#ogham

[sierrawitch]

My necklace was made before I even created my tumblr account. I wear it everyday, yet it never occurred to me that I could share it here.

This is an Ogham/Ogam protection charm I made by stripping a pine branch, carving a flat edge, and burning the word cosaint (Irish for protection/defense) into the wood. It’s created its own finish with the natural oils from my fingers, enhancing the color and shine of the wood.

[definitionofacritter]

Ayden's shield says his name in Ogham!! That is so neat!!

[hexpositive]

Hex Positive, Ep. 050 - Exploring the Ogham with Mara Levy

Now available on your favorite podcast app and on the Nerd and Tie Podcast Network!

Sometimes you make a new friend and they share something that really gets your brain going! So this month, Bree welcomes Mara Levy to the virtual studio for a discussion about ogham - its’ history and meaning and use in both ancient and modern magic. (Perennial notetakers will want to have pencils handy when we talk about the kennings!)

Visit Mara at Rainbow Spring Wellness in Silver Spring MD (and on Instagram!) and check out my Wordpress for full show notes, sources, and recommended reading.

Visit the Willow Wings Witch Shop on Shopify and check out this month’s featured items and Upcoming Events. Make sure you also visit the Redbubble page for even more cool merch!

Check my ⁠⁠Wordpress⁠⁠ for full show notes, as well as show notes for past episodes and information on upcoming events. You can find me as @BreeNicGarran on TikTok, Instagram, and WordPress, or as @breelandwalker on tumblr. For more information on how to support the show and get access to early releases and extra content, visit my ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠.

Proud member of the ⁠⁠Nerd and Tie Podcast Network⁠⁠.

MUSIC CREDITS

Intro & Outro – “Spellbound” & “Miri’s Magic Dance” Host-Read Ads – “Danse Macabre – Violin Hook” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

[thesilicontribesman]

Brandsbutt Pictish Symbol Stone, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

[ofpine]

[ly0nstea]

Wrong, the reasonable thing would be to modernise the ogham tmscript and beging reusing it for Gaeilge, it would better help enforce the irish alphabet and stop shit like zú and it wouldnt even be that hard because like 99% of the time you write its on lined paper so we just have to switch from between the lines to on the lines

[apiswitchcraft]

the ogham alphabet and their divinatory meanings

FIRST AICME

ᚁ beith

UPRIGHT: joyful beginnings, new possibilities, renewal and rebirth--even if it is uncomfortable

REVERSED: a blind path, wasted efforts, fixation on the past, longing for the impossible

ᚂ luis

UPRIGHT: clarity, attention to detail, purification, danger avoided or overcome, two paths are open to you

REVERSED: vulnerability, uncertainty, deception, delusion, something (possibly your own emotions) is misleading you

ᚃ fearn

UPRIGHT: protection and guidance, emotional security, good advice, prophecy, unexpected solution(s), music, poetry

REVERSED: willful blindness, refusal to listen to advice, arrogance or not enough information

ᚄ saille

UPRIGHT: go with the flow, intuition, dreaming, unconscious, letting go of preconceptions, feminine energy/connection to the moon

REVERSED: inability to adapt, feeling defeated or lost, lack of movement, difficulty that will inevitably pass

ᚅ nuin

UPRIGHT: connection and transformation, being a part of something bigger, fate, divine action/inspiration

REVERSED: isolation and boredom, being blind to (either good or bad) possibilities, take control and be assertive

SECOND AICME

ᚆ huath

UPRIGHT: patience, protection/purification, reserve, feeling suffocated, problems that will eventually change, self-sacrifice

REVERSED: you are acting too hasty, take a second to think OR you're at a standstill, you need to take action

ᚇ duir

UPRIGHT: sacred spaces, forward movement, power and energy, the power to endure, leadership, endurance

REVERSED: help from those in power, success despite means, borrowed strength, a gift, cowardliness

ᚈ tinne

UPRIGHT: challenges or tests, recommends decisive action, balance, integrity, talent/skill/expertise, growth

REVERSED: attack, hardship, aggression, lack of direction or balance

ᚉ coll

UPRIGHT: knowledge and learning, transformation and flexibility, creativity, daydreaming, rituals/divination

REVERSED: intellectual/creative blockages (art/writer's block), lack of insight, fear of failure, ignorance

ᚊ quert

UPRIGHT: happiness, healing, beauty, love affairs, awakenings and new experiences, opportunity (or the choice) to live more fully

