From Template To Conscious Living We are the Consort within the Living Tree
From The Root-Bridge of Blackthorn and the guidance of Cailleach, to the Light of Birch and the Action of Saturnea we enter New Moon
December 14, 2020
9:16:26 a.m. Mountain Standard Time
Blackthorn a Tree of Dark Wisdom
A “first” is always delightful to explore. This is the first time in 26 years that I have written of a Wisdom Tree that is not part of the 13-Moon Mothers of the Celtic Oracle presented by WomanSpirit. Blackthorn holds a mysterious and mystical place in the refined, wispy threads of universal consciousness. WomanSpirit has been whispering of Blackthorn and its Consort, Cailleach, for the last few months and finally brought them to the forefront to be honored as we end this year.
“Fitting,” I thought to myself as I contemplated the dark year of Covid-19. It has been a year of emotional challenges, people fighting each other with hatred spewing and no one listening as reactions present fervent walls of separation. Blackthorn is often thought of as a Tree that Bridges the time between Elder and Winter Solstice…a “space in-between.”
When the days grow darker, a bit colder, and the Sun takes longer to be seen, we enter the Blackthorn/Straif Time. The Goddess, Cailleach, is on the lookout for us, and looking straight at us. What will we do for the goodness of our soul, for the depth of our spirit, and the purpose of walking our dark corridors in order to open to the great light?
Blackthorn and Cailleach’s time this year is given as New Moon, December 14th, until Winter Solstice, December 21, 2020, at 3:15 a.m. Mountain Standard Time. Cailleach and the energy of Blackthorn will give way to Birch and allow the glow of light emerge. Until then, the tree of energy, and this Winter Goddess will aid us on our journey. Cailleach is given honor in the Grace of Elder’s time. At the New Moon of December 14th we note the Sun and Moon join forces in the last seven degrees of Sagittarius.
Blackthorn is an “in-between” tree. Right now we find ourselves in-between as we adjust to releasing the life we have known over the last several years, and the incredible influence of a 100- year pandemic. We are in a time of preparation to make changes that bring us a new structure and adjustment that can allow all to grow dynamically with the intention to move deeper into the True Purpose and Spirit-Soul alignment we continue to seek. There are many indications we are ready! We want to end worn down, worn out feelings we have held from the challenges of the pandemic, loss of life, loss of connections with others, loss of businesses, movements of dissidence, and so much more. We have been walking in the dark corridor for some time. What have we learned personally, across our country, globally, humanly, and soul-wise?
Are we ready to come out of the corridor of darkness? Are we ready to meet the Light of our Soul, the Power of True Spirit and live from this higher reality? Interestingly, the answer can only be presented by each of us individually in order to move into the Oneness reality. Yet, the goal is Oneness. The Light is Harmony, Love, and Peace. To gain it, we must be healthy within, and able to align with the greater strength of Self. Let’s see how the Tree of Blackthorn and the Goddess Cailleach can assist as we move in the in-between state of being.
“When you get free from certain fixed concepts of the way the world is, you find it is far more subtle, and far more miraculous, than you thought it was.” – Alan Watts
Although the Blackthorn tree has a wicked look with black barked, vicious thorns, it blooms beautiful white flowers before it presents its spring-green leaves. In ancient times it was used to pierce waxen images: false concepts and incorrect beliefs that fate had a ball and chain around our options and desires to live life fully. Blackthorn is an energy field that aids in breaking apart old conditions of the mind and emotions and urges the movement of soul intentions that are flickering within our inner consciousness moment-by-moment. Are we willing to capture the motivations our soul is presenting?
Goddess Cailleach provides the conscious state of wisdom beyond our personal awareness, yet within us. She is an ancient one who teaches of true transitions of mind, emotions, death, and rebirth. She will help us move through passageways of anxieties and lift the veils of false beliefs that have taught us of who we are not. She will aid us in seeing the gallery of our Spirit-Soul that will teach us who we are.
Cailleach’s ancient wisdom is encoded in us. Must we pierce a veil to realize it? What veil of dread do we hold on to that keeps us from allowing the True Light of Spirit-Soul embodiment to be seen on the Canvas of Earth? Spirit-Soul is ready to express a purpose of Divine intention and experiences. Are we willing to remove the veil and work with Cailleach from New Moon to December 21 to say, once again, “I am willing, able, and more than ready to let go and live my highest essence?”
Let this Triple Goddess walk you through the corridors of your true self. Let it be a positive adventure. No longer look at it as how wrong you have been, how dark the corridor is because your life has been a challenge of ignorance, unworthiness, and other influences. Let every bit of what you are called to review be the blessings of who you are, the incredible qualities of who you have become, and the wisdom that leads you to living Spirit-Soul consciousness in the here-and-now.
