A Druid's Handbook to the Spiritual Power of Plants: Spagyrics in Magical and Sexual Rituals - Jon G. Hughes 2014

The Separation of The Three Cardinals of The Tree
The Refinement Process: The Complex of the Tree
The Druidic Workshop

The tree I have chosen for this example is the pedunculate oak (Quercus robur). Common throughout Wales, Scotland, Ireland, England, and in certain areas of the United States, the oak is renowned not only as a symbol of durability and longevity but also for its association with the Druidic tradition. The oak can survive for thousands of years, and along with the yew and the ash it has become the most sacred tree of the Celtic culture.

There are more than four hundred species of oak, the largest of which may grow to a height of 120 feet (36 meters) with a girth of up to 45 feet (13.5 meters). The oak may take up to sixty-five years to reach reproductive maturity and bear its first crop of catkins.

The oak finds its place in the myths and legends of many cultures. The Greeks, the Romans, the Scandinavians, the Germanic and Baltic cultures, among others, join with the Celts in making the oak the most widely revered of all trees.

Most people’s image of a Druidic priest would place him in an oak grove, and indeed this would be an accurate picture. Druids held the oak to be the most knowing and sacred tree, and “major oaks” were often the focus of much Druidic activity. Some were even carved with the pagan symbol of the earth (see here) in order to protect them, increase their power, and extend their lives. The upper branches of these massive trees are said to hold the most potent energies, and legend has it that Merlin’s stave was fashioned from one of these very branches.

Whether or not you subscribe to the Merlin legend, the oak has always played a major role in all Druidic rituals. In Wales the oak is commonly called derwen, deri, or derw. In Ireland it is known by the name of dair in the modern tongue or duir in old Irish. Neither name has an alternative translation. It has been suggested that the title Druid, referring to the wise men of the oak, is derived from one or both of these ancient Celtic names.

We have seen previously how the tree’s branches are harvested and brought to the workshop, so our work now begins with the first stage of refinement, the separation of the three cardinals of the tree.

The Separation of The Three Cardinals of The Tree

The separation of the tree’s cardinals is a ritual working. It is usually carried out by the priest or priestess on his or her own in the workshop. The process has two main elements: the physical crafting of the separation and the spiritual invocation of the four elements and the collective energy to empower the working. Before we can begin, it is essential that we have a detailed understanding of the structure of the tree.

We have looked at the structure and growing processes of the whole tree in part 2. We will now focus on the structure of the branch that we have already harvested. The oak branch will provide us with the three cardinals we need for our work. It consists of the leaves, the wood, and the bark in the proportions that nature defines. We must then use the entire harvested branch, leaving none to waste.

In the process of separation, we shall be removing the leaves from the branch and paring the bark from the wood, thereby giving us the three unrefined cardinals of the tree.

As we saw in part 2, the leaves provide us with the male cardinal, the wood with the female cardinal, and the bark with the hermaphroditic, binding cardinal that makes the tree’s complex so different from that of the flower.

Oak leaves and branches

Separation: The Ritual Working

Like the harvesting of the tree, the separation is a ritual working, meaning it includes a spiritual/magical element within the practical work. The separation is the moment in which the three cardinals of the tree are divided. The male, female, and hermaphrodite essences will then remain separate until they are reunited at the amalgamation during the final ritual for which they are being crafted. This, then, is an extremely significant part of the refinement process, a moment when the tree temporarily loses its unity and natural balance, which will later be restored.

For this reason we ensure that the separated cardinals maintain their energies and potency by invoking the power of the four elemental essences (earth, fire, air, and water) and the fifth elemental essence, or quintessence (the collective energy), to aid our efforts. For this ritual working we will need:

· The candle triangle.

· A vessel of moon-cleansed water.

· An incense burner, with a suitable incense.

· The stave and dagger, to cast and seal the protective Circle. If you are using a permanent working stone within your workshop, you may well have cast the Circle previously, in which case you will need just the dagger to seal its entrance.