REVERSED: despair, ailments, unavoidable choice(s), mixed gain/loss, procrastination

THIRD AICME

ᚋ muin

UPRIGHT: inspiration, prophecy or psychic senses, community and celebration, freedom, rest, examine life's lessons

REVERSED: burdens, difficulties, a need to relax/unwind, you're strung out or trying too hard OR overindulging

ᚌ gort

UPRIGHT: slow/indirect progress, wildness, purpose, determination, transformation, follow life's path

REVERSED: entanglement, think twice about what you're doing, and arduous path

ᚍ ngetal

UPRIGHT: vitality, awareness of environment, creating order from chaos, prioritizing personal health, you aren't finished yet

REVERSED: inability to act, need for healing and patience, you aren't ready to act yet OR you have done all you can

ᚎ straif

UPRIGHT: necessity/inevitability, fate or omens, death, rebirth, some things cannot be changed, wheel of fortune

REVERSED: pain, difficulty, retribution, necessary suffering, no choice is a good one

ᚏ ruis

UPRIGHT: resolution, completion, looking ahead, omen of success, difficulties permanently overcome

REVERSED: endings and departures, face the facts, shame, illness/disability

FOURTH AICME

ᚐ ailm

UPRIGHT: insight, grounded in the present, clear vision, start new project(s), new perspective, foresight

REVERSED: ignorance of the broader picture, unrealistic ideas, step back and reassess, fear and anxiety

ᚑ onn

UPRIGHT: energy, life, vigor, sexuality, attraction, gathering together, consider changing your life's direction

REVERSED: difficulties and delays, overconfidence, taking too many risks, unrealistic desires

ᚒ uhr

UPRIGHT: spiritual/magical power, forces of nature, deep connections, fulfillment, death and memories of loved ones

REVERSED: deception, deceit, loss of contact with nature/spirits, need for recuperation/reconnection in a relationship

ᚓ eadhadh

UPRIGHT: courage and tenacity, a struggle for victory, quest for inner strength, enlightenment

REVERSED: addiction, terror, declining health, compromise and negotiation, choosing a different path

ᚔ iodhadh

UPRIGHT: ancestry, aging or dying, things unchanging, old age, memory

REVERSED: stagnation and immobility, death or mourning, the past is a burden, things lingering past their prime

FORFEDHA

ᚕ eabhadh

UPRIGHT: spiritual wisdom, complexity, place of balance/harmony, presence of many factors, spiritual wisdom

REVERSED: confusion, bewilderment, too many factors at work to allow for a successful prediction/decision

ᚖ oir

UPRIGHT: radical transformation, abundance, sudden illumination or destruction that is set about by outside forces

REVERSED: patience, preparation, the path before you is a slow one, wait for outside forces to act

ᚗ uilleann

UPRIGHT: knowledge and lore, learning and study, wisdom of the past as a guide, private thoughts or secrets

REVERSED: ignorance, failure to learn from the past, future instead of past

ᚘ ifin

UPRIGHT: secrets and revelations, subtle influences, releasing emotions of guilt/shame

REVERSED: the situation is not as it seems, the information that you need is not available to you

ᚙ eamancholl

UPRIGHT: unexpected change, arrival of new influence, illness

REVERSED: sudden endings or disruptions

[irelandseyeonmythology]

For anyone who's interested in how the Og(h)am script works, the history and language of it, the team at the O(g)ham project have made a really high quality video featuring a breakdown of it and some of the techniques that some of the best in the field are using to study it.

[thechaoticgingers]

With the last night of the year here, brings us the last day of Yule: the night of Oaths

[magicwithmoxie]

Introduction

Free readings are open! 💜🌈

Welcome! I’m Moxie (they/them), a 27-year-old witch and pagan. I’ve been doing readings for myself for a few years, and I’m interested in doing some free practice readings for the community. I read charms, tarot (upright interpretations only for right now), ogham, and runes, and can combine multiple methods.

I don’t believe divination can tell us definitively what will happen in the future, and for that reason I won’t be answering any more yes or no questions. Divination thrives with open-ended questions, and answers with vibes and more questions. If you need help formulating and question in an open-ended way, reach out to me, I’m happy to help!

NSFW readings are available for ages 18+ through DMs only. My blog feed is SFW.

I am still learning and do not guarantee the accuracy of my readings, and I reserve the right to turn down readings I don’t feel aligned with. I will not do any readings pertaining to legal or medical matters.

