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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

I have to admit: the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Elder is Monty Python. “Your mother was a hamster and your father...

I don’t think any ogham is BAD, but Blackthorn is one that demands respect for sure. And, while I will crack a joke about nearly all...

The ogham for this week is blessedly literal: Broom, which is both a shrub and the tool made from it. An omen of simplicity and care in...

Ivy is a plant with RANGE. And I’m not just talking about the way it climbs all over everything. Clematis? Love it. Wish I were better at...

The world has a lot of vining plants, not all of them delightful. Lucky for us, Vine/Muin is an ogham of delight – ecstasy, even. Think...

Regretting, Reckoning, Maturing Elder/Ruis is the 15th letter of the Ogham alphabet. Aw, man. I HATE this ogham. It’s all about being...

Struggling, Blocking, Wounding Doom Doom Doomy-doom. That’s it. That’s the omen. Blackthorn/Straif is the 14th letter of the Ogham...

Cleansing, Sweeping, Healing Broom/nGetal is the 13th letter of the Ogham alphabet. Representing the 13 th  letter of the ogham alphabet,...

Anchoring, Binding, Persisting Ivy/Gort is the 12th letter of the Ogham alphabet. Gort/Ivy, the 12 th letter in the ogham alphabet,...

Harvesting, Feasting, Celebrating Vine is the 11 th letter of the ogham alphabet and represents the /m/ sound as we say it in English...

I’m delighted that there are so many ogham trees here at my home, including a lovely old crabapple. She grows on a slope and her shape is...