Product Description

A comprehensive and practical guide to the ancient oracle based on the alphabet of the Druids. Describes the symbolism and mythology of the 20 "tree letters" and their magical correspondences. Includes instructions on how to make your own Ogam divination sticks, cast the oracle, and perceive omens. Provides historical background and bibliographic references to the Druidic mythology ruling this 1,500-year-old oracle. The ancient Ogam alphabet is a magical and mysterious script, the Celtic equivalent of the runes that can teach us about our fate and future. Named after woodland trees, Ogam's 20 "tree letters" all have unique wisdom to impart that is linked to figures and themes from Celtic mythology. The author addresses three major areas in this book: Ogamlore, the history of this 1500-year-old oracle of the Celtic Druids; Ogamfews, the meaning of the individual tree letters, their magic, characteristics, folklore, and related stories; and Ogamcasting, the practical art of Ogam divination, which includes spreads, castings, and how to create your own Ogam set. With these tools of ancient Celtic wisdom, readers will receive insights and guidance on how to maneuver through life's questions and challenges.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #208827 in Books
• Published on: 2003-02-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Customer Reviews

A great place to Start
Before I came to this book, I had a developing interest in the identification and folklore of trees. This led me towards the spiritual and magical powers of trees. From this interest I discovered the Ogham script and its use as a divination tool. I was keen to find out more about a divination system that related to trees and came accross this book in my local library. I now own a copy and would not be with out it! The book gives a brief history of Oghams and associated celtic folklore/mythology. It Then Lists each of the 20 Oghams in turn and gives you information about the tree the ogham represents, keywords for divination, a more detailed commentaary on the meaning of this Ogham and also details of the folklore/mythology of that tree. The last section of the book describes how Oghams can be used in divination. It gives examples of the types of spread that you can use (from simple 4 Ogham spread to more complex 13 Ogham spread). I made my own set of Ogham after reading this book and have used them for divination on a number of occassions. This book is indespensible for those of you, like me, who are just starting out on the journey of discovery with Oghams, or for those who have a casual interest in the meaning of Oghams or different systems of divination.

I find myself constantly returning to this excellant book to refresh my memory and as a learning aid.

A goldmine of folklore
I approached this book as someone interested in the symbolism behind the letters of the alphabet in Ogham, rather than someone wanting to do actual divination with them, and I really found a gem.

What is refreshing about this book is that while it is written from a Pagan / New Age perspective (as opposed to being a scholarly book on Ogham) it steers clear from the vague or fluffy. The author is quite up front about the fact that we do not really know how Oghams were used, and having said that, is careful to explain why he has given the meanings to each Ogham that he has done.

The separate sections on each Ogham are outstanding - he explains at some length and depth the associations of each rune, and gives "evidence" in the form of episodes from Irish myth and legend where the tree associated with a rune appears in this context. With about 3 pages of text for each rune, I do feel as if I am getting as near as we are reasonably going to get to an "authentic" interpretation for each Ogham. It is easy to read and digest without being superficial.

The only thing that holds me off giving it five stars is that Mountfort limits himself to the original 20 Oghams and doesn't mention the Forfeda at all, this is a shame and I hope he will look to this for future editions.

Good text on Ogam

What is good about this book is the author includes references concerning the ogam from actual surviving celtic texts - such as the Scholar's primer, giving the material in the book an aura of authenticity. The analysis of the 20 Ogams is well laid out, informative an interesting.

The only criticism I have is that it does not contain the Ogams known as the 'Crane Bag' Ogams.