Celtic Tree Month of Hawthorn 13th of May-9th of June

By Rev. Thomas - The Celtic Tree Month of Hawthorn ends today. Ogham letter - H Ruler of the 6th Lunar Month 13th May - 9th June

Powers: Fertility, Chastity, Protection, Caution, Relaxation, Happiness.

Hawthorn, Huath – Queen of the May or The Faery Tree, wild and enchanted, wound about with powerful Fae magic from its thorns to its deepest roots. And yet, it’s one of the commonest shrubs or small trees in the British Isles.

Biological names: Crataegus monogyna or the Woodland Hawthorn which is Crataegus laevigata and with a list of common names and folk names as long as your arm .... Here are a few: May Tree, Quickthorn, Whitethorn, Quickset, Thorn-apple Tree, Gaxels, Hagthorn, Ske, Azzy Tree, Thorn-bush, Bread & Cheese Tree.... The dense shrub, with its gnarled and twisted trunk, was used to enclose fields when the common folk were no longer allowed to graze their animals and cultivate crops on just any available piece of land.

Wooden fences were often too expensive, and stones for walls unavailable and so hedgerows were planted and what better than the common but thorny and impenetrable Hawthorn? Hawthorn leaves The hawthorn tree is very hardy and will tolerate poor soils.

It rarely grows tall as it is often enclosed with other species in woodland and hedgerow but it can reach about 60 feet when it has room. The trunk usually bends and twists as it gets older, so that it lacks height and the Hawthorn can be very long lived and twisted indeed.

It has dark green, highly lobed, deciduous leaves of about 4 inches in length, which break in mid April. These are arranged alternately along the twigs on short stems. Among the leaves you will find thin, sharp thorns a couple of inches long. In spring it’s smothered in clusters of tiny white, starry blossoms, making long, flowered boughs for picking for the Beltane or May Day celebrations. As the flowers drop, fruits ‘Haws’ begin to form, green at first, but ripening in late August to a deep, shiny red, which last through autumn while the leaves begin to turn yellow. These are eaten by a variety of birds, blackbirds, thrushes, and many smaller finches and yellowhammers among them. The tree supports lots of other wildlife..

Hawthorn timber doesn’t get to any great size, but is very hard, and both tree and root wood is useful for making small things, polished boxes, carved handles for tools and sticks.It burns very hot, so was used for fuel and can make good charcoal. Young leaves were eaten raw, with a nutty flavor hence its name ‘Bread and Cheese Tree’ and both flowers and Haws have found uses in

hedgerow jellies, wines and herbal medicines.

Thank you for reading! We hope that you found this lesson informative, as always you can contact us here or on FB @ facebook.com/triplemoonministries if you have any questions or comments.

I also want to encourage you to celebrate and honor our heritage with those you love and our younger generations they are our future in more ways than one Brothers and Sisters. We are a great and caring people us Pagans and by keeping the old ways alive we ourselves nurture the future of our Mother Earth, our children and Paganisim! So Mote it Be! Brightest Blessings to you all!