Ogham Divination: How to Read the Irish Alphabet for Guidance
Ogham is an ancient Irish alphabet from the 4th-5th century CE. It has 20 letters called feda, most of them named for trees or plants. Medieval Irish manuscripts describe druids and heroes using ogham-inscribed sticks for divination and magical purposes.
You can practice ogham divination with items you already own. Wooden sticks, painted stones, even slips of paper work fine. No expensive tools required. The accessibility of the system makes it practical for beginners while offering depth for experienced practitioners.
This guide gives will cover how to do divination with ogham. If you want more historical background on ogham as a writing system and its archaeological evidence, start with this introduction to ogham first.
The Robert Graves Problem
Many people first encounter ogham through Robert Graves' book The White Goddess and his "Celtic tree calendar." Graves published this system in 1948. He invented it.
Ogham is not a calendar. It has no connection to astrology or seasonal time-keeping that we know of. Graves created his tree calendar by selecting associations he liked and arranging them into a system that fit his poetic theories. The historical record doesn't support his claims.
The alphabet does connect to trees and plants through the letter names (Beith means birch, Dair means oak, Sail means willow). But medieval Irish sources assign many other associations to each letter beyond just trees. Reducing ogham to a "tree alphabet" or forcing it into a calendar framework ignores the actual complexity of the system.
This guide uses bríatharogam from medieval manuscripts rather than modern inventions. When you read "withered foot with fine hair" or "greyest of skin" for Beith, you're working with kennings that medieval Irish scholars recorded, not 20th-century speculation.
Why Bríatharogam Matter for Ogham Divination
Medieval Irish manuscripts preserve three sets of kennings for each ogham letter, along with a color, animal and other associations. These poetic phrases work like riddles, each offering a different angle on the letter's meaning. The three sets come from different sources and traditions, attributed to the scholar Morainn mac Moín, the poetic name Maic ind Óc (the Young Son), and the hero Con Culainn.
Take Fearn (alder) as an example. Morainn's bríatharogam calls it "vanguard of warriors." Maic ind Óc calls it "milk container." Con Culainn calls it "protection of the heart." These three phrases give you layers to work with when Fearn appears in a reading. You might interpret it as needing to fight for something, as nourishment and sustenance, or as vulnerability requiring protection. The medieval sources understood that symbols carry multiple meanings.
This layered approach to interpretation has historical roots. Irish literary tradition valued ambiguity and multiple meanings in language. The bríatharogam reflect that sophistication.
How to Read Ogham Divination
Single Draw: Draw one fid for a yes/no question or daily guidance. Read its meaning and apply it directly to your situation. Simple, fast, effective.
Three Paths Spread: Draw three feda and lay them in a row. The first shows where you've been, the second shows where you are, the third shows where you're heading if you continue on your current path. Good for decision-making and understanding trajectory.
Casting Method: Hold all your feda, focus on your question, and scatter them on a cloth. Read only the ones that land face-up. Feda that land close together relate to each other. Those near the center of the cloth matter most to your current situation. Ignore any that fall off the cloth entirely.
You don't need special training to read ogham. Start with the meanings in the guide. Your intuition develops through practice as you work with the symbols and see how they show up in your life.
Making Your Own Ogham Divination Set
Find twenty wooden sticks roughly the same size and carve or paint the ogham letters on them. Collect twenty smooth stones and mark them with permanent marker or paint. Cut twenty pieces of paper or cardstock and draw the symbols.
You don't need to purchase manufactured sets. Making your own becomes part of learning the system. As you create each fid, you spend time with its name, its shape, its associations. That time matters.
The guide includes visual reference for all 20 letters so you know exactly what to draw or carve.
About the Ogham Reference Guide
The guide is available as a PDF download on Ko-fi. It's structured as both a quick reference and a learning tool. Each fid gets its own page with pronunciation, all three bríatharogam, traditional associations, and modern divinatory meanings.
The information comes from medieval manuscript sources rather than modern invented systems. Historical accuracy matters when you're working with a tradition that has actual documentation. You get the real thing, not someone's 1940s fantasy about what Celts "must have" believed.
The guide works for beginners who need foundational knowledge and for experienced practitioners who want a reliable reference with historical backing.
Start Where You Are
You already have what you need to practice ogham divination. Paper and pen. Sticks from your yard. Stones from a walk. The tools are simple because the practice itself is accessible.
Get the Ogham Reference Guide to learn the feda and their meanings. If you want more historical context about ogham as a writing system and its archaeological evidence, read this introduction to the ogham alphabet.
The practice builds from there.
