The ruler of the seventh lunar month and Ogham letter “D” is Duir which is the Ogham for the Oak tree. Duir is also the Ogham of those born between 10 June and 17 July. The grand Oak is the King of the forest and he grows slowly, taking in and processing everything… he is the Protector and the doorway [the word Duir means door] to all mysteries. The Oak teaches us strength. It decrees justice. When you draw the Duir Ogham, do not take your intuition lightly for you will do yourself a great disservice if you do.
Divination Meaning: Whatever your query, when you pull Duir, you know you must take a “hands-on” approach to the answer. This will nurture the skills you wish to have. You must be brave; step through the door. As with all Ogham divination, you will learn by doing. Because you do, you will be wiser.
How to Mend the Problem: You have accumulated acorns of wisdom. If you have not, it is time to do so. You will be called upon to share this wisdom with others. Whether you are a teacher or student, you are called upon to be tough and resilient despite life’s unpredictability as an Oak is to a bolt of lightning. Strength and Wisdom are your mission and you know deep down you can achieve these.
This is your first lesson as the first drawing of Duir. As you progress with your strengthening intuition you will be able to read this Ogham much easier in relevance to your query. Always remember the Oak’s representations and learn how they come through to you each time. Never forget that Duir is the doorway to every knowledge.
This week is the Ogham letter, Fearn. Fearn is the Irish name of the third letter of the Ogham alphabet and the Alder tree. Alder, of course, is the birth tree for those born in the fourth lunar month between 18 March to 14 April. The Alder tree thrives near bodies of water but itself is water-resistant and the cut wood changes from white to red, which makes it of two minds in the occult. Thus, the letter Fearn became the symbol for divination, oracular heads, courage, protection of self and country, and rivers. The Alder tree has a many storied past, but all come with a lesson: The Alder teaches us discrimination and the need to see beneath the surface of things. It combines the desire for self-preservation with the desire to serve and emphasises the need for a firm foundation to stand on.
Representations: Protection, Courage, Ease of Mind from Worry
Ogham Letter: F
Number: 4
Colour: Light Green, Deep Red
Tarot: Suit of Swords and Suit of Cups
Animals: Fox, Herring Gull, Hawk, Raven, Seagulls
Plant: Broom
Divination Meaning: Be aware of uniqueness in yourself and others. Keep your eyes open to see and recognise the exceptionality in all and acknowledge what you see. You will utilise something you have previously overlooked. Oracular skills are not always easy to detect, especially in one’s self. Your mind can often be unwilling to accept the intuitive part of itself.
How to Mend the Problem: Offer to others spiritual aide and protection in a dispute; be the bridge over troubled waters. Allow your intuition to guide you. Meditate upon your unique gifts and accept them, learn to know them and trust them. You will gain courage from doing.
As you see, when you draw the Fearn Ogham, you find it is a symbol of strength – yours. And it teaches you to believe in that strength and how best to utilise it. Although you may have inner conflict realise that this is only down to self-doubt and you must overcome this by learning to trust yourself. Learn by doing – the Ogham teaches this above all.
We shall now come to the ruler of the third lunar month [18th February – 17th March] in the Celtic Tree Ogham, Nion [Nuin], which represents the Ash tree. It is also the fifth letter of the Ogham alphabet. As the Ash tree is known for the powers of protection, health, courage, and of matters concerning the sea, Nion also represents these matters. The primary function of this blog is to acquaint you with using the Ogham for divination purposes and not to get into the many differences of the Ogham letters themselves or where they came from. I merely write about the most commonly used Ogham letters for divination and how you can interpret them, although it is not contained to the interpretation solely of which I give you here. The beauty of the Ogham is that it can be interpreted by the seasoned veteran in many ways. However, this is hopefully as good a place to begin as any and I hope it is a good aid to those first learning Ogham divination.
