Today's Oracle 22nd March 2020

Oak (The Ancient Wood)

Oaks are among the long-lived trees, signifying the presence of the ages and the long memory of trees. They symbolize life and rebirth and the connection between earth and sky. Ancient groves inspire celebration of the continuity of life.

Invoking the Qualities of Respect and Timelessness.

Oaks are among the long-lived trees, signifying the presence of the ages and the long memory of trees. Elder oaks are revered as ancient goddesses residing upon the earth. In touching the sky with its branches and the Otherworld with its roots, oaks bring the forces of life and death together. Dead in winter and alive again in spring, oaks portray the steady passage of life. Symbolizing the connection of the Middle World with the forces of subterranean earth and sky, groves of aged oaks inspire celebration of the seamless continuity of life.

Like most other trees, the oaks are strongly associated with the goddesses. They symbolize the ceaseless passage of life from birth to death to life anew. Like the goddesses, they are connected through their roots to the Otherworld beneath the ground, where otherworldly spirits dwell. Stretching their branches into the sky, they are connected with the spirits of the Sky World, particularly Taranis, the god of lightning and thunder. The older the oak, the more enchanted, numinous, and sacred it is.

Oaks were especially sacred to the druids. A natural grove of aged oaks draws the spirits of the Sky World and the Otherworld to the Middle World, the human and animal world residing on the ground. In ancient times, Celts worshiped in open-air groves throughout Europe and Asia Minor. Even the Romans were wary of them, fearing that oak groves were mysterious and dark. Still dwelling among us in the Middle World, the aged oaks of our time invite us to their sacred grounds to connect with the spirits of both worlds and to celebrate the continuation of life throughout the ages.

The long life of oaks signifies the presence of the ages and the long memories of trees, spanning the ages. Oaks take us unto themselves as a precious creation, assuring us in their sway that life is knowledge enough. In a poem about a neighbour, a contemporary Irish poet, Cathal O Searcaigh, speaks to us of feeding "from the Tree of Knowledge":

"She inclined to flesh but also to fun and though she was fond of swearing and gap-toothed She was never gruff or gloomy with us
When we visited her on Sundays and she made us a drop of tea while she hotly "dashed" this and "dratted" that...
She kept herself there like a tree growing and withering according to season "It's not ageing I am, but ripening."
And her words fell like seeds into the welcoming earth of my mind.
And when she'd wrap me in her limbs so tightly, I felt the fat - the growth rings of her body."

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, the venerable oaks inspire respect for their continuity of life within change and chaos. You are called to a deep remembering of who you are.

For the venerable oaks, time is holy, every moment. Every memory has its place. Celebration and ritual inspire vision and perspective. Wherever you live, being in nature, especially among aged trees, may be cause for remembering - not because memories are necessarily pleasurable, but because they are ripe for the harvest of discovery. Amid the vicissitudes and changes of life, all mystical paths invite deep remembering. In the long memory of trees, no memory, however distant, is ever lost. You and your life in its deepest reflections are memories held forever. Perhaps you have separated yourself from deep memories of who you are or from the life of your family or community, or separated yourself from particular memories. Still, the aged oaks cradle them as though they are treasures for unpacking.

Deep remembering ultimately leads to a sense of peace and continuity. From the context of continuity, present circumstances - the good and ill alike - appear like snapshots on a long and special journey.