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As the days grow longer, a mild breath of air brings the promise of spring. In some areas receding snow reveals a soft haze of greening grass, while in other places droplets of ice shimmer light fairy lights on tree branches. Seeds that have been resting in the womb of Mother Earth will slowly make their way to the surface and unfurl into the sunlight. But not yet, they must be softly roused.

The magical month of the birch tree, and its ogham character Beith, began on December 24th.  Beginning just after the winter solstice, this period (from December 24 to January 20) prepares the way for renewal in the New Year. Birch is associated with new beginnings, protection, purification and the increasing sunlight.

Following the wheel of the year through the Celtic tree calendar, November 25th begins the time of elder tree and its ogham character Ruis. While the tree calendar is a modern construct, it holds meaning because of the concepts it has come to symbolize and the significance it has for twenty-first century magic, ritual, and everyday life.

Following the wheel of the year through the Celtic tree calendar, October 28th begins the time of reed and its ogham character Ngetal. This period (until November 24) can be a time of unexpected changes and challenges that require adaptability. It a time for grabbing the bull by the horns and taking control. Through focus and determination, we can restore our worlds to harmony.

Following the wheel of the year through the Celtic tree calendar, September 30th begins the time of ivy and its ogham character Gort. Ivy teaches us about strength and endurance, death and immortality. It is a symbol of the knowledge of things that are hidden and mysterious. This is a time (from September 30 to October 27) to enter the darkness within and explore our most meaningful inner truths.

Ivy is associated with the Goddess because it grows in a spiral. Ivy symbolizes the spiritual journey through the wheel of the year: in winter we follow the spiral of energy down and within, and in the spring, we follow it back up into the light for our own symbolic rebirth.

Following the wheel of the year through the Celtic tree calendar, September 2nd begins the time of vine and its ogham character Muin. While the tree calendar is a modern construct, it holds meaning because of the concepts it has come to symbolize and the significance it has for twenty-first century magic, ritual, and everyday life.

This period (from September 2 to September 29) is associated with inner growth and energy. Like a vine, our paths do not usually take a straight course, however, we can empower ourselves to adapt and make changes in our lives.

While vine has come to include the grapevine, it actually refers to the blackberry vines that populated the hedgerows in the British Isles and formed thorny thickets. The name of the ogham character Muin comes from a Gaelic word meaning “thicket.” (Niall MacCoitir, Irish Trees: Myths, Legends & Folklore, 167.)Wine has been produced from blackberries for many centuries. Warm weather at the end of September was known as a blackberry summer.

In European folk medicine, the arching canes of blackberry vines were believed to have magical properties and people crept underneath the arches or passed children through gaps in the bush for particular cures. Blackberry bushes were also believed to protect against evil. In parts of England, they were sometimes planted or placed on graves with the belief that they would keep the dead in place.

Grow a blackberry bush on your property to attract fairies or set out a small bowl of berries as a token of friendship with them. Eat a handful of blackberries before magic work or when working with the fairy realm. Burn dried leaves in spells to attract money or sprinkle them around your property to draw luck. Because of the winding nature of brambles, this is an opportune time for binding spells.

Make a wreath with several prickly canes to hang above your altar or on your front door for protective energy. Place a blackberry cane alongside your altar to aid in grounding energy after ritual. Because blackberries are associated with Brigid, gather enough to make jam or wine and use it to honor her at Imbolc.

The American blackberry (Rubus villosus) and European blackberry (R. fruticosus) are also known as bramble, brambleberry, cloudberry, and dewberry. Blackberry bushes are sprawling shrubs with woody, arching stems called canes. Canes tend to take root where their tips rest on the ground. Blackberry leaves are dark green on top and pale underneath. White, five-petaled flowers grow in clusters at the ends of the stems. The berries change from green to red to black as they ripen. They are fully ripe when dull black, not glossy.

Following the wheel of the year through the Celtic tree calendar, August 5th begins the time of the hazel tree and its ogham character Coll. While the tree calendar is a modern construct, it holds meaning because of the concepts it has come to symbolize and the significance it has for twenty-first century magic, ritual, and everyday life.