When Spring turns into Summer...
Polarity – Feminine Planet – Mars Element - Fire
Deities: Olwen, Blodeuwedd, Cardea, Hymen, Flora
Botanical: The hawthorn hedges which divide the fields over mile upon mile of the English lowlands were planted mainly in the 18th century during the great land enclosure movement. Though threatened today by clearance, or replacement by wire fencing, they have proved long-lasting and cheap barriers to keep livestock from straying. Indeed farmers today are replanting the hedgerows. Away from the hedges, hawthorn springs up frequently as a bird-sown bush. It colonises waste ground and its thorns give protection against bad weather and grazing animals to the seedlings of larger trees like oak and ash that grow beneath it and eventually supplant it. It is never a large tree, reaching about 15ft tall. The trunk bears dark grey bark split into a pattern of squares. Each stem holds pale sapwood around tough, red-brown heartwood. On the thin, dark twigs with small pinkish buds, many shoots take the from of sharp thorns. The leaves, bright green in spring, duller later, are deeply lobed. Flowers are borne in May, hence the name May blossom. They grow in clusters. Each flower has five petals, many stamens and a central ovary. This ripens by October to a red berry which attracts birds, especially members of the thrush family, finches and tits. The haws are also an important food for the wood mouse and other small mammals.
Magick: Fertility, chastity, happiness and the coming of Summer both literally and emotionally. Is incorporated into wedding ceremonies especially those held in the Spring. However the leaves are said to enforce or maintain chastity if placed under a mattress !! The Romans placed hawthorn in cradles to guard children from evil spirits. In the past most Witch's gardens had at least one hawthorn hedge and probably still do today. Hawthorn is sacred to fairies.
Lore: Hawthorn is more a village tree than a forest tree. It seem to prefer growing near people, it is a hedge-tree, 'haw' is believed to mean hedge. Usually found growing with blackthorn. Hawthorn is a symbol of fertility. Many Celtic marriages took place at sites of hawthorn copses.
The hawthorn forms a dense hedge of twisted branches, covered with hard, sharp thorns. Breaking through a stand of hawthorn would not be a pleasant experience. Legend says that a mound or hill surmounted by a twisted clump of hawthorn is a gathering place for Fairies - disturb it at your peril!
The dangers of Huath are not the great and terrible thunderbolts sent by the Gods - they are the small and maddening stings inflicted by the Fairies. They do not slay like a sword cut, but they prick like a thousand thorns. They drive you to distraction, they snap at you like a pack of wolves, they keep you awake at night. They put you on edge, try your patience, and involve you in senseless quarrels with your friends.
In ancient Celtic society, Huath was associated with a particular type of poetry: the satire, or verse devoted to mocking an individual’s weak points. In a warrior society, where pride was a precious possession and honour more valued than life, the satire was a fearsome weapon.
You might choose Huath as your protector if you find yourself in a ridiculous situation: undignified, embarrassing, or just plain stupid. It will remind you that a sense of humour can be a powerful defensive weapon: satire gains its strength from the pride of its victim. If you grin and bear it, laugh at yourself, and remember that all this will pass, you will emerge undamaged from your encounter with Huath.
Medicinal: Warning !! Hawthorn contains substances that have effects upon the heart. Therefore it is not suitable for self-medication and neither should it be given to others.
A decoction of dried hawthorn flowers and berries can be used as a facial lotion for clearing the skin of acne and improving the colour.
Uses: The wood is hard wearing but as the tree is only small, it gives only enough wood for small things such as handles especially for knives and daggers. Root wood was used to make combs and trinket boxes. Hawthorn bark yields a black dye.
Herb Association: Chives
Flower Association: Wood Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella)
The flower of the Hawthorn is the Wood Sorrel, a small perennial plant with heart-shaped, three-part leaves (akin to those of the Shamrock or Clover) which often fold together. Thus, it is sometimes called the "prayer plant" and may be the "true Shamrock" by which Saint Patrick demonstrated the Trinity to the Ancient Irish. The white flowers are bell-shaped with a dash of blue. Despite its name, the plant is not related to Sorrel but is closely related to the Geranium family. Wood Sorrel grows in moist, shady spots within woodland areas or beside hedges, and flowers from mid to late Spring. Its medicinal qualities include strengthening a weak stomach, staying vomiting and reduction of fever. The juice of the plant may be used as a gargle for mouth ulcers and infusion of the leaves (somewhat sour in taste) used to make a lotion which is beneficial for relief of skin infections. Excessive or prolonged administration of Wood Sorrel as a medication, however, is not recommended and can be injurious if prescribed injudiciously. During the time of King Henry VIII, the Wood Sorrel was held in great repute as a pot-herb and salad green. Its name probably derived from the Old French surele and earlier from sur, which means "sour."
Season: Spring (flowers) and Autumn (haw fruit)
Number: 0 (no value)
Ogham:
Finger Ogham - first digit of thumb
Hawthorn is the need for protection against all ills invoking the aid of the underworld. it is seen as the faery tree which can be climbed down to reach the advice of the ancestors. Look to your past for answers to the present.
Bird Ogham - hadaig (raven)
Raven Facts: The raven is the largest of the crows, a massive bird bigger than a buzzard. It is often over 2 ft from bill tip to tail and was once a common scavenger on the streets of London, where now only the tame guardians of the Tower remain. Apart from these birds it is confined to the west and north, nesting on mountains, sea-cliffs, moorland, inland cliffs and crags. Preying on sea birds and flying over sheep country in search of carrion.
