Find Ogham and runic divination sets online or in metaphysical shops. Both are used today for divination purposes.
In contrast to the Elder Futhark runes with their distinctive markings, the Ogham is a series of slashes. Each “letter” is representative of a sacred Celtic tree. Following this divine gift, the Ogham was used as an alphabet and has sacred spiritual meaning. The Norse god Odin was given the Elder Futhark, while the Celtic god Ogma was given the Ogham. Just as the Norse were given the elder futhark runes as a sacred alphabet, the Celts were given the Ogham tree alphabet. Shamans work closely with tree magic on the spiritual planes when they “travel” up or down the World Tree to speak to the gods or retrieve lost souls. Yggdrasil and The World Tree is a symbol of the three realms – the branches extend into the world of the gods, the trunk is the realm of the living, and the roots go underground into the world of the dead. The holly and evergreen boughs we use to decorate at Christmas-time is a nod to the old beliefs in the immortality and longevity of trees. Yggdrasil is an ash tree in Norse mythology on which Odin hung himself and received the wisdom of the runes. Trees are the center of hundreds of myths and creation stories worldwide. These were: the alder, ash, apple, aspen, birch, blackthorn, elder, gorse, hawthorn, hazel, heather, holly, ivy, mistletoe, oak, reed, rowan, scots pine, vine, willow, and yew trees. According to the Celtic tree calendar, the Celtic people honored 21 sacred trees. They’re rings of wooden beams or trees used as sanctuaries. Ancient woodhenges are all over England and Ireland, which is essentially the wooden equivalent of Stongehenge. Because the Druids were so connected to the trees, it makes sense other cultures would refer to them as tree spirits. Moreover, the word “druid” is originally came from “dryad” which was the Greek term for tree nymphs. The Druid priesthood met in forest groves to perform their rituals. The Celts believed trees had consciousness. I believe our connection with trees is in our DNA and tree magic is reawakening within us. Trees not only provide us with shade and oxygen, they also provide food, medicine, therapy, and magic.
Our Ancestors’ Tree Magicĭo you have an undying love for trees? As a child, did you climb trees and spend hours playing in the forest? People in modern times spend 2/3 of their lifetime inside, which means most of the time they are away from nature.
We’ll learn how to harness the potent energy of trees to make our own unique, green magic come to life. Let’s dive into tree magic of the Celts, including the magical properties of trees and Ogham – the sacred tree alphabet. We hear so much about the magic of herbs and crystals, but what about tree magic? Did you know our Celtic ancestors worshiped trees? Our ancestors believed trees housed powerful spirits and sometimes even gods themselves.