I
did my dark moon circle by myself, this past Friday....out by my oak tree in
the backyard. I have built a cairn at the base of the tree and I have
turned that awesome oak into a clootie tree. I had seen several in my
travels, and always thought they were beautiful.
In
parts of Britain, Ireland and northern Europe, there is a tradition of
fastening a piece of cloth to trees, usually oaks, near the holy wells.
The oak tree is a symbol of long life, wisdom and health. I did see
them in many those places but I also saw a version of it at Ephesus, in
Turkey. An entire wall by the House of Mary. Here’s a picture.....very
impressive!
In
Celtic traditions, a ‘Clootie’ or ‘Cloot’, ‘Clought’ or even
‘Cloughtie’ is a strip of cloth, rag or ribbon is dipped in the water of
the spring or well and offered to the tree or Deity. This is done as
prayer or wish to cure an illness or solve a problem. The cloth is tied
to the tree, and as it fades and disintegrates over time, so does the
sickness or issue. Another way to incorporate this into a practice is
to make a Wish Tree, where offerings are hung on the branches or placed
by the spring or well. These offerings may include a coin, stone, charm,
necklaces, medals, beads and any symbol of your faith.
My
tree is a bit of both, it has cloth, beads, shells, whatever strikes my
fancy. I only started doing this about 6 months ago, so feel free next
time you visit my home, to bring something to the tree. I can see it
from my dining room window, and it never fails to make me smile. Here is
a picture of my tree. Please ignore the huge blue rain barrel. :-)
So,
last night, I stood out by the tree, cast a circle and then just stood
there...listening to the night sounds of my backyard. I didn’t ask for
anything or do any ritual...just hung out with the tree and in that way,
was one with nature and my God and Goddess. I did say Thank you for all
my blessings, and friends and the all around great life I have been
given.
