Ogham Tuesday: Gooseberry/Uilleann

I can’t pull Gooseberry without giggling, so it’s probably a good thing I don’t see it very often. 

Gooseberries are shrub-type plants, rather than full trees. They're lively and beautiful in the landscape, great for wildlife, and very yummy in pies. They do fine with some benign neglect, but if you want to harvest any of its fruit in volumes useful for human consumption, you’ll need to take care of it: mulching to prevent weeds, pruning old canes to encourage new growth, and feeding or enriching the soil to strengthen the plant against disease. 

And, though Gooseberry as an ogham carries a lot of whimsy, that sort of care does our mental state a lot of good too. Optimism is not a passive ideology, is it? When Gooseberry comes up in a reading, yes , it’s a sign of surprise and delight. But it’s also a reminder to consciously cultivate the mindset and energy that sweetens our lives. 

Keywords include: whimsy, natural, unforced, kindred, spirits, delight, surprise, mockery, joy, sharpness, wit, energy, optimism, light-hearted, foolish, distraction, engagement, focus

Guidance might include:

• Observe which behaviors you use to celebrate, and which you use to cope, and whether those patterns of reward are reinforcing your undermining your focus. 

• Take a moment to delight in some unforced play.

• Don’t be afraid to use humor and mockery to dismantle an unjust power structure. 

Questions or cautions might include:

• Are you employing whimsy to sharpen your focus or is it distracting you? 

• Does this impulse need to stay on the vine a bit longer to reach its full potential?

• Is your attention to detail engaged supportively or critically?

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.

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