Druidic
Schools, Techniques and Mindsets
Thu
Oct 09 01:06:03 1997 *** Now talking in #Oghamclass #3
Gathering and Introduction
shimmer: Hi Rori * Rori smilin'
TS: she's our librarian over at SL (if we ever get the silly library up that is) <G
Rori glad to meet you both -- shimmer and frinshay
Searles: Go mbeannaí Dia annseo!
Rori: hey searles hunny
Frinshay: last night when OD said my chart looked like the battle of Moy(sp) how did he
know what the starts lookde like then??? * Frinshay *Bandia Dhuit Searles* * Frinshay
*Bandia Dhuit Rori*
Session Start:
Searles Dia is Bandia dhuit, a Fhrinshay. Frinshay I have a program or two that lets me
look at the night sky from... any time or place.
Frinshay: but how do you know what time or place that battle was?
* Rori: *says Bandia Dhuit Searles and Deb
Frinshay: how do you know what the starts looked like then???
TS: ahhh...
Searles: The one I was using last night was called "Skyglobe".
shimmer: What does "Bandia Dhuit" mean ? I know its not Welsh, so I'm lost
Frinshay: its blessings form a lady in Irish
Searles: I will have to take a look at the sky over Maigh Tuired during the battle.
TS: he was speaking of the stars and their relation to each other "reading" like
the story of the Battle, not the specific day/date/time of the Battle itself
Searles: That was around 1729 BCE or so according to tradition.
Frinshay: ohhhhhhhh ohhhhhhhhh ok!!!
Frinshay: now i get it
Searles: However maybe the planets are aligned the same? :-)
Frinshay: ohhhhhhh
Frinshay: now that would be inresting to find out
Searles: Belated howdies to Rori my sister.
TS: yeah... if you put this god and that goddess in this relationship to those other stars
over to the left...etc, then it looks like mars and venus relating to jupiter and
andromeda (just an example... NOT accurate planet/star information there)
Searles: Also a big "How Are You?" to shimmer.
shimmer: STILL hERE! * Rori: hugs searles
Frinshay: ohhhhhhh ok
TS: it's a really neat program,
Frinshay: i bet
TS: he can go back several millinea (msp) and see what the sky was like 2000 years ago
Frinshay: so when i was born the stars looked like that
Frinshay: thats kinda exciting
TS: on a given night at a certain time, from a particular place on the planet
yeah... really cool program
soooo... Miz Nancy... how things going up your way?
Rori: they goin, sugar.
TS: doesnt look like we're going to make it up for Samhain
Rori: work, kids, dennis
Rori: oh heck!
Rori: I was so hopin ya would
TS: oh heck?
ahhhh between the money and the timing (not sure when mom's going in for surgury) I just
cant swing it
Rori: understand
Rori: )
TS: hopefully if they do it again next year we'll get there
Rori: I honestly do...don't LIKE it
Rori: (
Rori: but understand *** TS changes topic to "Class #3" *** TS sets mode: +s
TS: Rori
Rori: ma'am?
TS: Cygnus is in the #Summerlands room
Rori: k
Searles: Tonights Class will be about study, techniques and mindsets among the Druids.
Rori: nice to meet you all
Rori: see you later! Searles: I will cover at least the following:
Searles: Well, as I was saying,..... I plan to discuss Wood Wisdom the Curriculumof the
Irish schools Chanting and the use of music as associated with the Ogham The Three
Illuminations (though we probably discussed them before) I also plan to discuss
Meditations All of these techniques worked together to form the basis of a Druid's
education. It is this education that is at the core of the ability of the Ogham to be used
in divination. In this, they are much like the Runes which have many levels of meaning.
The Ogham has a similar number of hidden levels of meaning.
The Beginnings of Eloquence
In some ways, the story of the invention of the Ogham alphabet is much like the story
of creation. The Ogham was said to have been invented by the god of eloquence, who is
known by many names. In the tales, he is called "Cermait" (honeymouth) for his
eloquence. Another of his names is Grianech, which means "Sunfaced" But the name
by which he is best known is "Oghma" It is from this name that the Ogham derive
their name.
Frinshay: ?
Searles: In Irish, another name for letters is Ogham. ga Frinshay?
Frinshay: how do you pronounce Oghma and Oghama ga
TS: OD says that it should be Ogma (no H)... sorry ... force of habit <G Ogma is
pronounced just like it's spelled... Og... Ma Ogham on the other hand.... can be spelled
both ways Ogham and Ogam and would be pronounced O-um and Og um respectively. ok?
