Parting the Mists

OK, so I find it interesting that the three cards I picked today are (and in this order): Oak, Ash and (Haw)Thorn. Ummm, I know the trio of trees having significance might be a modern Pagan concept, with the exception of finding these trees at holy wells, but they still have seeped into the modern Pagan themes. So getting all three was intriguing to me.

Oak, however, was definitely the leader of the pack today. The lore about the Oak tree is vast, and there are many oaks around the world that are revered. What’s your favorite Oak tree or Oak folkore?

Oak – No One Knows Their Fate

Meaning: Fate is a a door that can swing in both directions. We may endeavor to know what our own personal fate is going to be, but to do this can be a double-edged sword. Who has not wondered what the future holds in store, only to be brought up short with the thought that to know such things changes everything, effectively taking away our freedom of choice? True fate comes from recognizing each moment for what it contains, and acknowledging a fated or fateful chance that brings us closer to the path we are meant to be walking. fate is not written in stone, however, for we have choices that open up before us every day.

Neither does fate control which of the paths we take, for it merely guides us toward the realization of our potential. to understand this brings strength and an age-old wisdom that teach us how to live in harmony with the circumstances that fate may have put in front of us. If you draw this card, think what it is that is truly motivating you.

Oak Lore: The oak has been called the first among trees – not surprisingly, since it is often the tallest and most imposing in any grove. In Britain it is frequently called the royal oak, while to the Druids (whose name means “oak wisdom”) it was the central tree of their mystery, acknowledged in Ireland as the tree sacred to the Dagda, father god of Celtic tradition who, like the oak itself, never failed to give hospitality to all who asked for it. Appearances of the oak in myth and folklore are so numerous that it was clearly recognized a sacred tree from the earliest times; indeed, it was held in the highest honor by the Norse people and the Greeks, for whom the oak represented Thor and Zeus, respectively. The use of oak wood in shipbuilding – from Jason’s great ship Argo, which had a branch from the sacred oak of Dodona in its hull, to the floating castles build to defend Britain from the French armada – has added to its reputation for strength and endurance. “Hearts of oak are our ships, hearts of oak are our men,” runs the old song.

Oracles & Predictions: The oak’s association with prediction seems t be common to most cultures. For the ancient Greeks, to consume acorns was to imbibe wisdom, while the oak shrine at Dodona was guarded by priestesses who interpreted the future from the rustling of leaves on the great tree. the voice of the sacred spring that rose at its root and the behavior of birds in its branches. All of these ideas are echoed in Celtic tradition, which describes a number of sacred oak trees, which were often roosting places for oracular birds. the oak was also sacred to Taranis, Celtic god of lightning and storms, and to this day the tree’s trunk is especially revered if it is struck by lightning.

Heroes of the Oak: Robin Hood, the semi-divine hero of the greenwood, used to meet with his outlaw band under the Major Oak in Sherwood Forest. This tree is still standing, although now propped up with wooden struts, and with a 20-meter (65-foot) diameter it can house unto 34 children in its hollow trunk. The area around Herne’s Oak in Windsor Great Park is still said to echo with the call of the god’s hunter horn (Herne is a spirit of the trees, and is almost as old as the Green Man himself). Another famous oak, at Boscobel in Shropshire, is widely believed to have sheltered the fugitive King Chalres II from Oliver Cromwell’s soldiers. Each year, Oak Apple Dayis still celebrated in parts of Britain on May 29, when people wear sprigs of oak leaves in memory of this event.

The Spirit of Nature Oracle by author John Matthews and artist Will Worthington