Ogham

Ogham for Wisdom

Last week, our oracle card included mention of ogham. I promised to say more about it. The picture is the ogham for wisdom. It was a gift from a dear friend over 20 years ago. I was just beginning my journey into Celtic wisdom. It meant a lot to be supported then and still does. My friend supported the vibrational energy of my journey even though it was not her path nor was Ireland an interest of hers. 

Trees were sacred to the Druids and the Druids were keepers of the word, the story, as well as of wisdom. Lines scratched on twigs of wood came to represent a secret code or alphabet which was as close to writing as this primarily oral culture used. Somewhere between hieroglyphics and an alphabet, ogham (ogam) was scratched into trees, etched on stone, and carved into rods or staffs. Traditional Tarot has a suit named Staves or Rods. Ogham sticks like those in Caitlin Matthew’s Celtic Wisdom Sticks An Ogam Oracle were used for divination.

The wood, of course, has not survived to give us a complete story. However, over 400 Ogham stones are scattered throughout Celtic lands. The majority are in southwest Ireland, but they are also on the Isle of Man, Wales, the west of Scotland and a few places in Cornwall. I am especially attached to one on an idyllic hillside overlooking Ballycrovane Harbour, near Eyries on the Beara Peninsula. I wrote about this spectacular place as the scene of a romantic picnic in Amidst The Stones. The stones held messages, warnings, and remembrances. Speculation is that the writings on wood were notes that the filid (poets) used to remember poems and stories. Ogmos (Ogma) was the Celtic god of speech and poetry. Historically, ogham is traced to the 4th Century but Celtic lore suggests it is much earlier in origin. One thread of the story takes in back to Biblical times.

Trees were sacred to the Druids. Ceremony was often held in groves. Remember that forests were abundance in ancient Celtic lands. Twenty sacred trees were used as the original symbols of ogham. Five others were added. All involve a straight vertical line with slashes at angles or perpendicular to that line creating different configurations. Some of the words for tree species had other meanings derived from the attributes of the tree in Gaelic. However, Ogham itself is not Gaelic.  

The ogham alphabet consists of 20 characters each named after the Gaelic word for a certain tree. These are divided into four groups called aicme. A fifth aicme known as the forfeda was later added for use in manuscripts. You can find out more online. 

Just for fun, I drew 3 oracles sticks asking about preparation for my upcoming trip to Ireland, what to expect while there and what would be my take-away. This is the message I got:

Coll---Hazelwood Follow what tastes sweet to me

NGetal ---Fern Life springs green before my eyes

Fearn ---Alder  Follow my sense of beauty and express my truth

I will keep you posted.