Stephen Blamires - Celtic Tree Mysteries: Practical Druid Magic & Divination

About the Author

Steve Blamires was born in Ayr, Scotland, in 1955, and currently lives in Alaska. At the age of nineteen, he began his studies with Gareth Knight and the legendary Company of Hawkwood. After studying the Western Mystery Tradition for twelve years, his interest moved to his Celtic roots. Ever since, he has concentrated on promoting all facets of this ancient tradition.

In 1986, Mr. Blamires founded the Celtic Research and Folklore Society (CRFS) as a way of helping others along the Celtic path. He has produced many magazine articles for several publications in the U.K. and the U.S.A.; writes and edits the CRFS journal, Seanchas ; and carries out research on behalf of other authors and groups. He gives talks throughout the U.K. and U.S.A. on Celtic spirituality and magic, and carries on the ancient tradition of storytelling. In Chicago, Mr. Blamires represented the interests of the indisgenous Celtic peoples at the Council for a Parliament of the Worlds Religions. He has most recently been working with Tibetan Buddhist monks to make Holy Isle, Scotland, a place of spiritual retreat for people of all beliefs.

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Copyright Information

Celtic Tree Mysteries 1997 by Steve Blamires.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any matter whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publications, except in the form of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

As the purchaser of this e-book, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. The text may not be otherwise reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, or recorded on any other storage device in any form or by any means.

Any unauthorized usage of the text without express written permission of the publisher is a violation of the authors copyright and is illegal and punishable by law.

First e-book edition 2013

E-book ISBN: 9780738742137

Cover Design: Gavin Dayton Duffy

Tree roots photo Photodisc

Illustrations: Nicola Jane Swinton

Editing and Layout: Designed to Sell

Project Coordinators: Jessica Thoreson and Rebecca Zins

Excerpts from Cath Maige Tuired , translated by E. A. Gray (copyright 1983) and The Frenzy of Mad Sweeney (copyright 1913) are reprinted by permission of the Irish Texts Society.

Llewellyn Publications is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

Llewellyn Publications does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business arrangements between our authors and the public.

Any Internet references contained in this work are current at publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific reference will continue or be maintained. Please refer to the publishers website for links to current author websites.

Llewellyn Publications

Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

2143 Wooddale Drive

Woodbury, MN 55125

www.llewellyn.com

Manufactured in the United States of America

For Helen of the Golden Hair

dream, my lovely, dream.

Acknowledgments

The writing of this book was a long and difficult process, and certainly not an easy task for me. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to those who helped me along the way, and who encouraged me and picked me up when I was down. In particular, I wish to thank all my good friends in Eamhain Abhlach, and especially Nikkii for providing the excellent illustrations which have so beautifully made the trees come to life on the page. I also wish to express my sincere thanks to the Irish Texts Society, who have allowed me to quote so extensively from their excellent translations of the Irish legends.

Above all my most sincere thanks and love go to my beautiful Helen, a constant inspiration to me, a true, dear friend and partner.

Contents

Part One

The Origins of Ogham

The Validity of the Tree Calendar

The Development of the Tree Ogham

Part Two

The Three Levels of the Trees

Birch

Rowan

Alder

Willow

Ash

Hawthorn

Oak

Holly

Hazel

Apple

Vine

Ivy

Broom

Blackthorn

Elder

Fir

Furze

Heather

Aspen

Yew

Part Three

Combinations of Trees

The Frenzy of Mad Sweeney

Trees Not Listed in the Tree Ogham

: Divination Using Ogham Sticks

Introduction

This book is a detailed examination of the Tree Alphabet, one of the most misunderstood of the various forms of practical magic. I also consider the equally misunderstood Ogham script, which is often equated with the older Tree Alphabet. My intent is to show that these are in fact two separate systems, although they can be combined for magical purposes. More than an academic discussion, this book is a practical manual detailing useful and workable information about trees, tree magic, and personal spiritual development.

Magicany form of magicbrings about changes not only in the physical world, but also in the spiritual aspect of the magician. This simple fact is often overlooked, or perhaps misunderstood by many who claim to perform magic. According to the Celtic tradition, the physical level and the spiritual level are inextricably linked; you cannot affect one without affecting the other. It is for this reason that I place a great deal of emphasis on the spiritual development of the magician. Keep this in mind as you attempt the Practical Work, and by the end of the book, you should have enough of a grounding in this ancient form of magic to make successful use of it in your day-to-day life, and to bring about progress and development on your spiritual level.

Trees are living, changing entities in the Green World, and so, too, is the magic associated with them. What follows in this book is a system which has been developed and adapted over centuries to the changes in society. As presented here, it is suited to our modern lifestyle, and is not an attempt to recreate a system which has long since ceased to be of relevance.

It could be said that the only thing which has remained constant since the days of the ancient Irish druids are the trees themselves. This is why I have devoted a certain amount of space to the examination of the physical trees. Most readers have seen many different kinds of trees, can name several of them, and can even identify them by their bark or grain patterns. These are useful abilities which will enhance your understanding of higher aspects of trees, much of which you may not yet be aware. The life forms of the Green World have a great deal to teach us, too much of which has been forgotten over the centuries as we cut ourselves off from the forces around and within us. I hope that together we may go some way toward redressing this imbalance.

Part
One

Chapter One

The origins of ogham

Those of you already familiar with Celtic magical tradition may be surprised to see that I discuss Ogham script and the Tree Alphabet separately, rather than treat them as one subject as is usually the case. I shall explain my reasons for this in detail later in the book. For now, here is an overview of Ogham: when it was used, how it was used, and what we know about it. There is often confusion and disagreement over even these basic topics; however, once you understand them, you can go on to an examination of the more esoteric uses of Ogham and its connection to the Tree Alphabet.