have been trying to do some serious drawing finding it both therapeutic and frustrating is that a contradiction when i look at some of the amazing work of botanical artists like lizzie harper 2 i often feel overwhelmed but that tension pushes me on her work is inspirational in the celtic tree ogham elder is the 15th tree ruis r and below is my representation of it in elder wood a few lines of a poem that i have been working on elder growing in hedgerows surounding grazed fields fast growing elder thrives in spring its scented umbels herald the happy season of warmer days in autumn the scents are transformed and berries like alien antennae hang shiny black and full of vigour they shiver on the air green lilac black and purple the colours of this blessed tree ashley 1 https botanical online com 2 https lizzieharper co uk autumn equinox 2025 september 22 2025 september 21 2025 ashley 44 comments the autumn equinox a festival of thanksgiving a gateway into winter hokku and photographs by ashley can you believe it s the autumn equinox it s that time when day and night are of equal length and the earth is in perfect balance but from today daylight reduces and the nights grow longer the flowers in our garden are showing their autumn colours and some are already closing down winter is before us and i am stepping back from blogging for a while taking some time to reflect on my next steps i m sure i will still publish at samhain end of october beginning of november and at the winter solstice 21st december so until then thank you for following my blog and making all your wonderful comments here s a short verse i found on the internet which says so much about celebrating this ancient festival blessed be the turning wheel blessed be the waning sun blessed be the harvest of soul and soil ashley butterfly haven not for much longer september 14 2025 september 14 2025 ashley 26 comments enchanting moving pictures silent movers it doesn t feel like 10 days ago but the weather has changed as we edge closer to the autumn equinox the temperature is around 14 c and the atlantic is again throwing another big weather system over these islands this week i ll probably fire up the boiler to warm the house and outside we ll start moving the pots into more sheltered parts of the garden thanks for visiting my blog ashley happy buddha august 31 2025 ashley 30 comments between the showers and the strong winds the remnants of storm erin from across the atlantic the sun did occasionally come out and there on our little buddha ornament in the garden a red admiral vanessa atalanta butterfly rested as i watched from the kitchen i tried several times to sneak out and take a photograph but each time it moved off somewhere today my image is a collage as i had plenty of cut out butterflies from my last post the butterfly cut out is a little larger than in real life but i think buddha will forgive me stuck on his breast a butterfly happy buddha ashley posts navigation previous search for recent posts beltaine 2026 spring equinox 2026 international women s day february 2026 imbolc rowan winter solstice 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