In Tibet, they will string some banners along a rope, and will call it a prayer. I am sure that each little piece of cloth holds a particular meaning, which in turn contributes to the meaning of the whole. From this I have surmised that the Ogam writing may have begun along the same lines, only with the leaves or other part of the plant in motion. This would be in keeping with the Dynamism of the Celts, who would have seen the actual spirit of that plant contributing to the power of the spell1. As a calendar, each plant was giving to the moon in whom some significant event happened, such as budding or flowering. I have combined the Lunar nature of this calendar with the Solar calendar, for convenience. Each month is given 28 days2, with the new moon falling within that time given the name of that month. The Solar nature is that the Calendar begins with the Solar festival of Yule Tide (Winter Solstice). Each of these eight festivals covers fourty-five days, with five extra days at the end of the Year. These five days I give to the Goddess in her burden of love, with the One day of the Lunar year falling on the fifth. In a leap-year, I will simply add a second extra day, placing it on the 29th of February.
1. A spell is a story told to find a desired state of being. The story may be a short, simple poem, Or, it may be as epic as Beowulf.
2. 365÷28=13 months and 1 day, hence the phrase, a year and a day.
There are two paths in this calendar, one for the Male mysteries, and one for the Female. Except for two moons, they are exactly alike, the differences being with Coll and Qert, and with Straif and Ruis. Coll and Ruis follow the Female path, with Qert and Straif following the Male. This is to acknowledge the truth that the human animal is a bisexual species. As a Diana Wiccan taught me once, no mater how hard a man tries to be a woman or a woman tries to be a man (even if this journey is driven by genetic factors), we are each a product of our social rules. I would say that is it during Coll and Ruis that the woman would embrace her femininity, while the man embraces his masculinity during Qert and Straif. The rest of the time we would each embrace our human nature, whatever that means to us. The function here is gratitude and acceptance for what we are.
The Ogam alphabet, with some suggested imagery and Magical properties are in this table, provided as a guide for building lunar rites, ceremonies, and other Magic.
| Month | Cymraeg | Tree | Attribution | Station | Image | Gift | Color |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beth: | Birch | Inception | 1 | Dazzling Brilliance of Darkness | Power | White |
| 21 December | Birch moons you may begin; Strengthen my resolve. Sleeping moon and knowing time, The sacred wheel revolves. |
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| 2 | Luis: | Rowan | Quickening | 6 | Sacred Fire | Life Force | Green |
| 18 January | Rowan wattles teach, Wisdom of the age. Stone-encircled oracles Of Witch and of the Mage. |
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| 3 | Nion: | Ash | Seamanship | 7 | The Sea | Love | Cyan |
| 15 February | Sturdy water craft Born of the cruel ash. Guide my journey cross the sea, Guard from lightening flash. |
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| 4 | Fearn: | Alder | Fire | 12 | Sovereign Will | Royalty | Purple |
| 15 March | Alder, bark and branch, Such a useful tree. Fairy trees in Koré time, Heal the doubt in me. |
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| 5 | Saille: | Willow | Enchantment | 9 | The Moon | Blessing | Red |
| 12 April | Willow enchantments moon, Beltain Fires ablaze. Poet’s and inventor’s tree, Marked by hawk and haze. |
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| 6 | Huath: | Hawthorn | Cleansing | 13 | Chaos | Dramwalking | Deep Blue |
| 10 May | Night crow takes her flight In the chastity of May. Hawthorn fragrance fills the air. Here the four winds play. |
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| 7 | Duir: | Oak | Endurance | 2 | Bifidic King | Justice | Gold |
| 7 June | Great oak, Midsummer’s Eve, Fulfillment in the ring. Sacred hinge and door am I, Litha Fires I bring. |
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| 8 | Tinné: | Holly | Blood | 5 | The Sacred Children | Obstruction | Light Blue |
| 5 July | Dark Lord the Holly Oak Killed by a sacred twin. Moon of harvest starling flight. The warrior rides within. |
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| 9 | Coll: | Hazel | Naked Wisdom | 8 | Mind/Logic | Knowledge | Orange |
| 2 August | Wisdom the hazel moon, Be wise and desist. Build within the harmony Of bards, who harp and jest. |
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| 9.1 | Qert: | Apple | Innocent Knowledge | 8 | Mind/Eros | Understanding | Saffron |
| 2 August | Secret majesty On the wind does sound. Apple’s wild immortal tree, Inspiration kissed. | ||||||
| 10 | Muin: | (Grape) Vine | Ecstasy | 10 | Earth | Mortality | Black |
| 30 August | Teyrnon, god of wine, Bless thy sacred Tree. Autumn harvest of the vines We give thanks to thee. |
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| 11 | Gort: | Ivy | Awakening | 11 | Psyche | Samsara | Amethyst |
| 27 September | Wild boar and whistling swan, The hunting horn does sound. With the ivy and her strength, The Harvest Bride is bound. |
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| 12 | Ngetal: | Reed | Sovereignty | 4 | Double Sun | Wealth | Blue |
| 25 October | Pan pipes of sacred reed Warn of winter’s chill. Slender shafts do arrows make. He does harm or heal. |
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| 13 | Straif: | Blackthorn | Stewardship | 3 | Transcendent Child | Destiny | Forest Green |
| 22 November | Blackthorn, a troubled staff, Turns from night to day. Stalking deer till morning light, The hunter’s crown to lay. |
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| 13.1 | Ruis: | Elder | Fate/Fortune | 3 | Trifidic Queen | Fate | Deep Green |
| 22 November | Elder a blood-red moon, A tree of rivers’ side. Death in life, life in death In this moon does hide. |
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| 21-Dec | Beth: | 21-Dec | Yule Tide: |
| 18-Jan | Luis: | 04-Feb | Fires of Brio-sioned |
| 15-Feb | Nion: | 21-Mar | Eostre |
| 15-Mar | Fearn: | 05-May | Fires of Beltain |
| 12-Apr | Saille: | 19-Jun | Litha |
| 10-May | Huath: | 03-Aug | Fires of Lugnasadd |
| 07-Jun | Duir: | 17-Sep | Mabon |
| 05-Jul | Tinné: | 01-Nov | Fires of Samhain |
| 02-Aug | Coll:/Qert: | 16-Dec | Queens’ Dark Days |
| 30-Aug | Muin: | | |
| 27-Sep | Gort: | ||
| 25-Oct | Ngetal: | ||
| 22-Nov | Straif:/Ruis: | ||
| 20-Dec | Ceridwen’s Day | ||
Sources Consulted.
Glass-Koentop, Pattalee [1991]; Year of Moons, Season of Trees: Mysteries and rites of Celtic tree magic; St Paul, MN; Llewellyn Publications.
Hope, Murry [1987]; Practical Celtic Magic; Northamptonshire, England; Aquarian Press.
I am not entirely sure about the scholarship on this issue. At the time the Year of Moons, Season of Trees was published, Llewellyn would accept any manuscript, without checking the credentials of the author, and Wicca is still infused with a miss shaped idea of history. Aquarian Press, however, is run by the theosophical society, who also has a bit of a problem with their notions of history, but does check the credentials of its authors. The following system is a blending of the two sources, with some additions of my own.