Colour Ogham - huath (terrible) Midnight Blue
Element Ogham -copper (Cu)
Fortress Ogham: h-Ocha
Art/Skill Ogham: Satiric poetry
Word Ogham: A pack of wolves; a whitening of the face; a difficult night; signifying Torment and Mockery.
Associated Craft Tool: The Pentacle.
The pentacle is a small flat disc upon which a pentagram (a five-pointed star) has been engraved or inscribed. Pentacles can be made of clay, wax, bone and wood; most frequently they are made from metal. They are traditionally a protective talisman. Pentacles is also one of the tarot suits where they are called coins. They correspond with the playing card suit of Diamonds and represent the feminine element Earth. Pentacles represent Earth's bounty, abundance and protective energies. Pentacles are ancient; earliest surviving images date back to over four thousand years BC. The pentacle may be interpreted in various ways:
- a human figure
- a parturient, (birthing) woman.
- the solitary point may represent spirit while the others indicate the four elements.
- East Asian cosmology perceives five elements (air, earth, fire, water, metal) not four and so the pentacle
- represents the eternal interplay of the elements.
Stone Association- Lapis Lazuli, sapphire.
Zodiac: Taurus the Bull
Who smiles through life except when crossed?
Who thinks he knows the most??
Who loves good things???
It is the Taurus! Skyscript
Zeus was a lover of women, both mortal or immortal. Of course, he was sometimes hard put to escape the watchful eye of his wife, Hera. He also was unable to appear in his true form, as he would strike too much fear into the hearts of mortal men and women. Truth be told, he sometimes needed to be somewhat roundabout in his courting because he was pursuing women that ought not to be pursued -- such as young virgins or other men's wives. One of Zeus' favourite methods was to change himself into an animal of one sort or another, thus allowing himself to escape notice and get close to the woman of his choice.
One day, Zeus' eye fell on the beautiful maiden, Europa, as she was out playing with a group of girls by the seashore. Knowing that she and her friends would be terrified if a strange man or god approached them, he changed himself into a beautiful white bull. He then wandered up to Europa, who was so amazed by the beauty and gentleness of the creature before her that she forgot all caution. She petted and played with her new pet, forgetting about her friends.
They gradually moved further away, leaving her alone with the bull, who was Zeus. He lay down, and she eagerly climbed on the bull's back. This is what Zeus had been waiting for. He plunged into the sea and swam away with Europa clinging to his back. Europa called to her friends for help, but it was too late. Zeus took her to the island of Crete, where he changed back to his true form.
He took Europa as his lover, and she bore him three sons. Zeus hung the image of the bull in the heavens, where it represents love, strength and beauty.
Astronomical Notes:
Taurus's appearance in the eastern skies announces the imminent arrival of winter, with the constellation of Orion not far behind. Is the bull attacking Orion the Hunter, or are its Horns the real story? The horn was a symbol of fertility and bountiful riches in many cultures for thousands of years, and it is probably the case here, for the constellation would have heralded the Vernal Equinox at around 4000 BC. The constellation shows mainly the horns, which are very long. The left (southern) horn, starts from a group of stars known as the Hyades, of which Aldebaran (see below) seems (wrongly) to be a member. It extends from Aldebaran to zeta Tauri near the eastern edge of the constellation. The right horn lifts up just west of the Hyades, from delta Tauri, through tau Tauri and finally to its tip at beta Tauri (El Nath: this star is also part of the adjoining constellation Auriga, the charioteer). The rest of the bull is disappointing: a slight body and skinny legs ! It could be that the bull is half-emerged in water as it carries Europa across to Crete.
Stars:
Alpha Tauri (Aldebaran - the Follower or the Bright One of the Follower, since it comes behind the Pleiades see below)
- is the bright, piercing eye of Taurus staring defiantly at Orion. It is an orange giant, around 40 times bigger than the Sun. It is an old star. For billions of years it has burned its supply of hydrogen until there is little left. Its future will not be as a spectacular explosion of a supernova but rather a gradual dimming into a white dwarf.
Beta Tauri (El Nath - the Butting One)
Zeta Tauri - a shell star, which means material is being ejected from its surface.
Deep Sky
M1 The Crab Nebula
- is a remnant of a supernova, whose explosion occurred (or rather was visibly recorded) in July of 1054. Chinese and Japanese astronomers witnessed the event. It fact it would have been difficult not to have noticed, for the night sky would have been lit up by a star with the visual magnitude of about -5, bright enough to be seen even in the daytime for nearly a month. The star that exploded, producing the nebula is now an optical pulsar. Even now, nearly a thousand years later, the nebula is hurtling through space at roughly a thousand kilometres per second. And it continues to grow; the nebula is now over thirteen light years in diameter.
M45 The Pleiades
- the most well-known open cluster in the heavens, it contains as many as three thousand stars, the brightest of which are visible to the naked eye. These go under the name 'The Seven Sisters'; from the brightest to the dimmest; Alcyone, Electra, Maia, Merope, Taygeta, Celaeno and Asterope. Added to the list are also Pleione and Atlas who are actually Mum and Dad for the seven sisters. (see mythology)
The Hyades
- an open cluster of about two hundred stars that is only 150 light years sway and considered to be 600 million years old. It is shaped like a 'V' and lies to the west of Aldebaran. Just as the Pleiades have individual names, so did the nine Hyades. (see mythology). These nine stars, then, constitute the minimum count, easily seen with the naked eye, while there are actually as many as 250 stars which belong to this group. The cluster is estimated to be 415 light years away.
