4th Celtic Moon

(March 18 – April 14) (The Trailblazer): The Alder Moon At the time of the Spring Equinox, or Ostara, and the Alder tree are flourishing on riverbanks, their roots in the water, bridging that mystical air between both heaven and earth.

The Alder month, called Fearn by the Celts, (pronounced fairin), is a time for making spiritual decisions, magic relating to prophecy and divination, and getting in touch with your own intuitive processes and abilities.

Alder flowers and twigs are known as charms to be used in Faerie magic. Whistles were once made out of Alder shoots to call upon Air spirits, so it’s an ideal wood for making a pipe or flute if you’re musically inclined.

See: Celtic Birth Tree: Alder

Air

Air represents the breath of life! It is an exchange of electrons or flow of energy. Air is the primary nutrient. Survival without it is measured in minutes.

It is so important that you do it without thinking. Your breathing is the voice of your spirit. It’s depth, smoothness, sound, and rate reflect your mood.

The gift of Air is flexibility, and their ability to experience life through many prisms. They’re often excellent communicators, storytellers, interpreters and journalists. They link people together socially, and often have a curiosity that keeps them out and about.

The Celts gave gender and ruling to the elements. Air is considered masculine element. It is the elder spirit, associated with the aspect of the Old Man or Green Man.

Eggs

In both the Celtic and Russian traditions, placing eggs on burial sites or burying their dead with eggs, reinforced the fact that the egg was a powerful symbol of immortality, resurrection and rebirth!

The coloring of eggs has also been a long standing tradition representing the promise of joy, happiness and rebirth. The Christian concept of Easter connects the holiday of Easter with the renewal of life through the egg. It is a representative of the renewal, resurrection and rebirth of Christ.

The “World Egg” is an ancient story about how the Universe “hatched” and the Hindu’s believe the yolk became heaven and the white became earth. The Shinto believed the entire Universe was contained in a huge egg, standing upright. In Alchemy, the Philosopher’s Egg represents the seed of spiritual life and a place where great change or transformation occurs.