THE OGHAM WRITING SYSTEM
Since much of it is shrouded in mystery, nobody is quite sure where the name Ogham originated. One theory is that it comes from the Irish phrase og-úaim—literally “point-seam,” or the seam caused by a sharp weapon. More poetically, it might also be referring to the Irish Warrior-God Ogham, who’s also known as the “God of Eloquence”—a fitting name for an alphabet.
The alphabet is generally written vertically from bottom to top, mostly found inscribed on stone slabs. However horizontal script is also found, written from left to right, mostly in manuscripts. The letters are linked together by a solid line
Ogham is not a language, but a writing system. Those literate in Ogham could secretly communicate with each other by using it as a sign language, using the fingers on their hand to form the cross strokes of the letters across the straight line of their nose or shin.
This meant that an individual could have an ordinary conversation with someone in public, whilst passing signals and secret messages in plain sight. This provided druids so much power that royal edicts were issued to prevent them conversing in Ogham, and was used to communicate with each other whilst remaining undetected by the Roman Empire.
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The Tree Alphabet is the primer for learning about the Ogham characters, their meanings, and their tree associations.
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The Ogham Wheel signifies the links with our natural environment, living in harmony with it, and the awareness of our place in the universe, the lunar and solar cycles that drive the life on this planet of ours, and all of how life lives – in balance and together.
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Using QR codes linked to inscriptions participants will be able to divine their own way through the Cathedral Quarter synchronising with the rhythms of the world around us.
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We should be aware of the cycle of life around us, from an understanding of the sun & the moon, to the Fire Festivals tied to these cycles.
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A time of dancing & joy, this festival of empowerment & power at the peak of the sun's power on earth, celebrates the potency of life, and at the same time the celebration of the return to the dark cycle of the year.
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The energy associated with Lugh is starting to wane, an awareness of the slow progression towards the dark part of the year, a time of change.
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The Equinoxes, Spring & Autumn, are when the length of day & night equal each other - the earth in balance.