Frinshay: *nod*
Searles: There were two genealogies given for the birth of the Ogham. In one case, the
father of Ogham is said to be Ogma and the mother of Ogham is said to be "the hand
and knife of Ogma" In the other case, the "sound" and "form" are
said to be father and mother of Ogham In the first case, the parentage of Ogham is equated
to the practice of carving it upon staves of wood. This was its more practical and
everyday use if it had an everyday use. When Ogham was related to "sound" it had
a much deeper cosmological meaning. From what I've read in the lore about the Celts and
Druids, it is my opinion that they believe Creation to have been formed from sacred
sounds. In this, they are very much in accord with the beliefs of the Vedic seers. Also,
the native americans and the christians. The creative and sacred nature of sound is a
common thread to be found within just about every religion. As we will discuss later,
sound was used to achieve altered states of consciousness among the Druid seers through
the method of chanting. For now, we'll discuss the nature of the woods. As you will recall
in our discussion of sacred centers, each Celtic tribe had a sacred tree. This tree was
known as a bile. If one reads the _Lebor Gabála_, then the modern Irish are also
descended from Bile. the Ancestor of the Gael. This would put the Irish traditon in
synchronism with the Norse, whose creation myth said that the first man and woman were
created from the first tree. The inherent sacred nature of wood can be found in the
correspondences of trees to sounds within the Ogham. and it can be found within the use of
wood in lighting the ritual fires. These fires were at the center of celtic ritual. And
the most sacred of them were made using 9 woods:
Woods for the Need Fire
"Tagh seileach nan allr, Tagh calltainnnan creag,
Tagh fearna nan lón,
Tagh beithe nan eas,
Tagh uinnseann nan dubhair,
Tagh iubhar nan leuma,
Tagh leamhannan bruthaich,
Tagh duire na gréine."
This means in English:
"Choose the willow of the streams,
Choose the hazel of the rocks,
Choose the alder of the marshes,
Choose the birch of the waterfalls,
Choose the rowan of the shade,
Choose the yew of resilience,
Choose the elm of the brae,
Choose the oak of the sun."
Searles: This poem only describes 8 woods and a sacred fire would have been formed from 9
woods. I think that the ninth sacred wood would have been holly, ash, or pine. In some
cases, the sacred fire was made up of 9 woods, chosen by 9 different people, from 9
different directions. Here we see the significance of the number 9 as well as hidden and
sacred meanings associated with the wood itself. It is my contention that the Ogham have a
place within Celtic esoteric usage that is very similar to the way the Hebrew alphabet was
used in the Cabala. Indeed, the model of cosmology used by the Cabala is known as the
"Tree of Life" It is no mistake that a tree was used to symbolize the way in
which the cosmos interconnects. I am NOT saying that the Druids and Celts used Cabala.
What I am saying is that the nature of the tree is to interconnect between the levels of
existence. This nature was well recognized by the Druids, long before it was ever used in
Cabala. The Ogham were the basis of a Druid's education. During the first three years of
study, over 150 Ogham were learned. These Ogham had the properties of describing many
different things besides trees. They were used for such things as mucogan (for classifying
swine) Conogam (to classify dogs) oops... mucogan = mucogam (hit the wrong last letter)
There was a color Ogham, bird Ogham, food Ogham, plant Ogham, and Danogam (a list of arts
and occupations). In addition to being used to classify a variety of subjects, the Ogham
was also written in a variety of forms. Some of these forms are very similar to the ways
in which runes are written, but the most basic form of Ogham is the one which is most
often used, and which we shall be using. And that is the Tree Ogham. It consists of simple
strokes to the right or to the left or across the line. This central line is known as a
druim. This type of Ogham is found on the surviving Ogham stones in Ireland, Wales and
Brittany. I believe that I also mentioned that the Ogham were used to form a "grove
of memory". This grove of memory was a place within the mind of each Druid where one
could go to access the information that had been memorized during lessons, composition,
and observation. The Ogham are known as the "Eochra Eócsi" (the keys of wisdom)
"Eochra
Eócsi" (the keys of wisdom)
What this means is that an Ogham and its associated basic meanings served as a
"pointer" into the memory grove of a Druid. This function is very similar to the
ways in which our present day computers access memory from the hard drive. As you might
imagine, memorizing huge amounts of information is not an easy task. This is why most of
the sacred knowledge and "coimgne" was chanted. It is much easier to remember a
song, then it is to remember a series of words. I think most of you will agree with me on
that. <G>\ In addition to the Ogham, the beginning druidic students studied the
tales, the traditions and the genealogies of the tribe. All of this information was keyed
to the Ogham as well. lessons would be chanted by the teachers to the students and then
repeated by the students until they were perfected. At the end of the day, student retired
to a separate sleeping compartment where they were expected to further memorize their
lesson. This was accomplished through meditation while laying on a bed with a stone upon
one's chest. Such a stone was used as a focal point for the meditation. The next day, the
student was expected to be able to recite the previous day's lesson "exactly".
