Wishing all our supporters a very merry Yewtide or Yuletide and an increase in the light our politicians have to see by, after the Solstice!

The Celtic or Druidic name for the winter solstice is Alban Arthan, associated with Arthur the Bear, the Pole star and the Yew tree. This is the time when the Yew makes its power and influence felt, unsubdued, keeping vigilance while most of Nature sleeps. It is said of this festival that it is the death of all Hope and Hope’s gateway, with the dying of the light followed by the return of the power of the Sun and the rebuilding of light. It is a reminder that it is darkest just before dawn and Hope continues even when it seems  all is lost. For a few days the sun stands still and with bated breath we wait for its turning. No wonder rituals for welcoming back the Sun and venerating the Yew, the Tree of Eternity, have gone on since the dawn of civilisation!

It’s a blessing however, that Yewtide is celebrated as Yuletide with the Christmas Yew tree now substituted with short lived and fast growing fir trees, or we’d risk losing more yew trees being cut down to be taken into homes to celebrate Christmas! Yews and other evergreens remind us of the enduring ultimate power of Nature, while red berries symbolise the blood of life.

According to Wikipaedia, in Germany, ‘Yew boughs have long been brought inside and decorated at Christmas time alongside pines and firs. Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of King George III, is often credited with bringing this tradition from her German homeland to the English court, installing the first decorated yew tree at Windsor Castle in 1800.’

Pines and firs remain top choices for Christmas trees, with the Nordmann Fir being the most popular in Britain, with it’s strong symmetrical, pyramidal shape, like the yew, while the yew, Scots pine and Juniper are noted as the 3 conifers native to Britain. Strictly speaking though, the yew is not a conifer as it doesn’t bear cones but is a unique tree which stands alone, unlike other trees, as the Tree of Life, the Tree of Resurrection, the Tree of Immortality. Bless Yew!

Please keep signing and sharing the petition, hoping the new year will bring Change and legal protection for ancient yews!