Celtic Tree Astrology — The Druids' Thirteen Trees
Celtic tree astrology is a distinctive form of divination said to spring from the wisdom of the Druids, the priests of the ancient Celts. Placing trees rather than stars at its center, it assigns the season of your birth to one of thirteen trees and reads personality and fortune through the temperament of the tree that resembles you.
What Is Celtic Tree Divination?
The Druids held trees sacred and believed each tree housed its own nature and symbolism. Building on this idea, Celtic tree astrology divides the year into thirteen periods and assigns each to a tree such as birch, oak, or willow. The tree whose period contains your birthday becomes the tree that resembles you, and its nature is used to interpret your innate temperament.
The Thirteen Trees and Your Birthday
The Celtic tree calendar divides the year into thirteen periods of roughly four weeks each. There are thirteen rather than twelve because it follows the cycle of the moon (the lunar calendar). It begins with birch and continues through rowan, ash, alder, willow, hawthorn, oak, holly, hazel, vine, ivy, reed, and elder. Your tree is set by which tree's period your birth date falls within.
Each Tree, a Different Symbol
Every tree holds its own symbolism of character. Birch stands for new beginnings and pioneering, oak for deep-rooted strength and leadership, willow for intuition and sensitivity, hazel for wisdom and learning, and reed for insight and the power of story. Knowing a tree's nature lets you naturally read the innate temperament and strengths of the person assigned to it.
Tree Compatibility Through the Four Elements
In Celtic tree astrology, the thirteen trees are assigned to the four elements — fire, earth, air, and water — to read compatibility. The same tree connects deeply; the same element is at ease; elements that encourage each other, like air with fire and earth with water, are harmonious; and opposing elements create tension. Because this resembles the elemental affinities of Western star signs, the two practices are good to enjoy together.
How Does It Differ From Star Signs?
Celtic tree astrology is like Western star signs in that it reads disposition by birthday, but it differs in placing trees and the cycles of nature at its center rather than the stars. Dividing the year into thirteen periods is likewise a result of following the rhythm of the moon rather than the sun. That makes Celtic tree divination a birthday reading of a slightly different grain — one that touches more closely on nature and the seasons.
Celtic tree astrology is a wisdom of nature that reflects you in a single tree. If you're curious which tree your birthday belongs to, what temperament that tree carries, and your compatibility with another's tree, check it directly below.