Representations: Protection, Health, Courage, Sea Travel and all Matters of the Sea
Ogham Letter: N
Number: 5
Colour: Pale Blue
Tarot: The Hanged Man
Animals: Butterflies, Common Snipe [Celtic: Seahorse]
Plant: Wood Anemone
Divination Meaning: Remember that for every action, there is a consequence, and these affect not only ourselves but others as well. What we do in our life will carry into the future and possibly even beyond. Every one of our words and deeds has some kind of impact. Your actions echo in the cosmos as a stone thrown into a pond causes ripples. Know that you and the world are interconnected. Be aware of the effect of your actions.
How to Mend the Problem: Is what we are doing now in line with what we should be doing? Is the resistance we face self-created? Take a moment to listen, to pay attention to what is happening around you. Don’t let the beat of your own drum drown out the music of the Universe. Endeavour to become aware that all things are connected. Balance your need with the Earth’s and then act accordingly with love and respect.
The Ash is a great tree when employing the law of attraction in your life. If you have a life-dream or goal, focus upon it and see it flourishing under the Ash – this will increase the speed of the desire coming to you. As many of you know, the Ash tree is the great Yggdrasil in Nordic mythology as well as the most sacred tree of Celtic mythology. “As above, so below, as within so without”.
You can catch up the first two blogs, Part One and Part Two by clicking on these respectively.
Many thanks for reading my blog. Warmest blessings to those whom wander this way x
Last week’s blog was more in depth than this one will be as there is no need to repeat basics every week. If you wish to read those as you’re only coming in on the subject today, please visit A Beginner’s Understanding of Ogham Divination, Part 1for the details you will miss in this blog.
The Rowan has always been a tree of great protection. Every part of a Rowan tree can be used in creating charms and amulets from the bark to the wood to the berry. Even the centre of the Rowan berry carries a five-pointed star or pentagram, which is in itself, a symbol of protection. You can learn more about the Rowan tree by reading my blog, The Magickal Rowan Tree.
My Luis Ogham stave ~ photo by i.macy
This week we shall look at the Ogham letter, Luis, which is pertaining to the Rowan tree. It is the second consonant of the Ogham alphabet and corresponds to the English letter, “L”. It is the Celtic birth tree for those born between 21 January – 17 February. The symbol represents protection, blessings, and insightfulness. If you visit our shop online, you can usually find various charms/amulets made from Rowan wood as Rowan sticks have been fashioned into charms of protection throughout the ages not just by Pagans but Christians alike. Below I have set forth some useful information about divination with the Ogham letter Luis and what it will mean when drawn, as well as how to deal with the outcome of the reading for the day [or for the person whom you are divining for].
Divination Meaning: Be aware in all things. Your intuitions are keen, therefore, trust your judgements with people you encounter and do not allow yourself to be complacent.
How to Mend the Problem: You must keep your senses about you to distinguish between good and evil. In doing so, you will not be beguiled or swayed from your beliefs and understanding. Be not afraid! Your sense of purpose and strength will turn away all which threatens your purpose and serenity. Believe in yourself.
Please note that if there is more you wish to find out, please refer to Part 1 which is about Beith, the Birch tree Ogham. There will be some other bits you will want to know there as well. Next week we shall explore the Ogham, Nion, for The Magickal Ash Tree. And, if you would like further information on the trees themselves, I have written about both Birch, The Magick of Birch, and Rowan.
Many thanks for reading my blog. Warmest blessings to those whom this way wander x
If you are already quite knowledgeable about divination with the Celtic ogham, you will already know everything I’m planning to write over the next few weeks. You might even be helpful to me in future blogs by pointing out something I’ve missed; therefore, I heartily welcome any useful comments to that effect. All I aim to do really is to explain the fundamental bits regarding the Ogham alphabet and what each one means, both in its tree name and what it can mean in divination. There are books with which to learn all the nuances of this ancient Celtic divination method but many whom have read my blogs concerning the Celtic tree Ogham have asked that I be more specific about the how-to’s and whys of Ogham divination. I hope this ten-week series exploring each Ogham alphabet to the best of my ability will shed a proper light on the basics people want to know. Also, keep in mind that as I write, I am only speaking of the twenty Ogham letters used for divination, although in total, there are twenty-five Ogham letters in the Ogham alphabet.
