Wednesday 29 April 2015

I have lost the plot

Yes I admit it I have lost the plot about writing my blog, my note book is full of ideas for blogs but for the last two months these ideas just lay in my notebook . Why?  Well that is the question!

These are the subjects for some of the blogs I did not Post. I  made notes about and even wrote rough copies of them but never published a blog.


 Islamic State its message and attraction for some young people                            The sea mist of pollution drifts in from Europe

Walking  through Steep in Hampshire tracking Edward Thomas' path and listening to his poetry and prose.

Bind Weed lurking at the edges of my plot seeking to spiral  its way across it.       My plot in early Spring.                                                                                             Making a wildlife pond on my plot
 Tai Chi with Andy and Mark



These and other ideas were ready to edit and post but were abandoned. I will write a blog again here, perhaps tomorrow, at the weekend  or maybe next month.
.
Time for tea  and to walk Poppy Dog. 


A meditation by Thich NHat Hanh



Drinking Tea


This cup of tea in my two hands
Mindfulness held perfectly
My Mind and Body dwell 
In the very here and now




With Reiki light and blessings to you all
MerryB




  


Sunday 15 February 2015

Poppy dog comes to stay and encounters Cats!

Poppy after cat attack


Poppy dog as a pup went to a loving home, but there was one problem, her new mum wanted a small lap dog, but her daughter bought her a fox terrier collie cross - a Follie.  The Blue Cross have stated two of the most difficult dogs to re-home are fox terriers and collies, as they are working dogs and have boundless energy and can be hectic!  That describes my girl!

Poppy's mum found her impossible to walk, and too hectic to let her have the run of the house, eventually she was tied up for 24/7 hours.  The Lady loved her but Poppy was the first dog she ever owned and she had no idea how manage her.  She tried her best and had the courage to find her a new home because she loved her.   In November 2009 Poppy went to a new home but  came bouncing back, because the new owner could not cope with a dog so full of energy. Poor Poppy bounced back two more times.  It was after this I heard about her and thought, 
Oh a collie - Oh Lassie!  
Oh sigh  how wrong I was!  

Poppy Dog  arrived six years ago four days before Christmas.  She was given the freedom of the house.  She pelted round the downstairs and then for the first time in her life she encountered a cat, not just any cat  but…

Tiddles an ex- feral feisty Queen who ruled the household with a firm paw.
Tiddles spies Poppy  in the room



After a rapid exploration of the downstairs Poppy decided to tackle the stairs just as Tiddles was coming down.  Tiddles raised her hackles and spat, hissed and beat Poppy down the stairs.  As Poppy had never climbed stairs before she did not know how to get down so she slid down dripping blood from her nose and landed in a heap at the bottom of the stairs.  I was really concerned and picked Tiddles up and gave her a cuddle and some chicken.  Raymondo cat watched through the banisters. It was only later I saw the blood splatters on the stairs.


Poppy had no idea about how to deal with cats, and was beaten up everyday. Tiddles and Poppy never bonded.  Poor Pops lived with one enemy  in the house,  While in the streets she,encounters many more. 


Ollie cat lurks in the night for Poppy
 Ollie is a lovely ginger tom cat who lives round the corner from our house. He frequently lurk waiting for Poppy to pass on our  evening walk. He will spring  out from under a car, over the top of a garden wall or dive on her from the roof of a garage.  He howls,  hisses and spits as he springs on her.  Poppy cowers every time we pass Ollie's garden.




The worst cat Poppy has encountered was  Harry a huge white tom.  He lived on our way to the allotment, he would lurk unseen and jump out at Pops claws bared, hackles raised. He would walk crab like after us.  Poppy  would also walk side ways so she could see where Harry was and if he was in striking distance.  She would try to slink past but he always saw her.  Fortunately for Pops he moved away. However,  there are black cats, black and white cats, ginger toms  for her to encounter.  All these cats  treat her with disdain and greet her with howls and hisses.


