Next up on our ogham journey is Ceirt. Not sure what ogham is? Here is a quick refresh…
Ogham is an ancient Irish inscription alphabet that was used to inscribe headstones and other important markers. In mythology, it was created by the God Ogma (OH-muh) to warn Lugh about a plot to steal his wife. Today, Ogham is used in magic and divination.
If you want to learn more about what ogham is in general, I wrote about that here: Irish Tree Language - The Ogham 
I also have a video explaining the origin story of ogham that you can watch here: https://youtu.be/CWEm2pcAFc8
Ceirt is our next ogham fíd, the last fíd of the second aicme. The literal translation of this fíd is rag or shrub and the keyword is misfortune. This is a difficult fíd to get, even more difficult than h-Úath because the meaning and connection are more complicated and entirely frustrating for the querent. We can even see this complication in the fact that no one can agree on the tree most connected to Ceirt – is it holly? or rowan? or aspen? or even apple? For the sake of this post, we are going to use the Aspen tree.
The translation of this fíd, rag or shrub, brings up the idea of rag trees, though these were created on Hawthorn trees and not Aspen trees. If you’re unfamiliar, a Rag Tree in Irish tradition is a tree decorated in colorful rags. The rags are pieces of cloth taken from sick people and tied to the tree in an act of sympathetic magic - as the fabric rots, so too does the sickness leave the body. There are usually sacred healing wells in the area of a Rag Tree, too. This is just a personal connection I made between this fíd and an Irish tradition, so keep that in mind!
According to Weaving Word Wisdom, there are three word oghams associated with ///. They are as follows.
- cliathar baiscill - shelter of a hind, shelter of a lunatic
- bríg anduini - force of a man, substance of an insignificant person
- dígu fethail - worst of ornament or covering; dregs of clothing
We can read part of these word oghams from The Ogham Tract.
Brigh an duine, force of the man, queirt, q, apple tree. Hence for its cognate letter.
It’s interesting that even The Ogham Tract says the fíd is connected to the apple tree. In Irish lore, the apple is actually connected to part of the Otherworld called Eamhain Ablach, the Realm of Apples. This is a positive association as the apple is one of the favored foods in lore and mythology, often found hanging on magical branches and eaten in large feasts in the Otherworld.
The Aspen Tree
Out of all the poplar trees in Ireland, the Aspen seems to be the only one native to the island. The Irish Tree Council says that some argue the Black Aspen is also native, but every other poplar in Ireland was introduced to the island rather than already available. In Ireland and Scotland, the Aspen tree is associated with death and misfortune because Christian legend says the cross Christ was crucified on was made of Aspen wood. Erynn Rowan Laurie even states that “…stones and clods of Earth would sometimes be thrown at the tree, and the quaking of its leaves was ascribed to its guilt associated with Christ’s death.”
The Aspen tree was avoided so much that there is a story written by a Scottish poet named William Ross all about how much sailors would rather not use Aspen for their ships. I can’t for the life of me find the original poem, though I did find a note here that suggests it is one of Uilleam Ros’s first compositions.
Scottish poet William Ross told a tale of being on a boat in a storm that was driven ashore onto an island. The only trees available for wood to repair the boat were aspen and willow…the reputation of both trees was so bad that the boatmen chose to await rescue rather than use the wood of either tree to replace the broken thole pins that held the oars.
Weaving Word Wisdom by Erynn Rowan Laurie p. 94
You can see by the lore surrounding the tree why the aspen tree was chosen to represent this fíd. Out of all the trees available (that weren’t already used by other letters) this one made the most sense.
In Divination
This fíd is often frustrating to querents because of the complex meanings surrounding it. It is misfortune and destruction, waiting patiently rather than acting swiftly, and even running away when necessary. It is even associated with having horrible luck of psychological problems. However, it isn’t a fíd full of negativity. Laurie mentions that it does have a connection with clootie trees (the Scottish equivalent to the Rag Tree) so there is an element of hope to the fíd.
Here are some keywords I’ve come up with in my studies for Ceirt regarding divination.
- insanity
- illness
- poverty
- bad luck
- destruction, even self-destruction
- retreat
- misfortune
- mental illness
- caution
- hope of healing (in some circumstances - depends on the reading)
In magic and witchcraft, Ceirt is to be used with caution much like h-Úath. With many negative attributes linked to it, and an energy of misfortune so much that some won’t touch it, using this fíd magically can have disastrous results if done incorrectly. If you choose to use it for magic, you may find it helpful to use in connection with other feda for binding negativity or protection magic.
At the end of every fíd in her book, Erynn has questions and linked concepts to think about for each one. For Ceirt, she writes the following…
Where in my life am I frustrated? What traps me in cycles of self-destruction?
A Personal Note
This is another fíd I don’t have much connection with. Honestly, that is probably a good thing because I could do without the misfortune and bad luck this fíd brings with it! One thing to keep in mind with this fíd is that if you do encounter it in a reading, it isn’t all bad – there is a current of hope with Ceirt and things will work out.
Sources and Further Reading
– Celtic Ogham Symbols and Their Meanings
– The Ogham Tract
– [1] Weaving Word Wisdom by Erynn Rowan Laurie