Daear

The Fourth Cantref

This past week our focus was on the Fourth Cantref, Daear. Daear has a number of connotations in the Dolmen Arch which are:

Among elements the Earth, Among seasons Winter, Among times of the day Midnight, Among beast the Bear, Among Gods Elen of the roads, Among days Friday, Among laws the Law of Causation, Among planets Venus, Among directions North, Among colors Green, Among trees the Apple, Among angels Uriel, Among powers Sensation, and Among grades Athroniwr.

Green is a color of growth and fertility. I have always envisioned the symbol of Daear as a tree, with leaves sprouting off of it as it draws its nutrients from the earth. The telluric current is usually imagined to be a green light rising out of the earth. Green is the middle color of the spectrum and is associated with the heart chakra or caring compassion.

The Bear associates via the constellations, Ursa Major pointing to the North Star, which is part of Ursa Minor. Bears also hibernate in the winter in the earth. From the East: The Bear has a significance in both Taoism and Tai Chi/Qi Gong. But once again, the relations differ. The Bear in the East is associated with the element Earth, Late Summer (not to be confused with autumn), the spleen, and the direction of the center. In Taoism, the Bear is connected to Extreme Yin, as its fighting posture is done with strength and power. To ensure harmony during the training session, I like to also teach the Eagle/Crane Form in conjunction, as it’s Extreme Yang. The bear style focuses on a close-range, defensive strategy, like rolling with and absorbing an opponent’s attack, rather than a long-range, aggressive one. It is associated with the spleen’s functions, such as the transformation of food into qi and blood, and the spleen’s role in intellect and concentration. Beyond martial arts, the bear symbolizes strength, groundedness, and introspection. Its hibernation cycle is seen as a metaphor for retreating inward for rejuvenation and renewal.

The north is the place of the dead, that respite from lives between death and the dawning of the new cycle. In my first order it was represented by an arch drawn by three lines like a lintel from Stone Henge. It is the material which we are made, the dirt from where we come from, the bones of the earth from which we root.
In magical practices the north is also a place where abjurations stem - that being defensive protective shieldings.

In the physical world, Daear is the human body and the soil and earth. This reminds me of the Masonic degrees, which correlate like this: Earth = you, Water = 1st degree, Air = 2nd Degree, Fire = 3rd Degree. So in passing through the three degrees of Masonry, you, being the Earth, is transmuted through water, air, and fire. Sensation is also stated as the power of Daear, which can be seen in the phrase of the earthly desires, generally relating to physical needs of the body.

Venus, while generally associated with beauty and love is the patron Goddess of gardeners, and her association with fertility is a very Earth quality. The planet Venus rules Taurus, one of the fixed Earth signs of the Zodiac. Copper, as the metal of Venus, turns green when oxidized. Qabalistically, the sephiroth of Netzach is associated with Venus, and its color is Green on the Tree of Life.

For Venus, her Norse equivalent would be Frigga/Freyja, though, who I am using in the South. For the Norse pantheon, I will be using Idunn, as she is closely associated with the “golden apples” which grant the Gods their immortality. The Apple tree is the tree of Daear. As the sustainer of the gods, Idunn represents the necessity of renewal for both physical and spiritual well-being.

Another of our members, B, has started a substack, so I would be remiss if I did not post a link here: https://substack.com/@basillios?invite . Check it out if you get a chance.