Time to get Poppy in trouble
Tiddles' son Raymondo cat would streak out the door and jump up on the wall or table trying to avoid being chased by Poppy. I put a gate up stairs so Tiddles and Raymondo could come and go as they wanted but had a space which was a dog free zone. Raymondo would poke his head between the banisters and call from the upstairs, safe behind the gate. Poppy would immediately  run upstairs and jump up clinging onto the banister rail, Raymondo always stood just out of her reach but near enough to hit her with his paws if he felt like it.  He never used his claws on Poppy.  This game would be repeated every evenings.  They enjoyed being together and often would be sleeping nose to nose either side of the gate contented to be  together. However,  if Raymondo moved  quickly down the stairs Poppy's sheep dog instinct would come out and she would chase him to herd him back into the house.


We no longer live with cats .  Raymondo, who was the last of a family of five cats, died last August and Poppy dog is now No.1  in the household.  There will be more cats in our house but for the moment Poppy is enjoying being pampered and not getting told off,  by me, for being aggressive to the cats.    Yes I do know that it was the cats that were aggressive to her but.....

Pops dog is very gentle and sweet and funny. She still loves to chase a cat, and I often get yanked up the road as she spies a cat, or she dives over a garden wall. to see if there is cat hiding over there. She dangles over the wall head down with her back legs  on the other side of the wall as we haul her back by her lead.  In this position she is very vulnerable to attack from a hidden cat’s sharp claws.  Poppy has not yet learnt that cats should be approached with caution. 


With gratitude for all the animals we have been privileged to have share  our home
and for our No.1  Poppy the  pampered dog

With Reiki blessings to you all

MerryB.




Friday 23 January 2015

Herbal Rescue Remedy - Chocolate

Over Christmas and the New Year I had a heavy cold and hacking cough.  to find relief from the symptoms I search my Herbal rescue basket, herbal notebook and my collection of books on herbs.  I was surprised to find that chocolate was good for chest congestion. colds and flu.

I had already brought some Fair Trade, organic raw cacao to make hot chocolate for my visitors over the holiday season, I could now have some not only for the feel good factor but also to help get rid of my cough and cold. -  Oh Yum yum or Num Num as my cat friends say!


Chocolate has been maligned as the devils food.



It has been accredited as causing tooth decay, obesity, acne, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetics.   It has been cited as the cause of headaches, heart burn. Chocolate that has high amounts of fat, sugar added and too much could lead to weight gain which could lead to heart disease, diabetics.


Hey isn't the sugar and fat that cause the problem in some chocolate confectionery -  not Cacao and Dark 60% Chocolate?

Chocolate  reputation has been rising in the last few years as a number of studies have suggested that it could be a health choices.  Not milk or white chocolate but 60% dark chocolate. Though no-one has suggested yet that is a health food

Cacao appears to reduce risk factors for heart disease. Flavanols in Cacao beans have antioxidant effects that reduce cell damage implicated in heart disease. Flavanols — which are more prevalent in dark chocolate than in milk chocolate.  It also help lower blood pressure and improve vascular function. (Mayo Clinic)

Dark chocolate is rich in vitamins and minerals like potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron, which can aid in preventing stroke, high blood pressure, heart disease and type-2 diabetes.( Women Health Review)

There are more health benefits from Chocolate which are well documented in medical and health literature.  Chocolate and especially raw Cacao is good for you. but not in huge quantities, 1 oz a day is the recommended amount to eat for health.   I bought a 200g pack of Raw Cacao before Christmas and have used only 70g up to today.   I have used it in drinks with milk or almond milk on cereal, and with nut butter and drinks for friends.  100g of raw cacao has 309 calories and only 9.5 g of fat and 1.5g of sugar..   These calories have been spread over 28 or more days.  I have really enjoyed using it, and it has given me health benefits and has been a great treat and pick-me-up when suffering the misery of bad cold and cough.  Yea   - three cheers for Cacao!

