Rooted deep in the valley floor, roots drinking
clean river water, a solitary oak endures for
400 years. Generations of birds, small creatures
and insects have occupied and nested within it,
safe haven for deer and fox. Tribes, villages and
towns have orbited its sphere through the changing
seasons. Children's hands at play, gatherers and
cultivators, harsh and fair weather, starry nights,
the near miss of the axe and saw and the searing
cry of the hawk, making up the history of its days.

Tree of Life dwelling in both worlds with your
branches in Heaven and your roots in the Earth.
You are the symbol of The Great Turning and
cycles of darkness and light, leafless in winter
and reborn in spring, your branches full of singing
birds. Tree Of Knowledge, World Tree on whose
leaves the name of every person is written. Cosmic
Tree that unites the three worlds of air, earth and
water, Tree of Sweet Dew, Tree Of The Solar Eagle,
all traditions honor you.

Aubrey Beardsley originally created this thistle
design as a bookplate. Known as one of the
most celebrated book and periodical Art Nouveau
illustrators of the Victorian era, Aubrey Beardsley
was born in Brighton England in 1872 in an
atmosphere of gentile poverty.

Before the age of ten he had contracted tuberculosis
which was the cause of his premature death at the
age of twenty-five. His work was heavily influenced
by the Pre-Raphaelites.

In this illustration, Beardsley created a stylized thistle
with flower heads at the very top. Leaves and tendrils
descend to the plant at the base.

The Fleur de Lis symbol, of which there are many
variations, this one from Owen Jones Grammar of
Ornament, originates in the court of Louis the VII,
1147 A.D. He chose the Iris flower as his emblem
during the Crusades, representing faith, wisdom
and valor. It evolved as a stylized symbol from
fleur de Louis or flower of Louis, to fleur de luce
meaning flower of light. It is now more commonly
known fleur de lis meaning flower of the lily, a
Christian reference to the holy trinity or three petals
of the Iris and special emblem of the Virgin Mary.

No recorded history attaches particular meaning
to Celtic knot work aside from the universal
symbolism of the endless wheel, unending line
or continuation and inter connectedness of life.
However, it is generally agreed that spirals
reflect themes of consciousness and
balance, interlacing the unending cycle
of life and death, and key or maze patterns
the twists and turns of life’s journey.

Animal symbolism is more straightforward:
Hounds or dogs represent loyalty, dragon
represents rebirth and birds purity or nobility
and the boar ferocity or strength.

Our best advice when choosing Celtic imagery
is to use ones intuition. Which ever knot you
like best is the one for you!

Wherever oaks grow or have grown, cultural traditions
associate them with the sacred activities of humanity.
Oaks are included in numerous creation stories and
many of the mythologies of civilizations past and
present. They are associated with: the thundergods
of Greek, Roman and Celtic traditions, magic and the
Druids, sacred to Diana, and readily apparent in the
Jewish and Christian texts of the Bible and the Koran.
An integral part of the Fairy traditions of Scotland,
Ireland and England, oaks and acorn play a role in
love divination and prophecies of oracles. Symbol
of the World Tree, oaks are known for the healing
properties of the bark and leaves and as a major
foodstuff of indigenous cultures in the Americans
and Europe. Most species of oak live to a great
age, not producing acorns until they are seventy
to eighty years old.