Let Cailleach and Blackthorn be a bridge into another year of rebirthing our path ahead. Another year of recognizing, not only the Celtic Trees, but the Tree of Life within because: The Spheres and Branches of the Tree of life are the template of our lives.
Spend time with Cailleach and Blackthorn as well as the passageways of your inner self before moving into the realm of Birch.
Before I write about the features of Birch for 2021, I would like to visit the message of the year through its numbers. As I have for the last several years, I will begin by splitting the 20 and the
Notably, we have been experiencing the 20 in incredible ways as we associate it with the mystical wisdom of Pluto, the great transmuter and the leading energy of this century. We continue to see other correspondences such as the Universal Law of Soul Evolution and the Hebrew Letter, Shin. Shin translates as “Tooth,” and reminds us to “sink our tooth” into what we are learning so we may glean the true wisdom we are digesting through the great changes that transmutation provides.
I believe I’ve spoken about the power of Pluto/Plutonia of “pulling the rug” out from under our feet and destabilizing our lower ego. Always a game changer and humbling process. Yet, it brings us to the state of desire for honoring life, others, as well as the greater soul quality of our self. It may turn us upside down. But it turns the right side out. Our highest nature is brought into the open living arena of our Earthly jouney.
This year we get to look at the number 21 and the Planet Saturn (Saturnea). In astrology it always gets such a bad wrap. It is called maleficent, constrictive, and the “bad dad.” In Tarot it is called the “Devil,” and thus scares a lot of people when they see it turn up in a reading. However, the vibration of this element of the Universe is greater than the challenges. It provides the power of boundaries that allows us to collect and use the creative force-field of the Divine. It presents us with the field of useable energy that is not scattered, untethered, or likely wasted by a drifting mind. Like the Womb of the Great Mother, it holds and nurtures an intention until it is fully grown and ready to birth. It teaches us to know our own boundaries so we can take our steps forward and succeed.
Saturn/Saturnea is aligned within the Law of Universality:
Law of Universality. This Law reveals that each person is a component of Source & endowed with all the attributes of Source, and can perform the same as Source. It is a reminder that all things are connected to all other things. All Principles of the Universe and All Laws of the Universe are in Existence at once. Nothing is before, nothing is behind, and nothing is in front. All is One and all is happening at One Moment.
This message, “All is happening at one moment,” is a tough concept to grasp in the human mind, human body, human experience. Yet, the truth prevails….All is One and in the Oneness all is happening at one time. You most certainly can use your body as an awareness of this. Your cells, tissues, organs, nerves, bones, marrow, etc. are all humming along at the very same moment. They may be performing different tasks, but without each other, those tasks don’t fully function.
So it is with Universality. Each one of us is a cell in the Wholeness of the Universe. Our cellular unit may be functioning as the Heart, the Brain, the bone marrow, the nerves of the tip of a toe, etc. The continuum of the Universe is in Oneness and the very Moment of Being…so then are we! Without us, the Universe does not exist…with us It does. We are One and all aspects are important to the Whole.
As Saturn/Saturnea is the “21″ of this year, our theme is unfolding through the wisdom of the Hebrew letter it has a correspondence with, and that is “Tav” l7 which means “Signature.” It represents that the signature of the Universe is imprinted everywhere, particularly here on Earth. It also indicates that we, as the Universe, are a signature, and of course, are leaving an imprint as well, by way of everything we think, feel, and do. This imprint provides energy for others to follow. May we leave our energy in a good way.
As we step into this year, we can pause and consider how the Universe is presenting a New Signature in the ever evolving process of Here and Now, and how we are also given the opportunity to present a new signature of our self to the ever present reality of our Earthly Existence. With that, I ask you to pause for a moment, enter a few minutes of meditation, and ponder the new signature you would like to create for 2021 and beyond!
What is a Signature? It is not simply the script of your name. It is your energy emitted. It is sacredness honored, understanding your Spirit-Soul, your interactions with others, your thoughts and feelings, your talents used, compassion given, love shared, abilities to aid Earth in whatever capacity you are called to provide, and the scripture of your life lived.
I cannot complete this numerical evaluation of this year without adding the numbers together. Of course, they add up to a number 5. This number represents the Law of Life Mastery and reminds us of a couple of realities within us. 1) We have the capacity to master our life. 2) We have a master consciousness within us. We can uncover this mastery by seeking a higher order of consciousness that is within us, cultivating it and living it purposefully and passionately daily. Yes, it does have other correspondences such as the wisdom of Taurus and the Hebrew Letter, Vav. Be stubborn as a mule to remember that you are connected (Vav=nail) to the Divine at all times, and thus quite able to recall you are the Creator Creating through the agency of a Soul in the realm of Matter.
