Our tree circle is based on the idea of the Celtic Tree Calendar. The origins of the calendar are uncertain. Some believe that the Druids created this system, while other Celtic Pagans think it pre-dates the time of Druidic influence over Celtic religious matters. The version of the calendar that we are using is widely credited to Robert Graves’ book ‘The White Goddess’
What *is* certain is that it’s a great new feature for HBUF and will be a fantastic talking point in years to come.
The Celtic Tree Calendar splits the year into 13 lunar months, with each one having a different tree associated with it, like the zodiac idea that we’re all familiar with.
Our thirteen trees (actually, they’re not all trees!) are:
| Birch | December 24th to January 20th |
| Rowan | January 21st to February 17th |
| Ash | February 18th to March 17th |
| Alder | March 18th to April 14th |
| Willow | April 15th to May 12th |
| Hawthorn | May 13th to June 9th |
| Oak | June 10th to July 7th |
| Holly | July 8th to August 4th |
| Hazel | August 5th to September 1st |
| Vine | September 2nd to September 29th |
| Ivy | September 30th to October 27th |
| Reed | October 28th to November 23rd |
| Elder | November 24th to December 23rd |
The new Celtic Circle is to the east of our Wildflower Meadow. The image below imagines the trees as they’ll be in a few years… they’re not quite big enough to show up on Google Maps just yet 🙂
If you’d like to check out your Celtic horoscope, or learn a bit about the Celtic Tree Calendar you can find out more on the following sites, which each give their own take:
https://www.learnreligions.com/celtic-tree-months-2562403
https://blog.fantasticgardeners.co.uk/whats-your-tree-sign-according-to-celtic-tree-astrology/