Chocolate and cacao  contain caffeine but about 10 to 20 percent of  that coffee.  So it can be a good alternative to coffee to beat drowsiness, and without the jitters that drinking Coffee can sometimes bring. However gorging on chocolate may  give  you a high but then can quickly  plummet you into a slump.  

Chocolate Aztec gold to Fair Trade co-operatives.




Thinking about chocolate made me realize that I knew very little about it where does the Cacao  grows?  Now I know it grows in  Peru and along the equator.  I am going to find more about the Fair Trade Cooperatives for farmers who grow Cacao


I also did not know what the Cacao trees and its fruit and the beans looked like.  I certainly do not think I have seen the flowers before. They are beautiful, would stunning be a better word? These produce the cacao beans which were the Aztec's gold.


I love this picture of Wild Cacao flowers.



Chocolate was not known in Europe until 1509 when Cortez was given it in a drink in golden beaker, he was interested in the gold beaker but the Aztec ruler Montezuma informed him the 100 of the beans was worth more than the gold of the beaker. 


Cortez took chocolate back to Spain and it was kept a secret from Europe until 1660.  It was most popular in Holland and England where milk and sugar was added, it was was not until about 150 years ago that it was made into the bars and the sweets we are so familiar with today.

Chocolate is now in my Herbal Remedy basket for the feel good factor and for its health benefits.  

My Conclusion is dark Chocolate and especially Raw Fair Trade, Organic Cacao is good for you. 
 Are you a believer?

With Reiki blessings and a chocolate kiss

MerryB

Here is a link to the Kitchen and recipes for healthy Hot Chocolate for you

Sunday 11 January 2015

Herbal Rescue Remedy - Valerian officinalis



Valerian - I am getting Sleepy

 After a stressful time before Christmas I found my sleep was disrupted and  my back and shoulders and neck were aching. This pain, I suspected, was because I was tense rather than a strain from digging on my plot.. Finally just after Christmas  I developed  a heavy cold and cough,  Then I was more frequently waking up in the night and finding it difficult to get back to sleep.  During the day I felt exhausted.  After a couple of day of this I set off  find a herbal rescue remedy. I went to see my local Medical Herbalist. Sandy,  After a consultation we decided that Valerian was the rescue remedy I need.

I used one teaspoon to make herbal infusion which I drank half an hour before I went to bed. It worked almost immediately, although at first I was still woken in the night by my busy mind chattering away, or a bout  of  coughing would wake me.   However I  was more relaxed and I was able to get back to sleep much more quickly. Gradually my sleep pattern has returned to normal.   The aches in my back, shoulder and neck were eased effectively.. I used Valerian tea  for ten days..  It seemed wise not to use it continuously but only when needed.  It is not addictive but I did not want to become psychologically dependent on it to get to sleep.

The taste of Valerian is for many people unpleasant and often they add honey and lemon, or mint to it. I found it OK and took it straight without additions.

Healing with Valerian


All parts of Valerian have sedative effect but the highest concentration is in the roots. Valerian has been compared to Valium, but Valerian is much safer and milder sedative and muscle relaxant and does not have side effects  of Valium. Valerian is contained in many over the counter medicines to ease insomnia and to deal with stress.. In Germany over 100 medicines have Valerian as the active ingredient as sleep aids and tranquilizers, some of which are suitable for children over 2 years old.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin musician and Herbalist


The modern story of the Pied Piper has him enchanting the Rats with his flute playing but early German Folklore credits him as being a accomplished herbalist and he charmed the rats and children with the hypnotic effect of Valerian and his flute.  It would have certainly worked on the rats  Rats and cats love it and sprawl and roll on the plant in ecstasy. It has a similar effect on cats as catnip. Raymondo cat would bruise the leaves of catnip by rolling on them each morning.  I had a supply of Pots for him to enjoy,   If the Pied Piper had given the children a drink containing Valerian it could have relaxed any fears they may have had about following the Piper out of Hamelin


The Greeks and Romans called  Valerian  Fu  - phew  -because of its taste, it was used as a diuretic, antidote to poison, pain relied and by  Galen as a decongestant.  Around the 10th Century it began to be called Valerian  derived from the Latin "valeo" meaning  " I am well".   It was known in local folklore as  "all well" suggesting its use as an ancient medicine.  The term officinalis  reflects the fact that monks and nuns distilled  this herb  in their herbarium still room. The 10th Century the German Abbess  Hildegard  of Bingen, a distinguished  herbalist, recommended it as a tranquilizer and sleep aid.

