Ogam March 29: Onn
Welcome to a special Substack series by the author of What Is A Druid? And the Druids Den blog, Ogam with Druid Foxx.
First, what is Ogam? Ogam is an alphabet of carved grooves used on wood and stone by the ancient Celtic people. It's origins are obscure, being attributed variously to the Irish god Ogma father of speech and poetry, the sea god Mananan, the god Hermes, the legendary poet Amairgin, the Druids, the giant Einigan, and Christian saints.
Much of our knowledge of Ogam comes from carvings found on standing stones and from early Irish texts such as the seventh century Scholars Primer, the 14th century Book of Ballimote, the Books of Lecan, Lismore, and Leinster as well as oral folk tradition.
Most Ogam inscriptions that survive today are found on standing stones as property markers and some Ogam can even be found of Celtic crosses where Pagan and Christian imagery are mingled.
Ogam, like the norse runes, is more than just an alphabet. It is also a method of insight and divination. The names of each letter have various kennings (knowings), or meanings associated with them. Using words that started with each letter in groupings was a common way for bards and Druids to memorize knowledge in ancient times. They often had a short poetic verse assigned to each Ogam. Modern poets and Druids may also use them this way. The ancient Celts had a mostly oral tradition and the Druids prized memory so highly that, though they had Ogam and many also knew Greek and Latin, they considered it taboo to write down their spiritual knowledge as it would degrade the memory.
In more recent times Ogam has been associated with a Celtic tree calendar. Ogam letters are commonly assigned to different trees with each tree having different divinatory associations. To use Ogam for divination it is common practice to either carve them onto small sticks or paint them onto wood chips or stones, or even on paper cards. Meditate upon some question or intention and then take up the Ogam and mix them together in a container such as a bag or box drawing one by hand or shaking the container until one falls out. One then interprets the Ogam according to its different kennings.
Now that you’ve been introduced to Ogam and what it is and how it works, I'd like to invite you to join me for a weekend Ogam drawing. Though it is common to make Ogam yourself and I have several Ogam sets I have made myself, it is also equally common to purchase a set or be given one. For my Ogam series I will be using the Ogham’s Fortune Oracle cards to randomly select an Ogam. I will also display the Ogam selected using a carved stick so you may see the Ogam in its more traditional form.
The Ogham for Saturday March 29 is Onn, the Irish word for ash tree. It is commonly associated with gorse.
Smooth-worn and round, by wind and by sea,
In darkness, the wonder of making grows free.
No joints shown, but joining all hosts to the song,
As wisdom’s beginning makes short cuts of long.
Quatrain - C. Matthews
Now is a time of movement forward and deepening inner connection. There may be a shedding or peeling away of superficial outer layers, not necessarily by choice. Though you may feel alone, remember all things are connected in some way. Use this time for creativity and gathering together rescources. It may seem like you aren't getting anywhere but even a baby step is still progress.
