hazel and mistletoe...

i'm going to have to preface this post by saying that i've never put any weight into the zodiac or horiscopes or any of that kind of stuff. and i'm not going to start now...

but.

ian and i are home today. ian's got a little fever and a runny nose and a bit of a cough, and i thought i'd be the responsible parent and save the other children from his fate. at least for one day. and while he's been sleeping, i've taken the opportunity to do some investigation into that new tattoo that i'm thinking of getting. looking into celtic symbology. doing a little research. and i've found something intriguing...

as it turns out, the ancient celtic version of our zodiac is based on a thirteen month tree "zodiac." now, that's enough in itself to picque my interest - because i happen to like trees. and i happen to really like botanical illustrations of trees. there's something about the depth of branching - a dynamism to a tree - that i really love...

in keeping with the thought that the tattoo may relate to ian, i discovered that his "birth" tree is a hazel. so i'll be looking into botanical illustrations of hazel trees. to see if i can find something i like...

at the same time, i've discovered something even more interesting and directly applicable to me. because the tree calendar covers all but one day of the year. it starts on december 24 with a birch and ends on december 22 with an elder. and then there's december 23. the "nameless day" in the celtic tree calendar. a day governed by no tree - representing instead the unshaped potential of all things, and represented by mistletoe. a day that happens to also be my birthday. the traits that describe "nameless day" people include devotion, persistence, responsibility, graciousness, and practical leadership - which the people closest to me would probably say describe me. and while i don't "believe" in astrology, i've discovered something today in which i can find meaning...

so, while i search for illustrations of hazel, i'll look also for those of mistletoe. because both have a new meaning for me, and a meaning that i think i can justify tattooing on my shoulder..