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I’ve been musing…. and it’s led me to Mistletoe’s door. Are we entering the Age of Mistletoe or The Return of the Druids? Mistletoe, the little freeloading plant that has remarkably synchronicities and on point themes that weaves a symbolic narrative of the prevailing astro weather. Even main stream media find the skies more inciting that Covid chitchat. Chatter of the Great Conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn, exact back on the December Solstice in 2020 was food for thought. Mistletoe musings unearthed some fascinating lore, far more interesting than stolen kisses, dare I say. And if we were living in bygone times the Xmas staple would be the Ancient’s secret weapon to this current health situation.

For all it’s festive traditions, mere mention of its first syllable - Mistle, immediately conjures up puckering up for a kiss, while it’s not all shallow, the symbolic custom does bear some genuine relevance making it worthy of a deeper look than the cheesy Christmas associations. But first; have you ever seen a freestanding Mistletoe tree? ‘Technically’ they don’t exist! As the bush is hemi-parasitic and favours tapping into a host plant extracting it’s life giving resources. Sound familiar? Human host to virus! Mistletoe harbours high in the boughs of host trees. It’s waxy helicopter propeller shaped leaves bear transparent/white sticky berries all year and flowers in winter. The jeweled bait is happily consumed by winged beauties whose droppings do the job of seeding new mistletoe plants, high in crevices and crooks of trees. This natural seed dispersing method earned Mistletoe its name ‘Mistel’ means ‘dung’ while ‘tān’ means branch or twig. I think you’ll agree, Dungtoe doesn’t have the same ring to it!

Celtic DRUID Folklore

Grown without help from man, it was though to be a sacred and heavenly to the Druids. It turns out the final landing place of Winged messengers droppings aren’t so arbitrary, as European mistletoe favour germinating in apple, oak or other broadleaf deciduous trees.

The oak in particular is a sacred tree in Druid circles, with many of their rituals involving an oak, its leaf and in Winter rites preformed at the site of majestic deciduous Oak trees. Thus Mistletoe garnered from an Oak tree in particular, was highly prized, as it’s skyborne and close to the heavenly realm. Resembling bird nests from afar, the green clumping baubles (eco Xmas decs) are strewn high from the tallest branch of the oak tree. Known to Druids as ‘Golden Bough’, most probably due to the yellow golden hue it fashions - which happens when it stops photosynthesis. With transpiration only taking place in the stems, the host's - i.e oak’s - supply of water was shared. So Mistletoe shares vital nutrients of the Oak tree, even its powers, hence dual sacredness. In addition, its slow germinating takes four year to produce berries, and then only two leaves per shoot, only adds to the plants rarity. Maturing slowly - is a very Saturn keyword! And the Deity honoured during an Oak ritual is Zeus /Thor aka Jupiter.

A PLANT BY ANY OTHER NAME

Of course Mistletoe has numerous folk names like - All Heal - said to hail from the Celtic meaning, ‘sùgh an daraich' meaning 'sap of the oak,' or ‘Druidh lus’ translated as 'Druid's weed’. Or Birdlime, Witches Broom or Wood of the Cross, reference to the Cross of Calvary. Thunder-besem and Thunder plant, are interesting references as the plant is thought to protect homes from lightning Storms. The roots of this moniker may lie in it’s unison with the Oak. I personally believe only Mistletoe harvested from an Oak can truly warrant this name. Why? As the adage goes ‘Beware of an oak, it draws the stroke’- as in Lightning. The Geomancer in me knows why an Oak tree is typically struck by Lightning - but that’s for another post. As Mistletoe’s garners its water and other nutrients from the Oak, to pacify parasitic tendencies, it inadvertently adopts Oak’s vice for lightning. Thunder-besom is in fact the shaggy, bushy abnormal overgrowth on the plant, which is said to have formed by a flash of lightning! Both the Oak and Mistletoe, are primarily used as plants of Protection for Buildings (Saturn’s domain) in the magical realm. And the Celtic God of Thunder and Lightning is Taranis - aka Jupiter.

PLANETARY CORRESPONDENCES + SOLSTICES

Astrology buffs will know or frankly anyone keen on metaphysical topics, that the ‘As above, and so below’ adage infers that what happens above in the sky (or Heaven’s, if that’s your jam), is reflected on Earth and in Nature.

The oak tree has planetary correspondences to Jupiter and the Sun, as does Mistletoe. Taranis, the Celtic Thunder God (aka Jupiter) is always depicted with a spoked wheel, like the Celtic wheel of year Calendar, forging an interesting link to the Summer Solstice veneration when the Sun was at its zenith and flaming wooden chariot wheels were rolled down hills toward rivers to quench the flames ‘sun’.

Like all Magic rituals, timing and harvesting of necessary plants are under the remit of planetary hours and lunar phases. Druids were particularly strict on specific timings. One Druid practice was the ritual caveat of harvesting on Midsummer’s Eve(1), also known as Summer Solstice marker in the Celtic Wheel of the Year. Or another harvesting caveat was to do so on the sixth day of the Moon, a waxing Crescent moon, a time when Celts date the beginnings of their months as Luna is just visible in the night sky - 18 Dec 2023 is the 6th lunar day.

