Happy Birch Month, Full Moon Dates, and Celtic Tree Supplies!

Well, it's been a busy couple of months, you may have noticed, I've been scarce on my blog since November, that's when our holiday sales picked up and Dan and I were super busy in the studio making gifts to put under trees all over the world this holiday season!  we were busy little elves!  Now I have a minute to breathe, and welcome in the Celtic Birch month!

Now that we all have New Years coming up we soon move into a peaceful quiet January, even now we begin to contemplate the mysteries of the beautiful birch tree.  For those of you who were waiting to begin the Celtic Tree Calendar Online Series, now is a great time to start.  The Birch month began on Dec. 24 and will last until The Birch month falls between December 24 – January 20 and brings new beginnings from the ashes of the previous year. Birch is the first tree in the Ogham, a tree of new beginnings and new perspectives.

Birch Month Sale!

We are having a sale in our Voice of the Trees Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/VoiceOfTheTrees to celebrate the Celtic Birch Month!  Right now everything with the Birch Card image on it is marked down 10-15% off, including the Birch class!  Now that the holidays are done, I'll be adding some new Birch items over the next several days too, ornaments, garden flags, etc. so watch for that.  

www.etsy.com/shop/VoiceOfTheTrees

Celtic Tree Supplies; What to Find This Time of Year

If you're celebrating the Birch Month, start checking the clearance racks for cool candles covered in birch bark, and birch ornaments, they make great additions to you birch magic this month.  I found some beautiful birch bark candles at Bed, Bath, & Beyond, but I know there are other places that carry them too.  Also, FYI, if you can't find birch anywhere else, popsicle sticks and toothpicks are both made from birch wood! 

You might find some cool additions to use for the Holly month on clearance right now too.  Watch for Holly Berry scented candles, and holly shaped candles too.  (As a matter of fact look for lots of great candles on clearance ) You also may consider looking through your holiday decor to see if there is anything you want to save aside so you can easily find it during the holly month, July 8-Aug 4. I have a cool Holly Fairy I'm keeping out of my giant box of ornaments and giving her a new home in my magical cabinet so she'll be handy next July when I do my holly magic. 

Right now, she's on my Wheel of the Year altar, but I won't pack her up with the holiday stuff, she'll wait in my magical cabinet to come out and summon up some holly magic in July for the Celtic Holly Month!

For people who don't have oak trees locally, watch for oak and acorn ornaments also.  You may want to consider finding an appropriate stag (deer with antlers) this time of year to keep on hand for the oak month June 10-July 7.  Last year I found a really cool candle holder that looks like a stag horn on clearance in the Christmas section, and I have a giant bowl with two elegant stag heads on it that we used for our oak ritual at Pathways this year that was also an "After-Christmas" find.

These were all finds on the "Christmas Clearance" rack, they stay out all year! 

 I know the Hazel month is a long way off, but I always gather my hazel nuts now for future magical workings during the hazel month, Aug 5-Sept.1.  If you're lucky enough to live near local hazel trees, you'll know that hazel nuts are beginning to ripen during their month in late August.  I don't know where to find hazel trees near my home, so I can't usually find those whole hazel nuts in the shell anywhere during the hazel month because that's when they are still being harvested.  Right now is the best time to find whole hazel nuts in the shell locally.  We always have a big basket of nuts and a nutcracker for Yule, I've saved out a handful of hazel nuts to put on my altar during the hazel month in August.  I plan to string nine hazel nuts on a cord, as per the tradition for working with the hazel tree devas and for house protection, and keep a few extra for other talismans.  Those are just a few ideas on where to keep an eye out for Celtic tree magic supplies that you can easily find this time of year.

Magical supplies for the Celtic Hazel Month in August found right in my own bowl of nuts, in my house of nuts!

Here is a list of the Celtic Tree Calendar Dates and Full Moons for 2013

for easy reference:

Beth (beeth) / Birch Month Dec 24-Jan 20, Dec. 28

Luis(lweesh) / Rowan Month Jan 21-Feb.17-  Full moon, Jan. 27

Nuin (nee-uhn) /Ash Month Feb 18-March 17 -  Full moon, Feb. 25

Fearn(fair-n) / Alder Month March 18- April 14-  Full moon, March 27

Saille(shail-uh) / Willow Month April 15-May 12-  Full moon, April 23

Huath(hoo-ah) / Hawthorn Month May 13-June 9-  Full moon, May 25

Duir doo-er) /Oak Month June 10-July 7-  Full moon, June 23

Tinne(chin-yuh) / Holly Month July 8-Aug 4-  Full moon, July 22

Coll (cull) / Hazel Month Aug 5-Sept.1-  Full moon, Aug. 21

Muin(muhn) / Vine Month Sept 2-Sept. 29-  Full moon, Sept. 19

Gort / Ivy Month Sept 30- Oct. 27-  Full moon, Oct. 19

Ngtal (nyeh-dl / Broom/ Reed Month Oct. 28- Nov. 24-  Full moon, Nov. 17

Ruis(roo-ish) / Elder Month Nov.25- Dec.22-  Full moon, Dec. 17

Brightest Blessings!