In the middle of the field at Rothersthorpe an orchard will be planted, at the heart of this orchard will be a grove, a circular area where folk can come to sit and 'be'. Around the circle a model of an ancient woodhenge is being constructed.

The idea came to Ant, one of Permorganics core members, after developing an interest in the ancient Tree Ogham (pronounced oh-am) devised by Celtic tribes in the British Isles around 500bc and used by druids to encode their wisdom. The druids looked to the skies and to their surroundings to gather wisdom and a better understanding of the seasons. They 'talked' at great length to the trees and developed a deep understanding of tree-lore.

Background

Druids had sacred circles usually high up on hilltops where they would gather for ritual and to observe the moon and stars. They devised a system to help guide them through the seasons by studying the sun and moon's phases and their position in the sky. At Winter Solstice (the shortest day/ longest night) the High Priest would go to the centre of the sacred circle and mark the position of the sun as it rose at dawn with a wooden stake by aligning it with another marker on the horizon. Winter Solstice marks the point where the light begins to return and the 'Wheel of the Year' begins to turn once more. This was counted by the druids as the most important day of the cycle.

From this point the high priest would observe the sun & moon positions daily by going to the circle and by using 2 huge rocks, one to represent the sun & one the moon, he would roll them round the circle following their path. He worked out that the moon was at its fullest every 28 days, and this event occurred 13 times, but for one day, where he was back where he started as the sun rose on the 365th day, it aligned exactly to the position of his first wooden stake. (hence the saying; a year and a day) This is how the druids devised their calendar year. They observed the trees during each of the 13 moon phases and dedicated a tree to each moon phase.

How it works

I am still studying the methods described above and may be a bit vague on certain points, but as the project develops, it is hoped the woodhenge at Rothersthorpe will be a close replica of how our ancestors devised this method of keeping track of time. The 13 markers round the grove will be wooden posts made from each of the sacred trees to help us identify the current tree month.

Here's a brief rundown of the information I'm using:

The Druid Ogham Year - (Druid = knower of truth / tree) (Ogham = origin of time)

'Ogham' is an ancient divination system used by the ancient Celts & Druids.

The calendar is based on 13 months of 28 days (364 days) + 1 day. Winter Solstice falls on 20th /21st December each year, the day of the 21st is known in the Druid calendar as the 'Day out of Time' (the 365th day)

The 13 sacred trees representing each month in this system are;

Spindle Birch Ash Alder Willow Hawthorn Elder Oak Hazel Apple Rowan Blackthorn & Yew

The Druid's also had 28 trees to represent each day of the month, so a 'Day' was known as a 'Tree'. The 13 'Months' were known as 'Groves' and the Druid year of 13 Groves was called a 'Wood' - The 28 'Wood's were called a 'Forest'

Creating the Circle

I'm mapping out the route's to & from the henge, these routes will, in time, be woodland trails once the surrounding area is planted up. I had the idea of creating like a secret glade in the middle of the wood, with twisted pathways leading to and from it. At the North end of the henge itself there will be a wooden plaque which will briefly outline the tree calendar system.

At Dawn on 22nd December this year, I shall be up at the henge hoping to mark the sun's position as it rises with a wooden stake. This day marks the first day of the Druid New Year & it will mark the first day of the first month which is Spindle.

As & when we find posts taken from each of the 13 sacred trees, they will replace each marker as it is aligned to the sun's position every 28days. Eventually we should end up with 13 posts of the 13 sacred trees that represent each Grove. Where it is difficult to obtain a post - the actual tree will be planted. Because the henge is a small scale replica, it will be impossible to plant every tree, purely because of the space the trees will need when they're full grown.

Hopefully, when the henge is up & running, we will be able to follow the 'Wheel of the Year' by simply standing in the centre of the henge & observing the position of the sun. By using this system, the 8 fire festivals will also be easy to observe.

The henge will not only be used to mark time, 3 energy lines cross in the centre making it an ideal spot for meditation, relaxation, and any rituals or ceremonies, or simply just to go & be still for a while.

Written during Blackthorn & Alder Moons by Ant Smith in the year of the Oak.