Ogham Tuesday: Blackthorn/Straif

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 omens, I’m tossing salt over my shoulder while laughing about this one. 

Honestly, it’s a gorgeous tree – early to blossom in spring in a profusion of white flowers that make the hedgerows buzz with happy pollinators. Blackthorn berries (or sloes) make sloe gin, jams, and jellies, and are an important food source for birds. Its tangled growth and enormous thorns make it a great shelter for small critters hiding from predators. But beware! The seed inside the sloe/berry is toxic and its thorns can cause serious injury and infection. The timber is hard-wearing and tough, used to make tools and walking sticks (including the traditional shillelagh, which doubles as a cudgel). Again: useful AND dangerous.

If I had to anthropomorphize Blackthorn, I’d say it’s like Cohen the Barbarian and his “Silver Horde” in Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld: gnarled, ancient, and having survived (or decimated) everything thrown at them over the years. They are not to be underestimated. 

Blackthorn is a weapon, and it can deal damage against you as easily as your enemies, so have a care to keep yourself on the safe side of its pointy end. 

Keywords include:

Guidance might be: 

• If you’re facing troubling times, take heart: you’ve survived 100% of your worst days so far. 

• Stop. Wait for conflict to pass you by. There’s no need to confront or engage. 

• This is not a great time to push through obstacles or limitations.

Cautions and questions might be:

• How can you turn a threat into an advantage?

• In what way might you be inflicting harm on yourself?

• What risks are you underestimating? 

What connections do you see? 

Blessings,

Nicole

~ 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 studying for her Master Gardener certification, rehabbing an underground home in the Midwestern US, and loves to fall in love with bad ideas.