Elder

13th Moon of the Celtic Year – (Nov 25 – Dec 23) (The Seeker) – Freedom-lover, thinker, bluntly honest. Elder has the associations with life’s psycho-spiritual connections including healing, visions, faery magic, spirituality, cleansing, sleep, exorcism, offerings, love and prosperity. Elder is connected to nature spirits wood spirits and wood elves. The Elder has strong protective qualities.

The elder is a tree of beginnings and endings, of birth and death, so she may provide a potent link with the Mother Goddess and facilitates contact with spirits of other trees. In a sense she acts as a mother figure within the woodland. She carries the wisdom of the Crone, and is mistress of the deepest magic.

Witches were said to be able to turn themselves into elder trees. Gypsies believe that it is very bad luck to cut down and burn elder wood and that the Elder Mother will take revenge. This superstition arises from an instinctive realization that a lack of respect for Nature is dangerous, ultimately, to the human race. Elder’s unruly growth hints at the untamable aspect of Nature, the black heart of the earth to which we owe our being.

People born under this sign are outgoing, confident, and impulsive. They grow the most when things change and are restless and full of energy. They need to be stimulated mentally on a constant basis and need regular physical challenges. They are philosophical and very compassionate and always try to be helpful to others. They love their freedom and can sometimes be on the wild side often living their younger years in the fast lane. They often do things just to get a thrill out of life.

In their romantic relationships they desire to be open, but they do not fall in love easily or deeply. They are very calculating and tend to remove their emotions from the relationship before it has a chance to blossom.

They are very candid and impetuous and make wonderful motivational speakers.They are also drawn to researching philosophical and deep subjects and are likely to travel a lot in order to satisfy their curiosity about life. They are extremely energetic and constant change is stimulating to them both mentally and physically. They make great friends because they are naturally optimistic and positive and will do anything to make sure their friends feel the same way.

The Elder moon is a time of endings. The winter solstice has passed and though the Elder can be damaged easily by the winter snow, it recovers quickly and springs back to life, corresponding to the approaching New Year. Called Ruish by the Celts (pronounced roo-esh), the month of Elder is a good time for workings related to creativity and renewal. It is a time of beginnings and endings, births and deaths, and rejuvenation. Elder is also said to protect against demons and other negative entities. Use in magic connected to Faeries and other nature spirits.

Ogham Alphabet: Ruis
Meaning: Seeker
Animal: Falcon/Raven
Crystal: Jet
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Symbolism: Judgment, Transformation, Death, Regeneration, Fate, The Inevitable
Sacred numbers: Number Five: each elderflower has 5 petals, 5 yellow stamens, and 5 sepals which form a tiny green star
Number Thirteen: Elder is associated with all superstition surrounding the number 13
Flower: Elderflower, Dandelion
Birds: Pheasant, Raven, Rook
Color: Black, Dark Green, Blood Red
Deity: Hel, Hela, Holda, Venus, Hilde, The White Lady, Crown Goddess and tribal mother of the Celtics Cailleach Beara
Folk Names: Alhuren, Battree, Boure Tree, Eldrum, Elhorn, Hylder, Lady Ellhorn, Old Gal, Old, Lady, Pipe Tree, Rob Elder, Sweet Elder, Tree of Doom

Learn more Celtic Astrology…

 

references: 1. rober graves, the white goddess, 2. https://www.thoughtco.com, 3. Celtic Oghms