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