Rowan Moon

Rowan represents the 2nd month of the Celtic Tree calendar: January 21st - February 17th and is the 2nd consonant of the Ogham alphabet - Luis. It is the tree of Lunar Imbolc and today's Full Moon.

Rowan

Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia)

Common Name: Rowan / Mountain Ash

Scientific Name: Sorbus

Irish Name: Caorthann

Family: Rosaceae

Planet: Mercury

Element: Fire

Symbolism: Inspiration, Protection, Vision, Crone, Awakening of Spirit

Deity: Brigid

The Rowan tree is very prevalent around the mountains and hillsides of America Village and surrounding areas. I’m particularly drawn to this tree during the Autumn months when her bright red berries appear dotting the landscape with colour. This time of the year however Rowan is as outwardly quiet as most of the other trees around here.

I have a favourite Rowan tree, a young one I like to visit from time to time, not far from the house here. I find myself standing gracefully tall and straight when I wrap my hand around its still thin trunk, holding it like a staff and suddenly being transported to other times as I gaze across the hilltops back towards the valley and across at …

I’m not sure what it is about this tree but it offers me a quiet sense of safety and inspiration, my son refers to it as ‘crann mamaí’ - mammy’s tree.

Rowan trees are native to Ireland, they’re in the genus Sorbus¹ and the family of Rose Rosaceae. They have alternate pinnate leaves, meaning that they’re divided and feather like, the leaves, like the berries turn a lovely red during autumn. The flowers are a creamy white colour with five petals and appear around these parts in April before Hawthorn and after Blackthorn (both of which have similar creamy white flowers). The fruit are bright orange or red with a tiny five pointed star or pentagram opposite its stalk, they’re a favourite food for many birds.

The lifespan of Rowan is around 120 years and they can support around 58 species of insects²

...this tree is very kind to nature.  Its strongly-scented flowers attract moths such as the Common Emerald and Brimstone moths, and the berries feed many varieties of birds in autumn, the birds helping in the seed dispersal.  The species name 'aucuparia' comes from the Latin 'aucupor' meaning to catch birds³

In folklore the tree is said to be one of protection, the five pointed star on the berries may have attributed to this as the pentagram is an ancient protective symbol.

The wood of Rowan is strong and flexible. The berries are high in Vitamin C & A and are astringent. They are also very bitter and sour and generally require a lot of sugar to make them palatable, one of the most common uses for them is a Rowanberry Jelly, much like Crabapple jelly.

Early April is when you can find the best treat from Rowan - The young flower and leaf buds, which have an amazing sweet almond flavour.

Like apple pips and many other plants in the Rose family, Rowan contains Cyanogenic glycosides or hydrogen cyanide which is toxic in high dosage, high dosage being the operative word here, you would need to eat A LOT to endanger yourself. Hydrogen cyanide is also destroyed by heating to 70ºC, so cooking them first is always a good option.

Lessons from Rowan - Rowan reminds us to be creative. It’s a charm of a tree, one of protection, personal power and life.

This spell offers a sense of hope and possess the energy of shifting ground, surfacing and new beginnings.

Embracing our softer knowing, intuition and imagination is where change is born. The energy of Imbolc is powerful and soft. Slowly and softly we are ushered to warm the deep underbelly of ourselves, so we can then go onto warm the ground for each other.

So don’t rush it, feel your way around, be a sensory animal, be sensitive, ask questions, wander, learn and begin to ponder what you are devoted to, ask yourself:

🌙How can I warm the ground of myself?

🌙How can I slowly surface form the dark underworld and comfort of winter?

🌙How can I tend and prepare my ground with heart, comfort and care?

🌙What can I learn from this spell (look around you at nature)

🌙What am I devoted to / What begins to ignite and stir me deep within?

🌙How can I express my devotion?

This moon cycle is lifting, lightening and bright - a good time for rejuvenation. A time to be honest with ourselves, there is so much power here.

Honouring this real power we can stand on our sacred ground and rise gracefully like the Rowan tree.

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Rowan Bud Syrup

• Place young Rowan flower buds in a pan and cover with cold water - Measure the volume of water you use.

• Use 100g or sugar per 100ml of water

• Heat water and buds gently

• Add sugar

• Heat to 80 degrees, stirring to dissolve the sugar

• Strain into a sterilised bottle

• Keep the strained sweetened buds for the Spring Bitters recipe below.

Add this syrup to cocktails, mocktails or anything else that takes your fancy for a nice sweet almond flavour.

Spring Bitters with Rowan Buds

WHAT ARE BITTERS?

Bitters are like a gym for digestive system. We evolved eating bitter wild foods. Bitter flavours excite our digestive system, challenging the body. It’s important for the body to be challenged as it keeps us strong, open, alert and vast.

As the name suggests, bitters are a liquid extraction of botanicals, herbs, roots, barks and various fruits and they have a predominately bitter taste.

In the 1800's people started to add alcohol and sometimes sugar when taking their Bitters to make the taste more pleasant and palatable - Hence the Cock-tail was born!

You can add a few shakes to sparkling or still water, herbal tea, juice or smoothies throughout day. You can experiment and be as creative with bitters as you like in the kitchen, use them in soups, stews, ice cream, cakes, granola, dressings …

In cocktails they work their magic by adding that ‘missing something’ needed to balance and harmonise a drink.

Spring Bitters with Rowan Buds Formula + Rowan Bud Liqueur recipe for any left over buds.