Ogham Tuesday: Pine

Pine (or Silver Fir) is the first ogham in the last of the traditional sets of five, which places it in the position of “something new is next,” a pattern you’re used to if you work with tarot. In this sense, Pine represents an opportunity to reset or recalibrate, to take a moment for perspective and confirmation that the path you’re on is actually the path you want to be on. 

Let’s say you have a map for what you want to accomplish. But the map is not the terrain, right? At some point, the topography on your metaphorical or literal journey will obscure your vision of the big picture. Maybe you realize, hey, I need some elevation to see what’s ahead. Climbing a tree to check your path and position is a trope for good reason, and that’s the signal this ogham is sending you. 

Last week, we confronted the cognitive dissonance or trauma response that Elder can signal. Pine is the next step, using that new clarity to align your planned path with your desires and values. 

So. Pretend you’ve climbed the tree to get a good look at your goal in the distance. Are you still heading in the right direction? Are there obstacles ahead that you need to plan for or navigate around? Which route looks hardest or easiest? Does this path still make sense for you? How confident are you in your map, once you climb down again? You might have received new information – like, perhaps a bridge you’d planned to cross has collapsed. How open are you to changing your original plans? 

And that’s the crux of it, so I’ll say again: How open are you to changing your original plans? Pine asks us to be open to new information, not just about our next steps, but also about our motivation and method. When you step back and see the forest for the trees, if you’ll forgive the pun, what changes? 

It’s rare that there is only one possible path toward what you want. If many paths will bring you to the same place, then what about the path matters to you? Are there other destinations that fulfill the same needs? Why this one in particular? 

If you just want to get there fast, wherever “there” is, how hard does it make sense to push yourself? And if you’re in it more for the journey than the destination, then how are you planning your next steps to get the most out of what’s ahead? 

Wherever you’re heading, and however you plan to get there, I hope you have lots of opportunities for clarity and refinement along the way. 

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.

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