Norse Runes: Energies found in Palm Trees

By going deeper into Norse Runes, you can find their energies elsewhere. For example, palm trees.

PALM TREE

Fehu:  In ancient times, possessing a date palm tree was a source of wealth, since it provided food, clothing, utensils, oil, and wood.        

Uruz:  The durability of a palm tree is its many uses for people.

Thurisaz:         The leaves of some species of palm trees can cut flesh if the person is not careful.

Ansuz:       Palm trees have been important to humans by providing them with the means to live in arid areas and on islands worldwide. 

  

Raidho: Because dates are portable and energy dense, people carry them on caravans.    

       

Kennaz:    Since hybridization of palm species readily occur, the taxonomy of palm trees is problematic. Botanists need skill to organize them into meaningful genera, because there is flux amongst the entire group.

Gifu: The gift of the palm tree is its usefulness to humans. For example, people chew palm nuts, harvest wax, and make furniture from palms.

Wunjo:  Seeing an oasis of date palms in a dessert makes people happy.

Hagalaz: Coconuts fall from palm trees and hit the ground hard.

Nauthiz: Palm trees fill the need of hunger with dates, coconuts, nuts, and palm hearts. 

Isa: Palms are trees, and by nature are stationary.

Jera: Palm trees have contributed to mankind’s success in populating arid lands.

Eihwaz: With their shade, palm trees provide introspection by inviting people to sit under them.

Perthro: The probability of a palm tree dropping coconuts on a person depends on the wind, ripeness, the position of the person, amongst other things.

Elhaz: In South Carolina, sabal palmetto logs were used in building Fort Moultrie. The spongy wood absorbed or deflected cannonballs.

Sigel:   Palms wood is used for torches, and palm oil for cooking.

Tyr: Protecting endangered palms takes dedication since cross-pollination leads to hybrid species.

Berkana: In 2005, a 2,000 year-old date palm seed was successfully germinated.

Ehwaz: In ancient Mesopotamia, owning many date palms was a sign of status.

Mannaz: Scientists have grouped the 2,600 species of palms into the Monocot Order of Arecales. The Family Arecaceae has about 15 sub-families, with almost 200 genera.

Laguz: Palm wine, syrup and oil are made from palm trees. 

Inguz: The potential of palm trees lie in their multiple uses for people. 

Dagaz: The palm tree changed the future for humans by providing for their needs, and by being portable. 

Othala: Today, trees live in widespread places ranging from islands to deserts.

 

SQUIRREL FAMILY Cooperation

When people think “Squirrel”, they generally think of the tree-dwelling variety. Squirrels, however, come in three main groups–Tree Squirrels, Ground Squirrels, and Flying Squirrels. The defining characteristic of a Squirrel, a Squirrel is their bushy tail. Their family name Sciuridae means “shade-tailed”.

Tree Squirrels have the bushiest tails. Tree Squirrels use their tails for balancing and steering when They jump from branch to branch. Active during the day, Tree Squirrels chase each other through the trees, look for nuts, and work on their nests (dreys). They bury nuts and seeds in the ground for future use. Any nuts one Tree Squirrel does not eat, another Tree Squirrel will eat.

Ground Squirrels include Chipmunks, Prairie Dogs and Marmots. Ground Squirrels rarely climb trees. Instead, They often live in colonies in a complex system of burrows. A Prairie Dog town contains thousand of residents living in sleeping quarters, with their own nurseries and latrines. Extremely adaptable, Ground Squirrels will live near people.

The third kind of Squirrel is Flying Squirrel, who glides through the air using a flap of skin between his front and rear limbs. Pushing off from a tree branch, He stretches out his arms and legs and glides to another branch. Unlike other Squirrels, Flying Squirrels is active at night.

Squirrel Family teaches cooperation. Some forms of Squirrel cooperation are obvious such as building a Prairie Dog town. Tree Squirrels warn other Squirrels of approaching enemies. A more subtler form is Tree Squirrels burying nuts not only for Themselves but also for other Squirrels. Squirrels cooperate with each other in a variety of ways. Learn how to cooperate with others from Squirrel Family.

Finding The World Tree in Oaks

Whenever I ponder the World Tree, I often reflect on my own relations with trees. In my experience, They are magical beings, Each with their own personalities. By carrying their own vision of the world inside Themselves, each species of tree offers something of Themselves to the Axis Mundus, which is the World Tree.

 In imagining this Axis Mundus, I think back on my experience with a white oak, which lived next to my third story condo. During a hurricane (more than fifteen years ago) the tree fell through my living room. Between the chaos and the debris, I stopped to marvel at this immense tree laying on the floor, taking up my living-dining room. The crown, the branches, the leaves, the acorns, and the trunk all spilled out over the floor. Amongst the debris were some squirrels and two of their nests. (That is a story for another time.)

 As I touched the felled tree, I felt that I stepped through a door to other worlds. All of these worlds, whether they were below, above, or in-between, were connected through this tree. Moreover, all life was centered in, around, under, above, and through this tree. For me, it was a disorienting, yet remarkable experience. From that, I gained knowledge of the World Tree.

