This process may help you know your geographic area better, and you may find yourself changing how you define it for your Ogham.įor example, my part of Florida has only one eco-region and forested areas have been relatively undisturbed, so I was able to find plenty of trees to study in my local area. Many of the Ogham trees are significant for the physical place they occupy (for instance willow/Saille at the boundary of earth and water) and we need to travel to find them. Remember that the ancients did not have all of the Ogham trees in their literal backyard. Use elevation, plant communities, distance, climate zones (USDA zones in the US), eco-regions, and the like to choose your area. Start by defining your geographical area.
Ogham fews found on tree branches how to#
You may find other ways work for you, or decide to break up your study into small Ogham letter (few) groups (aicme), but this should give ideas on how to proceed in developing your own area Ogham. There are 25 or more Ogham trees, and I studied 2 to 3 times that many local trees so working on a local Ogham can be quite involved. I found I needed many steps just to find my local trees before I could start my ‘formal’ Ogham studies. So, in an effort to help others find an Ogham for their areas, here is the process I used to develop mine. When I asked what local equivalent tree they did have, I got blank stares. I have also been to a Druid gathering where we were discussing the Yew in the Ogham (Ioho), and people said there are ‘no yew trees here’. While I know of a few local versions, not many are available (see my list at the end of the article). Since I came up with my Florida Ogam, I have seen people ask about Oghams for their areas. Even with all of the hard work, I found the study of the Ogham to be very worthwhile, and highly recommend finding your own trees. As my studies progressed, I received inner urging from my guides to develop a local Ogham that could be shared. Starting out, I did not know how far I would eventually go with my Ogham studies.
Luckily, learning about local plants and forest health was a good preparation for finding my own Ogham trees. That process required consultations with foresters, study, formal training, and regular field work. The 17 acres of Florida forested land we moved to had been unmanaged for nearly 50 years we decided to restore it to a more healthy and natural state for wildlife and related uses. I found myself in this quandary not only did I not live in Europe but I moved from California to Florida, states in the United States (US) with widely varying ecosystems. (For example, the UK has 4 eco-regions, while Australia has 40, and the United States has over 104.) Given the vast variation of plants across the world, this is difficult for most of us. Which is fine direction when you live in the traditional area for these trees- Ireland, the United Kingdom (UK) and thereabouts. The teachers in one of my Druid orders advised that I go out and physically find the Ogham trees, and with direct observation and communion learn their lessons directly before any study of established spiritual associations. (The Ogham includes what we would call both plants and trees- I will use the traditional ‘trees’ here.) Today, the Ogham has traditional and new symbolic associations and while often used for divination, it is a wonderful tool for finding the sacred in the plants where you live. My Druid studies included the Ogham (or Ogam), an ancient Irish alphabet using sacred ‘trees’. Ilex opaca (American Holly) – USDA-NRCS ( Tinne)
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