Only a golden sickle (crescent moon shaped blade and the implement of Saturn, like its glyph ♄ ) was used to free the plant from the oak (Jupiter), and so precious was the specimen that a white cloth was used to catch it before it fell to Earth. Were it to touch the ground its magical healing properties all but lost. So venerated, that it was consider the soul of the tree. And the Oak itself, symbolic of the reigning King of the Land (hello again Jupiter). White Robes were a must and it's said two white bulls - sacred to the Moon-Goddess - was sacrificed after the mistletoe was taken from the tree(2). The Bull horns (crescent shaped) were bound and a God invoked when sacrificial an animal - it’s symbolic of freeing the soul of the King before his dethronement and making way for a new beginning. On significant occasions a bull feast ensued and the blood and flesh were consumed by a chosen one while Druid priest chanted into the night to induce prophetic dreams and offered enlightenment so ] the chosen one could deliver the name of the Next King.

Another suggested time of harvest was when the Sun is in Sagittarius, which happens to coincide one day before the Dec. Solstice (i.e Dec. 20th) and when the moon is waning on either the first, third, or fourth day before the new moon. The means of harvesting the Mistletoe was to shoot it down with an arrow (Sagittarius and the archer, and Jupiter is it’s ruling planet) and catch in the left hand before it falls to Earth.

And as for the Kissing?

Under the fertility rite, the aforementioned union of bound Oxen horns (visual lunar crescents, menze fertility cycles) combined with the ‘all healer’s' pearly white berries - were symbolic of semen in potion making. The elixir was given to barren animals to bestow fertility. In part the nickname ‘Kissing bough’ that accompanies Mistletoe, may have its roots in original magical intention behind its use, it all starts with a Kiss, right?

How does Mistletoe relate to Jupiter and Saturn conjunction?

Harvesting, timings, plant lore, almanacs and the planetary alignments piece initially brought me to the door of Mistletoe musings….. But what did it all mean to Ancients? The night skies was akin to a giant TV screen. No matter the culture, star and skylore was recorded in the skies for their own benefit and self betterment, such as calendar making, festival markers, planting, fertility cycles etc. . . . So when the 2020, 20 year cycle between Jupiter and Saturn occurred it was (and still is) big news. Instead of diving into the uber technical astro meanings I mused what this union in the skies meant to the ancients on a practical, magical, mythical, symbolic and medicinal level.

The Summer Solstice mistletoe harvest would have been bereft of petals as it flowers in winter, but berries remain all year round thus still suitable for a significant Sun honouring ritual to celebrate the Sun standing still. The opposing Solstice of Winter - which celebrates the death of the winter sun - is where the upcoming Jupiter Saturn conjunction really got me thinking. The orbital pattern that Jupiter and Saturn make in the skies, when they are conjunct the pattern formed is VERY similar to Celtic trefoil seen in Newgrange; an amazing piece of astrological architecture that celebrates the Winter Solstice alignment.

Mistletoe & Saturnalia

So where did the Mistletoe and Christmas come in? It’s in part due to its traditional harvest time, close to Xmas and it’s berried and seasonally available. Christmas is of course linked to the benevolent Jupiter, but in fact the origins of the tradition lies more with Saturn. Saturnalia was an Ancient Roman festival honouring the God Of Saturn, and it was held on 17 December in the Julian calendar and later shifted to 23 December. Go figure but it was also a common custom to elect a "King of the Saturnalia” at this festival. King reference again! Saturnalia was also a festival of agriculture and celebrate the fecund land was under his domain. Mistletoe's plant powers were oft used as Fertility charms and the Greek goddess Artemis wore a crown of mistletoe as an emblem of fertility and immortality. Hello again, fertility link and more Roman Mythology links - Jupiter, was the son of Saturn.

In plant lore, Mistletoe and Oak are known as Protection plants. I think we could all do with a magical measure of Protection, this is in essence the holy grail we currently seek - Protection from this virus. Jupiter in the western astro system also governs the Lungs….! and this year that organ has seen its fair share of spotlight (sun). It’s folk-name 'all heal’ was a medicinal wonder plant that historically cured so many ails. Not just infertility, but epilepsy, hypertension, arthritis and various other ailments. In modern times, it ‘s garnered a pharmaceutical reputation as an anti-cancer herb _ BUT its a Toxic plant, so numerous studies still under investigation.

And Finally

The Oxen sacrifice/symbolism was a bit of the jigsaw I didn’t see coming and it blew my mind . . . . as we’re about to head into the Year of the Ox in 2021….. And this Winter Solstice (21st Dec 2020), is a major calendar marker in both the Celtic and Chinese Calendar. In fact the Dec Solstice was originally the Beginning of the Year in the Chinese Calendar, as it coinciding with the Rat 2020 - the first animal in the Chinese zodiacal system. (I just Love me a cross cultural link.)

And Finally, at the time of writing (Dec,. 2020) it’s the 6th Lunar day according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar or any calendar that observes the 1st day of the New Moon as beginning of a lunar month- that’s 20th Dec. 2020* in the Universal calendar! The Sun is in Sagittarius, a Waxing Crescent Moon and Jupiter and Saturn are conjunct - meaning conjoined just like the Oak (Jupiter) and Mistletoe (Jupiter & Saturn). The Sun is at its zenith in the Southern Hemisphere - and its Nadir in the Northern hemisphere - Winter & Summer solstice points. The Celtic calendars measured periods of time not by days but beginning at sunsets/nights (lunar). The 2020 upcoming Jupiter conjunction is exact on Dec 21st. but visually conjunct today the 20th. This Great conjunction is sometimes called ‘The Great Reset’. A new chapter begins. How do we begin again?

And that’s where my astro musing led me to - the Jupiter & Saturn conjunction and what it may have signified to the ancients. Hello Age of Mistletoe or is it the RETURN OF THE DRUIDS- as above so below.

(*P.S 18 Dec 2023 is sixth lunar day)

ⓒ FENG SHUI ISM 2023 - originally published Dec 2020

(1) Graves

(2) Pliny