Animal Symbolism pt IV - The Celtic Zodiac
The Celtic Zodiac also known as Celtic Tree Astrology and Ancient Irish Astrology is the Celtic answer to astrological representation and is drawn from the Druidic beliefs around the cycles of the Moon. The Celts studied nature very closely to understand its importance and how to work with it. They deduced that the Moon has 13 lunar cycles in a year and assigned a specific tree to each cycle. Each tree has its own properties and meaning and a magical purpose of that comes from the Ogram or Ancient Celtic Alphabet. The trees as follows in order:
1 - Birch
2 - Rowan
3 - Ash
4 - Alder
5 - Willow
6 - Hawthorne
7 - Oak
8 - Holly
9 - Hazel
10 - Vine
11 - Ivy
12 - Reed
13 - Elder
Eventually, after a further study of nature, the Celts added an animal representative to each tree as they saw fit. The animal order and dates are:
1 - Stag/Deer - December 24th - January 20th
2 - Cat - January 21st - February 17th
3 - Adder/Snake - February 18th - March 17th
4 - Fox - March 18th - April 14th
5 - Cow/Bull - April 15th - May 12th
6 - Seahorse - May 13th - June 9th
7 - Wren - June 10th - July 7th
8 - Horse - July 8th - August 4th
9 - Fish/Salmon - August 5th - September 1st
10 - Swan - September 2nd - September 29th
11 - Butterfly - September 30th - October 27th
12 - Wolf - October 28th - November 24th
13 - Falcon/Hawk - November 25th - December 23rd
Let's take a look at each animal, starting with:
- Stag/Deer. The positive traits of a Stag/Deer are, patience, persistence, loyalty and natural leadership. A good leader is patient and loyal to those around him, like the Stag is loyal to his herd. To the Celts, Stags represented nature, the horns they grew represented trees and they carried nature around with them like a crown. Nothing can deter a Stag/Deer when they set their mind to something which can turn their positive traints into their negative ones. Pride is a downside of leadership as one sometimes has to choose between doing what's right and their pride, which can cloud their judgement. Overworking can stem from persistence. The want/need to finish something you've set your mind to can leave you burnt out and Somber. Being somber is defined as having or conveying a feeling of deep seriousness and sadness. Don't let your pride be your downfall and find the balance between your positive and negative traits, like nature balances itself.
- Cat. Your positive traits are, intelligence, intuition and quick wittedness. Like the real life feline, you trust your intuition above all else and your quick wit allows you to navigate any situation to your advantage. Like the Cat, your mind is agile and flexible. Cats are quick learners and intelligent creatures that learn from experience and a bad experience can lead you to a negative trait of being reserved. Being reserved is a natural defence mechanism for self preservation. If you've been scorned in the past, this could lead to a more cautious approach to life. Also, Cats hate restrictions and being confined so it stands to reason that a Cat zodiac can learn to use their brain to bypass restrictions. However, a scorned Cat can learn to trust again, all they need is time.
- Adder/Snake. Your positive traits are, communication, you're passionate and wise. Snakes figure out the world around them by using their tongues so it stands to reason that a Snake would be a great at communication. You can use this skill to convey your passionate nature and anything that you are passionate about. Snakes are also very patient and observe their surroundings so it's no surprise that they accumulate wisdom along the way. This wisdom can become misconstrued and lead to a negative trait of being overly practical. Whilst being practical is a good thing, being overly practical can impact your life and those around you, even if it's unintentional. Snakes are also unpredictable. You can never tell what a Snake is thinking and being overly practical can lead them to strike without warning. A human Snake has no physical venom or poison in their teeth, only in their words. Once they've calmed down, communicate with them and normally, you can resolve the issue.
- Fox. Your positive traits are, being energetic, having a sense of humour and an adventurous nature. Foxes are full of energy, ready to go in any situation. This combined with a good sense of humour can help a Fox in any social situation or to turn the tide if something goes sour. Being adventurous means that the Fox is up for anything and ready to take risks but, this can lead to a negative trait overconfidence which can lead to your energetic nature and humour being confused with arrogance. Like the actual Fox, cunning comes naturally. This means that you can control the situation to benefit you at the expense of others, although, they won't realise until it's too late. Don't let your happy go lucky nature become dark.
- Cow/Bull. As a Bull, you are, loyal, intuitive and organised. Bulls are strong and can pour that strength into those who they have deemed worthy of their loyalty, which comes entirely from their natural intuition. You also like to be as organised as possible which can lead to stubbornness. Ever heard the phrase "stubborn as a Bull"? Being stubborn can lead to miscommunication and and create barriers between those who you're close to which can lead to your other negative trait of being highly emotional. This comes from feeling misunderstood and can cloud your intuition. Once a raging Bull has finished charging around, normal service will resume.
