Ash

Nion, (Nee-uhn)

Nion

The Letter

Ash

The Tree ~ Ash

Third Consonant

Hand

Place on the hand
- Tip of the Middle Finger

Color ~ Necht ~Clear or Blue

Sea Green Beryl

Stone - Sea Green Beryl

Snipe
Bird ~ Naescu ~ Snipe

Goddesses - Nine Maidens and The Norns

Symbols - Wind, Breath, Awen
Planet - Mercury, Juno
Metal - Mercury
Message - Feelings ~ Emotions ~ Awaken
Note ~ a

Word Ogham - support, connection, boast of women, contest of beauty, weaving
Flower Essence - Impatiens, Vervain

"I am a wind on the deep waters
I fled vehemently... on the foam of the water.
I am a wind on the sea."  

Ash is the third tree following the return of the light.  It is sacred to Poseidon in Greece.  In Ireland Ash is the third of the five trees of magic.  It was used as charm against drowning.  Emigrants in Ireland took ash with them when leaving to go to America after the Potato Famine.  In Britain it is the tree of birth.  Druid wands were made of ash. The Great Ash Yygdrasill, sacred to Oden, was taken from Triple Goddess in Scandinavian legend and used to dispense justice.  In ancient Wales and Ireland oars were made of ash.  The shade of the ash tree is said to be harmful to plants because ash roots will strangle other roots.  It is called the Tree of Sea Power (resident in all water) and is the Tree for the winds over deep seas.

Burn at Yule for prosperity, do not use on house or stand under it, as it attracts lightning.

Ash is a tree of strength and maturity.  It is a tree of rebirth and also the power of water.  It is the last tree in the season of Spring to leaf out.  Ash is often placed in the South in sacred space as it is the place of feeling.  During the Ash Moon cycle is not a good time for major decisions.

Ash is the link between the inner and outer worlds.  We are able to function in deep, watery places, in the realms of the underworld.  Ash is flexible, psychic strength and is the weaving of fate and the guardian of peace.  All actions have their reactions and note how you affect the world with your actions, physical and spiritual.  Look for hidden influences.  Things are not always as they seem.  Use your perception and inner wisdom to see what is noble. Do not separate yourself or be cut off from the world.

Botanical Information

The common ash is a major tree of lowland forests in much of Europe, along with oaks and beeches. It grows to 130 feet in open sites, with a broad crown reminiscent of American elm trees.  Ash was and still is an important timber tree, and is a traditional material for the handle of a besom.  The common ash is occasionally cultivated in North America, and similar native ash species are widely grown as street trees.  Ashes are members of the Olive family.  The Ash flower is born on the bare branch before leafing occurs.

At this month Amergin sings, “I am a wind over the sea.” As the year moves toward the Equinox, high winds move upon the land. This March wind blows away dead leaves that cover the earth, exposing the soil to the new light.  Our concept of Spirit is linked as a metaphor with the breath – “breath hovers over the waters.”  The wind is seen as a great power behind the nature world and becomes that power’s creative spirit. A strong gust of wind suggests an infusion of creative potential. The Tuatha Dé Danann, who are the Old Gods of the Celtic people, suddenly appeared in Ireland out of the air, on wind-borne clouds. The Cauldron of creativity is fanned (inspired) by the breath of nine maidens who are seen as the Goddess in her ninefold manifestation.   To the ancient peoples of the world, life was not thought to begin until a newborn child took its first breath, thus being infused with the spirit of the Goddess, life began.

Following the sequence of imagery in our moons, we find that the “wind over the sea” follows logically after the bursting-forth of the “lake over the plain.” The waters have escaped the abyss, bringing the essence of fertility, but this fertility is still inert and without known purpose. Now the Goddess as a Divine Wind must breathe herself into this potential, bringing growth. What this means to us, is that we must now open ourselves to this gift of the life giving breath of the Goddess.  It is now time to contemplate this creativity and how we will resume conscious action in our lives. 

I AM A WIND OF THE SEA

In the moonlight, the crystal bright
Of our names is glowing clear;
Dragon stones stand alone
On the sand as we draw near..
Wave on wave, wave on wave,
Wave on wave of the sea mares rave,
Tides are high as we ride by,
Embrace the tide and with the sea mares ride.

Foaming, frothing at maddened mouth,
Hooves churning in the brine,
Tails flailing, ranting, raving,
We gather line on line.
Wave on wave, wave on wave,
Wave on wave of the sea mares rave,

At the spring tide, swell with pride,
Embrace the tide and with the sea mares ride.
Mighty now, we too must bow
To Time’s mightier hand;
Comes the ebb tide, we subside,
And graze the golden sand...

Wave on wave, wave on wave,
Wave on wave of the sea mares graze;
One and all heed Rhiannon’s call,
Embrace the tide and with the sea mares ride.

On the earth, in the air, Through the fire, by the water,
I am DEPTH, the Ash moon’s daughter.
© Chris Carol 1979