The Beginners Guide To Divination With Oghams

WHAT ARE THE OGHAMS?

Ogham symbols were found inscribed on standing stones mostly in Ireland and Pembrokeshire on the coast of Wales dating back to the 1st Century AD. It is believed that the Ogham Alphabet originated in the South West of Ireland around the Cork or Kerry areas. Around 400 of these inscriptions have been found and most were personal names so an early form of grafitti perhaps?

The letters are named after various trees and is sometimes known as the Celtic tree alphabet. Ogham refers to the form of the letters but the particular alphabet used is called the Beith-luis-nin after the first letters of the alphabet (alpha , beta etc). The individual characters are called Feda.

The alphabet originally consister of 20 feda in four groups of aicme. 5 additional letters were added later in manuscripts called the forfeda.

The oghams were originally written vertically and carved into stone so read bottom to top. Later on they were written left to right in manuscripts.

FIRST AICME

BEITH

LETTER - B

TREE - Birch

MEANING - New beginnings, Creativity, Cleansing, Purity

LUIS

LETTER - L

TREE - Rowan or Mountain Ash

MEANING - Protection, Defence, Herbalism, Inspiration, Insight

FEARN OR FERN

LETTER - F

TREE - Alder

MEANING - Defence, Security, Spiritual guidance, Strength, Choices

SAILLE

LETTER - S

TREE - Willow

MEANING - Balance, Intuition, Harmony, Inspiration, Serenity, Comfort

NUIN, NION OR NIN

LETTER - N

TREE - Ash

MEANING - Transitions, Renewal, Strength, Learning, Wisdom, Healing, Fate, Friendships, Support

SECOND AICME

HUATH

LETTER - H

TREE - Hawthorn

MEANING - Protection, Loneliness, Strife, Despair, Fertility, Celebration

DUIR OR DAIR

LETTER - D

TREE - Oak

MEANING - Strength, Resilience, Endurance, Fate, Growth, Leadership, Kindness

TINNE

LETTER - T

TREE - Holly

MEANING - Analysis, Energy, Transformation, Skills, Balance, Love, Empathy

COLL

LETTER - C

TREE - Hazel

MEANING - Enlightenment, Inspiration, Wisdom, Divination, Knowledge, Practicality, Luck

QUERT OR CEIRT

LETTER - Q

TREE - Apple

MEANING - Rest, Harmony, Choices, Vision, Psychic cleansing

THIRD AICME

MUIN

LETTER - M

TREE - Vine or Bramble

MEANING - Harvest, Celebration, Relaxing, Play

GORT

LETTER - G

TREE - Ivy

MEANING - Wildness, Development, Abundance, Gratitude, Foundation, Destruction, Binding

NGETAL

LETTER - Ng

TREE - Fern or Broom

MEANING - Health, Vitality, Strength, Healer, Longevity, Shelter

STRAIF

LETTER - Ss

TREE - Blackthorn

MEANING - Challenge, Adversity, Secrecy, Choice, Change, Magical power

RUIS

LETTER - R

TREE - Elder

MEANING - Obsession, Jealousy, Karma, Inspiration, Love, Life

FOURTH AICME

AILIM OR AILM

LETTER - A

TREE - Fir or Pine

MEANING - Excitement, Pregnancy, Joy, Spiritual awakening

ONN

LETTER - O

TREE - Gorse

MEANING - Spiritual path, Lust, Spiritual guidance, Movement

UR OR UHR

LETTER - U

TREE - Heather

MEANING - Relationships, Connections, Fairies, Good luck, Magic, Loved ones in spirit

