ALDER

The theme for March is the balance of duality, Of beginnings and endings. It is the month of the illusion of opposites.  When you look at a wheel, or a circle, pick a starting point.  WHen you follow the circle, the point farthest from the starting point is the point where the circle turns back towards the start.  The alder tree fits this metaphor beautifully.  It is a tree of water and cycles.  This native to Europe, like its close cousin birch, likes to grow in swampy areas.  It completes the soil nitrogen cycle by fixing nitrogen from the air into the soil.

This scrubby little tree may not look like much, but looks can be deceiving.  It is strong and flexible and gives life to the plants around it and tools when it is cut.  It has been used for both sword and shield, for bridges and creations.  Every part of the plant creates a dye for coloring cloth, baskets, and leather.  Green from the leaves, red from the wood, brown from the bark.  When it is cut, it regrows back from the root.  This tree was used in every part of the full cycle of life, from birth to death.

This points to many of the symbolic meanings of alder.  Because the wood turns from white to red when its cut, it was believed to be the house of the fey.  For the Druids, it represented courage and compassion, strength and generosity.  Each alder tree holds both the female and the male flowers, thus balancing the feminine and the masculine.  It is considered sacred to the feminine, but also encourages the masculine traits of action and vigor.  Alder is believed to bridge the space between heaven and earth, Knowledge and intuition, strength and flexibility, courage and growth.  So as we consider the humble alder, we come to the end of one cycle of both the zodiac and the Celtic calendar and the beginning of the next.  We complete the circle that connects polarities and find a dynamic balance that encourages creative flow and growth.