Yew as Ally
Iodho is the tree considered by many as the most sacred of the Isles of Britain. Able to live for thousands of years, she blends age and youth, smooth bark and wizened wood, teaching us of regeneration, of the cycles of decay and renewal. Yet she also us to face transformation without assurances of survival, to let ourselves die. As such, she holds the stories of the dead, quietly passing them on, generation to generation. (ERO)
Oghams of Morann Mac Main: oldest of wood
Oghams of Mac ind Oic: most withered of wood, or a sword
Slow growing and long lived, Yews have a long association with death. Ancient trees can be found with its beautiful dark brown and reddish wood hollowed out in the centre as the tree grows. With its timeless, ancient yet ageless feel it is a tree that teaches us of death, of endings, of change and transformation. Yew offers us a vision of transition, and of acceptance that some things must end, that nothing can be forever. Yet with that same message we realise that nothing is ever final, endings are just a part of the spiral of change and transition we all experience, and so our perceptions may themselves change, the new growing from the old. (CC)
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