Post by wren on Jan 3, 2007 12:40:50 GMT -5
Eadha (Aspen) pronounced EH-yuh
Botanical name: Populus tremula. Status: chieftain-tree. Sound: e.
Elaborations on the Ogham Name Eadha: Horrible grief; test tree or Aspen.
Word Ogham of Morainn mac Moín: Aspen is distinguished man or wood, a name for the trembling tree.
Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Aspen, kinsman to the birch, aspen.
Word Ogham of Óengus: Aspen: additional name for a friend.
Spiritedness
Visualize a shimmering aspen tree lit by moonlight, its leaves a raiment of gaping and grimacing faces.
Eadha is the aspen or white poplar. As we shall see, this ‘trembling’ tree has associations with testing and the conquest of fear. It augurs an issue – vocational, romantic, financial, or spiritual – that you must confront and overcome. This is a sore trial that must be undergone; yet, on a positive note, you will emerge stronger and wiser for it.
Aspen is the smallest member of the poplar family, a short-lived species that begins to fail after sixty-odd years of growth. Poplars grow rapidly in their early years, however, attaining heights of a hundred feet (sixty or seventy for the aspen). They are lowland and valley-loving trees that crave moisture and often grow along riverbanks.
The Latin name of the aspen reveals one of its most significant features: it is Populus tremula – the trembling poplar. Aspen’s long stalks and flattened, upright leaves mean that it trembles at the slightest movement of wind; all the more so as this member of the poplar family haunts open spaces, such as fields, heaths, moorland, hills and the wood’s edge. This incessant movement has helped establish its aura as a tree and tree-letter connected to the invisible.
Fear is a palpable physiological reaction: when we are terrified we literally tremble like the aspen tree quivering in the wind. Fear can paralyze the central nervous system and leave us immobilized and robbed of freedom of action. Our fear is often a greater adversary to us than the things of which we are afraid; it can stunt our ability to live life to the fullest. Some people abide continually in this state, which is a debilitating condition.
Yet fear is also there for a reason. It pinpoints issues that we must respond to and address, however uncomfortable the process. The shadows that are so threatening actually carry a message in their bony fingers. As such, your fear can be your teacher, highlighting weaknesses and showing you where you need to strengthen yourself.
So it is that the conquest of fear involves accepting and embracing one’s own personal darkness. This is an archetypal rite of passage that can be seen in the hero’s quest in the ancient sagas, or in the tale of the shaman who must journey into the frightening realms of the spirit world and return with the fruits of healing and wholeness for the wider community. Thus fear actually becomes a friend and ally, the ‘additional name for a friend’ of the Word Ogham of Óengus.
Reversed, Eadha signifies being overwhelmed by the fears and shadows of the dark side of the imagination. While real terrors do exist, you are allowing them to assume a greater stature in your mind than they deserve. Remember, outer circumstances can only triumph over you when your spirit had been vanquished. Do not let this happen: become the master of your fear!
Keywords: Fear, testing, right of passage, conquest of fear, ‘feeling the fear and doing it anyway’, befriending one’s fears, warrior spirit, spiritedness, self-confidence, steadfastness, courage, resolution.
Reversed: Being overwhelmed by fear, need to master your fear.
Botanical name: Populus tremula. Status: chieftain-tree. Sound: e.
Elaborations on the Ogham Name Eadha: Horrible grief; test tree or Aspen.
Word Ogham of Morainn mac Moín: Aspen is distinguished man or wood, a name for the trembling tree.
Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Aspen, kinsman to the birch, aspen.
Word Ogham of Óengus: Aspen: additional name for a friend.
Spiritedness
Visualize a shimmering aspen tree lit by moonlight, its leaves a raiment of gaping and grimacing faces.
Eadha is the aspen or white poplar. As we shall see, this ‘trembling’ tree has associations with testing and the conquest of fear. It augurs an issue – vocational, romantic, financial, or spiritual – that you must confront and overcome. This is a sore trial that must be undergone; yet, on a positive note, you will emerge stronger and wiser for it.
Aspen is the smallest member of the poplar family, a short-lived species that begins to fail after sixty-odd years of growth. Poplars grow rapidly in their early years, however, attaining heights of a hundred feet (sixty or seventy for the aspen). They are lowland and valley-loving trees that crave moisture and often grow along riverbanks.
The Latin name of the aspen reveals one of its most significant features: it is Populus tremula – the trembling poplar. Aspen’s long stalks and flattened, upright leaves mean that it trembles at the slightest movement of wind; all the more so as this member of the poplar family haunts open spaces, such as fields, heaths, moorland, hills and the wood’s edge. This incessant movement has helped establish its aura as a tree and tree-letter connected to the invisible.
Fear is a palpable physiological reaction: when we are terrified we literally tremble like the aspen tree quivering in the wind. Fear can paralyze the central nervous system and leave us immobilized and robbed of freedom of action. Our fear is often a greater adversary to us than the things of which we are afraid; it can stunt our ability to live life to the fullest. Some people abide continually in this state, which is a debilitating condition.
Yet fear is also there for a reason. It pinpoints issues that we must respond to and address, however uncomfortable the process. The shadows that are so threatening actually carry a message in their bony fingers. As such, your fear can be your teacher, highlighting weaknesses and showing you where you need to strengthen yourself.
So it is that the conquest of fear involves accepting and embracing one’s own personal darkness. This is an archetypal rite of passage that can be seen in the hero’s quest in the ancient sagas, or in the tale of the shaman who must journey into the frightening realms of the spirit world and return with the fruits of healing and wholeness for the wider community. Thus fear actually becomes a friend and ally, the ‘additional name for a friend’ of the Word Ogham of Óengus.
Reversed, Eadha signifies being overwhelmed by the fears and shadows of the dark side of the imagination. While real terrors do exist, you are allowing them to assume a greater stature in your mind than they deserve. Remember, outer circumstances can only triumph over you when your spirit had been vanquished. Do not let this happen: become the master of your fear!
Keywords: Fear, testing, right of passage, conquest of fear, ‘feeling the fear and doing it anyway’, befriending one’s fears, warrior spirit, spiritedness, self-confidence, steadfastness, courage, resolution.
Reversed: Being overwhelmed by fear, need to master your fear.