Beyond the basics of the early years of learning, Druids studied natural philosophy,
poetry, philosophy of the mind, techniques in divination, and Draíocht, they were also
expected to have a memory of the law. This law was known as the Brehon law. Every tale
that was memorized had many underlying meanings and levels of knowledge. This is why a
study of the tales today is the basis for our derivation of the Druidic techniques of
divination. In our Ogham divinations, we will make use of the many fold meanings
associated with each Ogham. I will endeavor to show how every tree and every Ogham has a
correspondence to the cardinal directions, the varieties of knowledge, the three worlds,
and the nine dúile (which describe everything in the cosmos). All this knowledge came
together in a symbiotic symphony of sound and knowledge. At the end of about 7 years of
such study, the mind and spirit of a druid were prepared to receive the techniques of
Imbas. These three inspirations were known as Dichetal Do Chenaibh, Tenm Laegda, Imbas
Forosnai. Each of these three illuminations makes use of knowledge that is revealed
through the use of the Eochra Eocsi.
Chants and Mantras
Searles: The Ogham can also be used to construct chants and to link words. They can be
used to form mantras based upon their correspondences to the directions and the du/ile.
They can also be used to relate the gods to the stars and the planets. It is my contention
that he or she is no Druid who does not use the Ogham. This use of the Ogham is why the
Fili (Vision Poets) nicknamed themselves as carpenters. I will post the correspondences of
each Ogham to musical and harp notation in the reading material associated with this
class. The way that such correspondences would be used is to take the tone for a word from
the first Ogham used in it for the line. Each line might have two or three tones in it
depending on the meter (which is something that I'm still working out).
The Three Illuminations
The first of the three illuminations that I'm going to discuss is Imbas Forosnai. This
is because I believe it to be fundamental source of illumination for all of the three
Imbas. Imbas Forosnai means "Sudden Illumination" It is the Fire in the Head
that has been described in shamanic writings. This is much the same as when we have a
really great idea that seemed to come out of "nowhere" I'm sure that we've all
had such inspirations. The Druids, being keen observers of truth and reality, went in
search of the source of this information. Where does one "go" to find knowledge
that comes out of nowhere? Where indeed! You must go "nowhere"! Readers of the
Mabinogian will recall that Arthur and his company had to go to just such a no-place to
rescue Mabon. In the Welsh traditions, this noplace is called Annwn. It's pronounced
Ann-noon In Irish tradition, this no-place might be called "The Depths" or
"Domnu" This is also the name of the mother goddess of the Fomorii, who are
themselves the gods of primal knowledge. One place where such knowledge was sought was
called The Bed of the Poets. This is the same place where the memory work was done. The
work of memory and inspiration require attainment of a meditative state. This state of
meditation was, in my opinion, the result of aligning the three cauldrons of Vocation,
Warming and Knowledge. A technique that I have used myself is provided in the reading
material. Using the three cauldron mediation, one can attain the state of nothingness or
no-place. It is within this primordial blackness... that the barriers between the world of
limit and form can be penetrated by the light of sudden inspiration or Imbas Forosnai. I'm
not saying that tone must always meditate within a secure space such as a private room or
a bed. The Ban Faith, Fedelm, was able to prophesy to Medb while standing in a chariot in
the midst of a battlefield. Once the pathways are open, it becomes much easier to follow
the trail. Imbas Forosnai is a technique that can be used to search the hallways of
knowledge. It is a sensitizing of the spirit to the song of creation. It can be used in
psychometry and is very akin to esp. It is the basis of the three inspirations. Another
technique for achieving illumination was known as Tenm Laegda. This means
"Illumination Through Song" Such a technique was accomplished through repetitive
chanting. This is very similar to the use of mantras and yantras among the Vedic seers. It
is my opinion that Tenm Laegda would have been used to do specific pathworkings to receive
knowledge about a particular subject. Such repetitive chanting was probably used in The
Spell of Truth that sustained the dream of the Bull Dreamer in the ritual known as the
Tarbh Feis. This repetitive chant kept the spirit of the Dreamer focused upon the object
of the working which was to determine by prophetic vision who would be the next king. Such
a repetitive use of sound was also the basis of divinatory techniques associated with
sleeping by rivers, waterfalls, under trees, and within ritual. The illumination through
