Celtic Astrology Sign – Ivy
Ivy (Gort) – September 30 – October 27
Each year at sunrise on the summer solstice hundreds of people, those fortunate enough to obtain admission, congregate in an open plain near Salisbury, England. Shivering in the predawn, the huge crowd struggles to glimpse a small space among the ancient circle of rocks. This annual gathering at Stonehenge is big news around the world. Each midsummer’s day, on June 21 or 22, millions more tune in to media coverage to watch as the sun rises to mark the longest day of the year by shining through an opening in the stones. The ritual touches some primal longing, perhaps reaffirming the continuity of life through the cycles of the Sun and Moon. Stonehenge is actually an astrology calculator. It gives silent testimony of the importance the ancients placed on following the important heavenly patterns.
The specifics of exactly how this early zodiac worked are murky, lost in time. However those who constructed Stonehenge were precise and well schooled concerning the celestial cycles. Various mystics, astrologers and mythologists have, over the centuries, attempted to unravel the meaning of not only Stonehenge but of other stone circles around Britain, Ireland and other places in Europe. These monuments from bygone times usually mark the longest, shortest and equality of days at the solstices and equinoxes. The Celtic Zodiac is used in a spiritual and esoteric sense, a ritual honoring of the seasons. Its message differs from what we think of as a typical astrological consultation, which might offer advice about love, a job, a move, etc. During the past couple of years I have included the Celtic Zodiac in horoscope updates for my clients.
Perhaps the earliest house plant (think of an ivy covered cottage), ivy relates to happiness and hospitality. Ivy wood cups, holding ale, were often passed to welcome guests. Ivy grows in a spiral, it was traditionally added to wreaths to illustrate fidelity and attachment. The transformative symbols of the butterfly and Persephone, visitors who are reborn after visiting the underworld, as well as the benevolent goddess Arianrhod bring the message of Ivy.
By Dikki-Jo Mullen, Astrologer
Dikki-Jo Mullen
Astrologer and Parapsychologist https://dikkijomullen.wordpress.com