Now when I picture the World Tree, I see a towering, massive tree with branches reaching to the sky, and roots reaching deep into the earth. This broadleaf tree offers shade from the sun and shelter from the rain. The leaves reflect the passing seasons, but they never leave the tree completely bare. Also, this tree provides food for the beings living in it and around it.

 Again, I flashed to a huge oak in my life. This oak of my adolescence sat next to a stone wall in my family’s yard. A clothesline ran from its lower trunk to one of the posts of our patio. This oak tree was said to be a least two hundred years old, and seemed as ancient (at least to me). Whenever, I hung out wet clothes or gathered in the dried ones, the Tree would talk to me. In the summer, I would look up into the crooked branches, and watch the leaves move in the breeze. In the fall, “She” would drop acorns on me. (I thought of this Oak as “She.”) In winter, a few brown leaves would wave at me. Through it all, the Tree was there for me.

 To guide me further, the Oak introduced me to the squirrels. These mammals seemed to be everywhere: eating acorns, buying acorns, chasing each other, and building leaf nests. During the mating season, the squirrels would gather leaves to refurbish their nests. When I was feeling my teenage angst, the squirrels would cheer me up with their activities. The squirrels were partners to the Oak, as they were nurtured by Her, and they cared for Her.

 This Oak nurtured me through some stormy times. She counseled me and gave me her strength. She offered the world to me, for which I was grateful. With her help, I made it through adolescence.

 Therefore I regard the Oak to be the World Tree, the Axis Mundus. Furthermore, the lore about oak trees in various cultures supports my idea. For example, the Celts, not only considered oaks to be Chieftain Trees, but also the Doorway to Other Worlds. To the Romans and Greeks, the oak represented Jupiter and Zeus (respectively), the heads of their pantheons. These Gods spoke through lightening which was caught by the oak. This lightening would travel from the oak’s crown to its roots. This means to me that the oak acted as the Axis Mundus. Not only that, but the oak also contains the sheer life force of the Universe. That is how I imagine the World Tree.

 Works Used.

 Hageneder, Fred, “The Meaning of Trees.” Chronicle Books: San Francisco. 2005. Print.
Hidalgo, Sharlyn, “The Healing Power of Trees.” Llewellyn: Woodbury MN. 2010. Print.
Hopman, Ellen Evert, “A Druid’s Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine.” Destiny: Rochester VT. 2008. Print.

Bardic Inspiration: Awen Defined: Winter trees

Since it was the middle of winter, I waited for a “January thaw day,” to listen to a tree. Behind my garden condo is a small stream with a grove of trees. My balcony faces an ancient twin oak in this grove. In fact, this oak’s branches extend to the roof of my building. I decided to listen to the twin oak, who has been my friend for many years. The oak is two males who often finish each other sentences. On this day, they were sleepy, having just woken up for the warm day.

Devoid of leaves, the oak’s branches swayed in the slight breeze. Nuthatches were searching for bugs on the trunk, while the titmice were flitting from branch to branch. A flock of geese flew overhead, honking a greeting to the tree. Sleepily, the twin oak acknowledged the geese’s calls.

A few days before a storm had blown through taking with it, the large squirrel nest from the main branches of the oak. Upset at this, the oak felt sad that the squirrels had to build a new home elsewhere. Since they were asleep at the time, the twin oak could not save the nest. Regarding themselves as a protector of life, they wanted the squirrels to feel secure with them.

As I sat with the twin oak, a squirrel jumped up on a branch near my balcony. The upset animal angrily “cheeed” at me, screaming that I was bothering the oak. Before the oak settled back down to their slumber, they said that the squirrels do like to guard them. This particular squirrel (Cut Ear) warned me not to disturb the tree again. I have no idea what this squirrel would do to me, but I certainly did not want to find out. So I went inside.

Irish Ogham: My Divination Method

For those who do not have Ogham staves but want a reading using the Ogham, I devised the stick method. The querent can either use sticks that they find lying on the ground or form the letters as the sticks lie or use a fallen tree branch as it lies. I field tested this method on my walks around my urban neighborhood.

The querent asks a question, looks for the third fallen tree branch (since the Irish prefer doing things in threes). Using the main (thickest) limb as an axis, the querent notes how the branch lies on the ground – whether the twigs are on the left, right, sticking up, or poking into the ground. This will determine whether the letters will be read left or right for the first and second aicmes respectively. Smaller branches sticking up or down from the main one will be read as either the third or fourth aicmes. A curved branch will represent the third aicme comprised of diagonal letters, while a straight branch will represent the fourth aicme comprised of horizontal letters. The fifth aicme would be constructed from any overlapping sticks under or on top of the branch found lying on the ground.

