In these chaotic times we need the steadfastness and support of trees more than ever. Here is the text of a meditation that I have written and recorded about the wisdom of Ash and how it can be alive in us. My hope is that you can download it and savour the words while spending time with an Ash tree. It will help you to feel what you need most in the here and now. A gift from Forest Moons to you…
Listen to a recording of this here
Thoughts on Ash Wisdom
Ash – a tree of many forms – young seedlings peppering the forest floor each spring, vigorous mature trees in the prime of life in forests, hedgerows and parks plus isolated, blackened, lightning-blasted veterans out in open fields as monuments to electricity.
Yggdrasil – the Tree of Life – a conduit between the underworld, middle earth and the spiritual realm. Deep roots holding fast through storms. Hungry questing roots searching far and wide. Making symbiotic partnerships with soil mycorrhiza – a whole vibrant ecosystem beneath our feet. The underworld – what is happening beneath your surface?
Robust silvery grey-brown trunk with fissures that come with age creating niches for lichens to grow. Warm and welcoming, just right for hugging. The mossy bole at the base flares out, just right for leaning against.
The winter pause – waiting impatiently for the right time for sap to rise and the whole season of growth to begin.
Summer trunk becoming a powerful highway for water and minerals to zoom up the xylem and sugars to flow down the phloem to the roots. Protective bark, silvery when young, keeping the shallow living sapwood and inner heartwood safe. Middle earth – here and now. Is your present wintery and waiting or zooming and flowing? Are you safe?
Above in the open canopy the upward-reaching shoots stretch for the sky and the spiritual realm. Green leaves will work the magic of photosynthesis – building tree from minerals, water and carbon dioxide in the summer of productivity. Black resinous buds are ready to burst with life force and put out their flowers to be fertilised by the wind. What is your powerful life force calling you to build?
Bunches of keys, last year’s fruits, hang in the canopy, waiting to spin and spiral down to earth when the time is right. Each one a shiny metallic, twisted masterpiece of elegant potential. A steady rain of leaves, twigs, keys and old branches feeds and enriches the soil below. What are you doing to feed your roots, to nurture the seeds within you that took shape last year, that are stoically waiting?
A wonderful, ubiquitous tree under threat. A fungus from Europe that causes die-back disease is here and we hope for some natural resistance. Emerald Ash Borer beetle from Russia and America that may arrive in the future and cause wholesale devastation. An unintended effect of globalisation. A lesson to live for now, to enjoy this magnificent tree while we can. To acknowledge the shadow while celebrating the gift. What are your shadows and gifts?
Ash – one of the most vigorous of trees, a classic tree with clouds of greenery and strong shock-absorbing timber within. A powerhouse of productivity, benevolence and usefulness. A tree that inspires lively movement, confident travel and stepping out boldly in a new direction. Yggdrasil – the Tree of Life – a conduit between the underworld, middle earth and the spiritual realm. Can you use this confident boldness to make the best choices for your higher self and the greater good in this moment?
© Yvonne McDermott 2020