Celtic Tree month of Elder

The seasons have turned and we come to the end of the year, and with it the last Celtic Tree moon of the year - the Elder. The 24th of November sees the last day of the Reed month and the 25th brings in the month of Elder. This is the thirteenth moon of the year and is one of the most magical. This is a time of thanking the spirits for all we have been given in the past year, a time of celebration and of wholeness.

The Elder tree encompasses the festival of Yule and is the tree of the Goddess Venus. It represents the element air and is most commonly associated with the birth, death, rebirth cycle, with creativity and also renewal. This tree also has associations with the crone aspect of the Goddess.

This is a time to work magic for healing, spirituality, visions, Faerie magic, cleansing, protective, love and prosperity magic. It is also a time to make offerings and, as mentioned before, of thanks.

Associations for this time of year include malachite, the colour red (also gold) and black birds such as a rook.



On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scotland about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback: The Island of the Mist is book 2 The Stone in the Sword is book 1
The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats: The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

Celtic Month of Vine in Tree Calendar

This is the month of the vine, and a time of celebration. We have the happiness of the harvest and the remnants of the warm, later nights, before the long winter begins.

The vine is considered to be the celebration of joy and its wood was used as one of the nine woods for the balefire at Beltain. The vine is sacred to many deities, including the more obvious Bacchus/Dionysus, Venus and Minerva, and the less obvious Osiris, Demeter, Hathor, Rhea and Aphrodite.

Associations for this tree include the snake, tit-mouse and white swan, variegated colours although silver and burgandy are very strong at this time of year and the stone is an amethyst.

Types of magic used at this time of year are related to the harvest, joy, poetry, imagination and inspiration. Other types of magic include garden magic, faerie magic, spells of wrath, joy, exhiliration, prosperity fertility, mental powers, happiness and especially binding.

If you lack self esteem or suffer an inferiority complex, this is the time to work magic to improve this, with the leaves and fruit of the vine. Vine can also help with those looking for strength and to succeed in their ambitions.

Fertility is both in the harvest itself but also in preparing the garden for the year to come, as well as making the foods you are about to harvest are as good as they could be. In ancient Greece and Rome, this time would also have been spent in festivals of thanksgiving and revelry, and as a result, many babies would be conceived at this time :)

Because wine is the 'afterlife' of a grape, this tree is also a symbol of rebirth (hence the connection to Osiris). Of course, grapes are not the only vine fruit but they are one of the most common.

As this is the month of the Autumn Equinox, we are looking at ourselves in detail, watching how the year has affected us, what worked and what did not. We need to strengthen our bodies and minds for the coming winter and looking into courses on any crafty or cooking classes we might want to attend is a good step.

We are entering a very fecund time of year where nature has given us all the ingredients packed with nutrients that will keep us healthy over the coming winter. it is a good time to eat seasonally, stock up on potatoes (general as well as sweet), squashes/pumpkin, mushrooms, berries, pears, beetroot, plums, apples, cabbage, damson and mussels are all in season just now.

Getting into your kitchen is as important as getting out into nature, as food is nature. It is the first, deepest connection we have with the earth and the wheel of the year. Steer clear of processed foods, which have very little nutritional value and opt instead to pop some of these glorious foods into a soup, stew or a lovely crumble :D

BB and have a wonderful, colourful September!

On another note, my second book, The Island of the Mist, is now available on both Kindle and paperback formats:

Kindle: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Island-Mist-Kingslayer-Series-ebook/dp/B0092TUS7U/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1346945410&sr=1-2

And paperback: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Island-Mist-N-Roy/dp/147921292X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346506656&sr=1-2

and in the US: http://www.amazon.com/Island-Mist-N-Roy/dp/147921292X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346946271&sr=1-2&keywords=the+island+of+the+mist

My first book, The Stone in the Sword, is now reduced in price: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stone-Sword-ebook/dp/B006ZQIEPG/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1327179005&sr=1-3

The Summer Solstice rapidly approaches and the days grow longer! This is a wonderful festival, not only to the celts, this solstice was celebrated the world over! I hope everyone has the chance to get out and about, enjoying the summer while it is here. I hope that everyone affected by the storms are well and hope that nothing was too badly damaged. This year has been a strange one and will continue to be strange but I do not for one minute think this is anything more than an influenial year, a time of growth and change. I hope that we can all grow and cope with an y hanges facing us! My book, which has a lot of paganism, is now available in paperback as well as kindle! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stone-Sword-N-Roy/dp/1477466347/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339378508&sr=1-1 May the gods of the summer bring you light, warmth, creativity and prosperity!

Winter Solstice 2011

Winter Solstice rapidly approaches and is late this year, the 22nd of December. Many people don’t realise that this is not a fixed date, such as Halloween, but a date dependant on astronomical movements. Winter Solstice falls on either the 20th, 21st or 22nd of December according to the shortest day of the year, and more importantly, the longest night.
After this day, light begins to return to the northern hemisphere. The longest night is very important, as witnessed by Newgrange and Stonehenge, both of which were built to align with this event. This was a time of secrets revealed, celebration and observance.
I often wonder how many people, like me, celebrate both Yule and Christmas. This is habit when you grow up in a house where you are raised as Christian and your family continue to be Christian. It meant gifts waited until the 25th.
This year, I am at home with my husband and cats and we are doing the same, mostly out of habit but also because it would be strange not.
Yule was a time of ham and burning the Yule log, of decorating the home with holly and mistletoe, a time of home, hearth and family. I would imagine it would be easy to incorporate a vegetarian nut loaf in here for those who don’t eat meat, a sort of Yule log in itself.
In Scotland, temperatures are rapidly falling and I imagine that much of the northern hemisphere is experiencing the same, many to greater degrees. Staying warm is very important, as is looking out for elderly neighbours and making sure they are ok – many die from hypothermia at this time of year.
Blessings to you and yours.