Ogham Tuesday: Blackthorn

While I wouldn’t say there are ever any omens or cards I take lightly, Blackthorn is one that stops me in my tracks. The floor is lava, essentially, and the walls are swords. Depending on the question and whether it shows up in context with other ogham, Blackthorn can mean anything from STOP to TRY AGAIN to DON’T TRY THAT AGAIN. 

Where Hawthorn may be a boundary I put in place myself, Blackthorn often feels to me like a boundary placed by other powers (an immovable object). Pushing my way through a boundary of Blackthorn isn’t just doing things the hard way; it’s ensuring the cost I pay for my desire is more than whatever I hope to benefit. I’ll actively do damage to myself, my relationships, and my goals. I have to trust that whatever is on the other side of that boundary is not anything I want. 

Blackthorn is a signal that we need to expand our vision and adjust to circumstances larger than ourselves. It’s a call to trust in some limits, steward our energy, and look for ways we can reduce harm. In some cases, it calls for personal sacrifice in a way we might not have considered. We have to get comfortable with some things just not being FOR US…at least, not for now. 

It can feel forbidding. Exclusionary. A test, to see how hard we’ll push for something we want. Don’t fall for that. Let NO be a complete sentence, okay? 

The Ogham Tuesday series started in 2023 and focused first on introducing each of the standard ogham alphabet in order. We're moving those posts to the blog now, so they can be more easily searched.

#omens #ogham #oghambingo #divination #9firespress #druidry #pagan #witchtok