Throughout this year we will continue to use the Tree of Life Symbology along with the Faces of WomanSpirit. It is the Divine Feminine’s urging that we use the wisdom that we are the Roots, Trunk, Spheres and Branches. We are the Universe. As we use the picture of the Tree of Life as a tool of awareness, realize it is a template of who we are. We must not leave that wisdom in our unconscious. Live it consciously.
May it be so!
Awen!
The Spheres and Branches of the Tree of life are the template of our lives. We use the template unconsciously. Let’s use it consciously!
On December 21, 2020 we begin the New Year of Birch as the Sun enters Capricorn at 3:15 a.m. Mountain Standard Time. This is Winter Solstice. We come out of the darkness as we take the hand of Cailleach and cross the bridge of Blackthorn. If we have honored out time with Cailleach and the thorns of blackthorn, we are unscathed. We are wiser and we are ready.
As noted, we are prepared to set the foundation to live the power of the Tree of Life with more conscious ability than, perhaps, ever before. Birch presents us with the foundation to set the pattern to do this for the year ahead.
First, let’s determine the foundation. Birch corresponds with the pathway of Ayin l’ on the Tree of Life. That pathway is found in the center of the Tree from the Yellow Sphere to the Orange Sphere. As I’ve shared before, this pathway is part of a Table in the center of the Tree that we can realize is part of the Higher Self Triad of Consciousness and sends vibrations of wisdom to the two triads below that are known as the Soul Triad and the Vehicular Triad (embodiment). This position at the Table offers significant wisdom that we can use to set the “table of intention” for our year ahead.
- The Ayin pathway moves from the Heart of the Tree (Yellow sphere), also known as the Highest place of the Individual Soul Consciousness. Thus, it transports this wisdom of nonmatter into the realm of what is to be matter. This wisdom it is transporting is one’s ability to know they are masters of their own reality as they are the essence of Spirit expressing as Soul, transporting Love, Intelligence, and Purpose into an individual human being, with knowing: Nothing and No One is less than the Divine.
- As it moves from the Heart of the Tree, a special state of consciousness is set in place and the soul consciousness knows that as it prepares for the human journey: Love is provided and is the guiding energy through multi-dimensions of transformation and newly developing creative powers.
- Ayin means two human eyes. It provides the ability to “see” what is before the soul to be explored in the human experience. As the light of this pathway moves from the Heart of the Tree, consciousness knows that Divine Love is provided and will guide the soul through transformation from nonmatter to matter. It is ready for newly developing creative powers. In fact, the vibration is creating the activation of the will power to be an individual expression with the eyes to see and the inner knowing that consciousness is always connected to the creative power of the Divine Mind. The soul knows the guiding force of love and wisdom and the power to explore with humbleness in order to live in harmony through conflict that is always experienced in a realm of polarity.
- Ayin also corresponds to the zodiac pattern of Capricorn and provides the constant ability to use Universal energy to achieve the missions set forth that are to be accomplished during an incarnation in matter. The energy of the body, with the aid of the Ayin quality, will have the optical nerves stimulated to aid the individual’s ability to see life through a humble lens that allows the individual to recall the connectivity to Oneness. As Capricorn rules the bones and bone marrow, strength will prevail and the cellular memory in the bones provides the memory of the Divine DNA within.
- Ayin’s light is radiating toward the Orange Sphere of Hod/Splendor. This is a place of Divine Consciousness of joy, playful anticipation of what is to be seen in the realm of matter, and the covenant of the Divine that is sealed into the Soul, and thus the human experience yet to be explored. That covenant is the everlasting existence of everything. Nothing is lost and everything is and will be brought to bear in the realm of matter. A soul contract is formed. What is your contract for this new year?
- As we see the correspondence of Ayin to Birch, there is more to consider. The symbols provide wisdom to explore: The pure white qualities of the Face of the Divine Feminine, the Bridal Veil around the face, the snow across the land, and the white bear provide us knowledge. It brings us back to the Top of the Tree of Life and the Pure White Sphere – Crown. It reminds us that Everything already IS. These symbols also remind us that we know that truth within our self: nothing is truly hidden from us.
- Deeper wisdom is recognized in other symbols of the card of Birch. Forbearance is noted as we realize the bear must awaken, the beaver must complete the dam, the bread must cook, the pig (Cerridwen, the sister of Cailleach) must finish her tasks that began in the month of Reed, the two walking the path must reach the hut, the white rabbit must remain calm, and the white stag must receive the complete message from the Divine and pass it on.
