From their high vantage point rowan trees are the first to know when the wind has changed direction, when a storm is blowing in and when the seasons are changing. They can see danger coming from afar. The Rowan person embodies this sense of knowing. Whatever they discover, or are told, their reaction is “I knew that”. The Rowan person does have a sense of knowing and they should trust their gut instinct at all times because they are never wrong.
From their high perch above the rest of us Rowan people are attune to higher frequencies. This makes them excellent spiritual teachers and they have natural psychic ability.
The rowan tree is also the chosen host of most lichen varieties in the forest. This attachment makes the Rowan person a good listener and an excellent friend. Steadfast and unwavering the rowan tree will always be present for the lichen, just as the Rowan person will always be there as a friend and confidant.
It is easy to trust a Rowan person, because the cool smooth exterior of their bark, reassures all who confide in them that their secrets will be safe with the Rowan.
The broad leaf of the rowan reflects the openness and honesty of the Rowan personality. Because of this beguiling open nature, they are easy to approach. As their nature prefers honesty this broad leaf aspect lets all around them know exactly where they stand. If the Rowan person does not like another, they feel that it is more respectful to communicate this, than to mask their nature and pretend that they do.
The rowan bark looks glassy when it is wet and Rowan people often have eyes that characterize this depth. Bright, alert and soulful eyes. They can never give another a blank stare, the glassy, many dimensional aspect of the bark when it is wet, is shown in their eyes. This characteristic reflects the depth of emotion and complexity of the Rowan person, there is always more than one aspect being reflected in their eyes.
Nion / Ash
February 18 - March 17
The ash tree is valued for the elasticity and durability of its timber. It is believed that the wood from the ash tree can bare more load before breaking than any other wood. This quality is shared with the Ash person.
These people will stick it out no matter what the circumstances. They shall endure appalling conditions or relationships that shall stretch their limitations to breaking point, before they make a change. The ash tree matures quickly and is used for every application from barrel making to carts and carriages. Ash people do often seem mature for their age.
A common denominator found in Ash people is that due to some form of emotional trauma or hardship in youth they did need to mature quickly in attitude and assumption of responsibility.
The multiple uses of ash wood reveals just how adaptable Ash people can be. They manage to emotionally support everyone around them. They often take on many responsibilities simultaneously because no matter how great the load, they manage and even prosper.
The young ash tree has a smooth light gray bark which roughens as the tree matures. Ash people have the same smooth bark ability to seem unruffled, unperturbed and unmoved by the turbulence of the lives that they lead.
As ash trees grow so quickly, it reveals that it doesn’t take the Ash person long to make up their mind or to decide on which direction to take. Ash timber burns with almost no smoke. Another insight into the Ash personality.
The Ash person manages to mask their smoldering rage very well and the recipient of their wrath would not know the fire was burning until they are engulfed with the flames. Ash people never give smoke warnings.
They do not allow an opportunity to put out the flames of indignance or anger. Instead if you have created the burning of Ash anger, you shall be duly burnt when you least expect it, because they give themselves plenty of time to smolder without warning before burning in retaliation.
In mythology the ash tree is known as the world tree (Yggdrasil). With its roots in the underworld and its branches in the heavens spread over the countries of the world. This reveals the protective, sheltering aspect of the Ash personality. Ash people make wonderful guardians and parents (or step parents).
Because the ash is the world tree that embodies all aspects of life, it was the tree where prayer meetings, holy gatherings and political ponderings were held. The ash tree gives its protection and wisdom in matters of life or death.
Thus the Ash person is often both wise and spiritual. But like the boughs and roots of the world tree (both have equal might and strength) the Ash person can be either powerfully balanced, or terrifyingly evil, or saintly pure.
Another way of viewing the Ash person is as the keeper of the keys. The “gatekeeper”. In nature when the ash tree's ovaries develop into seed chambers they resemble bunches of keys. This gives the Ash person the ability to open many doors during their lifetime. The other side of that aspect is that when they decide to close a door behind them and lock it, the people behind that door will never again gain access into the lives of the Ash person. Whatever they do, whether it be the opening or closing of a door, they do it with purpose and finality.
These keys that Ash people have access to, gain them access into realms of possibility that the rest of us can only imagine. These magical keys gain the spiritual Ash person access into other dimensions, faery realms, meditational vibrations and alternate frequencies. If there are any amongst us that could gain access to the akashic records it would be the Ash people amongst us.
The gate keeper role holds immense responsibility. They decide who passes through and who stays locked up. This shows that Ash people are very good judges of character.
No matter how hard you try, you cannot fool or mislead an Ash person for long. They shall quickly know the reality of a situation or a person, but their tough wood aspect keeps them giving you another opportunity to better yourself again and again, before they lock the gate on you.
They are fair, never showing favorites, never abusing this role. This key aspect of the Ash personality also reveals how trustworthy they are when given positions of responsibility. They are reliable when entrusted with anything at all.
Ash coppices also make fantastic poles. They are straight, tall and strong. It goes without saying then that the Ash person expects you to be straight up, honest and straight down the line with them. This quality of the ash tree also has its timber being shaped into spears. Thus the Ash person can be quite cutting when they decide to lunge out in retaliation (because we know they would have endured the circumstance for long enough).
Ash personalities are very supportive of the people around them. This is an aspect of their timber when used as fuel. Ash timber makes an excellent fuel burnt green or dried because of its density. Similarly Ash people can be a constant source of support and encouragement.
It is believed in Viking mythology that Odin hung himself on the ash world tree Yggdrasil sacrificially. This gained him insight and wisdom. He is often shown without an eye as a raven pecked out one of his eyes when he was hanging in the tree.
