T  TINNE-HOLLY

Best in the fight.

     Holly battles and defends himself, defeating enemies, and those who wish to destroy him, with his spines. The leaves are soft in summer but in winter, when other greenery is scarce and the evergreen Holly is likely to be attacked by browsing animals, the leaves harden, the spines appear and he is safe.

     With the coming of Christianity, the Holly became the Holy tree, the tree symbolic of the crown of thorns, so representing the fighting of the soul’s battles, that eventually unites this life with the one that follows, and also, runs parallel.

     The holly is male, so symbolizing paternity and fatherhood. With the Ivy and the Mistletoe, the Holly has always been regarded as a potent life symbol, both for his year long foliage and for his winter fruits. The wood of the Holly was used for fashioning spear shafts.

     What should the qualities of such a shaft be as it is hefted and thrown? The essentials are balance in the hand and directness as it leaves the hand. This quality of directed balance shows that you will be enabled by this cards guidance to find the strongest argument in your spiritual battle, providing the fight is just and not directed towards aggression and acquisitiveness. Also, drawing this card will enable you to find the vigor to fight with balance and unity. Coming after the fertile and central Oak month of the Ogham calendar, this card provides an indication of what lies ahead in the second half of the year.

     Reversed this card indicates a lack of direction and balance. Without these attributes, you are not yet equipped to succeed in your present conflicts. You need to know more clearly what you are struggling with and how to combat it correctly in order to win through.

Reference The Celtic Tree Oracle

By Liz and Colin Murray