Irish Ogham: My Divination Method

For those who do not have Ogham staves but want a reading using the Ogham, I devised the stick method. The querent can either use sticks that they find lying on the ground or form the letters as the sticks lie or use a fallen tree branch as it lies. I field tested this method on my walks around my urban neighborhood.

The querent asks a question, looks for the third fallen tree branch (since the Irish prefer doing things in threes). Using the main (thickest) limb as an axis, the querent notes how the branch lies on the ground – whether the twigs are on the left, right, sticking up, or poking into the ground. This will determine whether the letters will be read left or right for the first and second aicmes respectively. Smaller branches sticking up or down from the main one will be read as either the third or fourth aicmes. A curved branch will represent the third aicme comprised of diagonal letters, while a straight branch will represent the fourth aicme comprised of horizontal letters. The fifth aicme would be constructed from any overlapping sticks under or on top of the branch found lying on the ground.

I asked the question, “How do I learn the Tree Ogham?” Reading a cherry branch that I found, I saw three distinct letters. (The querent uses three letters for the reading.) I interpreted the long lower limb on the left as “Beith (Birch)” (the first aicme, first few). I interpreted the next limb (on the right) with its two twigs going downwards as “Dair (Oak)” (the second aicme, second few). Finally, I interpreted the main branch with four branches curving upwards as “Straif (Blackthorn)” (third aicme, fifth few). In order, these letters read “Beith: new beginnings,” “Dair: wisdom and strength,” and “Straif: trouble and negativity.” I interpreted the reading to be “new beginnings of wisdom and strength comes from trouble and negativity.” When I had asked the question, I had trouble visually understanding each letter, and confused the individual letters in each aicme.

Irish Ogham: The Forfeda (additional letters)

Besides the original Ogham fews, there are several sets of additional ones listed in “The Scholars’ Primer (Auraicept na n-Eces)”. Called the Forfeda, these additional letters include diphthongs and abbreviations. Except for the diphthongs, the other Forfeda do not seem to be translated or readily used.

According to the materials from the Grey School of Wizardry class, “Tree Oghams and Divination,” “After Greek language came to Ireland, the people using the Ogham…needed other symbols for the diphthongs and extra sounds in Greek and so the Forfeda were added, EA-AE.” Rev. Robert Ellison, author of this class, adds that though there are four sets of Forfeda, only one set was used with any regularity, and found on Ogham stones. He says that this set was “added for the new sounds coming into the Irish language.” I believe that this particular set was the diphthongs (EA, OI, UI, IO, and AE).

Ellison adds in his book, “Ogham: The Secret Language of the Druids,” that the lists of abbreviations and additional letters (Forfeda) “would fall in with the use of the Oghams as a regular alphabet (Page 61).” However many were not translated, except for the set of diphthongs, which have been integrated in the Cipher Ogham and numbering lists. Moreover, one of the most well-known of the various Oghams, Fionn’s Window (#103), features the diphthongs on its second round circle between each of the second fews of the four original aicme. The Oghams that include these letters are The Three Ridge Ogham (#31), Unnamed Ogham (#34), Uproar of Anger Ogham (#63), Fraudulent Ogham (#87), and the Strand of Ferchertne (#103).

Supporting my idea that the diphthongs were regularly used is that they also have kennings as do the original fews. The fifth aicme, first few – “Eabhadh (White Popular): EA” had the most, since it was used often. The second through fifth fews are referenced in the Word Ogham of Morann MacMain as well as the Word Ogham of Mac ind Oic.

Ellison, Robert, “Ogham: The Secret Language of the Druids,” ADF, 2007.

----, “Tree Ogham and Divination,” Grey School of Wizardry, class.

Divination: Irish Oghams: my opinion

Because I am a diviner, I need to know many divination systems in order to do my work successfully. When my primary method gives murky or indefinite results, I often use an alternative method for gleaning more information. At other times, I switch my methods of divination to gain new insights. Therefore studying the Oghams fits in with my divination philosophy.

            When people ask questions that affect the direction of their lives, many diviners will use four different methods of divination to assist that person. Each method will either add to the original reading or contradict it. Since they offer different perspectives to the same question, these other readings are helpful to the client. If the other readings contradict the first one, then knowing that is helpful for the client. Using the Oghams would add fresh insights to the original reading.

Studying the Oghams enhances my practice by offering a new way to approach divination. The Irish had different insights on the process than either the Norse or Tarot readers. Each new way of how to answer a question gives me more of an understanding of divination itself. Developed as an alphabet, the Oghams are steeped in Irish culture. They were employed by the Druids in their various “languages” of gestures, mnemonics, and secret codes. Because of these multiple uses, the Oghams offer more shades of meanings for answers in divination.

With the Tree Ogham, there is a connection with the living plants. Using each few of this Ogham, the diviner can tap into the wisdom of that tree or shrub. This makes for a more profound reading since insights from this Ogham comes from living entities. Furthermore, it taps into areas of the unconscious that other divination methods miss.

