Re: Musings Searles Mon Aug 17 14:44:43 1998 Perhaps we should take our guidance from the Ogham "Ur" and its sister, the Ogham "Uileand?"*p*Ur is about the necessity of death, so that life can also occur. In the physical world, we are a cycle of deaths and lives, a wheel of being. The wheel is easily maintained, once it has begun its cycles. Only a small *nudge* is required to continue its motions. *p*U *p*Ur (Heather)*br*"The Mantle of the Earth"*p*"Midir said, 'Throw down your mantle, Brighid and bless the Earth!' *br*And Brighid threw down her mantle and when it touched the Earth, *br*it spread itself, unrolling like silver flame." *br*An ancient tale retold in "Celtic Wonder Tales" *br*by Ella Young - 1910 CE.*p**br*The Bardic color for Ur is purple. It has no month. This Ogham is sometimes associated with the Mistletoe (using its ancient Irish name of Uilioch). It is my opinion that this dual association may be related to the fact that Mistletoe was not native to ancient Ireland but was considered a sacrament by the ancient Druids. Perhaps Ur was accorded a similar place as a substitute for the Mistletoe in those days, since both can be used in draughts to stimulate and strengthen the heart? The class for Mistletoe is chieftain, but for Heather it is peasant. Their meanings for divination both include: healing, growth, and development (especially in a spiritual sense). Mistletoe is at its highest potency when gathered at Midsummer. Heather is the mantle of lush purple which spreads across the fields in summer, while Mistletoe is the essence of Oak that remains through the winter. The purple mantle itself has long been an Irish symbol of royalty and kingship. It is very fitting that the Mantle of Brighid is heather. Her purple cloak of Ur hides the secrets of the Earth during the summer; guarding the seeds of the Earth. The green leaves of the Mistletoe bring the vigor of the Midsummer sun to us at Midwinter, stimulating our hearts in draughts from the "Cup of Ceridwen". The Mysteries of growth and rebirth were thought to be contained within such draughts of initiation. According to Pliny, the Druids gave another name for Mistletoe, calling it: "All Heal" (its white berries being used to make poultices for wounds, the draughts being made from tinctures of the leaves and the young stems). I also associate this Ogham with caves, ("Uaim"), which are said to be the resting place of sleeping Celtic heroes such as Fionn and Arthur. When the need is great, these warriors are expected to rise and protect their native lands.*br*As I've previously mentioned, each Ogham seems to also have two opposing meanings concealing (or giving birth to) a third. In the case of Ur, these meanings are germination and decay. Taking these two meanings and the tension between them, we can derive a third meaning for Ur. I believe that meaning is: Reflection (as in Contemplation and Meditation). When we have reached the point in a process where all of our ideas and options are so much humus and decay, that is the point that we reach the "dark night of the soul" and that is when we can have a clarity of insight to a new pathway. Just as the earth can change the twist on Draíocht and can turn decay into new life, Ur is our stillpoint of reflection through Darkness. In my own tradition, this Ogham represents the philosophers, counselors and judges of the Celts, who must resolve the conflicts and find the point of transformation for all oppositions. Ur occupies the third position of its aicme and the third circle of Fionn's Wheel. It is bounded by Truth and Metamorphosis, as well as Inspiration and Insight. *p*Tone: C (ÓDubhain); C (ÓBoyle)*p*Magical Ogham: upthaireacht - folk magic. (CNL) This word is also said to equate to epaideacht, which is very similar in meaning to an "ortha" (see Ogam "O" above). I am not clear on how the two are distinguished from one another. Perhaps upthairreacht applies more towards metalwork and ortha applies more towards altering those things that are organic (herbs, milk products, potions, etc..)? ( SOD)*p*Skill Ogham: umaideacht - brasswork. *p*Color Ogham: usgdha - "resinous" (though I'd rather use uaine, which means "lush green").*p*Word Ogham of Morann Mac Main: Uaraib adbaib ("in cold dwellings, uir, mould of the earth"). This is an obvious reference to burials, both of seeds and of bodies. The analogy implies that we are the children of the earth as is each plant and tree. Children of the Earth.*p*Word Ogham of CúChulainn: Forbbaid ambí ("shroud of a lifeless one"). The shroud is our burial garment, just as the decay and rot of our bodies (and those of our plant sisters/brothers) is a covering for the buried seeds of new life. Decaying to Humus.*br*Word Ogham of Mac ind Óic: silad clann ("growing of plants"). Within the bossom of the Mother of us all, life is renewed. The elements or dúile of our delb, return to the fold to be raised again as life which sustains life. Seeds of Germination.*p*Word Ogham of ÓDubhain: siolta dubhachas ("seeds of the darkness"). When knowledge itself has died or become unuseful, it is time to bury such thoughts and return to the womb of our own creativity. For the Druid and the Filidh, this was a place of quiet and darkness. Within such a "poet's bed", new ideas would be germinated and given birth. The Reflection of Darkness.*p**br*U *p*Ur (Heather)*p*"The Mantle of the Earth"*br*The Reflection of Darkness*p*Past, Present, and Future Meanings:*p*Sowing the Earth *br*Fertility of Decay *br*Germination of Prosperity*p*The Nine Dúile of Ur:*p*Earth of Bones: Burial,*br*Burial of Form: Decomposition,*br*Decomposition of Nature: Humus,*br*Humus of Emotions: seeds,*br*Seeds of spirit: Blessings,*br*Blessings of Moon: Germination,*br*Germination of Thoughts: Illumination,*br*Illumination of Perception: Consideration,*br*Consideration of Power: Reflection.*p*Tales to Read and Study:*p*"Celtic Wonder Tales" by Ella Young,*br*"Cad Goddeu"*br*"The Burial of Odran"*br********************************************************************************p*Uileand is about the change that allows us to live forever and is symbolized in "the Feast of Age."