Use your own judgement and critical thinking when receiving advice from divination. Divination doesn’t tell you everything, and readers don’t know everything. Please don’t stay in an unsafe situation based on divination. Taking care of yourself is a spiritual act 💜

Racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, ageism, fat phobia, TERFs, Nazis, and radfems are NOT welcome here (this list is non exhaustive and subject to grow).

[lokavisi]

My friend and fellow kindred member just shared a blog with a new divination spread that I wanted to share here. I have a feeling it will prove useful to folks. I'm definitely planning on doing one of these for myself today.

[sierrawitch]

I recently took a trip to the discount shop and found a strand of small wooden dice. They reminded me of little prayer beads, and they felt so nice in my hand that I just had to buy them. Since I’m not a prayer, I decided to use them in a different craft..reimagining the form of Ogam staves!

Not only did I burn each character of the traditional Fedas onto the dice, but I also added some additional symbols in the case I want to incorporate them in a casting.

These additional symbols include the generic male and female (or Venus and Mars), the triskelle representing water, the triquetra representing fire, the equal-armed cross representing earth, and another swirling symbol representing air.

While these dice aren’t the traditional way to cast, I think it’s a fun idea, and it’s nice to be able to hold all of them in one hand as a strand of beads.

[an-stoirm]

I am so excited to actually be able to concentrate on Ogam: Weaving Word Wisdom by Erynn Rowan Laurie ❤️

[blackcrowing]

Hi! I’m a witch trying to recover my irish identity, and I have been so drawn to ogham, and after reading your masterpost on it, I still have a couple questions if that’s ok.

1: in your opinion is it better to use ogham as runes/staves or almost as a sigil?

2: using ogham in spellwork; divination vs embedding power/energy (this is a lot like the first one tbh)

3: thoughts on writing in ogham?

4: any other resources you would recommend for quality education on the history, usage, and meaning of ogham?

I know a lot of this is basic, but my current understanding of ogham is very basic and minimal so I really do appreciate your thoughts and your masterpost! Thank you so much for your time and energy!

No worries! I love to help whenever I can!

1 - I use them, generally, as an Irish equivalent to Runes. This potential isn't the most accurate way to think about them, but honestly we have no solid evidence for their magical historical use either way so its basically up to each practioner to do what feels right for them and I've never really worked with sigils but I do work with Runes.

2 - I use them almost exclusively as divination tools, but again this is completely a personal choice. From the information we have about their uses in the myths its actually, I think, a little more likely that they were used as vehicles for specific energy manipulation when used in a magical capacity, but I have no great skill in that department personally, so I stick with what I know.

3 - OH BOY DO I HAVE THOUGHTS! So obviously we have clear and strong evidence that Ogam was used for general writting purposes. So using the Ogam to write a word or small message is a completely legitimate use. HOWEVER, Ogam are designed and used to represent specific sounds and these sounds were used in IRISH (most specific early and middle Irish) so trying to use Ogam to write something in English is idiotic at best and approprative at worse (I feel the same way about folks writting with Runes 🤦‍♀️)

4 - the best resources I've found are 'Ogam: Weaving Word Wisdom' by Erynn Rowan Laurie and 'A Guide to Ogam Divination' by Marissa Hegarty but getting both would be a bit redundant (There is a VERY limited amount of information out there on Ogam so unless you break the mold and have your own theories on certain feda you pretty much see the same things said over and over). If you happen to find both and aren't sure which one would be better I will say that ERLs layout is more user friendly but she adds some very non-Irish/celtic ideas to her meanings while Hegarty sticks very much to Irish/Scottish information but tends to be a very dense read.

[thesilicontribesman]

Examples of Ogham Script, The Moffat Museum, Scotland

[caraecethrae]

"The Irish language underwent several major and minor phonological and structural changes between its Primitive and Old’ periods. It might be said, | indeed, that it changed more during that time than it has ever done since. Words which at the Primitive Irish stage would have had four or two syllables frequently have only two or one respectively in Old Irish. The majority of the old case-endings were lost and replaced by a very different inflectional system, and a series of sound changes which in Primitive Irish were determined entirely by phonetic environment were raised by the Old Irish period to the status of morphophonological mutations and survive as such to the present day. Many of these developments can be seen taking place on the inscriptions, some are not detectable owing to the limitations of the alphabet while others, which belong to the Early Primitive Irish period not covered by the Ogams, had already run their course before the erection of the monuments and appear as a fait accomplion them."

— A Guide to Ogam by Damian McManus