Ogham Tuesday: Ivy/Gort

Anchoring, Binding, Persisting

Ivy/Gort is the 12th letter of the Ogham alphabet.

Gort/Ivy, the 12^th letter in the ogham alphabet, represents the hard /g/ sound in the word “get.” Perhaps coincidentally, Ivy can be a hard omen. Like the ivy plant, the ogham has multiple facets. It can be an anchor tethering you to a stable foundation. It can be a symbol of tenacity and persistence. On the other hand, it can bind you to things you need to release.

One story from the lore involving Ivy is about Irish hero Finn McCool. As an infant, he was hiding in some ivy from a polecat. He took on the powers of the ivy plant and choked the polecat to death. Sometimes a baby hero’s gotta do what a baby hero’s gotta do.

When Ivy appears in a reading, it can mean that it’s time to kick some butt and stick to it until the job is done. As in the Finn story, there’s a hint of ruthlessness in Ivy. You might be in a “by any means necessary” situation. Another interpretation might be that you need to be wary of entanglements that are choking you out. I find with Ivy, it’s almost always immediately apparent which it is—whether you need to plant your feet and gut it out to succeed, or whether you need to detach from something that’s holding on too tightly for your health and well being.

Two words often used to describe Ivy are “powerful” and “sinister.” Even when its influence on your readings and your life is positive and needful, there’s always that edge to consider and watch out for. There seems to me a profound, yet subtle, difference in whether its influence is “powerful, but sinister” or “sinister, but powerful.” I’m going to have to think about that difference the next time I pull Ivy as an omen.