It's like Deja Vu all over again! (or, Divination & the Reflective Cycle)

Some patterns only become apparent when I look back at them. Maybe it's the same for you?  That's why, in August, I’ll use Ogham Tuesdays to reflect on some readings from the recent past and share how they hold up to review.

Since my practice doesn’t use divination to predict specific outcomes, I don’t have any need to prove whether I was RIGHT. What I DO need to know is whether my interpretations are on the right track, or I risk repeating patterns that aren’t serving me.

My reflect & review practice is influenced by Gibbs' Reflective Cycle* (Gibbs, 1988, as cited in Jasper, 2013), which has six core phases:

• Description of what you experienced

• Feelings and thoughts about your interpretations

• Evaluation of how it worked out for you, good & bad

• Analysis to identify any clear cause & effect relationships

• Conclusion about what you liked (or didn't like) about the outcome

• Action plan for how you want to be alert to the pattern and your interpretation next time

Over time, this habit of reflection has built up my internal library of meanings for symbol sets and familiarity with circumstances and lessons I encounter frequently. I think this is especially important for using the ogham because there’s so much that’s been lost. (I’m still upset about the Library of Alexandria. But the druids never wrote much down in the first place!) 

Much of the meaning assigned to each letter has grown over time, as people made connections or assigned correspondences that made sense to them. Others have agreed and added to the lore, or disagreed and published their own conclusions. Associating each month with an ogham tree is a relatively modern construct, for example. Assigning trees to the letters of the ogham alphabet is slightly less modern, but you’ll still find scholars disagreeing frequently. Divination using the ogham isn’t even a particularly ancient practice. 

Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide if the readings you receive make sense to YOU.

A solid reflection cycle, whatever method you use, will help you every future time you encounter a similar circumstance or a particular omen. You’ll start to see reminders of puzzles you haven’t yet solved, reminders of things that are related but haven’t been considered, or alerts to new challenges surfacing.

Depending on your faith, perhaps you’ll sense the “voice” or presence of a particular ancestor or deity. Hazel, for example, tells me Aengus has something to say. You might even start to notice jokes or puns. (It’s a great sign that you’re internalizing a new language, when you start to get the jokes!) 

If you’ve been following Ogham Tuesdays for any length of time, you’ve probably picked up on moments where I mention a specific meaning I read into some of the ogham. For example, nowhere does the lore specifically say Elder is related to trauma wounds; that’s a very modern interpretation. 

However you approach divination, and with whatever symbol set you use, I hope these insights will help enrich your own practice, or lead you to comment on the readings I share. Exchanging notes is one of my greatest joys, so I truly hope to hear from you!

*If you want to read more about Gibbs' Reflective Cycle and some other integrated frameworks, The University of Edinburgh can start you off with a great overview: https://www.ed.ac.uk/reflection/reflectors-toolkit/reflecting-on-experience/gibbs-reflective-cycle

And thanks, Yogi Berra.

~ Nicole (Nikki, sometimes Saffron Hare) is founder and general manager at Nine Fires Press. Her Druidic practice has included solitary, small-group, and congregational worship, with a focus on liturgy and seership. She is rehabbing an underground home in the Midwestern US and loves to fall in love with bad ideas.