Page 34 - The Flickering Cauldron Magazine - June 2022

Doors made of solid Oak have long been believed to have the power to shut out evil and or mischievous spirits. It’s widely believed that the word door is a derivative of the ancient (Indian) Sanskrit, ‘Dwr’ which meant entrance or doorway or door.
This in turn became ‘Duir’ to our ancients who saw the Oak as the gateway (Door) to all knowledge and as such, in Ogham, Duir is a reference to the Oak.
It’s commonly accepted that the word Druid is derived from Latin - tosh we say! Where was Latin in 3000 BC? We know that the Druids were ‘men of the Oak’ and ‘worshippers of the Oak’ so it’s logical they would have been referred to (maybe) as ‘Duirdis’ (do-ire-dees) which let’s face it, centuries later, is a very small leap to Druids.
Meetings would not be held in a place where an Oak was not present and teachings could only take place in the presence of an Oak tree.
Bless, our beautiful (delete that in case he reads it) familiar, Obsidian, has informed us that the Round Table of King Arthur was made from one single cross section of a magnificent Oak.
The first tree in Celtic folklore was an Oak - he was referred to as Bile. Legend has it that both his acorns fell off, however, they fell to mother earth, who took them and nourished them and gave birth to the God Dagda and Goddess Brighid.
Talking of acorns, there are numerous carvings on staircases of them here at the Manor, apparently it’s common in medieval buildings and it’s intended to ward off lightning strikes.
Our ever so glamorous, and quite simply stunning familiar (her description) Willow, has done a little research for us. There are legends that the Oak was used as the wood for the crucifixion.
As a consequence, there are parts of Greece for example, that no part of the Oak may be taken into or used in the construction of a house.
However, Oak wood for the cross is highly unlikely, Olive trees are abundant in the Holy Land today and would have been much more so in Roman times.
Acorns are the fruit of the most powerful tree in the forest. Carrying one at all times would give you the tenacity and determination to defy all odds and survive.
New Moon
New Moon Peeps are definitely risk takers, whatever the odds they will go with a gut feeling or just rely on possibly blind faith, which they would insist was intuition.
Full Moon
Whilst Full Moon Oak peeps might openly commit to a cause, it’s not without a reason - they have a purpose But let’s be very clear, they are not bad people.
Understandably, people born under the Oak are resilient. They are seen as responsible and dependable. They emanate confidence, which draws people to them.
Calm in a crisis and being seen as ‘incorruptible’ makes them great leaders. A handshake on a deal or their word on a promise is solid. However, it is normally to their advantage.
Their integrity and reliability, translates to them being seen as exceptionally trustworthy.
34 | The Flickering Cauldron® Magazine - Ogham Oak