Culpeper in the seventeenth Century described Valerian as:
As Excellent  against nervous affections
During the World War 1 Valerian was prescribed for soldiers with shattered nerves as a result of the artillery bombardment and the horrors of life they had to endure on the battlefields. and in the trenches.


David Hoffman author of  book Holistic Herbal calls Valerian
one of the most useful relaxing herbs.
I am glad that my Medical Herbalist Sandy recommended  its used  at a time for me of sudden stress and illness.  I take most herbal remedies as a cold infusion or as  herbal tea of fresh or dried herbs rather than taking supplements or over the counter medicines..

Growing Valerian on My Plot.


I am wondering whether to grow Valerian on my plot, it is a hardy perennial.  It can be grown from seed or root cuttings. The seeds however, have a short viability, therefore  I  would need to get a root. It grow in the wild in marshy places and damp hedgerows, It grows to 5 or 6 feet, the flowers are pale pink or white, the leaves grow in pair which distinguish it from Kentranthus-ruber or Garden Valerian. which grows leaves in groups and the flowers are like red spurs.  Garden Valerian in the wild  grows on cliffs and in stone walls.

Valerian officinals  does have odour which the herbalist Michael Moor described as:
Like the smell of dirty socks
Hmm may be I will think again about growing it on my plot!

To help with quieting the mind before going to sleep you may like to listen to ELFENTHAL The early music ensemble playing "Caritas in abundat omnia"  a chant composed by Hildegard of Bingen  
 Love lives in all things, from these lowest being to the highest stars

 Wishing You Good Sleep and Reiki blessing

MerryB

PS  Chocolate is another  Herbal Rescue Remedy I used over Christmas.   I will blog  about this wonderful herb soon. Watch this space!


Thursday 1 January 2015

Happy New Year to You, Ancestors - Jelaluddin Rumi

Before I sit down to write to or email family,friends and followers at on New Years Day I draw a card from John Matthew's Shaman Oracle.  I use this card to help guide my wishes for you all for the next year. Today I drew the card The Ancestor of Guidance  Here is its guidance for you all in 2015. 



Ancestor of Guidance

I am the Ancestor of Guidance, I remember you and so watch over you.  I guide your steps as you embark on your life-path and counsel you as you make important decisions. Because I am your family - however ancient I know well the deepest places of you heart and soul , and stand ready to assist you in discovering the path you need to follow.  John Matthews Shaman's Oracle
The Elk or Stag is a powerful symbol found in Prehistoric Cave  Painting and here it represent the guidance we can receive from our ancestors if we open our minds to listen to the ancient wisdom of our families.  If you are seeking a new direction then the echoes of profound wisdom of our inner guides can help us find our way successfully, or give us aspiration to lead us forward on our life path This Card reminds us that we have the companionship of our Ancestors on what can sometime feel a lonely and difficult journey through life.

Here is a poem that illustrates our interconnecting to the the Wisdom of the Universe


"Say I am You" by Jelaluddin Rumi

 

I am the particles in sunlight,

I am the round sun.

To the bits of dust I say, Stay.

To the sun, Keep moving.

I am morning mist,

and the breathing of evening.

I am wind in the top of a grove,

and surf on the cliff.

Mast, rudder, helmsman, and keel,

I am also the coral reef they founder on.

I am a tree with a trained parrot in its branches.

Silence, thought, and voice.

The musical air coming through a flute,

a spark of stone, a flickering

in metal. Both candle,

and the moth crazy around it.

Rose, and the nightingale

lost in the fragrance.

I am all orders of being, the circling galaxy,

the evolutionary intelligence, the lift,

and the falling away. What is,

and what isn't. You who know

Jelaluddin, You the one

in all, say 

I am. Say I


Here is a link to a beautiful video of this poem 




Wishing you a Happy New Year

&
Reiki Blessings and Light

MerryB


 



Sunday 28 December 2014

Happy Birthday Pops Dog


Poorly Pops bounces back

Poppy dog started December being poorly, she was sick and did not eat for a day then gradually began to eat again small  amounts at a time.  Then she developed a cough which sounded just like the honking of a goose  .She had a swollen glands and throat and a dry nose, She still wanted to go out for walks but she did not whirl like a dervish with excitement and did not hustle me up the road to get to the park. Shoes and socks were not snatched away as they were taken off,  An annoying habit which frequently greeted us if we  had been out without her, but life seemed duller without the chase to get them back. The neighbours' cats could put their paws in the garden without Poppy hurtling down the garden path to protect her territory,  She seemed to have Kennel Cough so it was off to the vets.  Who confirmed she had Kennel Cough but was recovering and needed no treatment 


Twirling log roll 
Poppy bounced back quickly and once again  hauled us out of the door, bouncing and rushing to get to the park the woods, beach or plot. She was able to run and playing with her friends and back to whirling and twirling in the street and  park. Socks and shoes were once more at risk from a flying raid by Poppy dog seeking games and mischief.


Happy Birthday Poppy Dog.




Poppy's Birthday is the 21st of December she had lots of presents squeaky toys, an Eeyore soft toy which she adores and runs around carrying it and loves us to play with it with her, she jumps runs and tumbles with it.  She was given balls, and lights for her collar, which I love and she hates.  One is already broken during a whirling moment.  We cooked a special dinner of stewed lamb, for her, but best of all, I am sure, we went for a long walk to the sea, dog park and then  had lunch at the plot, which she loves.  She has a fan club among the plot holders and gets lots of cuddles,  She rolls on the grass plays with her balls and squeaky gnome, barks at  cats, seagulls, helicopters and the brent  geese flying overhead  to the mud flats in Langstone Harbour. 
.  


Poppy's birthday is on the day of the Winter Solstice and there was a perfect sunrise to greet her on her special day. She is such a gentle, being and loves playing, walking, always looks with delight at the food we put down for her.  She will come up and snuggle against us, enjoys being hugged, and having her tummy tickled. We are very blessed to live with her she brings joy and laughter to our home, banishing grumpy moods with her enthusiasm.  What a lovely gift we got six years ago of Poppy Dog . I am grateful for saving yes to  a friend who told me about  her being tied up 24/7 as her owner could not cope with her hectic ways.

With gratitude for the wonderful animals who share our lives

and planet

 Reiki Blessing to everyone.


Where has the squirrel gone?.
The tree is Holm Oak 250 years old

Sunday 7 December 2014

The Oak Lore, Legend & Myth



The Usefulness of Oak For Humans Created  Its Place In Legend,  Folklore and Myths.



The Oak's huge structure and long life, provides timber which has been used in buildings, joinery, fencing, and boat building from early Celtic times into the present day.  A matures oak's crop of acorns provides food for both domestic and woodland creatures. While in Spring its bark is stripped and used in  the tanning high quality leather.   


Oak is extremely durable and strong. In East Anglia the Sutton Hoo memorial ship-burial made for a fallen King or Hero was made of oak about 1400 years ago. The wood had disintegrated but the the Oak left a imprint in the ground and enable a reconstruction of the ship. 

Oak houses and building before the 12th Century would perhaps only last  a generation as the wood post driven into the ground would eventually rot away. 
However in  the 13th Century it was discover that:
.... a stone plinth and timber sill along with the use of strong timber joints. The stone plinth consisted of a line of stones, perhaps partly below ground as well as above, laid along the foot of walls. On this was placed a sturdy wooden sill….  Green oak rectangular post were then inserted into the sill and secured by mortise and tenon joints and held together by oak pegs (http://www.today.plus.com)

This solved the problem of oak posts rotting and building exist in the twenty first Century that were built in the 13th and 14th centuries


Oak's use in Healing


Oak galls, made by the larva of  gall wasp induce the oak to produce chemical that form into abnormal growth or galls  to encloses the developing larv, these galls were ground and were used as a cure for problems with the liver.

