The first tree in the Beth-Luis-Nion Tree Alphabet is the Birch.
The silver birch was a holy tree revered by pagan Celtic and Germanic tribes. In Britain the Druids gave its name to a midwinter month. The birch was considered to have sacred powers of renewal and purification, so its rods were used in the ritual of driving out the spirits of the old year. It is the earliest forest tree to put out new leaves. In Scandinavia its leafing marks the beginning of the agricultural New Year, as farmers use it as a signal for sowing their spring wheat. The timber of the birch shows no distinction between heartwood and sapwood. A tea can be made from young birch leaves, beneficial to those suffering from arthritic and rheumatic conditions. Despite its delicate appearance it is one of the world’s hardiest trees, and in the British Isles, with Rowan, it will grow higher up mountains than any other deciduous tree.
And thus the Fairy elemental that embodies the Birch Spirit is
The Birch Fairy of New Beginnings
December 24 to January 20