Alder
By Blayze

Sink your awareness down into the earth. Become aware of your breathing. Enter a trance state (using usual breathing techniques…)

You find yourself standing at the foot of a large hill - all around you is darkness pierced only by the brilliant light of the stars… twinkling like jewels embroidered into the velvet cloak of the night sky above you.

By the light of the stars you can see that a path winds in a spiral about the hill. You move to the left and begin to walk along the path - ever twisting and spiralling to the left. You begin to feel the ground slope beneath your feet as you slowly walk the spiral path. Your awareness shifts with each turn as you sink deeper and deeper into trance.

You are aware moonlight growing brighter as you near the summit of the hill and you realise that the moon is rising to hang just above the hill itself. 

Bathed in the moonlight is a tall, ancient stone that stands in the centre of a flat plateau. The spiral path winds ever towards the stone in the centre, one half of which is in shadow, the other illuminated by the silver light of the moon.

Gradually you find yourself walking in a ever tightening spiral as you move closer and closer to the stone… always and ever moving to the left. At last you come face to face to with the towering and ancient weathered rock. By the light of the moon you see that there is an image carved upon its surface… A straight line runs from an inverted V at the base to the top of the stone. Halfway up the line you see three horizontal lines extending to the right. This is the Ogham Fearn - the Alder carved into the single upthrust spur of living rock.

You feel the power awakening in the stone and sigil as the moon continues to rise. The Ogham stave glows and you run your hand along its length. You feel the energy tingle through you from the tips of your fingers to your feet upon the earth. Suddenly everything shifts and you find that you have passed through the stone into another realm. Mist envelopes you and you experience a moment of disorientation, but you can now feel the stone standing at your back. 

You find yourself on a path surrounded by tall trees whose features are shrouded in mist. You can hear the sound of water bubbling over rocks and the ground is slihgtly damp under foot. You follow the path as it winds between the trees... the sound of the water becomes louder in your ears. Slowly the mist begins to shred away from the trees and you find that you are walking between very tall conical trees with rough grey bark. The branches are long near the base and are shorter near the tops.
The path widens out and becomes more sandy underfoot. As you walk forwards you feel that the path is sloping slightly downwards. Between the trees you can just make out the shore of  a wide river, glowing silver in the moonlight. You reach the end of the path and find yourself  facing two large wooden pylons guarding a walkway that continues abover the sandy banks and waters of a swiftly flowing river.  You can see that each pylon bears the Ogham for Alder - the Fearn. You cannot see what lies at the end of the walkway or pier. You walk up to the pillars and place your palms upon the Oghams carved there. You can now see that a small dome shaped hut has been built over the river at the end of the pier. You step up onto the walkway and begin to walk above the river. As you walk you notice that the pier is held up by more of the great wooden pylons sunk deep into the river bottom. They are same wood as the guardian pylons and indeed come from the wood of the mighty trees of the surrounding forest. You can hear the water lapping against the pylons. You continue up the pier and come to the hut. It is round and made of tightly woven branches.... a Crannog dwelling. The entrance is covered by one massive bull hide. You move it aside and step into the gloom of the Crannog.
Feel your way along the round wall until you come to a place opposite the entrance. There is a smaller hide here. Fold it back to let the moonlight enter the hut. Now look at the centre of the room. You see that there is a pylon that comes up through the centre of the floor. It is cut off about hip height and embedded within the flat top is an ancient and strong axe. Next to the axe is a small earthernware bowl.  Although the Crannog sits over the water it is tied to the land by both the walkway and the pylons that are sunk deep into the river bed. Think about this.
Look up. You see that hanging from the domed roof of the Crannog are 3 shields.You cannot make out the designs painted upon them. . Think about the nature of the Alder and the shields hanging from the roof.
Now take up the axe and gently make a small cut on your palm. If you have the courage to do so, the alder surrounding you will protect you. Catch 3 drops of blood in the earthernware bowl and place it back on the pylon.  Now look at the shields above you. See the pictures and sigils forming on them. Have the courage to go past the pain in your hand.
An alder shield is a weapon of magical defense. It defends those who have the courage and the intuition to advance and break new ground within themselves. 
Once you see the symbols upon the shields... memorise them and try to understand their meanings.
Now take up the axe and the bowl of your blood and leave the Crannog. Go back down the walkway to the rivers edge and the trees that grow there.Move through the trees and find one that you feel safe with. Ask it to allow you to cut a large branch from it to make your own shield. With the axe, cut the branch which then bleeds red at the end and at the Tree's wound. Daub the blood from the bowl upon the cut surface of the tree. The wound in the tree heals as does the wound on your hand.
Take your branch, the axe and the bowl to the rivers edge. Let half the the branch sit in the water and the other half upon the river bank. With the axe begin to split the branch into planks as long as your arm. You will need enough to make a rough square as the basis for your shield. You will also need two narrower pieces to brace the shield from behind. Also cut some small lengths of dowell from the branch. Sharpen one end and place them in the water to harden. 
Go and collect some alder leaves and some small twigs and bring them back to the river bank or use the bits and pieces that you stripped off your branch. Start a small fire with the twigs - you can use the axe and a stone to create a spark . Add the alder leaves to the bowl and cover them with river water. Set the bowl amongst the fire to steep. This will be your dye to paint your shield with.
Your dowels should have hardened by now. Collect them and begin to assemble your shield. Use the back of the axe as a hammer and use the dowels as nails by hammering them through the cross pieces and into the assembled planks. Reserve two pieces of dowel.
When you have finished, take the rough shield, the axe, the remaining dowels and the bowl of dye back into the Crannog.
Place the shield upon the centre pylon and begin to cut the shield into a circle with the axe... following the circumference of the pylon. When you have your circle, cut a strip from the window hide and fasten it to the cross pieces with the two dowels. This becomes your arm strap.
Now look at the shields hanging from the roof. Combine the symbols you found there onto your shield face. Paint them on with the alder leaf dye.
When you have finished... hang the shield from the roof of the Crannog. This is now the defence of your heart... your magical shield. 
Place the axe back in the pylon. 
Now leave the Crannog and don't look back, have the courage of your defences. Make your way back along the path through the forest until you come to the large standing stone. You see there is a spiral carved upon this side. Move to the stone and begin to trace the spiral as it twists to the right. You become aware of mist forming around you once more and again a feeling of disorientation. 

As the mist begins to clear you find that you are once again standing upon the hillside under the fading light of the setting moon. By the light of the stars you begin to walk the spiral path out from the centre, ever moving to the right. You begin to feel the path sloping downwards as you tread the spiral path around the hill. As you walk you feel yourself becoming heavier and heavier, you begin to be aware of other sounds…. Slowly you reach the bottom of the hill and sit at its base. You become aware of the feel of your body, the shape of your skin and your breath. You feel the blood flowing through your veins . You become aware of the sounds around you… 

When you are back… open your eyes.