The Apple Tree

For obvious reasons the ancient Celts considered the apple tree a treasure. It's brilliant blooms, ranging from pink to white, have a light of aroma that lifts the spirits of all who pass by. The ancient Celts would decorate bedchambers with the apple blossoms as a fertility gesture and tribute to the beauty and bounty life provides.

After the glory of the blossoms come the fruit of the apple. Druids recognized the powerful trans-formative qualities experienced when consuming the apple. It was thought the fruit could transport the eater to other worlds, typically of a paradise. Further altered states could be induced by pressing the apples and allowing them to ferment over time, thus producing a hard cider.

Even the formation of the trunk, in various poses, was said to have a female form to it and was considered a beacon of fertility. The wood of the apple tree was often burned during fertility rites and festivals carried out in the winter months. These were demonstrations to beckon bountiful abundance upon the return of spring as well as symbolically insure a healthy and long-lasting ancestry.

Nature Connection:

•  The Celts recognized all of the features of the apple tree and viewed it as pleasing in every way. It was even a symbol of creation, as well as an emblem of art and poetry. The meaning of the apple tree is also associated with virtue and the tree is a symbol of motherhood.