Plish, plash,
The bird bath overflows;
Spring rain.
Spring rain,
Waters the earth;
Buds open.
Buds open,
Bright, in the dull day;
The spring equinox.
Yes! At last the Spring Equinox has arrived, the time when day and night are of equal length. So for a few months, from now until the Summer Solstice in June, the light of day will increase.
In the Pagan tradition the day is known as the Festival of Balance; inner and outer, the unconscious and the conscious worlds are in balance. What goes on in our minds is reflected in our actions, so we should try to understand this perspective and use it to bring healing between ourselves and the outer world.
~~~~~
It is a year since I began writing about and making a set of Celtic Tree Ogham sticks to sit alongside the eight festivals of the Wheel of the Year. For now, the last two trees that I shall write about, associated with the Spring Equinox, are Alder and Ash.
Alder: Alnus glutinosa. Alder is the third tree in the Celtic Tree Ogham: FEARN. F. The Alder loves to be by rivers and streams where its roots come into contact with water. Its roots are able to fix nitrogen from the air and the wood is very durable when constantly wet. It has been used in building bridges and the piles in medieval cathedrals.
Ash: Fraxinus excelsior. Ash is the fifth tree in the Celtic Tree Ogham: NION. N. Known in Norse mythology as Yggdrasil, the Tree of the World, which links all the levels of existence. With its straight growth and grain, Ash makes good walking sticks and staffs. It also makes beautifully straight arrows for traditional archery and whilst Yew (Taxus baccata) is considered the supreme wood for longbows, Ash will make a very serviceable longbow.
Here is a photo of all the Ogham sticks I’ve made over the year. You will be able to see where there are gaps in my set. Left to right, the first ten are all there but there are five missing from the next set of ten. I am reliant on friends and colleagues to keep me posted when suitable wood becomes available and I will never just cut into a tree without first asking permission and especially asking the tree for its blessing.
To finish this longer than usual post on a light-hearted note, I’m sure you will have guessed my favourite tree. Ash, of course! In Old English a ley was a meadow or grassland. Put the two together and I am a meadow with ash trees! 😉😂
Enjoy the Spring Equinox, this celebration of balance and awakening.
Ashley
A Different View 
Dear Ashley,
Thank you for your springtime spirit in celebration of the Spring Equinox coming to us and in your ushering in balance and awakening for the new leap year of 2024.
Whatever springtime may bring or usher in, may you (and indeed all of us) experience plenty of joy with the classic rendering of this very fine song, sung by Mandy Patinkin for the musical “South Pacific”:
May all of us feel “Younger Than Springtime” throughout the remaining of the season!
May you find the rest of March very much to your liking and highly conducive to your writing, reading, thinking and blogging whatever topics that take your intellectual fancy and creative whim!
Yours sincerely,
SoundEagle
Goodness me, thank you for your wonderful comments & for the FABULOUS video of Mandy Patinkin. I’ve not heard that song for many years & it brought springtime right into my study on this bright morning. What a beautiful voice he has! I have a great attachment to the Pacific Ocean (see a previous post: “Occasional Furniture 1”) & I was carried there on Patinkin’s voice. I’m sorry to say that I’ve never travelled far from these islands (Britain & Ireland) so now I rely on books & music to journey beyond these shores. Thank you 🙋♂️
Utterly fascinating post, Ashley. Your haiku brilliance shines as always, and your photos do indeed show springtime has finally arrived. The Celtic Tree Ogham sticks are so unique, too. As for names, I just now checked the Old English meaning for my last name (Utley) and the result was “woodland clearing,” which is sort of cool considering how often I refer to woodland clearings in my poetry! Happy Springtime, my friend! 😊🌳
Dear Mike, thank you for your lovely comments. As I write, the sun is shining, the tiny buds of blackthorn are opening & the little birds on the hedge are singing wildly. Yes, Mother Earth is working her magic. 🙋♂️
Your hokku and images are beautiful, Fraxinusan. I enjoyed reading about the pagan tradition and the info on alder and ash trees, and your Ogham sticks are fascinating, each with a symbol. Hope you had a good equinox, a day of balanced light and dark.
Thank you, Edo-san, for your comments. I may try a different angle now that the year of the Tree Ogham is complete. Like you, I love trees & I would love to study them in more detail especially their “spirits”. I’ll write soon & let you know when the ENTS are coming. In the meantime, keep moving! 🙋♂️
How fascinating: the Haiku, the story behind and your Ogham ☀️🎶🍀
Dear Friedrich, thank you! Your post using my haiku in calligraphy had me searching for an online route to learning calligraphy. I think I’ve found one, although it is in Japanese calligraphy. I’m hopeful that it will help to bring balance into my life. 🙋♂️
That’s great news, Ashley! It might be hard at the beginning but you soon make progress. Do you know my article https://zettl.blog/2020/12/the-principle-of-the-balance-in-chinese-painting/#:~:text=In%20Chinese%20painting%2C%20the%20principle,important%20principle%20in%20Chinese%20painting. It might be helpful. Good luck and have fun! 🙏🍸🍸
Wonderful Ashley. I’ve really enjoyed following the Ogham sticks. The Spring Equinox is my favourite day. I feel so positive and energised by it. Good luck with everything you do. 💙
Dear Mairi, it is good to hear from you & thank you for your lovely comments. There are 20 symbols in the Celtic Tree Ogham & I’m missing 5 of them. There are very few woods near me, in fact there are very few trees in Northern Ireland which is a real shame. We need to do more to restore the wildwoods of these islands. I’ve been reading a lot recently about temperate rainforests & their demise in Britain & Ireland. I might have to start campaigning! 🌹🙋♂️
Ashley, I am late to the Celtic Tree Ogham, but later today, I will look at what you wrote before. (This morning, in a bit, I am off to my weekly peace vigil.) Love the haiga!!! Peace, LaMon
LaMon, thank you for your visit. I hope your peace vigil went well. The world certainly needs balance right now. 🙋♂️
As Above So Below, my friend.
