The Wild Wisdom of Holly

Previous Tree Cycle: Oak

Tree Cycle: Tinne Holly

Holly Tree Cycle Dates: May 16 – June 12

Key Words For Holly: Protection, Security, Grip, Mountain, Healing, Hope, Strength, Loyalty, Commitment, Reason, Resilience, Discernment, Regeneration, Action, Focus, Purpose, Observation, Trust, Abandonment, Challenge.

Lunation: 8th

Souls Evolution Stage: Father

The Council of Trees - Hidden Tree Cycles: BEITH Birch LUIS Rowen

The Council of Trees - Hidden Tree Cycles Date: November 16 – December 12

Key Words of The Council of Trees: Birch - New Beginnings, Fresh Start, Release, Relief, Rest, Cleansing, Rebuilding, Self-Respect, Forgiveness, Deity, Gift. Rowen - Synchronicity, Spirit, Home & Hearth, Listen, Depth, Observation, Journey, Challenge, Clarity, Protection, Inner Realm, Fae.

Holly Tree Cycle

Journeying through the Oak Tree Cycle we may have called upon our inner strength to guide us. We may also have listened to and trusted our inner voice opening up our world of creativity. Holly sweeps in and offers us support as we continue on through our journey of creation. We face challenges while moving through a restless vibrational energy in the atmosphere during Holly season. Often within the Holly tree cycle we want to move forward with focused action feeling a clear sense of our masculine energies, however there may still be residual stillness within nature and especially this year in 2021 as many plants and trees were moving a little slower with their growth than usual. We may feel that our endeavours are not moving fast enough for us due to a lack of momentum in the air with a conflict between winter and spring energies. We feel agitated and unable to settle into any practice that would normally support us and we experience resistance from our connection within our spiritual path generating a lost feeling. Patience within acceptance is a worthwhile practice during this time. We can lean into our own trust of ourselves, our inner locus and understand that everything happens when the time is right. Understanding that we are a network of many living spirits sharing in this moment in time together opens up within us a perspective that allows us to find outer peace and we can offer ourselves healing. Moving within Holly allows us to abandon our inner realms in a healthy way and focus on being present in the here and now of physical life, focused, even if simply only on the day to day, run of the mill, mundane tasks. And to find enjoyment in simple living. Going with the flow each day takes the pressure of us of what we think we should be doing and supports us in feeling free to roam and experience the joy of the beginnings of the summer transformation.

The Council of Trees & The Hidden Tree Cycles

Influence: Birch

Inspiration: Rowen

The hidden Birch tree cycle partially (May 16 – May 28) engages us during the first half of Holly season. The support that the Birch tree will offer us during this first phase of the Holly cycle will be different than when we engaged Birch within Oak season due to the varying spiritual weathers. Comparable to the effect upon water for instance such as when water is sparse and freezes in the winter, so does it flow abundantly and freely in the summer. Birch will guide us in a way that will support us through the first two weeks of Holly through encouraging us to engage respite within the three graces of Relief, Release and Rest. Birch will offer us healing and cleansing to ease our frustrations and place cooling salve upon our agitations. We are reminded by Birch that anything worth building takes time to develop and grow and that the spaces in between the business is rich and sensuous, if we temper our inner heat and cool our heals long enough to relax into the moment. We tell ourselves 'I will start this great new thing at the beginning of the month... or on Monday... or at the start of the year.' Because we are taught to live life linearly and plan our experiences thus so. Birch reminds us that new beginnings are never at the beginning of anything, they are throughout and continual and always present with each passing second. With frequent opportunities to begin anew on any minute of any day we give ourselves permission to release ourselves from our own chains, our own frustrations and regenerate our strength for when it is most needed. We can start new and fresh whenever we need to, and there is no time like the present to put a new plan in motion.

The hidden Rowen tree cycle partially engages us between May 28th and June 12th during the second half of Holly season. Rowen recognises that challenge is at the forefront of our minds during this time and that protection should be a focus. We may be facing difficult experiences related to family or friends and struggling to find a place of balance. Rowen reminds us to seek shelter in the comfort and protection of our own homes. To sink into home and hearth magic and to find ways that nurture our wounds or worries through tending our own dwellings with tender love and attention to detail. Much of what happens in our life is out of our control and more often than not we are 'reacting' to stimuli outside of ourselves. We meet others and interact at the 'contact boundary' as defined in Gestalt therapy and often we are not fully aware of what is created between us and others. Consider that we can loose a sense of what is our 'stuff' versus someone else's. Rowen inspires us to create a depth experience for ourselves, to observe and listen during this interim period of frustration within Holly and to focus on our self-awareness development and personal growth. "I can't do you but I can do me" is a helpful mantra at this time to bring us back to ourselves. In engaging with others and nature in a mindful way we will foster patience. As in Gestalt therapy, we can create healthy boundaries supported by Holly's focus and with Rowen's clarity and create space between what others bring in to the room and what we bring into the room.

A Tree Blessing For Holly

Stone sister, cold of ash,

Stone brother's frost is cast.

I knew you when the snow was long,

Glossy green leaves piercing winter's song.

Keepers of sleep,

The icicles weep.

Children play shops.

Beneath your fluted steep.

Stone sister, cold of ash.

Stone brother's frost is cast.

Remind me of old winter's home.

When the days were short and the nights were long.

Offering to the Council

You may like to make an offering to your Council if you felt that their wisdom supported you in some helpful way through Holly season. I will encourage you to consult your own intuition or indeed connect with the trees themselves to find a thoughtful and appropriate way to honour them. If you are stuck for time or are struggling to tune in, as can be common during Holly season I will make a little suggestion for your consideration. You may like to spend a little time creating a faery garden to sit on your windowsill, balcony or in your own garden. The Rowen tree offers us protection from psychic vibes and malevolent energies. We can carry a dried Rowen berry beaded necklace or bracelet as a charm to ward off unwanted attention. In creating a faery garden with natural materials such as pebbles, shells and feathers we will provide an offering to the nature spirits that they will find amusing and joyful and recognise as meaningful and thoughtful acknowledgement on our part of the roles that they play in keeping our natural world growing and healthy.

Next tree cycle Hazel & Apple

Yours in the heart of the woodland.

Maggie Black.