(I am sorry this is a couple of days late.)

Ash Moon: February 18 – March 17

From LearnReligions.com

In the Norse eddas, Yggdrasil, the world tree, was an Ash. The spear of Odin was made from the branch of this tree, which is also known by the Celtic name Nion, pronounced knee-un. This is one of three trees sacred to the Druids (Ash, Oak and Thorn), and this is a good month to do magic that focuses on the inner self. Associated with ocean rituals, magical potency, prophetic dreams and spiritual journeys, the Ash can be used for making magical (and mundane) tools — these are said to be more productive than tools made from other wood. If you place Ash berries in a cradle, it protects the child from being taken away as a changeling by mischievous Fae.

Ash – one Ireland’s sacred trees

From Ireland-Calling.com

The Ash is part of the olive family and is prized for its strength as well as its healing qualities. In Ireland the ash was considered one of the trilogy of sacred trees along with the oak and hawthorn.

In Ireland the ash was considered one of the trilogy of sacred trees along with the oak and hawthorn. Three of the five magic trees of Ireland were ash along with one oak and one yew.

Sadly, these trees were cut down in 665 by the Christians to symbolise their victory over paganism, although some of the pagan traditions were adopted by the Christians and some trees were linked to the stories of the saints.

St Patrick supposedly banished the snakes from Ireland with an ash stick, which, in Irish mythology, was the preferred wood for a magic wand.

Irish emigrants took  Ash to America

According to the writer Robert Graves who created the modern Celtic tree calendar, a tree descended from the sacred tree of Creevna, another sacred ash was still standing in the 19^th century.

Irish emigrants to America took pieces of the ash with them as a charm against drowning. Ash was thought to have power over water and was often planted near sacred springs known as ‘cloothe wells’.

It was also used to build boats. In Ancient Greek mythology ash was associated with Poseidon the god of the sea.

Possibly due to its strength and ability to grow to great heights (over 130ft), Celtic mythology refers to the ash tree as The World Tree, a tree that spans between worlds, the backbone of the universe.

It is the tree that represents The Tree of Life, with its tall branches reaching up into the heavens and its vast root system spread deep below the Earth.

Norse mythology had similar beliefs that the ash was the tree said to span the universe, linking worlds.

Medicinal uses of ash

The bark, seeds and leaves of the ash are all believed to have medicinal qualities. They have been used throughout time to strengthen the liver and spleen, cleanse the system and detoxify the body.

In Ancient Greece Hippocrates was known to have used ash to concoct remedies for gout and …