A Clover by Any Other Name

My daughter Skye found two Five Leaf Clover in our back yard today. Not one, but two of them growing side by side on the same cluster of Clover. I've never found anything but the usual three leaves every time I've ended up near a Clover plant and took the time to look. In one quick glance down, Skye happened upon two of the rare deformities. Needless to say it started me thinking.

To begin with when I was younger there would not have been a "weed" of any kind allowed to grow in our grass, so the chances of me finding any Clover at all would have been very slim. My Dad was a real stickler about weed killer and fertillizer. My how times have changed. Now we're more concerned with what type of chemicals are getting into our ground water and sewer system so we try to use environmentally kind weed control.

Aside from the whole environmental issue the scientic name for Clover is Trifolium and it belongs to the same family as the Irish Shamrock. The ones we actually purchase special from the florist in the beginning of March! The Shamrock is a particular variety of Trifolium.

Trifolium is a Latin word that very literally means three leafed.  There are about three hundred different species of Trifolium, including Clover and Shamrock. Some of the other names it's known by are Honey, Honeystalks, Shamrock, Three-Leafed Grass, Trefoil and Trifoil.

Most people know the lore of a four-leafed clover supposedly bringing good luck, however that's not the only magic surrounding this legendary plant. Some of it's powers include protection, money, love, fidelity, exorcism and success.

Two-Leaved - you shall soon find a lover.

Three-Leaved - worn for protection

Four-Leaved - protects against madness, strengthens psychic abilities, enables you to detect the presense of ghosts and leads the wearer to money, gold or treasure.

Five-Leaved - powerful for attracting money

White Clover worn or scattered around protects against hexes. Red Clover aids in dealing with financial matters and removes negative spirits. Clover in general is believed to keep snakes away if grown on your property. One more fact against the tale of Saint Patrick's ridding Ireland of snakes. Where there are Shamrocks there would not have been snakes to begin with. Of course many feel it was the Driuds he was talking about not the reptiles.

Clover has many uses in agriculture and Livestock raising, including feed, fertilizer and soil restoration. It's easily grown as ground cover and comes back even when mowed repeatedly and is very imortant in the production of Honey. The next time you spot a clump of clover in your garden, look it over a bit closer. You never know what you might find.

Sunday, the day of the Sun!

Happy Sunday to all! Since today is named for the Sun it's seems like a good time to discus the Ogham (pronounced oh-am, the g is silent) of Oak. Oak is thought to be associated with the Sun and the element of fire. It is known as Duir and represents the letter "D". It is written as two slashes on the left side of a vertical line.

Ogham is an ancient Celtic alphabet that may have originated far back in pre-history with a group of people who many feel are only a myth themselves, the Tuatha De Danann. It is the Tuathan God of Elloquence, Oghma who is crediteded with development of the Ogham. The Tuatha are often refered to as the last "magical" race of Ireland and were considered to be the inhabitants prior to the arrival of the Celts. Though they were originally said to have been taller than average, in modern times it is the Tuatha who are associated with the diminutive faeries and nature spirits. Tolkin based his "Elves" on the Tuatha De Danann in his books The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings.

In early writings the ogham were thought to have been a secret message system carved into sticks and delivered by special courriers to pass information from behind enemy lines then burned. Sadly this is only theory since any wooden objects used would have long ago been destroyed. Ogham inscriptions have been found on stones in Ireland and other areas of the Brittish Isles dating back as far as the fifth century and are said to often mark land borders. There have even been a few discovered in North America! Although many attempts have been made to relate the Ogham to the Germanic Runes, the Ogham names are very Irish and have not been borrowed from any other language.

There is much lore surrounding the Oak tree. It is considered to be the "King of the Woodlands" and tallest of the trees, which may explain associations with the sun. The Oak can reach a height of one hundred and fifteen feet with a girth between thirty to forty feet! Oaks can have lifespans of over seven hundred years  and does not produce acorns for the first seventy to eighty, it is considered one of the longest living trees in the Northern Hemisphere and there are approximately six hundred species of Oak in the world.

Believed to have been sacred to the ancient Celtic Druids, who supposedly would not meet unless an Oak was present, many feel the word druid literally means "oak wisdom". Newgrange, the mystical center of Ireland, was anciently reputed to have an Oak grove at it's heart. The sacredness of this tree may also be attributed to it's dietary contribution as acorns were dried and ground to produce flour throughout the Brittish Isles and Europe. Wild pigs were very fond of the acorns and often found forraging beneath oaks, so indirectly the oak provided meat as well. Wild Boar is thought to have been a traditional feast and celebration food for the Tuatha De Danann. Hunting wild boar was considered an act of skill and bravery, a place of honor went to the warrior who was accredited with the kill.

 The Oak has been long valued for it's wood in the building of houses, ships and furniture, as well as high-quality charcoal for smith's forges. Tannin, produced by the bark is widely used in the process of tanning leather. Because of it's height oaks often attract lightening, yet it survival is well proven by the number of twisted and blasted oaks. Because of this the Oak has long been associated with gods of thunder in numerous mythologies of the world. The wood burns long and was generally preferred for ritual fires at Summer Solstice celebrations. A tree of such great strength a nail cannot be driven into it once the heartwood is aged.

In folk medicine acorns and crushed oak leaves were used as antiseptics. Gargling with a tea made from the inner bark is claimed to relieve a sore throat. Oak was also used to create remedies for fever, tired or inflamed eyes, an antidote for poison, plus pain and discomfort during a women's menstrual cycle!

Magically the Oak seems to naturally emanate protection. Two twigs of oak, bound in red thread to form an equal-armed cross are supposed to guard against evil and should be hung inside the house. Placing acorns in windows guards against lightening. Carrying a piece of oak protects from all harm and draws good luck. Carrying an acorn is said to preserve youthfulness, increase fertility and strengthen sexual potency. Religous idols were often fashioned from oak. Planting an acorn during the dark of the moon is claimed to ensure money will come to you soon. Here's a fun one for an autumn afternoon with children; catch a falling oak leaf and you shall have no colds all winter!

To find out more about the Ogham and the lore of the trees very good sources of information are:
Ogam, The Celtic Oracle of the Trees by Paul Rhys Mountfort
Celtic Tree Mysteries, Practical Druid Magic & Divination by Steve Blamires
Druid Magic, The Practice of Celtic Wisdom by Maya Magee Sutton Ph.D. and Nicholas R. Mann
Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham