In Ogham, the Oak is known as Duir, a name derived from the Sanskrit word "Dwr," meaning "door." In British tradition, the Oak is revered as a world tree, a channel connecting different realms. While many spiritual practices acknowledge the Oak as the world tree, some Northern traditions identify it as the Ash, and others as the Olive. My personal journeys have revealed the world tree as a colossal Willow, reinforcing my invitation for individuals to explore Oghams firsthand. This encourages a connection with the trees that allows their ever-changing essence to be revealed, rather than strictly adhering to what is written in books. Regardless of the specific tree, the world tree is universally depicted with intertwining roots and branches that form a circle, symbolizing the continuous cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

Tinne is a tree of defense and protection. Its spiny leaves ward off predators. It can be used not only for protection, but for help in the fight to maintain one's boundaries – sometimes it is necessary to take action by setting hard limits to overcome disputes and obstacles. When we are being treated indecently and unfairly, we become forced to take matters into our own hands to address a situation or person. Tinne teaches us that we must face confrontations with courage and honesty, and with the knowing that we may win or lose, but above all to maintain our limits with grace. When we are pushed and become angry, we must be careful not to overcorrect when we act out of hurt and cause undue harm to others.

Ura holds the energy of deep relational ties, and intimacy, sex, and sovereignty are key parts of it. It reminds us to be kind in our dealings with others, to bring in sweetness to combat grievance and irritability in conflict - because ultimately we are all connected. A small act of kindness will ripple out, and every time we choose kindness over cruelty, our vibratory energy changes and evolves, and changes those around us as well. This change in our vibrational energy shifts the very way that we move through life toward one of alignment and harmony rather than unaligned discordance.

Willow is associated with the concept of boundaries. It is also commonly associated with Brigid, particularly in her maiden form. The face of Brigid known as Briga is the patron of warriors – Brigands – who are warrior guardians of boundaries both in the physical realm and between the worlds. Boundaries are so important, and are becoming a topic of regular conversation in mainstream consciousness. Boundary is defined as 'a line that marks the limit of an area' - they help us to know who, what, where, when and how we are and what our limits are - think of this in terms of the ways you will and will not tolerate being treated, for example. We need boundaries to help us distinguish self from not-self, to help us know what is ours and what belongs to someone else. Good boundaries help to keep a person safe, secure and healthy.

Huath is also associated with the goddess Blodeuwedd (pronounced ‘blod-eye-weth’) and holds the concepts of sovereignty and empowerment as well as obstacles and barriers. In this case we are talking about empowerment in relation to sovereignty and becoming more confident in advocating for oneself and setting boundaries to maintain that connection to inner authority. This can manifest as harsh lessons or ordeals, and it is up to us to be able to shift our perspective and see what lessons are being taught amid pain and difficulty. We see this with Blodeuwedd in the fourth branch of the Mabinogi

Alder holds the concepts of service, guidance, mentorship, connection and preservation. We see this as Alder’s moisture resistant wood helps mediate the effects of soil erosion and it works with the nitrogen fixing bacteria Frankia alni to make the ground more fertile for other plants to grow, and its bark contains medicinal compounds. It shows us that true service is about having the wisdom and ability to shift your perspective to see where it is appropriate put your own personal wants and needs aside... to contribute to the needs of the whole, the earth, the goddess, and the community.

Onn holds the power of initiation, change, renewal and rejuvenation. It teaches us about opening up to new things, and this can mean opening to the fires of initiation which burn down the old so the new can take root. Think again of the Tower card in tarot – these kinds of initiations bring about new information, new perspectives, and new growth, often in the wake of a profound experience as we saw with Nion. In contrast with Beith (Birch), which is about the initiatory activation of a cycle, a new beginning as the wheel turns again, Onn is about giving ourselves the permission we need to initiate to the next level of a path rather than having it granted by some outside authority. We can grant ourselves entry into new worlds of being through the self-initiatory mysteries that Onn can teach us.

In my tradition Nion is thought to carry the essence of power, the life-spark which has the power to create and destroy. There is an old saying “avoid an ash, for it courts a flash!” because these tall trees tend to regularly attract lightning strikes. A piece of an ash that has been struck by lightning would be a particularly potent magical tool as lightning is signifies the touch of divinity or divine inspiration – the ‘aha!’ moment that brings clarity, sometimes through great shock and transmutation. It is also associated with Gwydion - a master enchanter, poet, and shapeshifter in the Welsh/British mythic stories of the Mabinogion. Ash is also one of the ‘sacred trio’ of trees - oak, ash and thorn - associated with the three rays of the Awen, the bent path, the straight path, and the crooked path.

Rowan holds the liminal mystery of coming and going – thresholds and gateways. It reminds us that any time we pass through a portal, we are going somewhere and leaving where we were behind. Whether traveling from a house out the door to the yard, or between this world and the other world when you are born or die, Luis holds the threshold of crossing portals. This process of crossing is also known as quickening, as there is a forward motion to moving through a portal. Birth is a quickening, and a central theme at Imbolc. It is the quickening of the land at the beginning of the new wheel as we pass through a portal, a turning point of the Sun as we invariably move once again toward Summer.

In the spirit of ‘Learning the Turning’, I want to share how I celebrated Imbolc this year with the intention of offering inspiration to those who are building their own traditions. In January of 2025 I was working with my Goddess Temple deck during meditation, and I had pulled the Labyrinth card. As I was meditating on/with this card I began to see visions of a ritual. I saw people carrying unlit candles into the center of a labyrinth, lighting them in the center from the sacred flame of the spring goddess, and then carrying that flame, that spark of hope, back out of the labyrinth and into their life for the new wheel.

The Summer Solstice occurs around June 19-23rd when one of the Earth’s poles has achieved its maximum tilt toward the sun. This year the Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere falls on Wednesday, June 24th. It is also known as Midsummer, Litha and Alban Hefin, to name a few; it is a festival of fire and water. The fire represents the Sun at its zenith; it is at the peak of its power on the longest day and shortest night of the year. The water represents the Earth, the Goddess, pregnant with all the planted potential from earlier months preparing to birth out all that has been sown. The cauldron of the Lady is filled to the brim with the magic of abundance at this time. At this turning point of the wheel it is the longest day of the year, and thus each day thereafter is shorter and shorter until the wheel turns to Yule once more. 

As Beltane nears, leaves begin forming on trees – I love seeing terminal buds in various stages of bloom, watching how nature expands immensely from a single point to create new branches, leaves, and flowers. All the bushes begin to take on a brighter hue against their darker mature growth, as their new growth gets underway. One of my favorite moments is watching the clusters of flowers mature on the lilac bushes. Each day I walk past and breathe in the familiar scent that intensifies as Beltane approaches. When they finally bloom I know May Day is nigh, the scent of lilac is synonymous with this time of the wheel for me. Who needs a calendar when you have flowers, plants, and trees?

The Spring Equinox occurs on the day of the year when the Sun’s course is directly in line with the equator. The sun rises due East and sets due West on this day; this event occurs on or around March 20th each year in the Northern hemisphere. This is significant because the other 363 days of the year, the sun tracks either to the South or North of this point, with the other day of balance falling on the Autumnal Equinox (Mabon) in September. This point of planetary balance and stillness in the midst of constant change and movement is magically potent. We can find balance at this time between light and dark, movement and rest, masculine and feminine, conscious and unconscious; between all forms of perceived duality.