The ancients believed that the world hung from a silver cord attached to a fixed point in the heavens, that stable point being the North Pole Star (or the Pole Star). Neither seasons, politics, nor religion could change this fixed point. It was thought that the heavens rotated around this star with the analogy of a great mill that churned out the riches and wealth of the universe, gifts from Spirit to those deserving on Earth. The Pole Star was seen as an umbilical cord to heaven, called “Mother Bond of Heaven” by the Babylonians. Other cultures likened this silver thread to that of the World Tree, Tree of Life, Tree of Yggdrasil, or Cosmic Tree.111 In Wicca, we find an old magickal charm (author un-known) that matches the idea of a magickal mill/pole in the following incantation, called The Mill of Magick:
Fire flame and fire burn
make the mill of magick turn;
work the will for which I pray,
Io Dia Ha He He Yea!
Air breathe and air blow
make the mill of magick go
work the will for which we pray
Io Dia Ha He He Yea!
Water heat and water boil
make the mill of magick toil;
work the will for which we pray
Io Dia Ha He He Yea!
Earth without and earth within,
make the mill of magick spin,
work the will for which we pray
Io Dia Ha He He Yea!
As below it is above
make the mill of magick love;
work the will for which we pray
Io Dia Ha He He Yea!
When we analyze astrology, religion, and magick, we discover that often these systems share many of the same foundational tools. Here, the elements (fire, air, water, earth, and Spirit) form a correspondence and show the primal drive of magick lies in the concept of unity between that which is without, and that which is within—that which is above, and that which is below.
Adding an even more striking association to this rhyme is the Celtic myth of Duibhne, king of Dalriadian, Ireland, who found himself in an unlikely enchantment—basically, even though he looks human, he’s stuck acting like a bird. Since he doesn’t want anyone to see him in this sorry shape, he runs away to contemplate how he’s going to get himself out of this mess. On his journey he meets the Hag of the Mill, who “is the Cailleach na Dudain or Old Woman of the Mill, who regulates the turning mill of life and death; and is the Gaelic counterpart of the British goddess Arianrhod of the of Caer Sidi.”112 Arianrhod means “Silver Wheel,” and this interesting goddess has several associations, including Keeper of Time and Custodian of the Silver Wheel of Stars (the zodiac). The wheel (some say) was made by three Druidesses (the Triple Goddess). It is Arianrhod’s Wheel that becomes the astrological chart you wish to interpret or the Wheel of the Year of the Wiccan High Holy Days.
Once again we see that Spirit, magick, and you are one, whether we think of a tree, a wheel, or an enchanted mill that connects us all together. Below is a brief listing of the various trees of life.
Cultures, Religions, Practices,
and Their World Trees
alchemy
World tree: Axis Mundi, around which the cosmos is oriented; the joining of body, mind and spirit, the three worlds.
buddhist
World tree: Peepul or Bo Tree—under which Buddha attained enlightenment.
chinese
World tree: Pear and mulberry, beneath which oneness flows.
christian mysticism
World tree: Tree of Life (sometimes attributed to the Virgin Mary).
druid
World tree: Oak, the Sacred Nemeton, Bile.
egyptian
World tree: Sycamore fig from which the goddess Hathor extended nourishment to the dead. Represents Nut, goddess of the heavens, and is sometimes called the Lady Sycamore.
hindu
World tree: Brahman was the wood, the tree from which was shaped all heaven and earth.
islam
World tree: Has several trees, including the tree of blessing and illumination, the tree of happiness, and the celestial tree at the center of paradise from which flows the four rivers of water, milk, honey, and wine. Also the world tree on whose leaves the name of every person is written.
jewish mysticism
World tree: Kabbalah’s Tree of Life, the four worlds, and the ten Sefiroth.
mayan
World tree: Yaxche, which supports the layers of the sky.
norse
World tree: Ash, Yggdrasil, from which the nine worlds can be reached.
sumerian
World tree: Tammuz, vegetation god gifting the Earth through his tree of life.
wicca
World tree: The Magick Mill; pole star.
The Tree of Yggdrasil
Perhaps the most mystical of the various Tree of Life legends is that of the Tree of Yggdrasil in Norse mythology. The story has always touched me deeply because it can be read on many levels. It’s one of those legends that no matter how many times you go back to it, you’ll always find something new to think about. The main character of the story is Odin (sometimes called Woden), the Father/God of the Nordic pantheon. In many ways, Odin goes beyond the simplistic way we might look at God. He is the invisible Soul of the World that animates all things and travels through the nine Nordic worlds like the wind. He rides upon a magickal steed named Sleipnir, and his deep azure cloak stretches into infinite space. He has two familiars, ravens named Huginn (meaning “thought”) and Muninn (meaning “memory”) that represent his soul. Each day the birds fly around the world and then report back to him, telling him everything that has taken place. Not only does he stand for the mind of God, he also has many other talents: shapeshifting, writing, inspiration, intellect, communication, magick, and seership. A white serpent (wisdom), skilled in magick, lies at his feet at all times.
The story goes that this legendary hero wanted above all to find wisdom and obtain the gift of prophecy. To do this he was required to hang upside-down on the world tree, Yggdrasil, for nine days and nights (each day and night representing one of the nine sacred worlds in Nordic lore). At the dawn of the tenth day, he reached down into the roots of Yggdrasil and withdrew the runes, the magickal alphabet of the Nordic peoples. Hanging there wasn’t all he had to endure; he also had to make a sacrifice and exchange one of his human eyes for “the sight.” Obviously this is a tale to teach us a lesson—that sometimes we must sacrifice those attitudes that are outdated to grow spiritually. He could not truly see until he looked within himself.
Sometimes Odin is referred to as Grom. This is an Old English term meaning “marked” or “hooded.” In some Pagan circles, the Hooded Lord is either a direct reference to Odin, or to the magick and secrecy that surround “the God.” The Celts also possessed a pantheon of gods known as the Genii Cucullati, or Hooded Ones, and there is a vague association to a Celtic horse cult wherein the practitioners could whisper magickal words to horses and the animals would do their bidding.
Odin is connected to the shamanistic mythos of our present-day Santa Claus. In Holland as late as 1920, cookies called vrijer were given as tokens of good fortune over the Christmas holiday. These cookies depicted a stylized Odin turned gentleman as the bringer of the sun and good fortune. The women were given the “male” cookie, and the men the “female” cookie—a stylized Freya.113 Yggdrasil is sometimes said to be an ash and at other times a fir, the same fir tree from which the legend of the Christmas tree grew.