- What else does patience require in this picture of sacred symbols? The Face of the Divine reveals a bridal veil and a bridal rose. What is missing is the brides consort. A Consort is the partner aiding in a position of polarity. One who will attract and repel; join forces, support, and yet move easily in their own way. A yin and a yang.
Let’s meet the Consort of Birch.
Saturnea – Consort of Birch
“I am the Black Rose, A mystery I impose. ”
Excerpt from: The Faces of WomanSpirit, A Celtic Oracle of Avalon.
Birch is a dream seeker. Saturnea is a dream builder and a dream activator. Birch asks for our patience to dream and contemplate what is within the very essence of our soul and create an intentional contract with our soul-consciousness through meditation and contemplation. Then with patience, allow our Saturnea consort to set the pace and move us into action with diligence, doubtlessness, and dedication.
Saturnea offers us many correspondences to aid our process. In order to honor the ability to consciously use the Template of the Tree of Life and live intentions in the here and now and the year of 2021, I offer the following insights.
- Saturnea is Tav, the Signature previously noted in this letter. However, let’s look at much more that can be utilized.
- Tav is first acknowledged within the highest triad of the Tree of Life: The Supernal Triad. Tav is embedded in the fourth world (World of Manifestation) in the realm of Binah/Understanding. The Blue-black sphere that initiates the Feminine Pillar (seen on the left). This sphere is honored as the Womb of the Divine and the container of all souls. At the level of the Fourth World of this Sphere, the soul(s) are ready to birth (manifest) and be released to explore the Universe in an individuated manner.
- The soul is given a formless form or structure. When it leavesthe womb, it may be a star in a multitude of universes, a planet, a human, an animal, mineral, plant, body of water, or numerous elements that aid in the construction of what can be “knowable” and seen from the Unseen Mystery of Oneness. Tav provides the structure for the infinite possibilities to form and function.
- The second position of Tav is known as the pathway between the Purple sphere of Yesod/Foundation and the Multi-colored Sphere of Malkuth/Manifestation at the bottom of the Tree honoring the vibrant colors of the colorless/all colors of the white sphere Above, now revealing Its multiplicity Below. This path reveals the, “Signature.” It also reveals the Law of Universality now to be recognized in matter. The Divine Thumb print is placed by the thumb print of each individual expression through every action performed…Spirit-Soul-Individual in natural action.
- In the symbols of the card of Saturnea, we find the snow has melted and action is occurring. The Goat-Fish is emerging from the Womb. The fish presents the wisdom of coming out of the abyss: the Great Ocean of No Thing/Everything. Thus, carrying all wisdom onto the land of matter. The Goat presents the power of its primordial roots into the world with instinctive wisdom, emotional strength, and psychic resilience. Its horns provide the symbol of power, fertility and abundance being brought into the realm of Earthly existence.
- The three women represent the stages of life to be explored as the goat-fish becomes the soul-human endeavoring to explore life on earth. Young one, mature one, and elder one (Maiden, Mother, Crone) share their wisdom together. They reveal how they have (or have not) remained determined and disciplined in their quest to journey through challenges and rewards, learning and remembering who they truly are: A Royal Being—the Divine in Matter.
- The green grass, the hills, pathway, and hut carries significant wisdom as well: Growth, the challenges, the direction, and the ultimate meeting of our Divine Self.
Birch, without her consort, would be left in the realm of unmelted snow, frozen in time. The bride would be waiting for her groom. The bread would not rise. The bear would not awaken, and so forth. Saturn/Saturnea is known as Cronos: the Father of Time. Thus, is revealing: THE TIME IS NOW! Melt the snow, awaken to your purpose, the dam is created: jump into the pool of life; the wisdom is unfolding, the marriage is consummated, it is time to birth 2021!
Birch and Saturnea begin our journey for the next year. We will have much to contemplate. A deeper focus is to realize how we are the Living Tree and choose to be ever more conscious of the wisdom we have within us and live it. There have been many questions posed in this letter. Please allow yourself time to contemplate them, answer them, and write about your insights in your journal.
May you enjoy the journey with Blackthorn and Cailleach, Winter Solstice, Christmas blessings, all ceremonies honored at this time of the year, and the wide open lighting of a New Year!
Warm blessings and love,
Katherine
Rev. Katherine Bell, PhD, DD
~Lunar Phases of Birch~
New Moon – Dec 14 Crescent Moon – Dec 17 First Quarter Moon – Dec 21 Gibbous Moon – Dec 25
Full Moon – Dec 29 (Sun Capricorn/Moon Cancer) Disseminating Moon – Jan 2
Last Quarter – Jan 5 Balsamic Moon – Jan 9
New Moon of Rowan Jan 13-14, 2021
Please know these are not exact dates, but very close.
