Divination Journal - Entry 1

Today begins my five months of journaling my divination practice for the ADF Seers Guild Study Program. To begin, I called upon Manannan Mac Lir to open the gates to the Otherworld before calling on the Kindreds (Gods, Ancestors, and Nature Spirits) to illuminate my path through the reading of the Ogham. Before taking the reading, I offered the Kindreds a sweet smelling dragon's blood incense and a large shot of the waters of life aka Jameson's Irish Whiskey. As a follower primarily of an Irish Hearth Culture, I have yet to encounter any of the Kindred in my practice who do not enjoy Jameson as much as I do.

Taking a moment of silence following my prayers and offerings, I felt a positive energy and that it was okay to move forward with the reading. As my primary use of Ogham up to this point has been the taking of Omen at the end of High Day rituals, I decided to stick with the formula of pulling an Ogham stave for each of the Kindreds. From left to right, I have pulled Beith for the Gods, Uilleann for the Ancestors, and Onn for the Nature Spirits. Let's break the meaning of each Few down.

Beith:

• New beginning
• Purification

Uilleann:

• Drawing things together and binding
• Flexibility, change, and measurement

Onn:

• Collecting things to you
• Movement

The first translation for each Few comes from Rev. Lee "Skip" Ellison's Ogham: The Secret Language of the Druids. The second translation for each Few comes from Erynn Rowan Laurie's Ogam: Weaving Word Wisdom. This is the first time that I have compared the two different authors' translations side by side and the differences are a bit jarring and greatly changes the meaning of the message from the Kindreds. Through the lens of Ellison, I would say this reading indicates that I have begun something new with these readings that will draw together my previous experiences and bind them into a cohesive whole while attracting something new. Through the lens of Laurie, I would say this reading indicates a fresh start that will lead to positive change and move me in a new direction. See how the differences in Few meanings are having a huge impact on the overall message?

So if anyone is reading this who has more experience with divination by Ogham, which set of meanings rings more true to you? I have a feeling that if I keep moving forward in this process then the right meaning will reveal itself, but it would be nice to get some input in the meantime.

P.S. Thank you to Caitlin at Silkwood Artisans for the amazing Ogham set carved from yew wood used in this post!

ADF Seers Guild Study Program - Divination Journal

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The first requirement for the Guild Specific section of the Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship's Seers Guild Study Program is to keep a five month journal of regular divination practice. Ideally this practice should take place daily, but at least weekly. As the second requirement calls for a description of the Seer's formal divination practice, I have elected to go for the weekly practice as this will give me more time in between readings to iron out what my formal divination process will look like. As a follower of the Gaelic Hearth Culture within ADF, my primary form of divination during this five month period will be the Ogham. Watch this blog for weekly divination posts beginning soon...

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