· Three small bowls, one to contain the separated leaves, one to hold the separated wood, and one to hold the separated bark.

· A suitable knife and/or scalpel, to separate the cardinals.

· The harvested oak branch.

The working stone should be laid out as shown below in preparation for the ritual working.

The working stone is now ready to begin the ritual working, so we must again look to the preparation of our body, mind, and spirit before we undertake our work. The process of personal preparation has been discussed earlier and is explained in detail in part 4.

Having completed our personal preparation, we are ready to proceed with the ritual working of separation. For the purpose of this example, we will again assume that a priestess is facilitating the ritual working.

Working stone layout for the separation ritual working (tree)

If you are working outside your workshop, the first step is to cast the protective Circle using the stave as described in part 4. If you are within your workshop, you may have already done this for previous activities. With the Circle cast around the working area, the entrance is sealed with the dagger. (This procedure is explained in part 4.) The charcoal in the incense burner is now lit in preparation for the ritual working.

The next step is the lighting of the candles. This part of the ritual has been described in detail earlier (see here). Having lit all three candle flames in the required manner, the priestess then facilitates the uniting of the flames. This too is described earlier (see here).

The next stage of the ritual working is the invocation of the collective energy’s influence in maintaining the energies and potency of the branch whose cardinals are about to be separated. The priestess stands before the working stone and lifts the branch high in the air. In doing so, she says:

“I offer this branch, taken from our earth for the good of mankind. I call upon the four elemental essences to empower its cardinals and maintain them until they are again united.”

The branch is then placed at the front and center of the working stone. The priestess forms her two hands into an inverted cup shape and places them above the branch. As she does so, she says:

“I invoke the power of the elemental essence of the earth that yielded up this tree and its branch, to protect its energies and maintain its potency until it is again united as one.”

Then, dipping her fingers into the vessel of moon-cleansed water, the priestess sprinkles a little of the water on the harvested branch and says:

“I invoke the power of the elemental energies of the water that nourished this tree and its branch, to protect its energies and maintain its potency until it is again united as one.”

The priestess now sprinkles a little incense on the smoldering charcoal in the incense burner. As the smoke rises, she lifts the branch and holds it in the smoke. As she does so, she says:

“I invoke the power of the elemental energies of the air that gave life to this tree and its branch, to protect its energies and maintain its potency until it is again united as one.”

The priestess now holds the branch above the flames of the candle triangle (about twelve inches [30 cm] above the flames), and as she moves the branch in a clockwise circle around all three flames she says:

“I invoke the power of the elemental energies of the fire (the sun) whose heat and light have given strength to this tree and its branch, to protect its energies and maintain its potency until it is again united as one.”

Finally, while holding the branch above the flame of the collective energy candle, the priestess says:

“I now call upon the one, the collective energy that animates all things, to guide my work and to protect the energies of this tree and its branch, maintaining its potency until it is again united as one.”

The branch is now replaced at the front and center of the working stone, the priestess sits in front of the working stone, and the work of separating the tree’s cardinals begins.

The priestess first removes all the branch’s leaves and places them in the first of the three bowls, making sure that none is lost, for the natural proportion of the branch’s cardinals must be maintained. Next the branch’s bark is carefully stripped away from the inner wood using the knife and/or scalpel. The strips of bark are broken up and placed in the second bowl. The remaining wood is roughly cut up or broken so it will fit into the third bowl. The three bowls holding the tree’s cardinals (as the separated parts of the branch are now called) are placed next to one another at the front and center of the working stone.

The three cardinals of the trees are now ready for the next stage of the refinement process, the maceration. Maceration is not a ritual working, however; it is, in fact, one of the many “practical” undertakings of the refinement process. Therefore, it need not be done inside the protective Circle, so the ritual working must be brought to a close.

To do this, the priestess stands before the working stone and with both hands raised in the air she says:

“And so it ends, as it began.”

The protective Circle is now unsealed and erased in the way described in part 4.