The Summerlands Ogham Divination Class

The Summerlands is pleased to announce that we will be offering an eight week on Ogham Divination, A Study in Recreating and Discovering the Ancient Ways of the Druids. This class will be hosted by Searles O'Dubhain and will be run as a separate private section of The Summerlands. This means that we will have an exclusive message board available for in-depth discussion of course materials as well as any questions that require further explanation or clarity. If you miss a class, transcripts of each online session will be available for class members as a separate message thread.

This course is designed to provide each student with a knowledge base that will be sufficient for developing the capability to perform divinations using Ogham. This also means that much will be taught about the ways of the Druids and the Fili. The class will attempt to be broad enough to benefit beginning Druidic student, as well as those of greater experience. The teaching approach that will be taken by the instructor will be threefold: academic, traditional and speculative. We will also attempt to gain knowledge by a "hands-on" approach. Each class will consist of two hours of online discussion, HTML reading assignments (online in specially reserved areas of The Summerlands), and homework, which will be evaluated with notations and responses by the teacher. Classes begin at 9:00 PM EDT every Tuesday evening in The Summerlands IRC Room at StarLink-IRC. A comprehensive suggested reading list is attached to this introductory message which will considerably broaden and deepen your knowledge of Celtic Ways, Ogham and Draíocht. Most of the course material will be drawn from this knowledge base with augmentation being provided by the instructor's own writiings and years of experience in the field.

Searles O'Dubhain is a student of Celtic tradition, history and esoteric methods with over 30 years of combined experience in the area. He formerly taught the online Celtic Workshop on CompuServe and is currently a featured writer in the Journal of the Henge of Keltria. He is a member of the Henge of Keltria, a follower of the Druid Way, a co-founder of The Summerlands online community and the Draíocht list server. He has written and worked with the Ogham for many years. He resides in Huntsville, Alabama (Rocket City) with his wife Deborah and two cats, where he is actively involved in building The Summerlands community and working on software to test the International Space Station.

Class Sessions

These are outlines for class topics, though we'll cover what needs discussing according to the specific needs of class members. We'll also be linking more of the previous transcripts and other materials in here in the next few days.  Please refer bak to this page often (or to the message board).

 1. What is Ogham Divination?

Introduction
Opening the Pathways
The Memory of Druids
The Paintbrush of Perception
Symbols from Across Time 

Suggested Pre-reading: The Book of Ogham, The Stones of Time, Mythic Ireland

Homework: Be prepared to interpret a variety of stone iimages and symbollic writing.

2. Celtic Cosmology

The Self
The Dúile
The Three Cauldrons
Directional Qualities
The Mystery of Amergin
The Settling of the Manor of Tara

Suggested Pre-reading: Anamchara, The Cauldron of Poesy, Celtic Heriitage, Death, War, and Sacrifice.

Homework: Identify the qualities of your own sacred space.. 

3. Druidic Schools, Techniques and Mindsets

Wood Lore
Years of Study
Chanting and the use of Music
The Three Illuminations
Meditations.

Suggested Pre-reading: The Poets' Secret, The Art of Memory, The Encycopedia of Celtic Wisdom.

Homework: Identify the roots of your own connection to deity and self. Perform one of the meditations given in the reading assignments.

4. The Ogham Correspondences

Fionn's Wheel
Basic Correspondences
Word Ogham
Detailed Correspondences

Suggested Pre-reading:Tree Wisdom, A Guide to Ogham, Foclóir Draíochta, Sacred Alphabets.

Homework: Choose an Ogham and describe what it means to you. This means giving a complete discussion of the images you receive from "pathworking" with it, as well as the tree associated with it. 

5. The Otherworld

The Deities
The Winds
Islands of Imram
Brughs of Wonder
Journeys of the Spirit

 Suggested Pre-reading: Gods and Myths of Northern Europe, Lebor Gabála, The Celtic Book of the Dead, The Celtic Realms, Celtic Mythology (both Mac Cana and Ellis).

Homework: Write a short paper on the Sacred Bíle and your connection to it. 

6. The Casting Cloth and the Fedha

Making Your own Ogham Set
The Elements of the Cloth
Plain or Detailed?
Developing a Relationship
Storage and Presentation
Orientation for the Reading
The Ring of Fire and the Well of Wisdom 

Suggested Pre-reading: Taliesin, The Beasts of Albion, The Druid Animal Oracle, The Celtic Tree Oracle.

Homework: Describe how your Ogham set came to you and detail any special properties regarding your casting cloth, fedha or pouch. 

7. The Way of the Woods.

Types of Readings
How to Select the Fedha
Techniques in Casting
Reading the Patterns
Analyzing the Results 

Suggested Pre-reading: A Social History of Ancient Ireland, Manners and Customs of the Ancient Irish, The Sacred Cauldron, Rune Power, Runelore.

Homework: Do several "castings" of your own Ogham and explain the meanings of each element. 

8. Eochra Éocsi (The Keys to Wisdom)

The Use of Ogham to interpret Gessa.
The Power of Names
The Power of Incantation
The Power of Symbol
The Beauty of Truth 

Suggested Pre-reading: The Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom, Real Magic, Celtic Consciousness (Máire Cruise O'Brien on Poets), The Dictionary of Symbolism, Secret Games of the Gods, Runic Astrology, Ayurveda and the Mind, Audacht Morainn.

Homework: Interpret the Signs and Symbols of Your Birth using Ogham.. 

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Created by Searles and Deborah O'Dubhain,
Copyright 1996 by The Summerlands, Inc. Last changed: May 17, 2010