It goes beyond knowing the healing properties of a tree, or its elemental correspondences, or its mythological associations. Call upon the spirit of Alder to help build a bridge in times of conflict, in order to avoid being storm-tossed on the oceans of passion. Click here for more about symbolic meaning of trees. Ogham Astrology Birth: March 18th – April 14th. Let Alder build a raft on floating you safely over a sea of troubled feelings. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. However, judging by the frequency with which the Gaelic for alder, fearn, crops up in place names in both Scotland and Ireland, there must have been a fair chance of such an encounter. Given the alder carrs’ wet terrain and the risk of meeting bandits, boggarts or worse, it is not surprising that the Irish considered it unlucky to pass an alder tree on a journey. A company limited by guarantee, registered in Scotland – company No. Out of water and out of doors, however, the timber rots easily, and so it proved less suitable for building or fencing. VAT No. All rights reserved. By simply standing firm in our own positive environment, we can affect those around us in positive ways. Where alders are not growing along rivers or streams, they form alder woods, or carrs, on wet or swampy ground. Primarily a wetlands and swamp tree, the alder’s root system is often submerged in watery areas. The living wood of alder is a pale colour but it turns a deep orange when cut. The Tree as a Symbol of Life Observing trees as a symbol of life takes soulful vision. Perhaps it’s this easy availability that causes us to take nature and her symbols for granted. Further, the alder’s leaves easily decompose in the water providing rich nutrients to all manner of water creatures. Amathaon the Good has prevailed.”. The alder can successfully restore poor soil conditions back to healthy Ph levels. Namely, its root system provides rich nutrients to the soil, more so than other trees. Click here to learn about the Alder Sign of the Celtic Zodiac (on this site). This establishes the alder’s claim to the air element. The part of the alder that is used internally is the inner bark, which is gathered by scraping the bark off a twig or branch with a sharp knife. They could find financial success through strategic investments. Alder tree people have a very strong will that makes them bold, with a strong desire to experience new adventures and new places. © 2020. 605079649. In England alder was the preferred wood for clog making, possibly because it is a poor conductor of heat.
It was used in battle in ancient times and known as the very battle-witch of all woods. The tree did make amends for this though, by providing its leaves which, when placed in shoes at the start of a long journey, would cool the feet and prevent swelling. Bran art thou called, of the glittering branches. memorizing cultural details of a species in history. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Perhaps these woods, which in springtime can be mired in several inches of water, were seldom visited and as such made ideal hideaways. Our vision is of a revitalised wild forest in the Highlands of Scotland, providing space for wildlife to flourish and communities to thrive. In Celtic mythology, the alder tree was symbolic of a balance between female and male principles since it possesses both female and male catkins on the same branch. Copyright © 2005-2020. You may need to martial inner conflict. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. They will find a passion for a cause in life and amass a circle of loyal supporters to carve out a new trail. They hid from the King’s pursuing warriors in the alder woods of Glen Etibhe, where they eventually settled, and themes of hiding and secrecy connected with alder recur elsewhere in Celtic lore. Alder tree signs are very focused and dislike waste. In the older days, its wood was used to make roadways and tracks and any kind of construction where protection from damp was required. in order to avoid being storm-tossed on the oceans of passion.
their energetic experience with us. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website.
Symbols and signs in nature are so obvious in their presence among us – and so generous in sharingtheir energetic experience with us. Alder tree likes to have wet feet. The Celtic meaning of the Alder deals with giving and nurturing among the sacred Ogham for many reasons. The green dye from the flowers was used to colour and camouflage the clothes of outlaws like Robin Hood, and was thought to also colour the clothes of fairies. I hope you have enjoyed these thoughts on the meaning of the alder tree from a Celtic perspective. Though looking to the future and not folklore as such, it is worth mentioning that alder is interacting with humanity in another way by helping us in today’s climate of environmental destruction and restoration. Alder – sometimes known as the Goddess tree – is another protective tree, only this time it is a protection of the heart and the watery excess of emotion. The wide bases of the alder trunks, from which small thickets of alder shoots may emerge, soon taper up to tall straight trunks, to expand into leafy canopies higher overhead. Chthonic Creatures and Symbolic Chthonic Meaning, Symbolic Meaning of Storms, Rain and Folk Predictions, Meaning of Halcyon Days: The Bird, The Myth, The Memories. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Perhaps it’s this easy availability that causes us to take nature and her symbols for granted. The alder can successfully restore … It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. It goes beyond knowing the healing properties of a tree, or its elemental correspondences, or its mythological associations. Be sure to check out the links at the end of this page for more profound Celtic symbols and their meanings. As befits a tree which grows primarily in swampy areas or by riversides, the alder’s wood does not rot in wet conditions and indeed becomes as hard as stone when left immersed in water.
Most of Venice is built on piles made of alder trunks. Alder tree people are the upwardly mobile in the Celtic tree zodiac. Where alders are not growing along rivers or streams, they form alder woods, or carrs, on wet or swampy ground. However, if an English folk custom is to be believed, such furniture would have to be especially protected from wood worm – tradition suggested placing an alder branch in cupboards as a lure for wood worm. Perhaps these themes were derived from the particular atmosphere of alder woods. The Alder Tree, a symbol of strength and battle, shows that you will win a battle. There was a man and woman in that battle who unless their names were known they could not be overcome. The green dye which can be derived from the flowers continued the hiding theme, being used to colour and thus camouflage the garments of outlaws like Robin Hood, as well as the clothes of faeries, to conceal them from human eyes.