Elderberry

The elder begins to stir in spring as one of the first shrubs in our forests. New shoots burst vertically upwards from the trunk and branches and stretch to a considerable length in a short time. Their growth is so exuberant that bark formation cannot keep pace; the young shoots are initially only poorly protected by a leaf-like green, thin bark coat. The scent of this young, impetuously growing life is, like that of the leaves, peculiarly acrid, unfinished.

It resembles smouldering fire, lacking sufficient airflow and oxygen. A year later, the young wood has externally solidified, the bark has formed, and the branches begin to bend gently downwards. When we examine the inside of the branches by peeling layer after layer of wood with a knife, we find a spongy, porous, light pith. The comparison with polystyrene is obvious.

The elder branch is thus richly permeated with air in its pith. Are these not peculiar connections? Air pockets are present in the pith, while the smell of the leaves and young shoots suggests a combustion process with insufficient air supply. As it grows further, the branches bend ever further downwards.

In older shrubs, the branches are sometimes shaped into beautiful archways. At the apex of such arches, younger branches rise, which later also form arches, so that often several curved branches lie on top of one another. Thus, in elder we find the expression of green, ascending life force, which is seized by earthly heaviness, reshapes itself, reaches upwards, only to be drawn downwards again. Older elder branches form rounded arches.

The bark of an old, mature elder looks worn and wizened. It is hard to imagine a greater contrast between the green skin of the young shoots and the torn grey bark of the old trunk. Yet the elder is not ill; new shoots sprout as before, it only looks very old. In spring, elder produces a rich display of blossoms.

The white umbels (which are compound umbels) are often slightly concave, like receptive, upwards-directed parabolic mirrors, which is quite unusual for umbels. The small individual flowers are like twinkling, white little stars that enclose the overabundant yellow-golden anthers. Hardly any other plant produces such large quantities of flower pollen. For example, if you dry elder flowers on a white cloth or paper, it is covered with a layer of yellow pollen powder, reminiscent of fiery sulphur powder. The flower scent is mysteriously sweet, carrying our soul to other worlds.

If we wish to fathom the depth of the elder’s scent, it must be in the evening hours of a fine early summer’s day. Then the scent is at its strongest. In autumn, the fruits hang heavily on the shrub. Their colour is as black as night, the taste tart and bitter.

What does all this tell us? The main theme, which runs like a red thread through the signature of elder, is the theme of life energy, which is placed at the service of a spiritual maturation process, a process of warmth. It is the nature of life: to grow up, take responsibility, and above all achieve spiritual maturity is only possible to the extent that life energy can transform and no longer be lived out in the full exuberance of youth. This necessarily leads to the waning of youthful vitality and the setting-in of aging and maturing in every respect.

A spiritual-soul developmental process always requires reorientation, a leaving behind of concepts and goals. Because every development on a certain path, however good it may be at the beginning, after some time loses strength and becomes negative — it bends downwards to the earth. Therefore, at the peak of a development, the old path must be left and a new path taken. Only then can one speak of true inner progress.

The elder impressively shows us this. The fairy tale “Frau Holle” by the Brothers Grimm gives us a perfect image of the essence of elder (Holler). After the main characters have descended through the well shaft to a deeper level (level of soul transformation), they must first complete a maturation process (taking baked rolls from the oven, picking ripe apples). Then they must place their life force at the service of Frau Holle so that their spirit may gain clarity (snow on the earth).

Those who fulfil this life task selflessly and with devotion are gifted with spiritual gold; those who perform it reluctantly and only for the reward are doused with the sticky pitch of entanglement in fate. Elder belongs to the great mystery plants. It is the external symbol of a truly spiritual development. In earlier initiation schools, the plant was also an important symbol for the path to the highest goal a human being can ever reach.