The distilled water of the bud, before they break out into leaves is... to assuge inflammation and to stop the fluxes. (Culpeper -15th century)
The inner bark of the tree and the skin covering were used to stop the spitting of the blood and the flux or as we would called diarrhoea  The bark is used by modern herbalist as an astringent, as a gargle for a sore throat and to stop diarrhoea. 

Edward Bach 's remedies were based on finding a cure for physiological states and stress that depleted the immune system.  He also looked to Doctrine of Signatures a medieval system in which the appearance and habit of a plant was thought to indicate what it would cure. The Bach Oak remedy

... is used to help us remain strong in adversity, while at the same time we learn it is better sometimes to let go rather than crack under the strain. (The Bach  Center)
Tradition Folklore healing would advise a person  facing a difficult situation or who was unable to cope with life to go to the oak wood and walk three times round an oak. Then rest against it to restore their equilibrium and to be guide by the wisdom of the Oak.


 The Oak Folklore and legend and myths   


The oak is strong and endures.  Foresters traditionally used to pollard a living oak tree back to the trunk for timber, the tree will re- row into a dense canopy which may have been harvested again.  Most of the ancient and veteran oaks are pollard oaks they generally live longer than trees that have not been cut back. 

The oaks has become associate with fire in legends and folklore.  Oaks are taller than most other tree and are full of moisture which increases  its vulnerability to

being hit by lightening strikes.  The lightning’s  intense electrical charge travels into the  trunk and instantly vaporizes the sap and moisture into steam. The tree may then violently split or explode  and the sap from the heart wood may catch fire.  Yet the Oak lives on even though part of its trunk may be blackened and damaged.

The oak was used to kindle the fires at Celtic festivals Beltane, lammas  and Samhuinn.  The use of Oak of fires also had a sinister aspect in  history and folklore. In Scotland if a malevolent witch or someone accused of heresy was sentenced to death by burning at the stake, the fire was made of green oak which burns slowly and gives  off noxious fumes Traditional belief in oak’s protective power, it was believed, would prevented the shade of the  person escaping from the flames and haunting the community in revenge for their hideous death. 

Oaks were often planted by dwellings to protect it from a lightening strike:

It is not wise to shelter under an oak in a thunder storm!

Oak’s gives sanctuary and protection from enemies and evil spirits.  In Scotland a traveler sleeping in or near a wild wood drew a circle round him with a oak staff to protect him from the attentions of malicious fairies.  Oak baskets and cribs, it was believed, would stop the fairies stealing a child and leaving a changeling in its place

The word Oak in Irish and Welsh also mean Chief. and oak  is ranked as a Chieftain Tree in the Celtic Ogham.  Chiefs and Kings would plant an Oak grove around their residence or fort as symbol of Kingship  Strength and Fertility. In the crowed rural homes the Oak woods would allow privacy and sanctuary from prying eyes.  Many children would be conceived under the shelter of an Oak tree.


The Oak has been associated with sacred places and In the Pagan era for ritual and ceremony.  This was also true of the early Christian church.  Holy wells had Oaks growing nearby with its male powerful energy of the universe combined with the female life giving trees, often the Hawthorn and Willow.

The Oaks were places where teaching and laws were given.  King Edward The Confessor in 1005 delivered The Charter of London  by the scared Oak on Parliament Hill. This Charter made London the oldest democratic City in the world. Over time, it became the first stepping stone to the emergence of the Parliamentary System for the UK.



