Yareah Magazine

The number of January was dedicated to the first holly tree and consonant letter of that Neolithic calendar: to the birch, called “Beth” and which represented the letter “B”. Logically, in the number of February we studied the second tree and letter of the Celtic Druidic alphabet: the wild ash tree, “Luis”-letter “L” and in the number of March, we focused on the third holly tree: the ASH, called “Nion”- letter “N”. Now, in April, our protagonist is the ALDER, called “Fearn”- letter “F”.
This tree was and continues being famous because people obtain three good dyes of it: red from its bark; green from its flowers and brown from its branches, what symbolize fire, water and earth.
Alder tree has always impressed people because when we cut down it, its wood, at the beginning white, starts to bleed as the human flesh. In ancient Wales, all of the heroes painted their faces in red to symbolize they were holy kings in relationship with the Alder tree (or the god Bran).
In the Northern of Europe, green is associated with fairies and elves, they used to wear green clothes since they hid in the forests running away of their pursuers. Who were them? Historically, other tribes… We must not forget fairies and elves were survived inhabitants of defeated tribes.
However, the alder is mainly the tree of the fire. It represents the power of the Fire which liberates the Earth from the Water. In the Câd Goddeu is the symbol of the resurrection. Its buds grow in spiral and during the Neolithic, spirals decorated all of the monuments (dolmens, cromlechs and the bigger palaces of the Mediterranean kingdoms).
This fourth holly tree dominated from the 18th of March (when Alders start to bloom) to the 14th of April (when the Spring Sun dries the Winter floods). In this period, days start to be longer than nights… Sun has defeated Moon… the masculine God is stronger than the White Goddess. We are in the month of virility.

Bio: 

Isabel del Río was born in Madrid (Spain). She has studied in the University of Valladolid and she has a degree in Geography and History. She likes Arts

http://isabeldelrio.wordpress.com

and she has been painting for years. Now, she is teaching in a secondary school in Madrid and investigating about old lost female painters. She has published a novel called “Ariza” (Grupo Editorial Alcalá ISBN 978-84-96806-52-8).