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.

Sacredness of Writing: Petition Magic (2)

Modern Hoodoo practitioners use petition magick as well.  (Hoodoo is American Southern folk magic which has elements of European and African folk magic.)  They use different inks and papers for different spells.  For example, for financial prosperity, black ink on the back of bank statements is used.  To enhance the petition, herbs or candles are often included.

Petition magick usually works for a variety of reasons.  First, there is magick in writing.  Many cultures tell how their Gods have given them the gift of writing.  The Ancient Egyptians tell of Thoth, who not only created writing, but also speech.  According to the Hindus, Sanskrit was handed to the humans by the God Shiv.  Ts’ang Chieh, the divine Sage of the Chinese, communicated between the heavens and the earth with the writing that he had invented.  Therefore writing itself is a divine act.

Second, petitioning beings with powers greater than humans is a form of prayer.  Asking the Gods, Angels, or Saints for help is an ancient form of receiving supernatural help.  Putting the plea into writing makes it real.

Third is the element of manifestation.  By writing a petition, a person puts their energy and intent to it.  The idea of attraction means that “like attracts like”.  By desiring something, a person’s energy is sent out in a focused manner into the Universe.  By creating a ritual around it with the selection of words, pen, ink, and paper, the intention becomes even stronger.  The Law of Positive Attraction states in part “that which is sent, returns”.

Various magickal traditions employ different methods in performing petition magick.  Modern Roman and Greek Neo-Pagans use plain unlined paper and “lead” pencils.  (Lined paper is for ordinary use such as writing book reports, and therefore not used.)  “Lead” pencils (modern graphite pencils) connect the petitioner to the Chthonic Gods.  Written in command form, the petition includes the proper titles for each God.  The petition is, also, repeated three, four, or nine times.  The paper is then rolled and buried or nailed to a plank of wood.

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Sacredness of Writing: Petition Magic (1)

From the beginning of time, people have tried to gain control over their world.  One way to achieve this was to ask various beings, with powers greater than humans, for help.  Ancient peoples did this in formal and informal rites and rituals.  Later peoples wrote their requests and expected results after doing a ritual.

Many cultures regarded writing as sacred.  The Norse used their Runes for divination and for bind-spells.  The Irish, Greeks, and Mayas had myths of how the Gods invented speech and gave humans the alphabet.  The Egyptians were noted for their tomb writings, which were to help the dead achieve the afterlife.

One could say that the Ancient Egyptians practiced a form of petition magick.  They had offering formulas inscribed to the Gods on the walls of their tombs.  Petitioning various Gods for help was one way that an Egyptian could navigate through the underworld.

Later, the Greeks and Romans made petition magick into a high art.  The Greeks scratched their victims’ names on lead or copper tablets along with a curse.  Known as katadesmoi, these tablets were then burned or pierced with nails.  Since many were addressed to various Chthonic Gods such as Hekate or Hades, the tablets were often thrown into wells or buried in the ground.

Meanwhile, Romans called their tablets: “tabulae defixiones”.  The Latin word, “defixo” means the act of prayer, in essence consigning a written spell to the Gods.  Like many cultures, the Romans differentiated between curses and healings in their spellwork.  “Carmens” (charms) were encouraged and often incorporated into regular Roman rituals.  (Whether a spell is good or bad is often in the eye of the beholder.  Harm to one person could be a help to another.)

The Romans had petition spells for winning court cases, wooing lovers, cursing enemies, and retrieving stolen property.  Their tablets were often addressed to Dis Pater (Hades) of the underworld, or to Saturnus Pater (Saturn).  These lead tablets were often rolled up, and then thrown into a well, buried in a tomb or nailed to a tree.

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Active Meditation: Better Living through Handwriting

My favorite form of meditation is handwriting. I do it daily. As I move my pen across the page, my mind is freed to ponder the attributes of each letter. I am practicing graphotherapy, which changes the neuropathways of my brain by adopting new letter shapes.

According to Vimala Rogers, the author of “Your Handwriting Can Change Your Life”, by changing the shapes of your letters, you can train your mind to think differently. She states that by altering specific letter strokes, you can change certain aspects of your personality. To that end, she developed an affirmative alphabet to practice.

For example, the letter “A” that is often taught in schools emphasizes the ego instead of the soul. The attribute of Ms. Rogers “A” is “spiritual stardom, transforming ego into spirit.” The affirmation for “A” is “Today I will notice how my personality affects others and grow from that knowledge.” Writing her “A” repeatedly has helped me to internalize those things.

Ms. Rogers has set up a letter writing program to accomplish these ends. She instructs people to fill two sketch book pages, positioned in the landscape position. First, you write the letter across in one line, and then in the next line you write the attribute. After that, the following next three lines are filled with the letter, then the affirmation, and then finally the letter again. You do this over and over until both pages are filled.

Doing repetitive writing frees my mind to absorb the qualities of the letter I am writing. The meditation focuses my mind on one thing. As I write I can feel the junk leave my brain. When I am done, I feel refreshed. I do this daily meditation because it fills my mind through activity and thought. I am actively doing something instead of sitting passively chanting. The active meditation engages more of me, and is one that I enjoy.

NOTE: Vimala Rogers’ Alphabet can be seen at
http://www.iihs.com/vimala-alphabet.html

WORKS USED:

Rogers, Vimala, “The International Institute of Handwriting Studies”, 2008, http://www.iihs.com/vimala-alphabet.html , (17 July 2010).

------, “Transform Your Life Through Handwriting”, Sounds True, Boulder CO, 2009.

------, “Your Handwriting Can Change Your Life”, Fireside, New York, 2000