Birch of shamans

Like the Germans and the Scandinavians believe the Siberian peoples to the existence of a sacred tree that rises from the center of the earth. According to the legends of the Abakan Tatars grows on top of the iron mountain white birch whose seven floors of the seven branches symbolize the sky. The crown of the tree flows a divine, yellow frothy beverage. If you drink it, disappearing fatigue and hunger. Birch live in the souls of ancestors.
When the first man in the world, he wanted to know what he was created. With this question, he went to the World Tree. In it he discovered a cavity in which a woman appeared who told him that she was created as a founding father / mother of the human race.


Tree of the ruler of the earth
In another legend shaman enters a patient journey. He discovered on an island a young, slender birch reaching into the heavens. It is the tree of the ruler of the earth. At his feet are growing tribe of all herbal plants. The branches are people, ancestors of many peoples. Then said the Lord of the Tree: "Take the branch just down cases and make a drum. He will be yours throughout your life of service. "Since then, the drum with the ceremonies of the shamans an important role, particularly those from the wood of the birch cosmic cut. When the shaman beats the drum, his mind goes to the center of the earth, from which he can reach the sky. shaman drum with
During the ceremonies of the Siberian shamans make it a broom of birch branches. This puts it in a pan of water, which contains thyme, juniper and pine bark are. The whole is brought to a boil. With this 'seasoned' broom than the backs of students worked to get them on the first initiation to prepare.


The essence of the Birch
Despite her short life and, compared with pine, birch, and low height plays an important role in the shamans. Besides its lightness and elegance, her silver-white bark, birch possesses the qualities in the harsh and long winters of the north of great significance. The essence of the birch is light.
In the boom of the Celtic calendar, it is the tree of December / January. She / he symbolizes the rebirth of the Sun Sometimes the birch dedicated to the moon to the silvery sheen of its bark, sometimes the Sun She / he is sometimes female, sometimes male.


Saint Brigid St. Brigid
The Celts worshiped Brigid of Kildare or St.Bride. She lived in the second half of the fifth century P.C. daughter of a tribal chief and was the divine patron patron saint of Ireland. In the Temple of Brigid was a long 19 days 19 nuns fire fed with birch branches. On February 2 in Ireland celebrates the feast of St. Bride, the return of the light (Candlemas).
In Germanic mythology, the birch tree of Thor / Thor, god of lightning and war. According to Russian proverbs, the various qualities of birch: it gives light to the world, she tempers cries, heals diseases and cleanses. This corresponds to the four main uses of the birch tree: her branches will be flares, with a large, bright flame burning, but also brooms and rods, which the Scandinavians in the sauna, his body worked. They won from birch tar, which they used wooden wagon wheels smeared. The juice, "Birch blood ', is utilized in folk medicine as a cleansing agent.
Mysterious is the symbiotic connection between the birch with the fly agaric (Amanita muscaria), which is eaten by the shamans to get into trance. The fly agaric is a community with the roots of certain trees, preferably those of the birch.


Berk and fly agaric
In Western Europe, consuming the fly agaric as very damaging for. We talk about him often associated with the path, the animal of the witches and the dark forces of the underworld.
birch with fly agaric


In English, one of his names 'toadstool' = mushroom. Despite its negative image is not really poisonous toadstools. The confusion and hallucinations which he accomplishes is to scare people, but have no further adverse effects.