Ogham

Ogham Tuesday: Aspen/Eadha

Sometimes called Quaking Aspen, the leaves of this tree tremble at the slightest breeze. Quaking aspen spreads through its root system, naturally growing into large stands over time, with one tree being a clone of the next. Pando is the name of a quaking aspen clone made of up ~47,000 stems that at first glance seem to be individual trees, but NO. They are connected to a common root system that spans 106 acres in Utah's Fishlake National Forest. This makes Pando the world's

Nicole Beaton

1 day ago2 min read

Ogham Tuesday: Heather/Ur

Heather is one of my favorite omens, and a plant I wish I could grow. It's a low-growing, evergreen shrub with purply-pink flowers. I used it in my wedding bouquet. (It's also the name of a longtime friend. Hello, Heather.) Heather is a plant whose seeds germinate best after a wildfire. A lot of seeds need tempering in some form — whether it's cold, scarification, or (in this case), heat — so it's not all that unusual, but the environments where Heather grows are cooler and w

Nicole Beaton

Dec 22 min read

November New Moon Divination: A sacred trudge, sort of.

Hello, all – When I’m most hoping for divination to give me a dramatic choice or change in perspective, that’s when it gives me the most ordinary guidance. (( sigh )) This month, the magic is in the ordinary. Just one foot in front of the other, right? Overall Theme: Pine , for perspective. This one is fresh in my mind from a recent #oghamtuesday, as a reminder to get some emotional distance and check whether I’m on the right path. Pine keeps me anchored in the map. I’m che

Nicole Beaton

Nov 272 min read

Ogham Tuesday: Gorse/Onn

Gorse is an ogham that sits you down and asks you to be honest about your passion. Sure, sexual passion is a clear correspondence, but it’s so much more on top of that (innuendo unintended). Gorse is not a tidy plant – is sprawls across a landscape with prickly leaves and spines and riotous flowers – and it’s not a tidy omen. This is not EASY passion we’re talking about, okay? As an evergreen shrub, Gorse thrives in poor soil and in windy, exposed, and “wasted” ground. It c

Nicole Beaton

Nov 252 min read

Ogham Tuesday: Pine/Ailm

For the purposes of intersecting ogham with botany, Pine is significant primarily due to its height. There are a bunch of Pine varieties — not all of them very tall — but we aren't talking about them today. Mature pines can reach 120 feet or taller. These are the trees that stretch above the canopy, offering a view of the surrounding landscape. I've even seen cell phone/aerial towers disguised as pine trees because they need to be that elevated to pass a signal along, which

Nicole Beaton

Nov 182 min read

Ogham Tuesday: Yew/Idho

Dying, Transforming, Renewing Yew/Idho is the 20th letter of the Ogham alphabet. What would a stereotypical old English graveyard be without Yew trees? Unauthentic, for one thing! Yew trees, with the way they arch over to the ground, are a threshold from one plane of existence or stage to another. Its connection with death and rebirth is also apparent in the fact that every piece of a yew tree (save the flesh of the fruit) contains the poison taxine. Taxine can affect the hea

Beth Buchanan

Nov 112 min read

Ogham Tuesday: Aspen/Edadh

Testing, Challenging, Prevailing Aspen/Edadh is the 19th letter of the Ogham alphabet. Aspen/Edadh is the 19 th letter of the Ogham alphabet. It represents the [e] vowel sound, which isn’t an E at all, but what in English would be the long /a/ sound in “eight” or “hey”. Here in the U.S., we think of aspen trees as a Rocky Mountain phenomenon, but they are actual indigenous to Ireland, as well. As an omen, Aspen has to do with overcoming fear and being challenged in some way.

Beth Buchanan

Nov 41 min read

October New Moon Divination: Keep it loose, keep it light.

(No, you're not time-traveling. New Moon Divination goes out via email each month to subscribers, and then comes to the blog for everyone about a week later. Subscribing is free and the messages are pretty low-volume. There should be a link at the bottom of any page of the website!) Hello, all – I’m so glad I took an extra day for this one. Life is heavy right now, mostly in a good way. but the world feels heavy around me in a NOT good way. This month’s divination has really

Nicole Beaton

Oct 302 min read

Ogham Tuesday: Heather/Ur

Accepting, Partnering, Loving Heather/Ur is the 18th letter in the Ogham alphabet. Heather is a hardy little plant that grows well in scrubby, otherwise unforgiving ground. It’s fitting, then, that the omen Heather/ Úr symbolizes is strong, healthy relationships. This 18 th letter of the Ogham alphabet, and the Old Irish word refers to moist soil and the cultivation of plants. Úr represents the long [oo] sound in the English word “food.” Besides appearing on hillsides all ov

Beth Buchanan

Oct 281 min read

Ogham Tuesday: Gorse/Onn

Romancing, Pursuing, Indulging Onn/Gorse is the 17th letter of the Ogham alphabet. The bright yellow flowers of the Gorse plant speak to the focus on passion of the Gorse/Onn ogham. Onn is the 17 th letter of the Ogham alphabet and represents a vowel sound that lies somewhere in and around the long [o] sound and the [aw] sound, as they are pronounced in U.S. English. I will absolutely not be making a joke about passion and the lip-shape of this vowel sound. Passion brings to

Beth Buchanan

Oct 212 min read

Ogham Tuesday: Pine/Ailm

Far-Seeing, Observing, Understanding Pine/Ailm is the 16th letter of the Ogham alphabet. Can you hear me from up here? Just checking The fourth set of ogham differ from the first three in that the letters represent vowel sounds, rather than consonants. Ailm is the 16 th letter of the ogham alphabet and represents the vowel sound most closely sounding like the “ah” sound in the world “calm”—at least in U.S. English. All of the Word Oghams refer to groaning sounds, and this i

Beth Buchanan

Oct 142 min read