SUSAN HOLTZ PHOTOGRAPHY
A Memory of Trees
An ancient Celtic belief was that trees had spirits within them and were considered sacred. With their roots spreading underground and their branches reaching high into the sky, the ancient Celts perceived trees as doorways to the underground, to the heavens, and a home to the spirits of their ancestors. Trees in ancient Ireland were believed to be protectors and the keepers of memory and lore. The Druids, the men of knowledge, recorded their wisdoms by means of a sacred alphabet called Ogham, which is also called the “Tree Alphabet”. Ogham is named after the God Ogma, the God of poetry and eloquence. In this instance, “A Memory of Trees” looks into the past.
The future we look at may give us another interpretation of the title. With the deforestation of the world’s rainforests, illegal logging, fires and climate change, it may turn out to be that “A Memory of Trees” is nothing more than that for us - a "memory."