Writer’s Note: You can use the Ogham letters written on paper if you do not own a set, or you can make your own set from wood. Most traditional kinds of sets will have each of the twenty Ogham alphabet written or pyrographed onto the wood of the alphabet itself. There are many sellers of Ogham sets as well, alas, not in my shop as I am not always able to find all the woods necessary at the same time. Just know that it is that simple to start off so cost should not be a factor in keeping you from enjoying this form of divination.
Beith Ogham from my set ~ by i.macy
Beith corresponds to the letter B in the English language, and as you may have guessed, it is associated with the Birch tree. It is the Birth Tree Ogham of those born between 24 December and 20 January. It is pronounced “bey”.
You will often see an Ogham letter with an inverted “<” at the bottom. This is called the “reversed feather”, or, Eite Thuathail. The Eite, “feather”, is also used at the beginning of a full sentence written in Ogham letters, with Eite Thuathail at the end of the sentence, as we would use a full stop in an English alphabet sentence. I use the Eite Thuathail, as does many Ogham makers, to denote the bottom of the letter, as you will notice on the Ogham Birth Tree pendants we create.
The Birch tree is often called ‘The White Lady of the Woods’ and ‘The Goddess Tree’. From this we know the feminine aspect of this Ogham is strong. It is a nurturing, protecting, and loving essence within the tree and the Beith meaning. It has been long associated is the bringer of promise, light and new beginnings.
My Celtic Tree Oracle and handmade Ogham set ~ photo by i.macy
How to divine with the twenty Ogham staves, or “fews” as some call them is quite simple. Fill a bag, hat, or box with your staves. Draw out one at a time without looking for a total of three staves. These will give you your reading. You can use this method for your own purposes or to do readings for other people.
You do not need to pull three Ogham staves if you only wish to receive an answer for one question. For instance, I like to pull one Ogham stave each morning for insight on how I should handle various problems or for what I need to do about one situation. However, for some readings you will want to pull three – past, present, and future.
Below I have for you a brief explanation of Beith. I will tell you that there is much more you can learn about the Ogham but for purposes of simple divinations to get you started, I think what I can tell you here is enough. However, I shall try to list links, videos, and books as I find them at the end of each blog to put you in touch with a higher learning, if you will.
Representations: New beginnings, change and release, rebirth, purification. A guardian of new beginnings, bringer of hope and protection.
Number: 1
Colour: White
Tarot: The Star
Animals: The Pheasant and white cow
Plant: Fly Agaric Mushroom
Divination Meaning: You must rid yourself of negative influences [and people], and bad thoughts to begin a fresh new start.
How to Mend the Problem: Using your own mental powers, fix your mind on your desire and imagine the result of what you need to do. A strong desire to be successful in ridding yourself of your problem[s] is imperative to making your reading come true. For a new beginning, hold the Birch stave and focus on the white of the wood as it stands out and away from the distractions.
And that concludes today’s information. I will post Part Two* on Thursday [* link will work on Thursday]. I hope this has been a helpful bit of information to those wishing to either know a bit more about learning Ogham divination or just to understand why certain things are done as they are. What I tell you in these blogs about each Ogham alphabet only skims the surface. You can learn ever so much more just by doing. And, also, by spending time with each Ogham stave made of the woods they represent, you will find you gain many insights just from the woods themselves. I love the Ogham because it is an ever-evolving learning process. I hope you will enjoy it as well. Please be sure to give me a follow to keep up with my newest blogs [2 per week]. Many thanks for reading and warmest blessings to all whom this way wander x
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