“I am a wave of the sea

On a boundless sea I was set adrift”

Color - Blood Red  

Bird ~ Rook

November 25 - December 22

Ruis

(RWEESH), Elder

The Letter R

The Thirteenth Consonant

The Second Joint of the Ring Finger  

Goddess ~ The Morrigan

Stone - Dark Green Malachite  

Of the thirteenth month Amergin sings, "l am an ocean wave." This is no longer a breaker crashing against the cliff. This is a wave moving freely, into and through the land, all part of the mysterious fluid movement of the sea, which is unpredictable and wild. It can carry us away from shore, take us to depths beyond our imaginings. It can be perilous and hostile but it is also a source of fertility and growth. Our knowledge of how life began tells us that the very first life forms came from the sea and as such we honor Her as Mother Ocean.

There is a reward for those of us who are willing to risk ourselves to a world beneath our consciousness, taking ourselves into the deep unknown of the sea.

During its darkest season, with the forces of growth are quieted. We must now clean whatever the poisons remaining from our "soil." Those waves that carry us away from the land, must also wash away all of those aspects of the past that will hold us back, impeding our growth. We need to be able to leave this womb of darkness at the appointed time, cleansed of all that has been holding us back.

With the rising of the new moon we attune ourselves to this surging wave, feeling the strength of the wave carrying us out into the unknown; and then in the waxing period we are pulled fully into the depths, stripping away all that holds us to the past. At the full Moon, we purify, and at the waning phase we will feel a reversal of these energies, removing from us all feelings of loss or regret. At this time all of the soothing energies of the darkness are available to us for healing and restoration.

I AM A WAVE OF THE SEA

I am a wave of the sea,
Rolling on forever onward,

Gathering strength
Pausing for none.

Sunbeam riding on the ocean wave,
Firefly riding in the sky,
Amazon riding on the ocean beach,
Old moon rising up on
Everything is beautiful
In the earth and sea and starry sky
Old moon fades and young moon grows
Our life will never die.

On the earth, in the air, through the fire, by the water, 
I am FLOWING, the second month's daughter

© Chris Carol 1979. © 1948, 1966 by International Authors N.Y.

The thirteenth tree, is a waterside tree associated with witches.  There is an Old English superstition that a child placed in an elder cradle will pine away or be pinched black and blue by fairies.  In Ireland elder sticks were said to have been used by witches as magic horses.  The flowers and inner bark are famous for their therapeutic quality, but the scent was held to cause death and disease.  It is an unlucky tree.  In English folk lore they that to use it  to burn "brings the devil into the house."  Elder's white flowers make elder another aspect of the White Goddess.   (White Goddess p 191.)

Magical properties -  planet - Venus, element - water, deities - Holda, Venus, Powers - exorcism, protection, healing, prosperity, sleep. Was used in burial rites.  Witches and spirits were thought to live with the elder as they bled red sap when cut.  Wear to ward off attackers, hang over doorway to keep out evil, has power to release spells cast against you.  (Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Herbs pg. 97.)

It is a tree of death and rebirth. Called Ellen "Witch Mother" by the Scandanavians. Animals do not graze by her.  The rabbit will not eat her.  Her berries make good wine and tree fruits well into December. (Fruits of the Moon Tree. p. 108.)

Elder is a sign of evolutionary change, a transition from one state to another.  If understood, the realization of this mystery will lead to a balanced and mature outlook on life.  Old things are passing away, new things will take their place.  There will be a passage of some kind.  You will need to learn to let go to what is holding you back.  The challenge of Ruis is the necessity of coming to terms with the endless cycle of change.  All things undergo change and eventually pass away.  All life is beginnings and endings, birth, death, and rebirth.

Botanical Information

The common elder is a shrub which grows up to 30 feet in damp areas, near the edge of woods, and close to dwellings.  Elders are grown for their black berries, which are used for preserves and wine.  There are scars on the leaves which have the shape of a crescent moon.  Elder branches have a spongy pith in their centers, much like the marrow of long bones, and an elder branch stripped of its bark is very bone-like.  The red elder is a similar plant which grows in higher elevations, but is typically shorter.  Red elder is found in North America, and it is cultivated along with other native species, but common elders are seldom seen in cultivation.  Elders are in the Honeysuckle family.