            Moreover each few in the Tree Ogham has various kennings which give added shades of meaning to it. These kennings can pinpoint the precise meanings in a reading, and give depth to each meaning. Furthermore, the kennings offer alternative points of view. For “Tinne (Holly)” (second aicme, third few), the kennings include “one of three parts of a weapon,” and “o holly, little, sheltering one, thou door against the wind…” This gives a fuller sense of “Tinne” in a reading. For these reasons, the studying of the Oghams enriches my divination practice.

Searching for the Trees of the Oghams

yew tree

Since I live in an urban area in the Southeastern United States, many of the trees from the Oghams are foreign to me.  To find out if any of these trees lived near me, I used a field guide to look up the taxonomic names of the local trees to discover if  they were the same species.  For the remainder, I followed the advice of Caitlin Matthews, in her book “The Celtic Wisdom Tarot”, to look for a native tree that had similar qualities to a tree of the Oghams.  I had reasonable success with that but did find that substitution could be a problem.  For example, Muin, the “Vine” of the Ogham generally is associated with grapes, but the major vine where I live is kudzu. 

However, I did find some similar species that did make a connection:

Beith: European Birch: River Birch

Fern: Alder: Smooth Alder

Saille: Osier Willow: Weeping Willow

Nion: Ash: Green Ash

Uath: Hawthorn: Cockspur

Dair: English Oak: White Oak

Tinne: Holly: Holly

Ceirt: Crab Apple: Crab apple

Gort: English Ivy: English Ivy

Ailm: Silver Fir: Balsam Fir

Eadhadh: Aspen: Bigtooth Aspen

Eamhancholl: Witchhazel: Witchhazel

To acquaint myself with the “foreign” trees of the Oghams, I read about their natural history on the Internet.  In addition, I used “The Meaning of Trees” by Fred Hageneder, which features “magical” photos of various trees with their spiritual properties.  Looking at the photo of “Yew”, I could feel the ancient wisdom of yew as the tree of endings.  I also used my collection of books about the trees of the Oghams, and compared each author’s experiences to gain an essence of each tree.  Moreover, two authors, each, featured guided meditations of the trees, which I used in conjunction with various tree photos.  Using a form of Yantra meditation, I then introduced myself to each of the trees. 

Works Used:

Hageneder, Fred, “The Meaning of Trees,” Chronicle Books: San Francisco, 2005.

Hidalgo, Sharlyn, “The Healing Power of Trees,” Llewellyn: Woodbury MN, 2010.

Hopman, Ellen Evert, “A Druid’s Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine,” Destiny: Rochester VT, 2008.

Matthews, Caitlin, “The Celtic Wisdom Tarot,” Destiny: Rochester VT, 1999.

Divination in Nature: Trees

My friends were interested in having me do divination for them.  They asked a variety of questions, and even asked follow up questions for further clarification. However, my friends were not invested in the outcome of the divination, but did think that my answers were accurate.  

The divination system that I used to answer my friends’ questions was cartomancy.  The oracle cards that I used were “Voice of the Trees” by Mickie Mueller (Llewellyn: Woodbury (MN), 2011).  Basing her system on the Irish Ogham, the author presented on each of the cards, her interpretation of the meaning of that particular Ogham letter.  Every card depicts a tree, shows an action scene, and also lists the divinatory meaning.

W.C. asked, “Will I get married?”  For the answer, I drew “Quert (Apple)” which means “Choice, Healing”.  The card showed a priestess holding two apples to choose from, which confused my friend. I then reshuffled the deck, and pulled out “Ailim (Silver Fir or Elm)”, which has the meaning of “Delight, Awe”.  

 Again this seemed to be a strange answer.  Then we examined the card, which displayed a fir and an elm tree.  The author explained that both trees were associated with Ailim.  In addition, two girls who were holding hands at the top of a mountain were depicted looking at the village below.  I told him that he would have a choice between two women, when he does decide to marry.  W.C. seemed satisfied with the answer.

D.C. asked if his sports team would have a winning season this year, since they have had several poor seasons already.  After shuffling, I drew “Straif (Blackthorn)”, which read “Adversity, Sacrifice.”  The card depicted a man being stabbed by a blackthorn thorn as he walked along the hedges.  I told my friend that his team would lose more games than they would win.  He seemed resigned to this news.

S.T. asked, “Will I continue as a social worker?”  The card, I pulled, was “Tinne (Holly)” which means “Challenge, Justice”.  Instead of an Irish warrior, the card depicted a Saxon, an enemy of the Irish.  I told him that he would have difficulty remaining in his present occupation.

Since S.T. wanted more information, I reshuffled the deck and took out “Phagos (Beech)”, which read, “Experience, Opportunity”.  The picture on the card was of an elderly druid instructing his young apprentice on the finer points of writing.  When I told my friend that he was going to be a druid, he seemed pleased.

A.Y. asked if a controversial pipeline would be built.  For the answer, I drew “Luis (Rowan)”, which means “Protection, Defense.”  The illustration depicted a man holding a rowan staff protected by an invisible dragon.  I interpreted this to mean that pipeline will not be built.  A.Y. said she hoped that reading was correct.

This deck can be found at the author's website: "Voice of the Trees"