Celtic

[Rev. Allen M. Drago ~ Traveler]

[SunKat]

Celtic Zodiac

Celtic Lunar Astrology is essentially a Druid Zodiac. The Druids were a sect of Celtic priests
who inhabited the British Isles around 1000 B.C. The Druids used a lunar calendar consisting of 13 months, each being 28 days long, plus one intercalary day. The Druid religion was based mainly upon an awareness of natural and supernatural energies. These energies were
identified with spirits or dryads who dwelt within the ancient trees. Druids believed that trees were given spirits and attributes from the Sun, which was perceived as a symbol of the Supreme Being. Thus, trees were considered living entities, possessed with Infinite Knowledge and Wisdom...symbolically representative of the Cycle of Life, Death and Renewal.

The Celts envisioned the entire Universe in the form of a tree, whose roots grew deep into the
ground and whose branches reached high into the Heavens. In time, the Celtic people eventually designated a tree to each Moon Phase in their calendar in accordance with its magical properties. Therefore, the Celtic Zodiac is based upon the cycle of the Moon, with the year
divided into the 13 lunar months established by the Druid religion.

The Druids believed that the human race originally descended from trees, each tree being endowed with its own particular mystical qualities. They encoded these mysteries in a secret shamanic alphabet known as the Ogham...the origin of which is ascribed to Ogma, the Celtic God of Poetry and Eloquence. It is said that Ogma (son of the Dagda) created the Ogham for the
learned and wise to use for inscription. Originally intended to be read from the bottom upwards (or occasionally carved from right to left),

Ogham (also often written as "ogam") is pronounced as "AHG-m" or simply as "OH-em." It served as an alphabet for one of the ancient Celtic languages and may have originally been adapted from a form of sign language. The current understanding is that the names of the twenty major letters are also the names of twenty trees which were sacred to the Druids. The Ogham may still be seen carved into stone monuments of the Druid Era and is thought to have been a means for the Druids to leave secret messages for one another. The Ogham is sometimes referred to as "Crane Knowledge," due to the fact that Cranes form letters with their legs as they fly. On the whole, the Celtic society was based upon equality and balance between the male and female...the female Druidesses being symbolized by the Dryads who lived in the sacred trees.

Each Celtic Tree/Zodiac Sign corresponds to a given tree, a letter of the Ogham alphabet, a Guardian Animal, a Celtic God and other items such as gemstones.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

by Willow This is a Celtic Tree Calendar that I've been following for more years than I care to say. Being a Dryad I work with trees in many different ways each and every day and I've found this to be very helpful to me each and every day.



Luis/Rowan 21January-17 February

Nuin/Ash 18 February-17 March

Fearn/Alder 18 March-14 April

Saille/Willow 15 April-12 May

Huath/Hawthorn 13 May-9 June

Duri/Oak 10 june-7 July

Tinne/Holly 8 July-4 August

Coll/Hazel 5 August-1 September

Muin/Vine 2-29 September

Gort/Ivy 30 September-27 October

Ngetal/Reed 28 October-24 November

Ruis/Elder 25 November-22 December

The Secret of The Unhewn Stone 23 of December

Beth/Birch 24 December-20 January





Okay now The Celtic Calendar is based on Ogham, the ancient Irish and British alphabet. Its best to have knowledge of Ogham when working with this calendar for each letter has a corresponding tree and color as well as a bird, herb and so on.

The periods of each month are calculated to the nearest day and are sufficient for most general purposes. For local sunset times, the exact end and beginning points between the months, consult an almanac or ephemerias and adjust for real time. The New Tree Month begins on the Eve of The Day given in the calendar.