Ogham Tuesday: Beith/Birch

Birch: Beginning, Resetting, Manifesting

Beith/Birch is the first letter of the ogham alphabet.

Beith is the first word in the ogham alphabet, and it literally means Birch in both Gaelige (Irish) and Gáidhlig (Scottish Gaelic.) As in English, it is the grapheme for the /b/ sound, and is transliterated as the letter B. It’s fitting, then, that the ogham symbol for Birch means beginnings. Whether it’s a fresh start altogether or a restart of something ongoing, Birch signals the manifestation of first steps.

Birch is a tree that is attested in the lore, in the tale of Grainne and Diarmuid. I say “lore,” but the story isn’t ancient—just pretty darn old. Surviving texts of the story date from a 16th-Century Irish prose poem, with aspects of the story appearing in some 10th-Century texts. It is considered a part of the Fenian Cyle of Irish mythology, which centers on the stories of Irish hero  Fionn mac Cumhaill.

The aging Fionn, in an unheroic move, has arranged a marriage with a king’s daughter. Except that he made the arrangement with the king, not with Grainne herself. She doesn’t want to marry him because he’s older than her father. Which, you know, FAIR. She attempts to escape with her Wun Twue Wuv, Diarmuid, one of Fionn’s soldiers. He at first claims loyalty to Fionn, but she threatens him with a geis, essentially forcing him to flee with her. Which, you know, PROBLEMATIC, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Aengus mac Og, the Irish god of love and beauty and stuff, aids and abets their escape by having Diarmuid fashion a bed for Grainne out of Birch branches and rushes to disguise and protect them on their flight. Fionn eventually catches up with, though, and everything is just a hot mess sandwich.

Obviously, there aren’t really any good guys here, but equally obvious is everybody’s need for a fresh start. Nothing in this tale of coercion, manipulation, and oath-breaking is going to bless any of the characters. In a deal brokered by Aengus, Diarmuid and Grainne begin their new life together by their choice, and Fionn wisely realizes that marrying a girl young enough to be his daughter is pretty ick. Happily, in the end, they talk it out and come to an agreement that gives everybody involved that second chance they so desperately need.

When Birch appears in a reading or omen, consider what might need a  reset in  your life. What new thing might you be able to manifest for yourself? Maybe it’s seeking new employment, maybe it’s the end or beginning of a relationship, maybe it’s simply reorganizing the cluttered and maddening pantry shelves to make meal prep easier and more effective. The Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn Birch refers to Birch as “worth pursuing.” The ogham says the time is right for seeking and creating a new start.

-BB