*p*UI*p*Uileand (Honeysuckle)*p*"Journeys of the spirit"*p*"You are struggling (most difficult of desires) against the wave of your longing *br*which tears you from them;*br*in my crystal boat we might come to the fairy hill of Boadhagh, *br*if we could reach it.*br*"There is a land which it would be no worse to seek;*br*the Sun sets, I see it - *br*though it is far we shall reach it before night.*br*"That is a land which rejoices the heart of everyone who explores it;*br*there is no other sort there but women and girls."*p*Conle and the Fairy Woman*p*I associate this Ogham with the Feast of Age. Uileand is located between the Ogham symbols for Ifin, Ohn, and Ur on Fionn's Wheel. This places it within the triad of Truth, Eloquence and Reflection. This gives it a meaning of Completeness, based strictly upon its position on Fionn's Wheel. The Feast of Age itself commemorates the eternal feast of the Gods and was hosted by Goibniu to celebrate excellence in art, as well as the rewards of craftsmanship. The Gods themselves feasted upon the eternal pigs of Manannán for their gift of rebirth and eternal life. The pigs were also immortal. Each night they might be killed, but they lived again the next morning. The Feast was also celebrated by drinking the wine of Goibniu that made one invulnerable to weapons. This food and drink are also symbolic of the Magick of the Otherworld and the realms of the Goddess Banba (who was known as the Great White sow). This theme of Completeness, Reward and Immortality is symbolized by the Ogham symbol for Uileand which is the spiral, the interconnection of all things. *br* The Bardic color for Honeysuckle was yellow-white. It was of the peasant class. It had no month associated with it (there was no time within the Otherworld) and its meaning for divination purposes was that you must proceed with caution.*p*Tone: E1 (ÓDubhain); E1 (ÓBoyle)*p*Magical Ogham: uinde - seeing, beholding. To me, this term suggests visions and revelations that would accompany an initiation rite or perhaps a scrying ( I see things like "oneness" and "godliness", even "one-eyed" within the meanings of this word). ( SOD)*p*Skill Ogham: uidecht - traveling, journeying; possibly associated with musical harmonies.( SOD)*p*Color Ogham: uidre "dun colored, paleness".*p*Word Ogham of Morann Mac Main: Tutmur fid uillean ("juicy wood; woodbine, ui"). Research is the start of our journey between worlds. It is a form of personal self-awareness and experimentation. Finding information is a good start, but one must also search within for the hidden meanings that lurk beneath the surface. Research is the first step to discovery. Research into Being.*p*Word Ogham of ÓDubhain: Cumhracht milis ("sweetest of smells"). This sweetest of smells is familiar to anyone who has ever encountered honeysuckle. Its aroma ranges far and wide, attracting bees and butterflies. The smell of sweetness hints at the nectar which is contained within. Normally, the taste of its nectar is sucked from the stem. It is in much the same way that our spirit leaves our delb to enter the Otherworld. Hints of Discovery.*p*Word Ogham of Mac ind Óic: Cubat n-oll ("great equal length; woodbine, ui"). The spiral honeysuckle vine is a guideline to other worlds. Take it one way to the Land Under the Waves. Turn the other way and ascend to the clouds upon the wings of a swan. In either event, the choice leads us beyond the boundaries of this world and into the next. Choice of Direction.*p**br*UI*p*Uileand (Honeysuckle)*p*"Journeys of the spirit"*br*The Endless Journey*p*Past, Present, and Future Meanings:*p*Research into Being *br*Discovery of self *br*Beyond the Boundaries*p**br*The Nine Dúile of Uileand:*p*Foundations of Research: Study,*br*Form of study: Research,*br*Research of Nature: Discovery,*br*Discovery of Health: Well being,*br*Well Being of spirit: Ordering,*br*Ordering of Mind: Direction,*br*Direction of Thoughts: Spiraling,*br*Spiraling of Perception: Transformation,*br*Transformation of Power: Completeness - Metamorphosis.*p**br*Tales to Read and Study:*p*"The Tale of the Dagda's Harp" from Cath Maige Tuired*br*"Cad Goddeu"*br*"Conle and the Fairy Woman"*p**br*If the wheel has stopped, then entire universes must be re-created. This requires sacrifice of tremendous order and magnitude. At times the size of these sacrifices is measured against the fate of worlds and at others it is measured against the fall of a single swallow. The sacrifice of worlds, or even the most humble of beginnings, are valued at the same price, which is an acceptance of truth in the face of falsehood and a choosing of giving, so that places for receiving can also be created. Nature has a way of changing its minions within a harmony of deaths and births. So too should we find the birth of our spiritual self within the death of our physical selves.*p*It is a teaching of many seers that the seeds of creation must be planted at the place and time of dying (for these are the food of new beginnings). It is for this reasom that we should attempt to understand what it is that we do when we make such choices, whether they be choices of death or life. The seeds that are planted, determine the life and the death that follows. Fortunate are we that each of us is a field within a land of hope, rather than a single planting or a row in a string of dependent choices. If it were not so, then the first wrong choice would have long ago accomplished a journey to non-being that would have negated our ability to be here now.*p*We *are* here now (by choice) and we have been gifted by the wisdom of your spirit to see the ways in which life fosters life, through death and rebirth. You have given us all a git of clarity into the reality that surrounds each of us and the sea in which we swim. Your wisdom is a seed that promotes our choices in being here now and our future chices as we continue on the wheel.*p*Many thanks and many more blessings at you,*p*Searles Musings TopazOwl 140 Sun Aug 16 21:19:30 1998