It is this eye that allows him to see the unseen aspect of the world. It is this eye that lets him see the unseen that walk among us. The ghosts, demons, faeries and aliens.
Many Ash people have this ability that they share with Odin. Odin and Thor both owned magical spears made of ash wood.
In closing it is best to say that Ash people walk with one foot solidly on this world and the other in the spirit (or unseen) world. This allows Ash people to be good writers, poets, artists and musicians.
This ability also leaves them dwelling in their fantasy world of make believe when allowed the luxury of time and quiet to do this. The ever reaching boundaries of the Ash psyche allows them to be good receivers of other dimensional communication, through mediumship, scribing and through lucid dreams. T
he fortunate Ash person sees the angelic beings that surround us, supporting us. The guides guiding us. It is this knowing that gives the Ash person the ability to guide and protect those around them, that they care for, because they can see the support system that the rest of us cannot.
Fearn / Alder
March 18 - April 14
The alder tree is a deep rooted species that helps to prevent soil erosion and has the ability of fixing nitrogen from the air into the soil through these roots. It is this aspect of the alder tree that gives insight into the Alder nature.
Alder people are deeply connected to home and family. When they put down roots they mean business. A caravan will never do. An Alder person will always build a good foundation on which to build all other aspects of their lives. When an Alder person decides to settle down they do it permanently.
The alder tree grows mostly on the sides of streams and on the banks of lochs and lakes. This means that they like activity. A couch potato an Alder will never be. They love to watch and be caught up in the exciting hustle and bustle of life, and love watching the drama unfold around them as friends or colleagues have their rivers flooding onto their banks. Alder people are drawn to the water just as much as their namesake is. It is around lakes and wide rivers that they feel calm and centered. Whether they take up fly fishing or water-skiing, the Alder person benefits from being immersed in the water element.
As solid and rooted as the Alder person may seem, this is not true of their nature in youth. Alder tree seeds are perfectly designed for floating. Wherever the tide or stream may flow, that’s the way the seed will go. This explains the restless and explorative nature of the young Alder person. They itch to go out into the world and explore. They ache to join the river of life to be swept away in the excitement.
This can make them seem directionless, but isn’t the case. The young Alder knows which way they’re headed (the flow of the water) but don’t necessarily know why. They have a gut instinct to flow in a particular direction. As with all water they ebb and flow as their seeds float along the river of life. Then somewhere on their journey, the young Alder person germinates an idea. Starts to have an inkling of where they think they’re headed. When they finally are swept onto land they will take root and know “this is it”.
Alder people are similar to their botanical twin in that they will always appreciate a panoramic view from their home. Especially if the view includes a water scene. An Alder person could never be satisfied living in an apartment block with a view only of the next apartment block.
The fact that young Alder’s love the excitement and drama of being swept away in the moment makes them especially good journalists. However this lifestyle they would find hard to maintain once a family and home have been established. That is when they should report from afar, using observation rather than “in the middle of the action” knowledge.
Alder bark is fissured and dark gray in color. This reveals the austerity that they sometimes project. Like the leaves of their tree Alder people are not prone to showy displays.
The alder trees leaves do not have the dramatic quality of changing colors like the rainbow from autumn to winter. Instead this tree slowly fades from green, to dark green before withering away. So although an Alder person can sweep you off your feet, they will not put on showy displays of affection later on. The best way to describe the Alder person is “staid”.
Their deeply fissured outer bark can make them seem grumpy and even unrefined. Don’t let this outer gruff bark deceive you, the emotions of the Alder tree run as deep as their roots. They may seem tough enough to handle anything that you throw at them, but just as their botanical counterpart changes from a lovely light grain to a deep rust when cut, so too does the Alder deeply feel wounds. This changing of the color of alder wood has been compared to it bleeding. The wood of the alder never returns to its original color. How true of the Alder person. Once you hurt them deeply they will never recover from the wound. It changes them forever. They can never return to the former glory they knew before you hurt them. Just as the empty cones stay on the tree after the seeds have been dispersed by the wind, so too does the Alder person have a hard time letting go. They cannot forget past hurts, grievances or for that matter lessons. They will remember late into life who they went to school with, the name of their first love, even the street name where they experienced their first kiss. The cones may be empty sitting on the alder branch, but they shall remain there until new buds push them off in spring. Similarly the Alder person will not let go of the hurt inflicted by their last love / boss / friend until a new one comes into their life to replace the old.
In relationships Alder people make great friends. The alder tree provides shade in the water for salmon to pause in, their highest roots provide shelter for the trout to hide under, its roots provide wonderful nutrients for all of the plants and bacteria around it, and also provides a base for moss to grow on and its roots hold the foundations of the river banks in place. Even its leaves are the nutrient provider for galls to form and these leaves easily decompose in water and on land, providing food for many forms of life.
So it would seem in life that the Alder person is always giving and providing, seldom receiving anything in return. The Alder person is similar to its botanical counterpart, rarely asking for help. However in the natural world there is one bacterium that helps the alder tree to flourish. This bacterium converts the nitrogen from the air for the tree to utilize. It is the true soul mate of the alder tree. Neither one being able to function well without the other.
Sooner or later the Alder person will find a person that they have this relationship with and shall be content forever more.
Saille / Willow
April 15 - May 12
Willow bark is magnificent in that it does not splinter when hit hard. Its ability to absorb shock has seen it used in the making of Dutch clogs and cricket bats and wickets. It is not such a leap to see the similarity of wicker and wicket. Willow people have this same magnificent ability.