Eihwaz – The Yew

Description

Grounding, stretching, balancing, longevity, centering, heart, death, spirit

Eihwaz is the Yew tree, also known as Yggdrasil the world tree. Some folk say the World Tree is an Ash tree, but for me the Yew tree, because of it’s long life span (Yews can live for thousands of years) and association with the death mysteries and spirit realms, seems a more fitting choice.

Although there are no Yew trees living on the moor, in the villages and valleys surrounding it there are many Yews growing. However most have been pruned and cut to fit human needs so have lost their true stature and expansive growth. When a Yew tree is allowed to grow naturally its branches stretch out from a solid wide trunk and dip down back towards the ground, so eventually the heart of the tree is hidden and when you pass the sloping and twisting branches you will enter a natural grove with the mother tree at the centre. It feels like standing in a natural temple or sacred space. The only other tree I have felt this with is the Banyan tree found in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. These trees are my world trees.

The Yew I chose to connect with in order to feel Eihwaz energy is called the Stoke Gabrielle Yew, it is roughly 2000 years old and has been allowed to grow naturally in the local churchyard, creating the most magical space around its heartwood, a true living temple.

After the trials and tribulations of the first half of the Survival Aett, Eihwaz is our reward, even more than Jera, it brings us solid strength and solace, a space where we can breathe and stabilise. Time to absorb the lessons so far learned on this journey of self reflection and self discovery, ready to learn new mysteries in front of us. 

In the image the hunter is kneeling and honouring the Yew in front of him. He has been there so long he is becoming part of the tree, moss is growing all over him, his feet connect with the mycelium complex below, the tree trunk towering above him. He is slowly disappearing and becoming at one with the tree. The frost giant is already inside the heart wood, with only the deer skull showing out. The White Silk moths represent the connection to the mysteries of death and transformation, reminding us that life, like the seasons in Jera, is another cycle.

Both Hunter and Jötunn become part of something bigger, they find solace and are complete within the arms of the Yew tree.

Eihwaz is the rune of balance returned, it helps me ground and to ready myself to dive into the cosmic cauldron of Perthro, which will allow me to enter the sacred space of Algiz and then to fully step into Sowilo, the sun, as the adept on the road to the last Aett, and the beginning of the end of my journey.