"Everybody, soon or late, sits down to a banquet of consequences" -Robert Lewis Stevenson
According to the Celtic Tree Calendar, an inspiration that came to Robert Graves while researching the Celtic Ogham Alphabet for his 1948 book The White Goddess, this full moon is the Elder Tree Moon.
The Celtic month of the Elder corresponds with the Ogham letter Ruis. (pronounced roo-ish) This tree month is the time to examine things in our life that we may regret, that we might have done differently. These can be transgressions committed by us, but also to us. No one is perfect, and we must remember that from every mistake comes an opportunity to learn a valuable life lesson. Sometimes instead of embracing the lesson, learning from it and moving on, we instead focus on the regret for the situation which can be counterproductive for our spiritual growth. There is a purpose for regret, but we should use it for it's purpose which is to learn and then release it, not wallow in it and allow ourselves to spiral into self pity which can be self destructive.
Working with the energies of the Elder Tree during the Celtic Elder month allows us to release past errors and go forward feeling lighter and renewed with life lessons added to our wisdom and joy in our hearts. Elder reminds us to be ever vigilant and responsible for our actions, to be wise and vigilant enough to help prevent others from committing wrongs to us, and to do the clearing work so that we can usher in a new phase in our lives.
If you don't have an elder tree near your home, you can still work with the elder tree energy. Print photos of the tree, berries and foliage. Elderberry tea, wine, and even preserves are available. You can also find it as an herbal remedy in the vitamin section of your local drugstore. It's color association is red, and it's also associated with the Goddess figure of the Elder Mother, and has long been connected to witches and witchcraft. It is also associated with the plant diva Lady Ellhorn who woodsmen have long respected. To prevent bad luck before taking wood from an elder tree this charm was spoken, "Lady Ellhorn, give me some of thy wood and I'll give you some of mine when it grows in the forest."
This year is a particularly good year to release regrets that you might need some extra mojo to dissipate because this Elder Moon also had a lunar eclipse going on, so more transformational Goddess energy is attached to it.
For more lore and legend about the elder tree see the Voice of the Trees Companion book.
A Quick Elder Spell to Release Regret
Find a quiet place and ground and center. Focus on elder energy, you can accomplish this by meditating on images of the elder tree, sipping elder tea or wine, perhaps light a red candle. Divide a sheet of paper in to two columns. Make a list of your regrets from the previous year in the left hand column, and the lesson learned from each experience in the right. When you're done, fold the paper three times, making the folds away from you. Draw the Ogham symbol for the Elder on the folded paper. (Find the symbol on the bottom right hand side of the Elder card illustration above) Feel the regret empty out of your heart into the paper.
You may recite the following charm,
"Elder Tree, I now cast away
All these regrets that stand in my way
I summon your power and keep lessons learned
As I banish regret my sorrow is spurned!"
Take the paper and bury it outside in the earth. If you're drinking elder tea or wine you may pour some over the place you buried it. Turn purposefully and walk away. As the paper becomes one with the earth, your regrets will dissipate and your heart will heal.
In Other News- Celtic Tree Calendar Classes Starting Jan. 3
For those further interested, I will be offering a series of classes on celebrating the year through the Celtic Tree Calendar at Pathways in St. Louis during 2012. The series of 13 classes will be offered
throughout 2012, on a Tuesday near the first quarter of the moon, students will learn folklore, magical correspondences, and ways to work with each tree energy magically. I will teach you ways to connect to the Celtic Trees and to your own personal World Tree to gain insight, wisdom, healing, balance, and a positive outlook on your life and the world around you. At the end of each class the group will participate in a ritual for the tree of that month. At the end of this year long series, you'll have a full Book of Trees with spells, rituals and lots of tree info to celebrate the Celtic Tree Calendar any time you wish. You can sign up at Pathways, click here for more info and to sign up.
If you don't live near St. Louis but would still like to experience the Celtic Tree Calendar Class, I will be offering an online version of the class, watch the Voice of the Trees website for details coming soon!
http://www.voiceofthetrees.com
Bright Blessings!
