The Celtic Year - Holly

Holly/Tinne

8^th July – 4^th August

This King is the 8^th tree of Celtic Calendar and proudly stands as a beautiful evergreen, regardless of the time of year. Famously more popular around the time of the Winter Solstice, its association with Lammas is lesser known but this is when the Holly reigns supreme, having defeated the Oak King.

Protection – anti-lightning – luck – dream magick – female fertility & sexuality – harvest – prophesy – healing – magick for animals – sex magick – invulnerability – watchfulness – good luck – death – rebirth – Holiness – consecration – material gain – physical revenge – beauty - travel

Associations

Polarity:                           Masculine

Element:                           Fire

Symbols:                          The Word of Truth, Unconditional Love,                                                  Sacrifice, Reincarnation

Sabbat:                           Lughnassa, Lammas, Death of the Oak King,                                          Birth of the Holly King, Unicorn, The Flaming                                          Spear

            Deities:                            Lugh, Tannas/Tannus, Thor, Habondia,

Planet:                             Mars, Saturn

Animals:                           Cardinal, Starling

Colour:                              Red, Green-grey

Gems:                    Ruby, Bloodstone, Yellow Caingorm 

Day:                       Tuesday

Beings:                 The Holly Man & The Holly Woman (see Other Information)

Medicinal & Herbal Usage:

Leaves – Powdered and made into tea, eases measles, fever, bladder issues and bronchitis.

Leaves – Juiced can help reduce jaundice.

Ashes – from burning the leaves, made into a drink was said to ease whooping cough

Leaves & Bark – made into a hot-compress eases the pain of broken bones and dislocations

Holly is calming to both the emotional mind and body; protection from all that is not unconditional love.

It will help to offset suspicion, hatred, jealousy and revenge by opening the heart.

Magickal Uses:

Protection from lightning, poison and evil spirits.

Throw at wild animals to make the ‘back-off’ and leave you alone

A Holly infusion can be sprinkled over newborn babies to protect them

Keep a small sprig throughout the year to bring luck and protection.

Can enhance other magicks as it is a symbol of masculinity and firmness

It is unlucky to burn Holly branches unless they are completely dead.

Other Information:

Holly is the first Moon of the dark half of the year but is sacred to both the Summer and Winter Solstices.

The special spirits that dwell in the Holly are the Holly Man (he lives in the trees that bear prickly holly), and the Holly Woman (kindred to the tree which gives smooth and variegated leaves).

Offerings to a Holly for using it’s bounty should be red and yellow stones, for this is what it favours.

For articles of my other Celtic Trees, see below

The Celtic Year – Birch

http://acantharayne.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-celtic-year-birch.html

The Celtic Year – Rowan

http://acantharayne.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-celtic-year-rowan_2.html

The Celtic Year – Ash

http://acantharayne.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-celtic-year-ash.html

The Celtic Year – Alder

http://acantharayne.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-celtic-year-alder.html

The Celtic Year – Willow

http://acantharayne.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-celtic-year-willow.html

The Celtic Year – Hawthorn

http://acantharayne.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-celtic-year-hawthorn.html

The Celtic Year – Oak

http://acantharayne.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-celtic-year-oak.html

The Celtic Year – Hazel

http://acantharayne.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-celtic-year-hazel.html

The Celtic Year - Oak

Oak/Duir

10^th June – 7^th July

We have reached the 7^th and to me one of the most influential trees of the Celtic Year. It is a King tree in the ‘Holly and Oak King legend’ which sees them battle for leadership of the year at each solstice – the Oak King winning at the Winter Solstice, and perishing to Holly in Summer. I say it is so influential to me because it is the Celtic month I was born under and so consider myself dedicated to the Oak more than any other.

sovereignty – rulership – power – strength – endurance – generosity – protection – justice – nobility – honesty – bravery – success – stability – healing – fertility – health – money – potency – good luck

 Associations

Polarity:      Masculine

Element:      Water, Earth, Spirit

Sabbat:       Summer Solstice

       Deities:        Zeus, Thor, Artemis, The Dagda, The Green                 Man, Janus, Diana, Cybele, Hecate, Pan

Planet:        Jupiter, Mars, The Sun, Brighid, Erato

Animals:      Oriole, Wren

Colour:        Gold, Black

Gems:         Diamond, Aventurine, Carnelian, Moonstone

Metal:         Gold

Flower:        St John’s Wort

Day:           Wednesday

Beings:        Fairies; Dryads

Medicinal & Herbal Uses

Bark – powerful astringent properties

Bark (as tea) – fight and ease diarrhoea and dysentery

White Oak Bark (as tea) – helps to clear sinuses and congestion.

Externally – use for treating haemorrhoids, inflamed gums, blistering, wounds and eczema.

Leaves – the ones that stay on an oak all winter can be boiled to make a solution for frostbitten extremities (soak for an hour each day).

Peeled Acorns – in various potions, help to cure alcoholism, halitosis, and constipation.

Magickal Uses:

Together with Ash and Hawthorn, the Oak is one of the powerful triad of faery trees.

If there is flu or colds in the house, burn an oak-wood fire to shoo out the illness.

Carrying an acorn will ward off illness and pains; increase youthfulness and increase fertility and sexual potency.

Keeping a piece of Oak on your person will draw good luck (always ask permission and show gratitude)

Different Oaks lend speciality energies to magick workings:

·        Red Oak is much lighter and a little fierier than other branches of the species.

·        White Oak is powerful for magick requiring strength and solidity.

·        Brown Oak is earthy and lends its power strongly to grounding.

Acorns have a particular power for attracting the opposite sex; increasing income and prosperity, and for improved divination powers.

Plant acorns under a Dark Moon to attract prosperity.

Other Information:

Known as ‘The King of the Grove’, Oak was one of the sacred three: Oak, Ash and Thorn.

The word ‘Duir’ is from the Sanskrit ‘Dwr’ meaning door – the door to the three Shamanic worlds.

If you dream of resting under an Oak, you shall live a long life and be wealthy.

There is a tradition that when the leaves of an Oak are rustline, the voice of Jupiter can be heard in their whispers.

The Summer Solstice occurs during Duir, therefore Oak is a power symbol of Midsummer.

The Oak is a lightning magnet which is a common reason for it’s association to Zeus.

If you catch an oak leaf when it’s falling, it is said that you will not have a cold during the winter months.

Often used as the Yule Log.

For articles of my other Celtic Trees, see below

The Celtic Year – Birch

http://acantharayne.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-celtic-year-birch.html

The Celtic Year – Rowan

http://acantharayne.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-celtic-year-rowan_2.html

The Celtic Year – Ash

http://acantharayne.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-celtic-year-ash.html

The Celtic Year – Alder

http://acantharayne.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-celtic-year-alder.html

The Celtic Year – Willow

http://acantharayne.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-celtic-year-willow.html

The Celtic Year – Hawthorn

http://acantharayne.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-celtic-year-hawthorn.html

The Celtic Year – Holly

http://acantharayne.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-celtic-year-holly.html

The Celtic Year – Hazel

http://acantharayne.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-celtic-year-hazel.html