“I am a shield to every head”

Eadha  

(EH-yuh), Poplar

The Letter E

The Fourth Season - Fall Equinox

The Pad on the Palm Beneath the Ring Finger  

Bird - Whistling Swan

Metal - Tin

Color - Rufous Red

Animal - Rhinoceros 

Autumn Equinox

Aspen is the Solar Tree of Autumn Equinox and old age. The Latin legend is that Hercules bound his head in triumph with poplar after killing the giant Cacus.  The leaves next to his brow were whitened by the heat he gave out thus accounting for the difference in the leaf of the aspen and black poplar.  It is the measuring rod in Ireland used to measure corpses for coffin made of aspen as a reminder to the souls of the dead that this was not the end. (White Goddess)

Autumn Equinox  (Quaking Ash) is mistress of the symbolic languages - the whisperer who even in the stillness of a summer's day has chattering leaves that talk of distant battles, the battles between languages, the gift of tongues.  Cursed and avoided in Scotland as another witch tree, the moon colored magic aspen is said to be palsied because her leaves are spotted in autumn.  The "talking trees"  that whisper together in small groups the secrets of magic.  Is called the "inner keeper" of the tree language, the anima of Odin. (Fruits of the Moon Tree).

Magical properties - gender - masculine, planet - Mercury, element - air, powers - eloquence, anti-theft.  Place a leaf under tongue for eloquence.

Eadha is a sign of determination in the face of negativity.  It is a sign of actually being able to overcome the negative situation through a welling up of inner reserves and strengths.  This is a sign of protection against foes.  It generally indicates that there may be adversity in your life, but that you will have the inner strength to overcome it, but the source of that strength must come from within.  The challenge of the Aspen is the tendency to give in to the forces that oppose us, or to burdens which tend to overwhelm us.  Be aware of this challenge.

Botanical Information

The aspen grows to 65 feet along rivers and is often the first tree to grow after a fire or logging.  It sprouts from the base and may form clumps or thickets.  The black poplar is taller and reaches 100 feet  along rivers.  The white poplar is about the same size and grows in a similar place, but is more common in southern Europe.  The white and black poplars are cultivated in North America (the ”Lombardy poplar” is a form of black poplar), and several native poplars are similar.  The North American aspen is very similar to the European aspen.  Poplars are members of the Willow family.