During November we can often begin to feel very tired. It is time to move away from harvesting and move back into ourselves.
As we enter Samhain’s ritual doorway into winter’s embrace and the beginning of the dark half of the year, we are pulled in two different directions: our life force begins to descend down into earth’s depths while the feminine principle rises up to guide us.
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This can feel confusing. It is helpful to explore the year through the lens of the Celtic Tree. In a modern interpretation of old wisdom, Robert Graves urged us to consider thirteen lunar months rather than the familiar twelve Roman divisions, thereby drawing upon the ancient Irish Ogham alphabet so we can connect us meaningfully with the natural world’s rhythms.
In our age of climate crisis and disconnection, this tree-centred approach to time offers a return to seeing nature, rather than human constructs, as central to life’s unfolding. Ogham, with its rune-like lines crossings which intersect like the branches of trees, gives us symbols that speak of organic growth rather than mechanical measurement.
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Ogham uses the language of trees to describe time. November’s Guardian tree is the Elder, called Ruis in the Ogham tradition. This remarkable tree embodies the sacred art of transformation. Like November itself, elder serves as a bridge between worlds, holding both creative and destructive power in perfect, necessary balance.
Elder’s gifts lie in its profound ability both to help and to harm, teaching us the crucial skill of discernment. It teaches us to cultivate what serves us while releasing what does not. It is a boundary tree, standing as guardian between life and death, sickness and health, this world and the otherworld.
Elder’s first gift
For countless generations, elder has been revered as nature’s pharmacy. The flowers, rich in flavonoids, offer powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy properties. Elderflower cordials and teas have long been treasured for treating sinusitis, colds, and seasonal allergies. The flowers can also be made into gentle skin cleansers and soothing eye lotions, while properly prepared ointments help with bruising, sore muscles, and chilblains.
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The dark berries provide immune support and are used traditionally for numerous ailments ranging from fever to joint pain.
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But beware, just like November, elder demands respect and wisdom in its use. The bark, leaves, and raw berries contain compounds that can cause nausea, vomiting, and digestive distress if not properly prepared. This is not accidental. This resonates perfectly with Samhain’s deeper message: the challenge of letting go, shedding, and surrendering what we no longer need. The gift lies in reclaiming our buried feminine wisdom.
Elder’s second gift
Also known as the “singing” tree, elder is the gateway to reclaiming lost magic. Long associated with the making of woodwind instruments, her hollow stems enable us to create music that encourages us to slow down and dream.
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Elder’s third gift
Elder can also be used as a fire stick, capable of providing both warmth and sustenance or destruction. This paradox holds November’s essential teaching: tend Elder’s gifts with respect and reverence, and she will warm your home and nourish your body. Approach her carelessly or with entitlement, and you risk harm.
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Elder’s questions for you
What serves your highest good and what needs to be released?
Are you respecting the boundaries between action and rest, giving and receiving, engagement and solitude?
Can you listen to the song of deep places that calls you inward toward wisdom you’ve not yet discovered?
Are you tending your inner fire with the same reverence you would show to any sacred flame?
Can you trust in the feminine principle that knows how to gestate new life in apparent darkness?
Tend your energy wisely
It is time to move away from the busy demands of harvest and gathering. Journey to deep places within that have not yet explored. Rest when rest is needed. Create when inspiration calls. Retreat when the soul requires solitude. When we honour our rhythms, we find renewed sustenance. If we ignore them, we become exhausted. Find the light in the darkness and gaze yourself back into being.
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May you find in November’s darkness the seeds of your own renewal. May Elder’s wisdom guide you safely across the thresholds that matter most. And may you discover, in the deepest places of winter’s beginning, the magic that has been waiting for you all along as the deep feminine calls you home.
