Ogam: Weaving Word Wisdom

When the author noted that she doesn't have an education and in the introduction it's suggested that she has better historic accuracy than Ronald Hutton (professor at Univerity of Bristol, whose writing I studied at an Ivy League university in the US) and, to put the nail in the coffin, doesn't give any citations - well, I needed to put the book down. I regret my purchase.As a medievalist, I agree with Hutton's proposal that we do not know enough of pre-Christian Celtic religion to recreate it (see: none) but this book was recommended to me. The arrogance, condescension, and purportions to academia with no actual academia make me regret my purchase.I wish I could return this book but I already disposed of the packaging.

I started reading this book this week. It seems legit but Im not sure why all the criticism of other writers needs to be a thing, here. I like reading different takes on subjects, even if I disagree, which is why I bought this book. We'll see what happens when I get to the end. There are a few other books Ive read on the subject that were quite insightful and well researched. Im sure I will enjoy the rest of the book.What REALLY pissed me off is that, somehow (probably my own mistake?), three copies were sent to me, not the single copy I thought I ordered. Now I have to spend the extra 10-15 bucks in gas and two hours of driving, to drive into town to return them OR pay $12 A COPY to return them from where they were originally delivered- my own front porch. Even though I have a package a day arriving from Amazon this week.Word to the wise when buying anything from Amazon- check the return policy first, then check an actual website that sells the item, before ordering from Amazon.

This is immediately my go-to for not just Ogam, but all things CR. Laurie captures the essence of Celtic Reconstructionism in a way that is very difficult to do. By giving examples of their own experience and tight academic citation the author sets the example of how a new comer can approach Recon. Not to mention that the actual methods and translations are amazing.

This is a well researched and thoughtful text. Laurie attempts to stay true to the lore and culture while encouraging readers to find our own inspiration and interpretations in relation to the Ogam. Her returning to the original texts and discussing the interpretation of key words is helpful for someone seeking to deepen their understanding of the Ogam. Likewise, her coverage of the three currents for each letter, with additional material on how she reads each stave in relation to ritual makes this a very rich resource. I don’t agree with her fully on some of the letters, but I don’t have to agree totally to find this a fantastic resource and very well researched text. My copy is quickly becoming well worn.

I have been working through this book since I got it. There's a lot of info in there. It's not a difficult read, and I'm learning a lot. I would suggest it for someone that wants to learn about Ogham. I'm glad I got it!

This is the best book I've read on the ogam. Unlike others, Laurie approaches the ogam meanings holistically (other authors have based their systems only on the tree interpretations, and often enough on erroneous ideas of Robert Graves). The book is full of exercises that can help lead one into the practice of filidecht, the sacred Gaelic bard craft. This includes meditative and breathwork techniques for working with the cauldrons or energy centers that have some analogy with charkas (but only three of them), which are written about in medieval Irish texts.Like the runes, each ogam letter has a name and key meanings, and traditional poems that elliptically interpret them. The author is clear about what are traditional meanings and what are her own further interpretations, such as linking them to astrological concepts. The ogam are easy to adapt to our own circumstances, and places, yet it is crucial to understand what is native to the traditions. Making one's own set is covered as well.This isn't a book to just sit down and read from cover to cover but one to use over and over; I have used it as a work book for nearly two years. Highly recommended.

Although divining with ogham staves a long while this book gave excellent insights I had never thought of.

As a Traditional celtic pagan, i appreciated the legitimacy of this book, i know a lot of it is kind of BS, but it had some really good aspects for my divination.

This is a reasonably well researched book on the ogam and provides more than average information on the Ogam.However in criticism of the book: the authors makes it clear that she is into Celtic Reconstruction and not the so called fabrications of other authors - with very critical comments about other respected authors in the field such as Robert Graves, the Matthews etc. Whilst claiming others have written information which is near fabrication or perhaps personal interpretation and slating them for it, the author then goes on to do exactly the same... UM...The best part of book refers to the Ogam and it is true that she goes to the Scholars Primer by Calder the translation of an original Irish source document for the Ogam. This in itself is interesting, but some of the interpretations made are highly personal - nothing wrong with this as the author states she is doing this anyway. But you will find that particular ogams interpretation are vastly at variance with other authors yet the author is to be commended for doing so... I will give examples shwoing what I mean- The exploration of U-ath (usually the Hawthorn ogam) is excellent and scholarly and indeed does refer back to calders meaning.- But when it comes the Edad ogam (usually aspen or poplar) she refers it to the Amanita mushroom ?? This is not mentioned in the scholars primer at all and therefore reinforces my point made in the initial paragraph of the review.- Another example is the Elder ogam - the correspondances for that are completed way off if you compare it with other books whilst at other times for example the Straif ogam as sulphur tallies up with Calder.I would say this is an advanced work on the ogam however if you are new to studying the Ogam in depth, I would say - first read a simple book on ogam, read caulders scholars primer translation and then read this book - to see exactly what the author has done. Yes it does refer back to caulder and others sources but only partially and selectively at the authors whims.The author also includes music notes for the ogam which is interesting to see, however I found the association of the ogams to planetary bodies (that ancient celts or druids could not have even seen without a telescope eg Pallas, Chiron etc) quite ridiculous, the author is attempting to expand its correspondances, whilst interesting from the intellectual point of view, I fail to see the point. However if this is such an accurate reconstruction of the Ogam why does the author not mention the differences between the BLF and BLN forms of the ogam ? (she uses BLF as do most modern books).There are some interesting rituals and divination spreads in the latter part of the book, as well as some material on fions shield and the three cauldrons.The author clearly knows a great deal about the ogam - but the books falls short in that it appears to try to be more clever than it really is. It does contain good references however and a reasonably good pronounciation guide to gaelic terms used in the text - which is needed as the author tends to overuse gaelic terms, as if non-speakers should be learning the language..And I would put no stock at all in the recommendations by those on the outer cover and forewords... I detected quite an anti Neopagan Druid order and anti-European author tone unless they came out of deepest darkest Ireland... which I guess is CR ! Yes people make assumptions about the ancient celtic systems of magic but at the same time making assumptions that those assumptions are wrong or unfounded - may not be true in themselves because they are assumptions as well. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.I would recommend it however, for its refreshing look at the ogam, but at the same time have to mark it down for the above reasons. It worth a look and a buy.

An extremely well-researched yet accessible guide to the Ogham which will interest beginners and experts alike. Ogham is a divination system based on Gaelic letters which date back 1000 years, perhaps more. If you are interested in Celtic systems of magic and divination, this book will give you a fantastic overview of the history and modern use of the Ogham, which goes way beyond tree associations.

This book has so much in it. The scholarly research on the subject of the Ogam is more in depth than I have found anywhere else. A real treasure trove of arcane knowledge that will be one I know I will consult again and again.

Sono sempre stata affascinata dai popoli che hanno abitato la terra migliaia di anni fa. I Norreni e le Rune... I Celti e gli Ogham.. Un mondo da scoprire e comprendere, la civilta' dei nostri avi. Questo libro e' il piu' interessante che abbia trovato sugli ogham e il piu' completo.

Excellent book.