ASH

Consult your roots
For strength and mastery
Tree of the World
Her health is prophecy

Beautiful and stately ash is the Celtic calendar tree for February 18 to March 17.  Ash is believed to be the Yggdrasil, the Norse World Tree.  This is the connection between worlds.  The roots dig deep and wide into the underworld and spreading wide enough to encompass our ancestors.  The branches reach high to the heavens, touching the gods and spirits.  The trunk is strong and resilient, withstanding the winds and trials of the physical world.

The ash tree is a tree of wondrous practicality.  This bottom land tree provides food for birds and mammals and habitat for morel mushrooms.  The wood is strong and elastic.  It is ideal for tool handles, paddles and oars, furniture, baskets, crates, and flooring.  It is used for baseball bats, sleds, and snowshoes.  Native Americans used it to relieve toothache, sore throats, digestive distress, and rheumatism.  It is one of the few woods that will burn when green.  

As useful as ash is on a practical level, it is considered to be even more powerful on a metaphysical level.  In Celtic lands, it is part of the triad of fairy trees, along with oak and hawthorn.  This is the tree that holds universal truth and wisdom from which Odin gained his power.  It is seen as a tree of initiation.  Ash is believed to be linked to the health of the world and the health of humans.

Magically, ash has been used to bring love and prosperity.  It is believed to protect people and homes from negativity and dark magic.  The Druids often made their wands from ash and an ash wand is often used to direct spells of healing.  Leaves are placed under the pillow to encourage prophetic dreams.  The magic of ash is believed to heal, remove warts, and deter snakes.

On a personal level, ash teaches us to consult our roots to find inner strength and the wisdom of our ancestors.  If we follow the wisdom of the ash, we use the trials and challenges of life to develop knowledge, strength, and mastery.  Our own personal power comes not from the domination of others, but rather, from the strength of self mastery, self knowledge, and overcoming our own demons.  This is the true alchemy.

In the United States, where I live, the ash is under threat from serious challenges.  When we view the ash as the tree that spans the world around us and our inner worlds, we do have to wonder what it tells us about ourselves and our future.  This tree of healing is dying.  This tree of the world is giving us hope in its resilience and survival.  This tree of connection is losing its footing.  We need to ask ourselves:  What does the Yggdrasil prophesy for us.