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the whole psyche. The tree radiates a red glow oflife and is growing on top of an ancient burial mound that signifies the transformation of solar energy into the Earth mother. The Earth goddess is dressed in scarlet to symbolize fruition and the beginning of autumn. She is seated upon a black onyx throne and holds the triple symbol of the Sun, Moon, and Earth. The lunar aspect of the goddess has ascended to the brightest symbol of light and, with the solar energy now fully harnessed, the Earth mother has complete dominion.

A flaming spear has pierced the earth at the feet of the goddess, as she symbolically renews her power at the Celtic festival of Lammas. This festival was an ancient fire festival celebrated on the first day of August, and was associated with the transformation concept of the magical powers of the female. The sacred symbol of the Earth, a circle surrounding a four-equal-armed cross, forms the astrological glyph and reflects !lll the magical energies of the sign.

The Red Carnelian

This is a red or reddish yellow translucent variety of chalcedony, a form of quartz or rock crystal.

The magic symbolism of the color red has sur­ vived from prehistoric times. Red ochre has been found painted on human bones in Stone Age burial sites, and was used with more elaborate application in the ancient Egyptian burial rites. It was believed to ensure that life would return to the body after physical death, and thus sustain the immortal spirit.

When cut and polished, the carnelian or car­ nelian was a favorite stone for carving religious sym­ bols upon, and was used for crests and seals by the Babylonians and Romans. The Druids believed it was a protection against being struck by lightning, and also used it as a protection when summoning demons or spirits from the underworld.

Lammas

Lammas or Lughnasad was the Celtic festival mark­ ing the beginning of autumn in the seasonal calen­ dar, and the transformation of the mother aspect of the goddess. Having come to fruition at Lammas by entering the Earth, she will slowly become trans­ formed into the Old Woman or Cailleach figure who will emerge at the festival of Samhain. The Earth goddess has many names in Celtic myth; the ancient Irish knew her as Tailtiu or Tailte, a foster­ mother of their Sun-god Lugh. Games and warlike exercises resembling the old Olympic games were held in her honor at the festival of Lammas. Mar­ riages also formed a special feature of this festival, a tradition remembered to the present day.

The British Celts also associated Lammas with marriage, and with the mythical marriage of Lug, or Lleu, to Bloddeuedd, one of the loveliest forms of Earth goddess. The story ofBloddeuedd is a sad one, however, and tells the tale of an unfaithful wife. Its significance to the holly month is in the role of opposites, which enables new growth through adversity. Lleu Llawgyffes was the son of Arianrhod, a lunar goddess who apparently rejected her role as

mother and placed every obstacle in the way of her son's happiness. Her brother Gwydion, a master magician, and the shadowy figure of Math, a god of great wealth, became Lleu's protectors and benefac­ tors. When Arianrhod decreed that her son "shall not have a wife of the race now on Earth," they con­ jured up from the flowers of the oak, the broom and

the meadowsweet the lovely Bloddeuedd.

Unfortunately for Lleu, Bloddeuedd fell in love with Gronw, the lord of Penllyn, and plotted with her lover to kill him. Lleu, being under the protec­ tion of Gwydion and Math, was not easy to kill in the mortal sense but, as in all ancient myths relating to Sun-gods and heroes, he had one weak spot or Achilles heel. Bloddeuedd tricked Lleu into telling her of his mysterious vulnerability, and then with Gronw attempted to kill him. Wounded, and barely alive, he managed to escape, and took flight in the form of an eagle. After a long search Gwydion dis­ covered him in an oak tree, "the sanctuary of a fair lord" in Celtic myth, and with his magic restored him to his human form. Gronw was made to suffer the fate he had intended for Lleu, and Lleu eventu­ ally became the lord of Gwynvyd.

The realm of Gwynvyd was the place in the Druidic system of evolution that all men aspired to obtain, and the bridge between the months of the oak and holly marks the entry or portal. Blod­ deuedd was changed into a screech owl and flew away to haunt the night scene. Lleu will also surface again in the ritual year as Taliesin, the newborn babe of Ceridwen.

Meadowsweet

Meadowsweet, watermint and vervain were the three herbs held most sacred by the Druids, who used meadowsweet as a primitive but highly effec­ tive painkiller or analgesic. Meadowsweet's Latin name, spiraea, via Greek, is the root word of the modern aspirin. Its aromatic and astringent con­ stituents make it a most valuable remedy for a vari­ ety of ailments where pain and fever is evident. Its medical uses were perhaps the most sacred aspect of the herb, and the knowledge of such herbs con­ tributed to the Druids' powerful status.

Sweet-smelling herbs such as meadowsweet, mint, valerian, and violet were strewn on the floors of bridal chambers in Elizabethan days. All were sacred to Venus or Gwena, the Celtic name attrib­ uted to Venus. A popular country name for the fra­ grant meadowsweet in Britain is bridewort, and its creamy white flowers in bloom from June to Sep­ tember mark a favorite time for marriage, going back to Druid times.

The Holly Tree

This is a native of most of the central and southern parts of Europe. It grows slowly, but is the most important evergreen in the British Isles. Its associa­ tion with Christmas as a decoration in the home goes back to Roman times, when they observed the custom of sending holly boughs, along with other gifts, to celebrate Saturnalia. But the origin has been traced even further back to the Druids, who deco­ rated their huts with evergreens during the winter as an abode for the sylvan spirits. They also used the

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curative powers of the holly leaves in the relief of intermittent fevers and rheumatism.

The holly is the plant badge of the Scottish clans of Drummond, Innes, Maclean, Macnab, and Math­ eson. In heraldry, holly branches are also found in the arms of families named Irvine or Irwin, and are invariably blazoned as sheaves of holly or three holly leaves tied together.

The evergreen holly, flowering in July and bear­ ing fruit throughout the winter months, has a won­ drous lineage itself, being the subj ect of many ancient myths and legends. In one old legend, the holly is given the name of Christ's thorn, having sprung from the footsteps of Christ when he trod the Earth; its thorny leaves and berries like drops of blood were thought to be symbolic of the Savior's suffering. It is a story that dissociates the holly with the original pagan customs, and provides a sanc­ tioned form of veneration.

Other popular names for holly are hulver and holme, and it is still called the holme oak in Devon, and holme chase in parts of Dartmoor. During the eighth month of the lunar calendar the barley crop was harvested-a time of thanksgiving.

T inne

Tinne is the letter word associated with the month of the holly, and is the equivalent to dann or tan, a Celtic word for any sacred tree. It is also related to Tannua, a Gaulish thunder-god, who was associated with the dark Tanist god of the underworld and known by a variety of names such as the Green Man, Jack-in-the-Green and Robin Hood. All _rep­ resent the dual concept of life following death through the creative power of ancient tree magic.

Earth Symbolism