Celtic Tree
of Life
crann
bethadh
Ancients
Celts called the Tree of Life crann bethadh. They believed it had special
powers.
Trees were
an important part of Celtic beliefs and culture, so it’s no surprise that the
Celtic Tree of Life would hold great importance to the Celts. For them, the
Tree of Life represented how the forces of nature came together to create
harmony and balance.
This can be
understood by thinking of how individual trees come together to form a forest.
Trees are tall with far-reaching branches, much like the forces of nature are
strong and widespread. Trees link together, combining their life forces, their
very existence if you will, to provide a home for thousands of species, from
small plants and insects to bears and boars. All cycles of life exist in
balance – birth through death.
The Celtic
Tree of Life symbolizes these diverse ideas in a simple form.
To honor
the Tree of Life, Celtic people left a single, large tree in the center of
fields whenever they cleared land. They called this tree crann bethadh. Under
its branches, they appointed their chieftain and held gatherings. Because the
tree provided food, medicine and shelter to people and animals, the Celts
believed it had the power to take care of all life. Cutting it down was a great
crime, and thus, the greatest triumph one could achieve over one’s enemies was
to cut down their crann bethadh.
The Celtic
Tree of Life symbol can be interpreted in many ways. Here are some interesting
facts about what the Tree of Life Celtic symbol means:
•The Tree
of Life represents the balance and harmony in nature.
•To the
Celts, the Tree of Life symbol meant wisdom, strength and a long life.
•The Tree
of Life represents rebirth, just as a tree will shed its leaves in the fall,
hibernate in the winter, and be “reborn” with new leaves in the spring.
•The Tree
of Life unites the upper and lower worlds. Its roots reach deep into the lower
world, while its branches grow up to reach the upper world. The trunk of the
Tree of Life connects the two worlds to the earth’s plane. It is through this
connection that gods in the heavens can communicate with people through the
Tree of Life.
•The Celts
believed they came from the trees, and thus regarded trees as living, magical
beings. Trees guarded the land and were a doorway into the spirit world.
Source: astrologyoftheancients.com
Image: tree
of life via earthsongtitles.com
Celtic Bard Jeff (FB)
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