EADHADH OR EDAD

LETTER - E

TREE - Aspen

MEANING - Bravery, Perception, Divination

IDAD OR IODHADH

LETTER - I

TREE - Yew

MEANING - History, Ancestors, Ageing, Death, Transitions, Thoughts, Memories

FORFEDA LETTERS

EBAD OR EBHADH

LETTER - EA

TREE - Aspen

MEANING - Wisdom, Enlightenment, Harmony, Contentment

OIR/OR

LETTER - OI

TREE - Spindle or Heather

MEANING - Abundance, Creativity, Honouring family and loved ones, Community

UILENN OR UILLEND

LETTER - UI

TREE - Honeysuckle or Beech

MEANING - Change, Resilience, Secrets, Thoughts

IFIN OR IPHIN

LETTER - IO

TREE - Pine or Gooseberry

MEANING - Divination, Releasing guilt or shame, Vision, Enjoyment of day to day life

EMANCHOLL

LETTER - AE

TREE - Witch hazel

MEANING - Disease, Illness, Purify negative energy

OGHAM TREE CALENDAR

BIRCH Dec 24th to Jan 20th

ROWAN Jan 21st to Feb 17th

ASH Feb 18th to Mar 17th

ALDER Mar 18th to Apr 14th

WILLOW Apr 15th to May 12th

HAWTHORN May 13th to Jun 9th

OAK Jun 10th to Jul 17th

HOLLY Jul 8th to Aug 4th

HAZEL Aug 5th to Sep 1st

VINE Sep 2nd to Sep 29th

IVY Sep 30th to Oct 27th

REED Oct 28th to Nov 24th

ELDER Nov 25th to Dec 22nd

Ogham inscription at Ratass Church, Tralee, County Kerry

Source - Wikipedia

OGHAM ALPHABET DIVINATION

Ogham inscription at Ratass church, Tralee, County Kerry
Beith represents the Birch tree in the Ogham and stands for new beginnngs, creativity and purity
Luis in the Ogham represents the Rowan tree or Mountain Ash and stands for protection, defence and inspiration
Fearn in the Ogham corresponds to the Alder tree and means security, strength and choices
Saille in Ogham divination corresponds to the Willow tree and represents balance, intuition, harmony and serenity
Nuin in Ogham divination corresponds to the Ash tree and represents transition, learning, wisdom and fate
Huath in Ogham divination corresponds to the Hawthorn tree and represents protection, loneliness and celebration
Duir in Ogham divination corresponds to the Oak tree and represents strength, resilience and endurance
Tinne in Ogham divination corresponds to the Holly tree and respresents analysis, skills and love
Coll in Ogham divination corresponds to the Hazel tree and represents enlightenment, divination and luck
Quert in Ogham divination corresponds to the Apple tree and represents rest, vision and psychic cleansing
Muin in Ogham divination corresponds to Vine or Bramble and represents the harvest, celebration or play
Gort in Ogham divination corresponds to Ivy and represents wildness, development and binding
Ngetal in Ogham divination corresponds to Fern, Broom or Gorse and represents health, vitality and longevity
Straif in Ogham divination corresponds to the Blackthorna and represents challenge, adversity and secrecy
Ruis in Ogham divination corresponds to the Elder tree and represents obsession, jealousy and karma
Ailim in Ogham divination corresponds to the Fir or Pine tree and represents excitement, joy and spiritual awakening
Onn in Ogham divination corresponds to Gorse and represents spiritual path, movement or lust
Ur in Ogham divination corresponds to Heather and represents relationships, fairies and magic
Edad in Ogham divination corresponds to the Aspen tree and represents bravery, perception and divination
Idad in Ogham divination corresponds to the Yew tree and represents ancestors, death and memories
Ebad in Ogham divination corresponds to the Aspen tree and represents wisdom, enlightenment and harmony
Oir in Ogham divination corresponds to the Spindle or Heather and represents abundance, community and honouring the family and loved ones
Uilenn in Ogham divination corresponds with the Honeysuckle or Beech tree and represents change, secrets and thoughts
Ifin in Ogham divination corresponds with the Pine tree or Gooseberry and represents releasing guilt, vision and enjoyment of life
Emancholl in Ogham divination corresponds to Witch Hazel and represents illness, disease and purifying negative energy
Willow in the Ogham tree calendar represents 15th April to 12th May
Ivy in the Ogham tree calendar represents 30th September to 27th October