I asked the question, “How do I learn the Tree Ogham?” Reading a cherry branch that I found, I saw three distinct letters. (The querent uses three letters for the reading.) I interpreted the long lower limb on the left as “Beith (Birch)” (the first aicme, first few). I interpreted the next limb (on the right) with its two twigs going downwards as “Dair (Oak)” (the second aicme, second few). Finally, I interpreted the main branch with four branches curving upwards as “Straif (Blackthorn)” (third aicme, fifth few). In order, these letters read “Beith: new beginnings,” “Dair: wisdom and strength,” and “Straif: trouble and negativity.” I interpreted the reading to be “new beginnings of wisdom and strength comes from trouble and negativity.” When I had asked the question, I had trouble visually understanding each letter, and confused the individual letters in each aicme.

Divination: Irish Oghams: my opinion

Because I am a diviner, I need to know many divination systems in order to do my work successfully. When my primary method gives murky or indefinite results, I often use an alternative method for gleaning more information. At other times, I switch my methods of divination to gain new insights. Therefore studying the Oghams fits in with my divination philosophy.

            When people ask questions that affect the direction of their lives, many diviners will use four different methods of divination to assist that person. Each method will either add to the original reading or contradict it. Since they offer different perspectives to the same question, these other readings are helpful to the client. If the other readings contradict the first one, then knowing that is helpful for the client. Using the Oghams would add fresh insights to the original reading.

Studying the Oghams enhances my practice by offering a new way to approach divination. The Irish had different insights on the process than either the Norse or Tarot readers. Each new way of how to answer a question gives me more of an understanding of divination itself. Developed as an alphabet, the Oghams are steeped in Irish culture. They were employed by the Druids in their various “languages” of gestures, mnemonics, and secret codes. Because of these multiple uses, the Oghams offer more shades of meanings for answers in divination.

With the Tree Ogham, there is a connection with the living plants. Using each few of this Ogham, the diviner can tap into the wisdom of that tree or shrub. This makes for a more profound reading since insights from this Ogham comes from living entities. Furthermore, it taps into areas of the unconscious that other divination methods miss.

            Moreover each few in the Tree Ogham has various kennings which give added shades of meaning to it. These kennings can pinpoint the precise meanings in a reading, and give depth to each meaning. Furthermore, the kennings offer alternative points of view. For “Tinne (Holly)” (second aicme, third few), the kennings include “one of three parts of a weapon,” and “o holly, little, sheltering one, thou door against the wind…” This gives a fuller sense of “Tinne” in a reading. For these reasons, the studying of the Oghams enriches my divination practice.

Ogham (Irish Alphabet): Divination (1 of 2)

With the Ogham disks that I made, I did four divinations – one for an older man and three for young men. My method was to draw three disks from a bag. These disks then form a sentence that answers the question.) The difference in the maturity of these four people was reflected in their questions. The older man asked about the on-going war in Syria, whilst the young men asked about girlfriends and various role-playing games. Since each question was a major concern for each questioner, the Ogham treated each with the same gravity. No question was regarded to be silly.

D.W.: “Will the U.S. go to war in Syria?”

The Ogham drawn in order:

1.      Ohn (Gorse, 4^th aicme, 2^nd few): collecting things to you.  The Morann MacMain kenning of “the wheels of the chariot are written” seems more appropriate.

2.      Ceirt (Apple, 2^nd aicme, 5^th few): the Otherworld and choice.

3.      Straif (Blackthorn, 3^rd aicme, 4^th few): trouble and negativity.

“After a gathering of information, a choice will be made which will be trouble.”

I told D.W. that after a period of gathering information, the U.S. will become involved in the civil war in Syria, much to his dismay.

W.C.: “Will my girlfriend continue to be my friend?”

The Ogham drawn in order:

1.      Beith (Birch, 1^st aicme, 1^st few): new beginnings.

2.      Muin (Vine, 3^rd aicme, 1^st few): prophecy and lack of inhibition.

3.      Coll (Hazel, 2^nd aicme, 4^th few): wisdom and intuition.

“After a new beginning, a lack of inhibition will occur. At that time, follow the wisdom of your intuition.”

W.C. was having problems with his girlfriend and wanted advice on how their relationship would turn out. I told him that he and she would start over. Once she felt more secure, she would be less guarded around him. Act on the wisdom of your intuition, and listen to her.

Listening to Trees: Scarlet Oak

When the Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea, Beech Family), who lived near the dumpsters, found out that I was making the rounds visiting trees, He/She dropped several acorns on me.  Usually when I drop off my trash, I would visit with that particular Scarlet Oak.  This quiet tree wanted me to play with Her/Him.  (For some reason, the Scarlet Oak wanted me to know that She/He was both male and female.)  We played “acorns” for a while until the two nearby Scarlet Oaks decided to join in the game.  Feeling contented and full of fun, the Scarlet Oaks and I threw acorns at each other, while. The Scarlet Oaks informed me that They were not rulers of the forests here, but that the Tulip Poplar and Sycamore were.  The Scarlet Oaks were contented to live in the shade of the taller Sycamores.  My friend, the Scarlet Oak wanted me to laugh, and to experience joy in my life.  I shall continue to visit He/She and play.