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CELTIC TREE OF LIFE
The Tree of Life is a fundamental element of Celtic
spirituality. The Irish Druids believed the Sacred Tree had
the power to reveal messages from the gods.
There are numerous stories in Irish folklore about
mystical trees. Some say that if you fall asleep under
certain trees, you will awaken to find yourself in the midst
of fairies in the Otherworld.
The wood of many trees was also considered magical. The
Celtic Ogham (pronounced OH-um) alphabet is a system of
divination which many believe created by the Celtic Druids.
In the Ogham alphabet, each of the letters
represented a sacred tree or plant. The Oak was the most sacred
treel to the Celts. They believed the Oak tree symbolized the
axis mundi, which means the center of the universe and that
it was a passageway into the Otherworld. |
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Trees provide sustenance for people and animals and are a
wonderful source of medicinal extracts. Their wood provides
materials to build shelter as well as fires for preparing
meals, warming the body on a cold night, or engaging in
spiritual rituals.
The idea that trees were messengers to the gods
still holds true in Irish superstition. Even today, as you drive
through the Irish countryside, you can still see trees decorated
with ribbons and "prayers" to the gods asking for health,
wealth, and love.
‘O Angels, that
guard the Tree,
A Blossom, a Blossom divine
Grows on this greenwood of mine:
What may this Blossom be?
Name this Blossom to me!
Robert Buchanan (1841-1901), The
Tree of Life