song can best be accomplished using basic chants which repeat over and over again in much
the same way as round singing. The use of repetitive chanting was, for the druids, the
same as repetitive for shaman. The third illumination is Dichetal Do Chenaibh. This can be
translated in a variety of ways, but the way that I think best illustrates its use is
"cracking the nuts"
Chewing the Pith
It is also said to mean something like "chewing the pith" both of these
meanings are associated with techniques of Imbas used by Finn. When Fin wanted to access
his own Imbas, he would bite upon his thumb (this was the same thumb said to have been
blistered while cooking the salmon of knowledge). Some people say that the pain of such
biting triggered his Imbas. But I think this is not so. The actual technique of Dichetal
Do Chenaibh involves looking at the various components of a situation and determining the
inner meaning of each. When each component is fully revealed through such
"cracking", then the inner meaning of the situation is revealed. We can
reassemble this secret meanings of the components into the greater meaning that is hidden
within. Though all three forms of inspiration can and will be used during Ogham
divination, it is Dichetal Do Chenaibh that is the heart of the use of Ogham in
Divination. In this it's very like the formulation of a natal chart in astrology from the
relationships of the stars, planets, and constellations for a given situation. When we
cast our Ogham upon the cloth, we are placing the secret meanings of our dúile upon the
dúile of the cosmos. Their interactions and relationships are what will reveal to us the
meanings of the divination. Such a technique can also be used with hidden meanings within
stories and names and symbolic devices, but it is their use in cracking the nuts of wisdom
that are most important to us in Ogham divination. Any questions so far? Anybody still
there?
shimmer: Still here!
Frinshay: here
Searles: Yeay! :-)
BlackPhoenix: lol, I'm still here....
Searles: no question?
shimmer: Not really
Frinshay: no
TS: hmmmmm... that can either be reallly good or reeaaallll bad <G
BlackPhoenix: no questions yet.... give me a little time to ah... digest it all ... lol
shimmer: exactly!
Years of Study
Searles: ok... I think that we can all see that a tremendous amount of study,
meditation, and practice is required in order to easily use the Ogham in divination. This
is why I have listed many tales to be studied along with each Ogham. It is my
recommendation that each of the students in this course should pathwork and meditate upon
each Ogham in separate sessions. This practical work should be done after reading the
tales and it should be accomplished following a meditative exercise such as the three
cauldron meditation. What I think that you will discover, is that the symbols have a life
of their own, which will grow within your mind in much the same way that the seeds of each
tree grow within the earth. It is this growth and interconnection that will allow you to
access much greater knowledge within your own spirit. The accumulation of that knowledge
and wisdom was the work of many lifetimes. Does everyone have access to an Ogham set?
Frinshay: mine is on order
shimmer: Not yet
BlackPhoenix: no.... not I says the Black Phoenix....
Searles: I recommend taking an Ogham and studying its meanings and form; then let your
mind take you on a trip into its grove of meanings. Sleep with it and use it as a guide to
open that particular pathway between the worlds. That is what I have done and I believe
that the technique will work for you, as well.
TS: there you are was jus trying to call you oops
Searles: Seems to be a good place to stop for the night. I will be linking the basic
meanings and the detailed correspondences this week.
Frinshay: ?
shimmer: ?
Searles: There will be an image of each Ogham with that text. ga Frinshay
Frinshay: i cant seem to find where the class stuff is ga Go to the map or
http://www.members.summerlands. com/andaire and then follow the outline links. You
probably can't find most of it because I have been somewhat tardy in placing it on the
site. :-(
Frinshay: is it in the same place as the celtic stuff??
Searles: I promise to do better. :-)
Frinshay: i mean the celitc class stuff
Searles: It's in a different place
Frinshay: ok thats what ive been doing wrong
Searles: Try this link: http://members.summerlands.com/daireclass/classintro.htm
Frinshay: ok
Frinshay: got it
Searles: I will place info there up through the detailed correspondences this week. I will
also be placing the last two transcripts and a few other things. I think shimmer also had
a question? ga
shimmer: Same question ga
Searles: ok Now I have lots of work to do and have to go to the Summerlands room to yack
with my brother. You're all invited and then its off to bed for me! :_)
shimmer: Nos da
Frinshay: slan agat
TS: nos da shimmer
Searles: Oiche mhaithTS: beannacht leat
Searles: Slán agat!
Session Close: Thu Oct 09 03:11:39 1997
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