The Celtic word for ash, Nion, comes from the root meaning a thing produced. The Ash is used for the shafts of spears. Thus Ash is chosen for the first part of the Ritual because it produces the ritual and, like a spear, thrusts us into the Holy.

from Celtic Tree Mysteries , by Steve Blamires

What does it mean to approach the Divine?  In the simplest sense, we may think of walking into the Temple, or a Sacred Grove, or another special place where we can meet and commune with the Deity/s and Spirit/s.

On a deeper level, it can mean a transition of the mind and soul, a process by which we begin to acknowledge the sacrality of the Universe, including ourselves, to sense the Divine within and without.

This is not always easy to do, because our lives are usually such that we are forced by survival imperatives to pay attention to the daily chores, to keep busy - and sometimes it is quite difficult to stop.  This is why setting boundaries between the ritual time and space and set of mind, and the everyday state is very important.

When we go visiting a friend, for instance, we might prepare by getting a gift, putting on nicer clothes if the occasion is special, putting aside the chores we might otherwise be doing.

If we instead invite a friend to visit us, we would clean up the house, put some things away, maybe dig up good china and prepare a special meal.

If we had been working hard beforehand, we'd probably take a shower - or at least wash our hands and brush our hair.  It does not serve to offend friends with dirty fingernails or paint smudges on the forehead. 

When we take care of these physical preparations, we also subtly change our frame of mind - the everyday things are mostly laid aside, the focus shifts from normal to special, from everyday to the occasion and relationship with the person who is coming for a visit - their needs and wants and character are considered, accommodations, physical and mental are made, until we are ready to receive the guest.

It is much the same with a ritual.  Though some of the guests we expect - or the Spirit/s we visit - might not come in physical guise, this stage of preparation still serves the function of setting aside the time, the space, the frame of mind, of preparing the physical and spiritual environment of the participant, including the participant herself, for the encounter with her Guest/s.

This is a stage of transition from the common to the special, from the mundane to the spiritual.  We approach the Divine in all senses of the word:  in space, in time, in body, in soul.

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The ASH stage of the Rite includes the following sections: