Ogam Weaving Word Wisdom by Erynn Rowan Laurie

Very fitting that the last Ogham tree in the series is Yew, for it is most associated with beginnings and endings, rebirth and reincarnation. It is the Ogham called Ioho, Idad, or Iodho and if you want to know more about Yew, you can read my previous blog, The Magick of Yew. I will tell you that the Ogham Ioho is not a birth tree Ogham, but it is the Ogham for the Winter Solstice. The Yew is the the tree most associated with the Crone aspect of the Triple Goddess… her time is near but as the Yew dies on the outside to bring in new life from the inside, so the Crone will die but become new again in her regeneration or reincarnation. And, the cycle goes on and on…

Representations: Ancestry, Change, Communication [with the dead], Death, Divinity, Flexibility, Immortality, Longevity, Rebirth, and Strength

Ogham: Letter: I

Number: 20

Colour: Dark Green, Very White

Tarot: See Below

Animals: Deer, Eagle, Hummingbird

Plant: Juniper

Divination Meaning: When drawing a single Ioho / Idad stave you must ask yourself, “How does my past make me whom I am today? How do I understand my past to decide whom I become?” It is a call to explore not only your recent past [as in this life’s past] but can also mean it is time to look into your past lives. It can also mean it is time to speak with your family elders; it can also mean for you to speak with those whom have passed on to the Otherworld. I say “speak to” when I really mean to seek them out. For you to appropriately answer the questions above you must listen to those from the past. There is so much wisdom you can gather from this that it would be rude not to.

How to Mend the Problem: Changes are coming to you. Let go and experience the changes knowing they are not an enemy to you. Accepting that nothing lasts forever can ease your mind if you allow it to. You, nor I, are special enough to prevent endings. Everyone experiences these. And we must understand that endings are not always bad things. Like the Yew, we peel away the outside to allow the inside to flourish.

With the chthonic current we see the bond between generations. Oral traditions, folk lore, the study of lore – these are most important at this time. Transmission of tradition and the sharing of lore manifests with this current. If other influences support the reading, there may be reference to past lives or reincarnation. The celestial current speaks of memory and history and the things these give us. This current can refer to the ancestors generally; perhaps even specific ancestors. But always in reference to ancestors in the Otherworld, not those Elders whom are still living. This Ogham challenges us to look at our past[s] and to determine our future. You must go about this as best you can by knowing yourself now and in past-lives, should it come to this. Speaking with those in the Otherworld is a course you must try to take as well. Some may wish to access their Akashic records. Meditation upon your own life is a way forward as well. Your ultimate goal will be to lay foundations of wisdom for generations to come after you. It is a very serious task.

reincarnation-06656 — A card from the Tarot of Reincarnation

Apart from the Death card, which has been paired with Ur [Heather], I do not have a single tarot card recommendation, however, something that may assist you in accessing your past lives is a special tarot deck called Tarot of Reincarnation [English and Spanish Edition] by Lo Scarabeo. This concludes our foray into the world of Ogham divination. I hope you have enjoyed it and have learned much. Do always keep in mind that there are other interpretations out there in the world and this is only mine based on things I have studied. As your “graduation present”, I have listed more *sources that may benefit [or confuse!] you. You can adhere to one way or another… you can borrow from one and borrow from another to combine your way. Just do keep in mind that it is your intuition which will best serve you as it will help you choose the right meaning for your reading or a reading for someone else.

You can catch up the first nineteen blogs, Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven, Part Twelve, Part Thirteen, Part Fourteen, Part Fifteen, Part Sixteen, Part Seventeen, Part Eighteen, and Part Nineteen by clicking on these respectively. Feel free to print them out for your BOS or just to have on hand for help.