CELTIC TREE ASTROLOGY

TINNE/HOLLY - July 08 - August 04

Characteristics

The Holly Tree - Holly people exhibit a large amount of personal integrity and tend to influence things a great deal but often behind the scenes. Their word is literally their bond and honor is their guiding principle. Their weakest point is their sensitivity to personal criticism.Their need for constant affection and attention can make them demanding in a close relationship. They can also sometimes exhibit a miserly attitude. They tend to be attracted to banking and insurance. They tend to be strong willed affectionate and trustworthy friends with a great amount of physical endurance. They are very down-to-earth people and usually have a great deal of spiritual contentment. They also tend to be great collectors of artifacts and they have an eye for good deals. They are very affectionate lovers and spouses although they can lean toward over protectiveness! They are not inclined to wander and often marry childhood sweethearts. They are discreet lovers which makes them rather mysterious. They are tolerant and very supportive spouses. They sometimes appear to be lacking in a sense of humor because they don't like any humor that is at the expense of others. They can also tend to be a bit reclusive. The truth in this is that they require a quiet place all thier own to take respite from the huge responsibilities they usually place upon themselves.


Flower

Meadowsweet

It is one of the best known wild flowers and, together with the Water-Mint and Vervain, was one of the three herbs held most sacred by the Druids. In Celtic mythology, Meadow-Sweet was used (together with Oak and Broom) by Gwydion and Math in the creation of Bloddeuedd as a wife for Llew Llaw Gyffes, a story which is found in The Mabinogion. White-tailed Deer often feed on the twigs. Its leaves were once used as a tea and to make a tonic treatment for intestinal ailments. The plant itself was formerly strewn across the floors of homes.


Gemstone

Red Carnelian

In ancient times, this stone was sometimes referred to as "Sardius" and in the Bible, it was the first stone designated for the Breastplate of the High Priest. The most perfect forms of this gem are said to come from India, but it can be found worldwide. The Carnelian has a long history of being a stone which offers protection from negative emotions (such as anger, jealousy, envy and rage) to the wearer, as well as helping to remove sorrow. It was worn by Mohammed, Napoleon I and Napolean III for this very reason.


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Animal

The Unicorn - A mythic animal with the body of a white horse, the legs of an antelope and the tail of a lion which sported a single horn upon its forhead, the Unicorn was a symbol of purity, strength and supreme magickal power. It taught that every action is creation. Thus, every day should be made to count. It also aided in understanding the relationship between physical and spiritual realities. In Celtic lore, the Unicorn represented a Horse sporting a horn that resembled a Flaming Spear...another of the symbols associated with the Holly. The symbol of the Flaming Spear was connected to the month of Tanist because the Celtic "T" was shaped like a barbed spear. Both the Holly and the Oak were symbolic of the Summer Solstice when the White Horse of the Oak became the Unicorn of the Holly in transformation.

The Cat - Many Celtic legends pictured the Cat as a ferocious and evil creature. However, that may have been because Cats were untamed during the time of the Druids. It was a potent totem animal of several clans and Caithness, named after the Clan of the Catti, is one example. In Irish lore, Finn mac Cumhail was said to have fought a clan of "cat-headed" people...most probably Celts who wore cat skins on their helmets. The Cat was thought to be a strong protector, especially when facing a confrontational situation.


Polarity: Feminine

Color: Dark Grey

Class: Peasant

Planet: Earth

Letter Character: "T"

Ogham Association: Tinne


Deity

Danu

The Holly deity is Danu (also known as Dana or Anu), the Goddess after whom the Tuatha De Danaan were named and the Mother Goddess of Irish mythology. Her divine children (which included the Dagda, Dian Cecht, Ogma, Llyr and many others) were the Gods and Goddesses who ruled Ireland prior to the arrival of the Milesians. Despite her preeminent position, Danu remains a vague figure and does not otherwise play a prominent part in either Irish or Welsh folklore, due to the possibility that monks from the Fifth Century onward greatly underplayed the original role of this Goddess in their compilations. Danu is often associated with universal wisdom, magic, the creation of the cosmos and world, the seasons, life-giving rain, the primordial essence of nature and sacred groves, and nature's fertility and bounty. Danu was remembered in Celtic tradition on Beltane (May 1) when worshippers carried torches up hills as part of a ritual that included the purification of cattle and sheep and the blessing of the Earth for new crops. Danu's totem animal was the Mare, which appears to equate her with the Gallo-Roman Goddess Epona and many other female Celtic deities. The "Cult of Anu" was particularly associated with Munster and two hills in County Kerry are, even to this day, still known as Da Chich Anann ("The Paps of Anu"). The Holly is also sacred to Lugh, Irish God of Medicine, and to Habondia, the Celtic Goddess of Abundance, Plenty and Prosperity, who was demoted to a "mere witch" in medieval English folklore.


Famous Hollies

Henry Ford, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, Arnold Schwarzeneggar, Harrison Ford, Martha Stewart, Patrick Stewart