Sorbus
"I am a Wide Flood across a Plain"
Winter Cymreas July1995
Rowan is the second Moon of the Celtic Year of thirteen Moons and is associated
with the colours of red and grey and the letter "L". It is the Moon
of astral travel and vision, healing and empowerment. Its importance is significant
and the power of this Tree is indicated by the fact that the Silver Branch,
carried in Druid rites and ceremonies to represent and honor the Goddess, is
Rowan.
Its name is linked to the Norse and the Sanksrit word "runa" which
in Norse means 'a charm' and in Sanskrit, 'the magician'. Its Celtic name is
"Luis", (pronounced 'loosh') and it is the second letter in the Beith-Luis-Fearn
alphabet of the Celts.
Rowan, commonly known as the European Mountain Ash and the American Mountain
Ash, is not an Ash tree at all but derived its alternate name due to the similarity
of the leaves of the two Trees. Rowan is actually more related to the Rose and
is cousin to the Hawthorn, the Apple and the Pear. This Tree has many nicknames
- the Quicken Tree, the Quickbeam (meaning 'living wood') the Witch Tree - and
has a long and colourful history.
The American Mountain Ash is native to northeastern North America, growing to
thirty feet with a spreading crown. It is also found as a shrub with many stems,
showy white flowers and bright red berries. (The berries of both the American
and European varieties carry a pentagram at the base of the fruit, giving it
its more 'recent' name of the witch Tree). Generally it has a trunk diameter
of eight inches. The leaves grow on the stem pinnately and are compound (having
leaflets along both sides of the stem) and are six to eight inches long. The
leaves themselves are lanceolate, a botanical term meaning they are narrow,
tapering towards each end. These leaves are generally four inches long, one
inch wide and saw toothed. They are paIer underneath, turning yellow in the
Autumn. The bark is a pale grey, smooth with scaly patches and its twigs are
a reddish brown. The flowers are numerous, a quarter of an inch wide a with
five petals, growing in abundant clusters. The fruit is small, maturing in the
Autumn, and resembles clusters of bright red apples, although the fruit is much
smaller in size, approximately one-half inch. The American Rowan favours moist
valleys and is found in coniferous forests from Newfoundland to Western Ontario
and from Illinois to Georgia, preferring altitudes of 6,000 feet in the South.
The European Mountain Ash (or European Rowan) was introduced to America in colonial
times from Europe and Eurasia. Its leaves also grow in a pinnate and compound
manner on stems four to eight inches long with nine to seventeen leaflets upon
each stem. These leaves are also lanceolate and saw-toothed, two inches long
and less than an inch wide. They are a dull green above with white hairs beneath,
turning red in the Autumn. The bark is a very dark grey and smooth with horizontal
lines and is very aromatic. The flowers grow in three to six inch clusters of
seventy five to one hundred flowers; they are small with five white petals.
The fruit, again, resembles tiny apples, but is a bright orange-red and matures
in the Spring. The European Rowan favours roadsides and thickets from Southeastern
Alaska to Southern Canada, Newfoundland to Maine and Minnesota to California.
That was your botany lesson - now some more interesting information!
The common saying about this Tree is "Woe to those with no Rowan Tree near".
This comes from the common acceptance of its protective powers in both magical
and traditionally historic uses.
A Rowan Tree planted near your home will protect it from lightning. This Tree
was said to bring luck to families and was, therefore, planted next to or near
new dwellings or after a move to honor the new home and to aid in starting a
family.
Sprays of branches were tacked over the door of cattle sheds to protect them
from harm, a practice carried to the home for the same purpose. Sprigs were
also worn to protect the wearer from enchantment. In the Spring, goats were
driven through hoops of Rowan, again, as a protective practice.
In Wales, the Rowan was planted in graveyards to watch over the dead and to
prevent them from walking and was said to protect a cemetery from haunting.