I love your Ogham sticks collection [I hope you find the missing ones soon].
Happy Spring Equinox, dear Meadow with ash trees [what a beautiful name]!
🌸🙏🌱
Dear Marina, with regard to the missing pieces, my approach has not been to race around chasing a complete set but to wait until they arrive with me. Hopefully, a relaxed way to go! I wish I could think that way about other things! 🌹🙋♂️
Happy Spring Equinox, Ogham stick master Ash-ley 🌞🌳👌
Hi Marina, I love that title! Thank you. Happy steps for this Spring season 🌹🙋♂️
Lovely words, pics and write up!
Thank you, Indira, for your lovely comments 🙏🙋♂️
I was not aware that ash was also a tree and went in search of photos. Your name takes on a new significance with its connection with the ash tree, the Tree of the World in Celtic tradition.
Hi Rosaliene, thank you for your visit. Yes, Ash trees can grow to be very tall, up to 40 metres, about 130 ft. For the last few years though, they have been affected by a fungal disease (die-back) which slowly kills them. A major concern here! 🌹🙋♂️
Sorry to hear that 😦
Name meanings are so cool aren’t they. Yours certainly goes with your love for the outdoors. How fortunate to have friends on the lookout for perfect sticks. 🙂
Hi Sharon, thank you for your comments. I know my late Mother wasn’t thinking of trees! Her favourite film was Gone With the Wind! 🤔 I do indeed love the outdoors, IF ONLY IT WOULD STOP RAINING! ☔🙋♂️
Ah, some of my favourite lone trees tend to be ash. Sadly, the more gregarious ash trees are suffering in my locale, only the remoter ones avoiding the dreaded die-back. Your post reminds me it’s about time I visited one of my favourites in Malhamdale.
Thanks Michael, for your comments. I’ll keep a look out for a post from you with a photo of the Malhamdale ash. Die-back is everywhere & is devastating.
Hi Ashley, here’s one from earlier – it’s the second picture down on this blog entry.
Thanks, Michael.
Love that post, Ashley, your pictures, the poetry, just perfect.
Also the days are getting longer, I really love that too 👌
How many sticks you already did, wow. Looking good.
Happy Spring 💐😁
Dear Ute, thank you for your lovely comments. This morning the wind is blustery & the sun is shining between the clouds & the sparrows are singing excitedly in the hedge. It’s due to rain later but for now it’s a glorious morning. 🤗🌹🙋♂️
Your sticks are beautiful! And I love pussy willows. (K)
Thank you, Kerfe. Here’s looking for pussy willows! 🤗
I can picture you as a meadow with Ash trees! This is awesome! I really love your set of Ogham sticks, Ashley, and the way you always celebrate the Spring Equinox with all of us. Many blessings to you & your beloved! ☀️
Dear Lisa, thank you. Even with all the tragedy & chaos that seems to be dominating the world just now, I somehow manage to hold on to Mother Earth’s cycles as my guiding light. Blessings to you & your loved ones. 🤗🙏
Well said, Ashley, and I like that you explained your name. I’m glad for the vernal equinox as I feel more balanced Beautiful poetry and photos to go with them.
Thank you, Nan, for your lovely comments. My dear late Mother wasn’t thinking of trees when she gave me my name; clue: think “Gone with the Wind”. 🤗🙏
Frankly, my dear, I think your dear late Mother knew what she was doing. 🙂
Hi Ashley,
What a wonderful post. I especially like the information about the trees! I hope you are having a good weekend!
Hi Mark, Sunday has been busy (Ministry of Transport vehicle check as my car is now 4 years old). Appointments are like hen’s teeth & had to drive 30 miles to Belfast to have it done)! It passed, so I’m very pleased. There may be more about trees in future; I’m obsessed with them. Now that the weather is picking up I will be feel better about getting out. I’m hoping to visit some of the remnants of the temperate rainforests here! Yay, rainforests! Also, I’m looking into the wisdom of trees! It’s as well that I’m retired from employment 😊🙏
Un post precioso, querido amigo. Me encanta todo lo que comentas y nos enseñas de los árboles, esos seres vivos maravillosos que nos acompañan. ¡Feliz equinoccio de primavera! Un abrazo grande.
Dear Barbara, thank you for your wonderful comments. You understand my love of trees perfectly. I send hugs to you. 🤗🌹🤗
I love this post! Your Ogham collection is just wonderful, beautifully crafted. You can tell they’re special, they seem alive somehow. Especially when you compare all the different qualities of wood.
What tree is the curved one from in the middle bending off to the left? And also which tree is the thick chunky one from on the third from the right? They seem to stand out to me 🌸
Interesting that your favourite tree is an Ash, I also love the symbolism of this tree ❤️
Dear Sunra, thank you for your wonderful comments. The stick bending off to the left with 2 diagonal marks is Ivy. The other you mention which has 5 diagonal marks is Elder. Each is finished off with a bit of beeswax polish which makes handling them even more tactile. 💕🤗🙋♂️
Equinox blessings Ashley! Your Ogham sticks are beautiful.
Dear Andrea, thank you. It has rained most of this week & then the sun came out this afternoon 🌞 Wishing you a sunny spring 🌞
Ashley, your spring pics and haiku are simply beautiful! I also learned about Ogham sticks, very interesting. Thanks for sharing your gifts and knowledge.
Dear Peggy, thank you for your lovely comments & for visiting my blog. 🤗🙋♂️