John and I have gotten into the habit of researching various things on my ipad during our journeys to and from Struan Farm. It fills the time in the car and we almost always learn something new.
This past weekend the discussion took off after I mentioned reading A.T. Mann's The Sacred Language of Trees, where he talks about the Celtic Tree Alphabet and a house protected by a circle of special trees: oak, willow, ash, hawthorn, holly and hazel, likely planted by Druid priests. I was thinking perhaps that we might plant and form a special circle of trees around our new house at Struan Farm.
John liked the idea, but wanted to know more about Druids and their connection to trees. The English word Druid is derived in part from dru-'oak'. The Druids played an important role in pagan Celtic society, and were responsible for organizing worship, divination and judicial procedures. References to them date back to Greco-Roman times, although there are also contemporary "neo Druid" groups in existence today. This then led us into Celtic tree worship, where we learned that trees have special powers, oak, ash, thorn, apple, hazel, alder, elder, holly and willow in particular. Druids made their wands from yew, oak and apple, all trees we have at Struan Farm.
I also learned that contemporary sacred groves of Druid trees have been planted in Auckland and Nelson (!), places I will look to visit.
So yes, yew, ash and oak will be planted for certain around the new house at Struan Farm. Apple is already there, and I have just order hazel (hazelnut trees).
We both like the idea of being protected by special trees, Druid or otherwise.
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