Rowan was commonly used for waIking sticks so that the wanderer would be protected
from harm, and was a prevention against getting lost, guiding the wayfarer home.
Boats made of this wood were said to be protected from storms and from going
off course. It commonly represented 'one who steered', especially upon the waters
but now, in contemporary times and in divination, can represent someone who
is the head of a company or one in a management position.
The wattles of the Rowan Tree were said to hold hidden knowledge and were thus
valued and the Tree considered oracular. Roman lictors and other officials carried
rods made of Rowan as symbols of their authority.
Fairies were said to celebrate and dance around the Rowan and, in County Sligo,
Ireland, it is believed the Sidhe brought the seeds to Eire from Fairyland itself.
In the legend of Fraoth, its berries were guarded by a dragon and these could
give sustenance equal to nine meals.
The Druids burned Rowan prior to a battle, using the smoke to invite the Sidhe
to attend and lend their aid.
The berries were commonly used to flavour ale in an old Welsh recipe and were
used as a coffee substitute. This fruit can also be fed to wild birds, to flavour
liqueurs and cordials and can be made
into jam.
Its uses in healing are wide and varied. Fresh juice from the berries can be
used as a laxative and is an excellent gargle for a sore throat, hoarseness
or inflamed tonsils. An infusion of the berries can relieve haemorrhoids and
stangury (stoppage of urine). A decoction of the bark can be used as a douche
for vaginal irritations and also to soothe sore and tired eyes. Often the berries
and the bark are added to healing mixtures to ensure their success and the ingestion
of the berries is said to add a year to your life.
Its magical uses are many and are strongly associated with its historical and
traditional uses. Worn as a protection against enchantment, especially where
the Fairies or the Sidhe are concerned and carrying it in an amulet can ensure
against the control of others. (This amulet is a combination of Rowan leaves
with Rue and Basil, tied into a golden or a white cloth and carried). Traditionally
sewn into sachets, along with other powerful herbs, to bring health, power,
and luck and success, especially in any undertaking involving travel far from
home.
Forked branches were used as metal-diviners, much the same way Willow is used
for water divining. Its power can be used to invoke the Elementals and to banish
bothersome entities, hence its use in conjunction with homes and barns. The
berries and leaves are dried and burned as incense to invoke spirits, familiars,
spirit guides, the Elements and the Great Goddess.
In the Amber Isles of the Baltic Seas, great stands of Rowan were used as places
of oracle and divination. In modern times, its use in a money spell is suggested
by Z. Budapest in her book, "The Grandmother of Time". (p.26).
Lugh Lamfadha is the corresponding God. He is the tri-aspected God of the Celts
who is a reflection of the Goddess Brigid. His triune aspects are that of skilled
magician-king, chief warrior as the God of the Spear and His agricultural importance
is significant in His responsibility for the success of the Harvest Among the
Goddesses, Rowan is represented by the Leanan Sidhe, inspiring poets and musicians.
The Rowan is also linked to Loegaire, the charioteer of CuChulainn.
In divination, Rowan is an indication to retain your senses and gather your
wits about you to enable you to distinguish the bad from the good, harm from
help and to use spiritual strength to avert that which would threaten your serenity
and purpose. You are asked to use sense, coupled with intuition, to make correct
judgements and thus be protected. Its keywords are insight and quickening and
its uses foreknowledge as a protection against undesirable control by others
and by other forces. You are to look within and seek the insight necessary to
overcome problems. The appearance of Rowan in divination suggests that you garner
inner vitality and use these resources to negate self-doubt and to prevent the
over-extension of your power. Rowan is the power that guards, nourishes and
strengthens, representing an inner and an outer cleansing to wash away the effects
of the past in order to create positive results in the future. Rowan is the
realization of greater potential which purifies and protects against the circumstances
and conditions of life.
And thus, you can allow the thunder and Lightning to rage outside your doors,
knowing Rowan stands, protecting all ventures, both within and without.
Sacred Tree and Grove Planting Programme