The Crouch Oak in Adlestone marks the boundary of Windsor Park is said to have been planted in the 11th Century.  It was a gathering place, marriages would have taken place there until the Church stopped the practice. 
The people gathered at the Crouch  Oak to hear readings from John Wycliffe's translation of the Bible from Latin into into English (1382). Many hearing and understanding the Bible Texts for the first time in their own language. 



The 18th Century Preacher John Wesley who thrown out of Oxford and his preaching was dammed as blasphemous by the established church, preached to people under under the Crouch Oak. The oak's branches make a wonderful sounding board so  the huge crowds that gathered to to hear him speak could all hear him clearly. 



The Oak a symbol of courage & determination to overcome adversity.


Damage by caterpillars can strip a  Oak of its leaves and seriously deplete its energy. However round the time of The Celtic Festival of Lammas in August the Oak will grow a second growth of leaves which enables it to recover from this damage . The wood sculpture David Nash believes  the insect can smell an ailing tree and this result in insect infestation.  The insects burrow under loose bark  and into rotting patches on the tree. The Oak responds  by using its sap to form a callous which prevents the insects burrowing deeper into the wood.  The attack can leave huge burrs on the trunk and branches. But the Oak:

   ... has the courage to survive despite the injuries it endures, it has a determination to live and achieve its potential (David Nash)

  


The Celtic Tree Ogham Oracle


My knowledge of the Celtic Tree Ogham is gained from reading the works of Scholars, 
and three Wise Women who guide me in the realm of The Celtic Tree Ogham Oracle.  They are Liz Murray, Catlin Matthew, and Glennie Kindred.  I have absorbed their wisdom and combined it with my learning about trees and experience of being in forest and woods.


A Visualization and Meditation  on the Oak

Standing by a mature oak and looking upwards I can see the strong boughs reaching up to the sky and imagine the great roots that anchor it growing deep into the earth. One a sunny winter's day the light that filters through the open canopy of its branches is dappled and creates a magical space to stand or sit quietly and enjoy 


a wonderful moment
a perfect moment 
of interconnect with the oak,

The Oak Tree of Knowledge


The Gaelic and Sanskrit word for Oak is Duir , which means door. If you draw the Oak when casting the Ogham you should approach the Oak with respect and let your presence be known.  Touch the Oak gently, either with a hand or with the mind and wait and see if the doorway to inner knowledge opens. If it opens enter:


into the power of your imagination... we are taught that imagination only reveals what is imaginary that is not true Imagination is a faculty of the soul.  the same way sight is a faculty of the eyes. (Cailtin Matthews) 


There are many reason The Seeker are drawn to the Celtic Tree Ogham Oracle. 

Here are some of the reason to seek answers from the oracle.  

Needing reassurance whether it is the right time to go forward with an action or project to

... have faith in your vision of what your are working towards.           (Glennie Kindred)

  
The seeker may have issues from the past.  The oak can give an inner vision which will lead to a new understand the past. It may show the knots of bitterness which are blocking the way forward, and give the clarity, strength and protection needed to clear the negative energy and to move on to a positive path.

A seeker may feel lost, or maybe is procrastinate about an ambition, dream or hope. May be fearful of failure and be at a standstill, terrified of being expose ridicule or harm.  The Oak show how to have courage, and the strengthen of will to achieve a goal.

The seeker is blocked from going forward in  life.  The Oak bends and moves in the face of a storm. If it didn't branches would be break and be ripped off.  The Oak can show the Seeker that stubbornness is the cause of stagnation, or a desire always to be right or to win is destructive. Oak’s  healing light can take away the seekers fear of change. 

In the modern world stress caused by work, relationships, lack of money, or life events may overwhelms us,. The seeker may feel as if they are running in circles and getting nowhere.  The stately Oak can give a place to be quite and still and let the white noise of life, the chatter the mind, be still in meditation and rest.


Sometime in life any of us may feels exhausted and broken, seeing before us a mire of unhappiness and darkness .But the oak teaches: 

When all seems dark the stars still shine trust and endure. 

I hope the Stars Shine For you

With Reiki Blessings

MerryB