Silver Birch - Betula pendula (December 24th - January 20th)

THIS MONTH: Silver Birch - Betula pendula

Birch was the first tree to colonize Europe and North America after the last Ice Age so it is fitting that it should be the first consonant of the Tree Alphabet. Besides being one of the daintiest trees it is also one of the hardiest. One of the first trees to leaf, it is easily recognized by the tracery of its delicate green leaves, twigs, branches and white trunk. It is fast growing and acts as a nurse tree by offering protection to slower growing trees like oak and pine. Because its leaves are small and cast a light shadow other plants are easily able to grow in its shelter and this in turn encourages insects, birds and animals into the woods.
The first ogham inscription made in Ireland was said to have been written on a switch of birch. Birch bark makes exceptionally potent magical parchment. In Irish legend the lovers Diarmid, King of all Ireland and the goddess Grainne made their home in the shelter of birch twigs as they fled from their pursuer, Finn Mac Coll. For the Celts the birch was the 'Tree of Inception' of new beginnings, birth, springtime and young love. In parts of Wales, a girl would give her sweetheart a piece of birch as a love token. Associated with the pioneer spirit, birch implies the breaking of new ground and survival under extreme circumstances. As a bringer of strength and protection in adversity, the tree nurtures new life and its wood is believed to help ward off evil. Hence the tradition of making babies cradles from birch. Carrying a birch talisman is likewise said to protect you from harm.
The birch tree plays an important part in many of the year's oldest celebrations. It is the traditional Yule log that was burned during the midwinter ceremonies to drive out the old year while welcoming in the new. This old festival falls at the same time as the later Christian celebrations of the birth of Christ. A birch trunk is also traditionally used as the maypole because of its associations with fertility, birth and springtime. It is the tree most associated with the youthful aspect of the White Goddess, particularly in her role as bringer and protector of new life. The triple goddess appears in cultures throughout the world in 3 guises, maiden. mother and crone. The white bark is the goddess's mark and this colour is also said to denote close links with the fairies.
For the Welsh Celts it is the tree of Arianrhod, who is in charge of the Silver Wheel of the Heavens and who presides over birth & initiation, and of the virginal goddess Blodeuwedd, who was created from 9 types of flowers as a consort for the Welsh sky god, Lew. The Anglo-Saxons used the birch to create Eostre, goddess of fertility and springtime. For the Nordic people the birch was the tree of Frigga, the Babylonians called her Ishtar and the ancient Egyptians, Isis. In Teutonic mythology, the Last Battle of the World will be fought around a birch tree.
The birch is the Cosmic Tree of Celtic shamanism. Druids visualized its white trunk when climbing up through the different planetary spheres to communicate with the World Spirit. Various origins of the word 'beith or beth', variations of the Gaelic name for birch, are given the meaning 'existence, enduring, world and shining one'. It symbolizes a fresh start, giving us courage and determination.

Sweet bird of the meadow, soft be thy nest
Thy mother will wake thee at morn from thy rest,
She has made a soft nest, little redbreast, for thee,
Of the leaves of the birch, and the moss of the tree.

Colour White, Planet Venus, Stone Crystal, Polarity Feminine, Elements Air/water
Deities Arianrhod, Blodeuwedd, Frigga, Frigga, Freya, Eostre
Inception, Purity + Cleanliness, Love + Friendship, Birth + Initiation