Ogham Tuesday: Yew/Idho

Dying, Transforming, Renewing

Yew/Idho is the 20th letter of the Ogham alphabet.

What would a stereotypical old English graveyard be without Yew trees? Unauthentic, for one thing! Yew trees, with the way they arch over to the ground, are a threshold from one plane of existence or stage to another. Its connection with death and rebirth is also apparent in the fact that every piece of a yew tree (save the flesh of the fruit) contains the poison taxine. Taxine can affect the heart, causing cardiac arrest. Yew can literally break your heart.

Yew/Idho is the 20^th letter of the ogham alphabet. It represents the vowel sound [i], which is pronounced as the long /ee/ in English, as in the word “feet.” Most of the Briatharogam for Yew have to do with honoring and lauding the tree itself, both for its age and its beauty. Yew is one of the most revered of the “bilé” or world trees, along with Ash and Oak.

Yew trees are associated particularly with the Irish goddess Aine. Her primary associations have to do with agriculture and the cultivation of crops. The cyclical nature of sowing and reaping and the movement through the seasons make Yew’s connections to life and death appropriate.

When Yew appears in a reading or omen-taking, you are in transition. Something is dying in order that something new might be born. It can be an uncomfortable place, neither one thing or the other. Being a death doula requires patience and waiting, and that is what’s needed of you with Yew. Deep transformation takes time and cannot be rushed. Be patient, and your something new will come in its own time.