The Moon is humanity's oldest calendar. Evidence of ancient peoples keeping time by the phases of the moon have been found carved into rocks and cave walls the world over. The famous tree calendar of the Celts was such a time-keeping device, and, like other tribal cultures, the Celts found names and associations for their moon which were developed and codified over many years of ritual and experimentation. Each moon phase was assigned a corresponding tree, each tree being sacred to either feminine energy and to the Goddess, or to masculine energy and to the God.
The lunar tree calendar of the Celts has long been a source of controversy amont Celtic scholars. Some even claim it was never a part of the old Celtic world, but was an invention of author/researcher Robert Graves. The Druids are generally given credit by other researchers for creating this system. There seems to be no scholarly evidence to prove otherwise, yet many Celtic Pagans feel that the system pre-dates the time of Druidic influence over Celtic religious matters. It is probably reasonable to believe that the truth lies somewhere in between these three extremes. It is most likely that the tree system was in place, with minor regional variations before the time of the Druids who experimented with it, discovered the magickal properties of each tree, and codified all the information into the system we have today.
The trees the Druids selected for the thirteen months were already trees which were sources of magick and myth in Celtic folklore. Several of the trees are said to be attractive to faery folk, and others were sources of magick herbs or medicines.
Today the counting of the Celtic tree calendar begins with the full moon nearest Yule. Perhaps it once began with the full moon nearest Samhain since, until the influence of the Norse, Samhain marked the beginning of the Celtic New Year. When you have pinpointed the full moon closest to Yule, count off the thirteen moons of the lunar year and mark them with their Tree Calendar names.*

The trees of the Ogham alphabet were divided into three classifications, which had nothing to do with their physical form. They merely represented their order of importance to the Druids. Chieftains came first, followed by peasants and shrubs. Two symobls, the Grove and the Sea, are not actually trees; their inclusion points out the Druidic acknowledgments of the power of both the sea itself and a group of trees. The last five letters are called the Crane Bag and were given by the sea god Manannan.**


Beth - Birch

Month: November
Color: White
Class: Peasant
Letter: B
Meaning: New Beginnings; Changes; Purification.


Luis - Rowan

Month: December
Color: Grey and Red
Class: Peasant
Letter: L
Meaning: Controlling your life; Protection against control by others.


Fearn - Alder

Month: January
Color: Crimson
Class: Cheiftain
Letter: F, V
Meaning: Help in making choices; spiritual guidance and protection.


Saille - WIllow

Month: February
Color: listed only as bright
Class: Peasant
Letter: S
Meaning: Gaining balance in your life


Nuin - Ash

Month: March
Color: Glass Green
Class: Cheiftain
Letter: N
Meaning: Locked into a chain of events; Feeling bound.


Huathe - Hawthorne

Month: April
Color: Purple
Class: Peasant
Letter: H
Meaning: Being held back for a period of time


Duir - Oak

Month: May
Color: Black and Dark Brown
Class: Chieftain
Letter: D
Meaning: Secrity; Strength


Tinne - Holly

Month: June
Color: Dark Grey
Class: Peasant
Letter: T
Meaning: Energy and guidance fro problems to come


Coll - Hazel

Month: July
Color: Brown
Class: Chieftain
Letter: C, K
Meaning: Creative energies for work or projects.


Quert - Apple

Month: None
Color: Green
Class: Shrub
Letter: Q
Meaning: A choice must be made


Muin - Vine

Month: August
Color: Variegated
Class: Chieftain
Letter: M
Meaning: Inner development occuring, but take time for relaxation


Gort - Ivy

Month: September
Color: Sky Blue
Class: Chieftain
Letter: G
Meaning: Take time to soul search or you will maake a wrong decision.


Ngetal - Reed

Month: October
Color: Grass Green
Class: Shrub
Letter: NG
Meaning: Upsets or surprises


Straif - Blackthorn

Month: None
Color: Purple
Class: Chieftain
Letter: SS, Z, ST
Meaning: Resentment; Confusion; Refusing to see the truth


Ruis - ELder

Month: Makeup days of the thirteenth Moon
Color: Red
Class: Shrub
Letter: R
Meaning: End of a cycle or problem.


Ailim - Silver Fir

Month: None
Color: Light Blue
Class: Shrub
Letter: A
Meaning: Learning from past mistakes; Take care in choices.


Ohn - Furze

Month: None
Color: Yellow Gold
Class: Chieftain
Letter: O
Meaning: Information that could change your life


Ur - Heather and Mistletoe

Month: None
Color: Purple
Class: Heather is Peasant; Mistletoe is Chieftain
Letter: U
Meaning: Healing and development on the spiritual level.


Eadha - White Poplar or Aspen

Month: None
Color: Silver White
Class: Shrub
Letter: E
Meaning: Problems; Doubts; Fears.


Ioho - Yew

Month: None
Color: Dark Green
Class: Chieftain
Letter: I, J, Y
Meaning: Complete change in life-direction or attitude.


Koad - Grove

Month: None
Color: Many Shades of Green
Class: None
Letter: CH, KH, EA
Meaning: Wisdom gained by seeing past illusions.


Oir - Spindle

Month: None
Color: White
Class: Peasant
Letter: TH, OI
Meaning: Finish obligations and tasks or your life cannot move forward.


Uilleand - Honeysuckle

Month: None
Color: Yellow-white
Class: Peasant
Letter: P, PE, UI
Meaning: Proceed with caution.


Phagos - Beech

Month: None
Color: Orange-brown
Class: Chieftain
Letter: PH, IO
Meaning: New experiences and information coming


Mor - the Sea

Month: None
Color: Blue-green
Class: none
Letter: AE, X, XI
Meaning: Travel

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