Here on these islands we have just turned the clocks back by one hour, leaving summer time behind and moving into the months of shorter days and longer nights.
Who reading this, hasn’t heard of Halloween? It is also Samhain, the end and the beginning of the Celtic New Year. In Japanese culture, it is the season of Frost Falls (October 23-November 6). An important time, no matter where humans are in the northern hemisphere. A magical time!
Darkness grows - An ending, a beginning, And renewal.
I have added another piece to my set of Ogham sticks: elder, Sambucus nigra. It is the 15th tree in the Celtic Tree Ogham and is known as a tree of regeneration and wisdom. It is also known as a tree of endings and beginnings. I’ve almost completed my set of Ogham sticks and am looking into different ways to continue my tree journey.
November to March is an ideal time to plant trees. I collected and planted some beech seeds last November and already they are several inches high. This year I’ve planted some conkers from a horse chestnut tree. These trees will be too big when fully grown to plant into my own garden but I’m sure others would be glad to have them, once they are a few years old. A few years ago I grew some oaks from acorns: two of them I planted with permission on a small island in Lough Neagh so I must return there and see how they are doing. If you would like to plant trees from seed, here is a link you might like to follow (Plantober):
https://www.internationaltreefoundation.org/
Again, I need to thank Glennie Kindred for her book Sacred Earth Celebrations. It now has a permanent place on my desk. Here is a link to her website:
https://www.glenniekindred.co.uk/
Ashley
A Different View 
Thank you for this interesting look at the true background of Samhein.
Thank you Rudi, for your kind comment 🙋♂️
I’m hoping to get a wild service tree. Are the Ogham trees just native to Ireland?
I would love to find more unusual trees to grow from seed. A wild service tree would be great to try. The best thing for me to do is add a link below about the Ogham alphabet. Carving the symbols onto the wood that they (may) represent is just one way to learn about trees (for me). I hope this helps 💚🙋♂️
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Ogham
How wonderful, we planted last year a Walnut tree from a Walnut found in my German hometown. It has grown lovely, it will stay in a big pot though. It does remind me of the place I grew up, which is really lovely.
Planting from seeds is great but as you say the size is an issue in gardens.
Lovely post, Ashley, have a wonderful November- even with all the rain. 🙂
Dear Ute, thank you for your lovely comments. We have such a small garden now & yet I want to grow trees, so why not give them away when they are ready to be planted out? Of course, some seeds are easier than others but that shouldn’t stop us! A walnut would be amazing especially if you can harvest (some) nuts before the squirrels get them.
Yes! Rain! There’s lots of localised flooding today. I had wanted to walk along the canal towpath this morning but the canal, the river & the streams have all joined up! 💚🙋♂️
Dear Ashley, I hope you stay safe and out of the water, it is rather watery everywhere. ♥
I always find your post so interesting and inspiring. You have some wonderful interests and aspirations. Thank you, you are an example for me. 💜🙋♀️
Morag, you are very welcome, thank you. 💚🙋♂️
A superb tree and mist photo and perfect poem matching stick and tree.
Dear Marina, it is lovely to hear from you as I know how busy you are! Studying your website lets me see all the activities that you are involved in…phew! So, thank you for your lovely comments & hoping you are keeping safe from the storms. 💚🙋♂️
Dear Ashley, thank you for your lovely greeting. Wishing you and yours a happy and safe-from-storms-and-more autumn-winter season 💚🌞🍂🙋♀️
I like this post with photos and information about planting trees and the 20 Ogham Fedha. That’s a beautiful hokku, Ashleaf!!
Hi Edo, thanks for dropping in. I wonder if I could plant some Gingko seeds? Know where I might get some? 😉🙋♂️
Hey Ashford, I don’t know of any company that sells ginkgo seeds, but I haven’t done the research. The best thing to do is find a tree lover who has a female ginkgo tree (they’re monoecious) and hope they have seeds. If you want to grow a tree, then I would buy a seedling or sapling.
Ginkgo trees are dioecious, I meant to say…not monoecious.
A magical time indeed, my friend and beautiful haiku and tree of regeneration and wisdom, Ogham. Goes without saying, I love this change to normal time! We got our hour back last Sunday.
Happy November, my dear Ashley.
ps I didn’t know that this is a good time for planting trees!
As the cold of winter grows planting trees & bulbs at this time is preparing the way for spring growth; hope for the future! Me too; I’m glad we have that hour back 🤗💚🙋♂️
🙏👌🤗🌱
A Happy Celtic New Year to you, Ashley! For us, daylight saving time ends this Sunday, November 5th. I’ll have to work at making this time of shorter days a magical time.
The earth spreads her magic in many different ways. Thank you, Rosaliene 💚🙋♂️
Qué artículo más interesante, estimado amigo! Estoy aprendiendo mucho. Un abrazo.
Thank you, Barbara. I’m sure to return there but in different weather/season. 💚🙋♂️
Oh wow, your clock has already back 1 hour? We’ll be following you this weekend!😁 My friend from Japan just told me they had such a warm day. It’s good to enjoy pleasant day, and bad, for not enjoying stepping on frost😜❄️
Thank you, Tanooki, for your visit here. Yes, we are already enjoying real time again! 🤣🌹🙋♂️
Such a beautiful time of year! Before we moved I used to love planting trees. I do miss it. Our clocks turned back today. Hope you have a lovely week, Ashley.
Thank you, Jennifer for your comments. You could always grow some trees in pots & pass them on when they are good for planting out. 💚🌹🙋♂️
Great idea! Thank you for the suggestion. 🌳🍃
That stick is beautiful and that sounds like a great book. I’m going to check it out.
Thank you, Bridgette. I’m almost there with making a set of Ogham sticks, about 20, so I will need to find another outlet for my whittling. 💚🙋♂️
Your Ogham sticks are a thing of beauty. They look like magic wands. Are those runic symbols you carve on them?
Yes, sort of! Ancient Celtic symbols 😊