- Seahorse. A Seahorse is intelligent, imaginative and adaptable. Intelligence and imagination go hand in hand, when your mind is open to learning, you open the endless possibilities of the imagination. The ocean is full of mystery and many things are (for the moment) left to our imagination. There are many different environments within the ocean which can be easily navigated with your intelligence and adaptability, if you can imagine the ocean as a metaphor for life. But, the ability to adapt can lead to one preferring solitude. Quite often, those with high intelligence and those with an active/overactive imagination can feel isolated and misunderstood by others and their refusal to think differently can lead to stubbornness, which can lead to further isolation. If you know a Seahorse who is becoming more and more reclusive, try thinking like they do and you might get through to them.
- Wren. When you think of a Wren, it quite often leads to the image of a charming, little bird. A human Wren will use their charm to their advantage, without taking advantage of others in the process. The Wren is also a natural caretaker so if you feel like you have a tendency to look after those who need it, it's part of your inner nature! Like the bird, you are self motivated but this can lead to being easily distracted as your motivation changes which can lead to others forming negative opinions about you and leading you to prefer isolation. But, don't let these opinions change your caring nature!
- Horse. As a Horse, you are strong, loyal and passionate. If a Horse is passionate about something, they will put their everything into it which can lead to being overly competitive, like your animal counterpart, you have to cross the finish line first. You are strong in both body and mind but this can lead you to be headstrong. If a Horse doesn't want to do some, they won't do it! Your natural loyalty can lead to drama and dramatics but this all depends on the situation, those around you and how you handle it. For a Horse, finding the balance between their positive and negative traits is what allows them to run free but if hindered, beware of the hooves!
- Fish/Salmon. Salmons are visionaries, intuitive and fun loving. Like the actual Salmon, you always know where to go and how to get there and if something is in your way, you can visualise a way to get to your destination, even if it takes a while, like the Salmon who always somehow climb the waterfall to return to their place of birth. Your fun loving nature means that you can embrace these difficulties with a smile. Your negative traits all link together. The reason it may take you a while to achieve your goals is that you are easily distracted, which can the lead to people being frustrated with you and in turn leads to you being frustrated with them and leads to you being labelled emotional. To avoid this, you then because secretive. Whilst you are purely doing this to defend yourself, others may not see it that way. Don't let your emotions take over your fun loving nature and trust your intuition!
- Swan. When you think of a Swan, the image often conjured, is that of a graceful creature. To be graceful, you have to be calm, with the ability to approach the situation at hand with a clear mind. A Swan is also loyal to its family and partner and will guard them fiercely and with honour. Your honourable trait can cause rifts with others and lead you to become reserved and secretive to avoid confrontation as, like the actual Swan, your emotions can sometimes overcome you. Swans are often associated with royalty which has lead to another association of being a conformist. Swans are set in their ways to an extent, when it comes to tradition, upholding it is seen as honourable task. To avoid turning a Swan into a recluse, approach the situation with calm and grace.
- Butterfly. Ever head the expression "social butterfly"? This refers to someone who is mobile within the community, going place to place and known to others, just like the actual Butterfly. Butterflies flit around, constantly seeking out flowers so a social Butterfly is constantly on the move. You are als a natural empath and are drawn to strong energies both good and bad so it's important to shield yourself so you don't become overwhelmed because, like the Butterfly, you are delicate. Human Butterflies also like to be organised so there is often a pattern to their movements but because of this, a Butterfly hates restrictions and anything that can prevent them from being organised or that forces them to change their plans without much warning. Your social prowess can also be be mistaken for attention seeking which can also tie in with the hightened emotions of being an empath and wanting to remain organised. Actual Butterflies use their coloured wings to attract the attention of others and catch people's eyes. Don't let people take advantage of your empathetic nature.
- Wolf. A Wolf is a majestic, fearless, honourable and focused creature. An alpha Wolf will do whatever they can to protect their pack and keep them safe from perceived threats and make sure that those who are not as strong as them are cared for and protected, like an honourable caretaker. Have you ever heard the expression "lone Wolf"? This can happen as a Wolf is also stubborn for a human Wolf, this stubbornness combined with focus, can push people away, forcing them to become a loner and because they are fearless, they do not fear the solitude. If you see a solitary Wolf, be cautious, their pack might not be far behind.
- Falcon/Hawk. The Hawk is wise, ambitious and generous. Birds in general have long been associated with wisdom in my cultures but that's for another post! The actual Hawk is generous as it will give up a meal to feed its young and a human Hawk is much the same, giving when they can. An actual Hawk my have a be ambitious when it comes to catching a meal and a human Hawk carries this ambitious trait. But with wisdom, comes arrogance which can lead to being highly opinionated. Whilst trying to make their catches, actual Hawks can be irresponsible, just like a human Hawk can become irresponsible in achieving their ambitions. Do not let your wisdom change to arrogance.
I hope I've done a good enough job of explaining everything. What's your Celtic Zodiac sign and do you agree with what I've written?
Keep an eye out for future installments in this series (it could go on for a while!)
Blessings,
C )0(
👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
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