Fearn - Alder

Fearn is associated with the Alnus species - the Alder tree. I associate it with the time in the wheel between the spring equinox and mid-April, the fourth ogham on the ascending branch, and the letter F or V. It is a member of the Betulaceae family along with Birch and is indeed another pioneer species that grows readily in bare ground, particularly in damp, cool areas such as marshes and wet woodland, and along streams and riverbanks - the liminal spaces between water and earth – where its roots help stop soil erosion. Its wood is fairly water resistant, so it does not burn well but is of use for smoking or charcoal. It is a great candidate for construction of bridge foundations due to is resistance to rotting in water.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Here in Utah we commonly see Alnus glutinosa or black alder, and Alnus tenuifolia also known as mountain alder or thin-leaf alder, and occasionally Alnus rubra, red alder in cool wet canyon areas. Its leaves are serrated similarly to its relative the birch, but the leaf itself is a wider, more rounded shape where birch is narrow. In the spring it produces male catkins - elongated flower clusters bearing pollen. Later in the year its shorter, smaller female catkins form which eventually become tiny woody seed-bearing cones called strobiles. These adorable tiny cones persist on the tree through the winter into the next growing season and can be very useful for winter identification. Its younger shoots are a beautiful red color which matures into gray and develops fissures as it ages.  

Alder holds the concepts of service, guidance, mentorship, connection and preservation. We see this as Alder’s moisture resistant wood helps mediate the effects of soil erosion and it works with the nitrogen fixing bacteria Frankia alni to make the ground more fertile for other plants to grow, and its bark contains medicinal compounds. It shows us that true service is about having the wisdom and ability to shift your perspective to see where it is appropriate put your own personal wants and needs aside... to contribute to the needs of the whole, the earth, the goddess, and the community. The magic of true service is that we can enable ourselves to receive the help we need through helping others. The energetic exchange of giving creates space and opens us up to receiving. This is divine service – the understanding that we are all smaller parts of a larger whole with something unique to contribute, and recognizing that service to the whole ultimately is service to the self.  

Fearn has also been historically used in shield-making, and is associated with warriorhood, both physical and spiritual. The alder shield brings the balance of preservation to the disruptive power of the ash spear, or a sword. When alder wood is cut, it appears to ‘bleed’ and turns a reddish color due to oxidation of tannins in the wood. It was because of this appearance that Celtic warriors favored this wood for shields, believing that the spirit of alder conferred magical protection associated with the red color; fire, the sun, and blood – associating it with life and vitality. Fearn can impart knowledge from the underworld to help a warrior understand when to use the shield, and when to use the sword. When our territory - our boundaries - are threatened or invaded, we must defend ourselves and appropriately protect and preserve our limits. Fearn can be a wise advisor about personal empowerment and assertiveness in the physical and practical acts of self-preservation. Remember, service is about putting your own wants and needs aside when it is appropriate. This means we also need to understand when it is appropriate to stand up for ourselves and to advocate for our true needs. You cannot be of service if your own basic needs aren’t being met. It’s like trying to pour from an empty cup. Fearn can help us find strength, endurance, and new ways of moving into greater alignment that were previously unseen, just as the alder tree emerges from murky muddy waters into the shining world beyond.  

MAGICAL PROPERTIES

Fearn is also associated with the Welsh god-king Bran. The legend of Bran the Blessed is told in the second branch of the Mabinogion. At one point in the story, King Bran is trying to cross the river with his warriors, but the bridges had been destroyed, and the water was too shallow to sail ships across. As he stared out across the water wondering what to do, an alder tree appeared floating down the river. It is said that it came to rest before him for a moment, before continuing its journey downstream. King Bran then walked to the edge of the water and fell forward with purpose - taking a leap of faith - saying “He who is a chief, let him be a bridge.” and he fell out over the water, body magically expanding (he was also said to be a giant) as his hands reached to the other shore to create a bridge which his warriors crossed. The name Bran also means ‘raven’ which is associated with prophecy, fate, and thus, divination. It is my belief that the alder tree communicated wisdom to King Bran – that a chief, a leader, is a bridge. A bridge not only in the physical sense which the story portrays, but also a bridge between this world and otherworld, a bridge across which knowledge and wisdom can pass. Later in this story, Bran is fatally wounded and instructs his few surviving men to remove his head and place it in a very specific way and place so that he could continue to impart messages and wisdom to them from the underworld. Fearn can teach us about divination, of being a bridge between this realm and others to provide guidance, connection and protection – attributes of a chieftain. 

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

I often come across alder trees when I am hiking. I always find them near water, if not directly on the bank of a stream. In the spring I see their beautiful young red shoots lining the mountain streams, and in the winter I have sat under a slumbering Fearn with its tiny black cones, eating my lunch. I have always been drawn to the liminal power of these trees as they grow with one foot, or root, on land and one in the water. Liminal spaces in nature is where one thing transitions into another, such as the edge of the forest where it becomes meadow, or where water and earth meet on beaches and banks of rivers and streams, or where earth and sky meet on the peaks and high trails of mountains. Dusk and dawn is another liminal space occurring between night and day. I have found in my travels that humans are naturally drawn to these spaces; there is a sense of excitement, of wonder, wherever two seemingly opposing things come together, merge and meld. There is a reason beaches, waterfalls, and austere mountain peaks are such a ubiquitous attraction for people. Many times I have observed fellow hikers engaged in child-like wonder at a stream crossing a hiking trail. One does not need to be well versed in the ephemeral inner workings of the universe to feel and understand the power held in these spaces. Alder teaches me to find my own liminal space where I can preserve both my physical and psychic needs - and to ground that energy in both my physical reality as well as emotionally or mentally.

So far, as we turn the wheel we have Nion - the spear - Yggdrasil - connecting us to other realms, shaking up our status quo and challenging our beliefs about ourselves and the world, opening our eyes to the initiatory mysteries held by the blaze on every hill, Onn, at the Equinox. Now we come to Fearn, helping us to see - with divination and connection to other realms - where we are most needed and where we can be of utmost service to those around us and to ourselves. I previously shared some methods to bring the mysteries of the grove into your own practice – that of sitting with and meditating with the trees. Another way to bring these energies into your life is through moon magic. The full moons can each be attributed to a tree throughout the wheel, but you can work with any tree at any point in the year. If it is calling to you and feels right, then do it. The moon is a great magnifier of unconscious knowledge – it reflects the light of the sun – and it can help us delve deeper into our own internal, unconscious knowing of a thing outside of what our preconceptions (what we’ve read or heard from others) might tell us. Working with the sympathetic magic of the moon can help you deepen your personal connection to these beings and energies. 

DIVINATORY MEANINGS 

A call to remember what is fought for, protected and served. True service. Guidance and mentorship particularly in the right use of power in defending yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. Connection; both to physical community and to the psychic realms, sometimes through vision or prophecy.