Post by wren on Dec 14, 2006 11:49:09 GMT -5
Ruis (Elder) pronounced RWEESH)
Botanical name: Sambucus nigra. Status: shrub. Sound: r.
Elaborations on the Ogham Name Ruis: Elder, the redness of shame.
Word Ogham of Morainn mac Moín: Elder is the intensest of blushes, from the reddening or shame.
Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Elder equals glow of anger, punishment.
Word Ogham of Óengus: Elder equals redness of faces.
Rue
See a face marked with the juice of red berries ringed by a wreath of woven elder-branches.
Ruis, elder, is on the one hand a tree-letter of regret, shame, humiliation and even retribution. The old English word ‘rue’ corresponds to these qualities. However, you should not be alarmed, for despite it challenges, Ruis is on the other hand a great teacher linked with magical powers and the ability to change and creatively transform the legacies of past actions.
The elder tree is a tree of modest scale that seldom reaches above thirty feet in height. Its trunk is unusual, for as a sapling it sprouts several stems and each of these grows upward in its own right, finally drooping over with the weight of its own foliage. Elder thus develops into a king of thicket of shoots. Perhaps these characteristics translate into its traditional identity as a tree of shame or rue; a thick profusion of shoots which bend under their own burden.
Elder has the features that mark out other Faery trees: white flowers and reddish berries. Its small white flowers open in summer and appear star-like, with five petals. Among other insects, they especially attract flies. The berries ripen in autumn and provide nourishment for birds. They also explain, on a naturalistic level, the Word Ogham references to ‘reddening’ and ‘redness of face’ (and thus shame). Elderberry wine was also once a commonly fermented beverage, though the tree itself was never wantonly felled, as it was traditionally associated with witches. There is the ancient belief in the ‘Elder Mother’ as the in-dwelling spirit of the tree, who would avenge harm done to her wards, the elder trees.
Ruis is an Ogham of regret over our deeds. Perhaps you are suffering embarrassment and wishing an event or set of circumstances had never happened. The term ‘shame’ implies that you or someone else may be suffering a ‘reddening of face’ over some incident or other. Shame has the role of alerting us to the fact that we have lost the right path and need to correct our actions. It prevents us from continually taking the wrong turns and pursuing inappropriate ends.
Elder can also correspond to what we understand by the term ‘karma’. If we believe that actions accumulate and take on a life of their own in our fate-path, then we can become empowered by this knowledge. Learning from mistakes will free you to harmonize with the unfolding of your unique destiny. Take the initiative to work on the fundamental threads of your life and weave them into new patterns.
Ruis can also involve matters of revenge, the ‘glow of anger’. Often when affairs of one kind or another have not been satisfactorily resolved, vengefulness comes into play. Though the Celts were very warlike, with grievances being nursed obsessively, the Druids often mediated disputes and generally smoothed the water. Take a leaf from their book.
Reversed, Ruis suggests that accounts are yet to be settled on some issue along the path you have been walking. You cannot escape guilt through denial; humiliation only arises where regrets have not been addressed. Take action to purge yourself of these emotions’ they are unhealthy and attract retribution. Similarly, do not dwell in vengefulness – it is better to let the higher powers dispose as they will than to assume the role of arbiter. Weed your own garden before glaring across at your neighbor’s patch.
Keywords: Rue, regret, shame, embarrassment, humiliation, grievances, retribution, revenge, vendetta, Karma, being called to account, the need to rework destiny.
Reversed: Accounts to be settled, addressing regrets, purging humiliation, tending one’s own patch.
Botanical name: Sambucus nigra. Status: shrub. Sound: r.
Elaborations on the Ogham Name Ruis: Elder, the redness of shame.
Word Ogham of Morainn mac Moín: Elder is the intensest of blushes, from the reddening or shame.
Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Elder equals glow of anger, punishment.
Word Ogham of Óengus: Elder equals redness of faces.
Rue
See a face marked with the juice of red berries ringed by a wreath of woven elder-branches.
Ruis, elder, is on the one hand a tree-letter of regret, shame, humiliation and even retribution. The old English word ‘rue’ corresponds to these qualities. However, you should not be alarmed, for despite it challenges, Ruis is on the other hand a great teacher linked with magical powers and the ability to change and creatively transform the legacies of past actions.
The elder tree is a tree of modest scale that seldom reaches above thirty feet in height. Its trunk is unusual, for as a sapling it sprouts several stems and each of these grows upward in its own right, finally drooping over with the weight of its own foliage. Elder thus develops into a king of thicket of shoots. Perhaps these characteristics translate into its traditional identity as a tree of shame or rue; a thick profusion of shoots which bend under their own burden.
Elder has the features that mark out other Faery trees: white flowers and reddish berries. Its small white flowers open in summer and appear star-like, with five petals. Among other insects, they especially attract flies. The berries ripen in autumn and provide nourishment for birds. They also explain, on a naturalistic level, the Word Ogham references to ‘reddening’ and ‘redness of face’ (and thus shame). Elderberry wine was also once a commonly fermented beverage, though the tree itself was never wantonly felled, as it was traditionally associated with witches. There is the ancient belief in the ‘Elder Mother’ as the in-dwelling spirit of the tree, who would avenge harm done to her wards, the elder trees.
Ruis is an Ogham of regret over our deeds. Perhaps you are suffering embarrassment and wishing an event or set of circumstances had never happened. The term ‘shame’ implies that you or someone else may be suffering a ‘reddening of face’ over some incident or other. Shame has the role of alerting us to the fact that we have lost the right path and need to correct our actions. It prevents us from continually taking the wrong turns and pursuing inappropriate ends.
Elder can also correspond to what we understand by the term ‘karma’. If we believe that actions accumulate and take on a life of their own in our fate-path, then we can become empowered by this knowledge. Learning from mistakes will free you to harmonize with the unfolding of your unique destiny. Take the initiative to work on the fundamental threads of your life and weave them into new patterns.
Ruis can also involve matters of revenge, the ‘glow of anger’. Often when affairs of one kind or another have not been satisfactorily resolved, vengefulness comes into play. Though the Celts were very warlike, with grievances being nursed obsessively, the Druids often mediated disputes and generally smoothed the water. Take a leaf from their book.
Reversed, Ruis suggests that accounts are yet to be settled on some issue along the path you have been walking. You cannot escape guilt through denial; humiliation only arises where regrets have not been addressed. Take action to purge yourself of these emotions’ they are unhealthy and attract retribution. Similarly, do not dwell in vengefulness – it is better to let the higher powers dispose as they will than to assume the role of arbiter. Weed your own garden before glaring across at your neighbor’s patch.
Keywords: Rue, regret, shame, embarrassment, humiliation, grievances, retribution, revenge, vendetta, Karma, being called to account, the need to rework destiny.
Reversed: Accounts to be settled, addressing regrets, purging humiliation, tending one’s own patch.