Cusi Chaska – What is the Ogham?
WHAT IS THE OGHAM?
IS it a myth?
IS it a story?
Is it a memory?
From whence does it come?
From the past distant future?
From our ancient tribal lands?
From the wisdom that whistles on the winds?
With history blurred can we reconnect?
Connect with the wisdom of the source?
Is it too late for the poor fallen soul?
The good god Dagda will be at your side…
For those who with a sincere heart
Want to reconnect with the ancient pulse
To unite all people with courage and fire
The ogham and Ogma in the silent mind will guide…
Who are you, what do you do?
I am a person that never settled well within the modern system of education and government… and have found that reconnection with our old culture is necessary to make real changes within the western society which many people find themselves entrapped within, having to pay bills and illegal taxes etc…
What’s your relationship with trees?
Relationship with trees is individual to each person but as a whole there is a general energy related to each tree. For example, the birch is related to new beginnings so if one needs help with starting something new or to finish with old habits you can ask the birch to help you and there are different magics that you can make… to finish with old habits one can connect with the yew tree which is associated with death and at the end of the ogham and then connect with the birch which is the beginning of the ogham to make the petition stronger…
Tell us about the Ogham…
The ogham is an ancient Irish alphabet which is difficult to define per se as not much is written about it and people have added there own meanings and perception including adding ‘new’ oghams to it… which isn’t necessarily bad but should be taken with caution. I feel that each person with time and meditation sat under a particular tree can connect with the elemental spirit and receive direct teachings.
There are 4 sets of 5 trees/letters in the ancient irish tree alphabet. A further set of five was added in the medieval times. I recently found another 10 added!!!! In these days before the discovery of these ‘new’ 10 oghams (which I havent had time to investigate) I have felt to teach mainly of the original 20 irish oghams rather than include the medieval oghams added later, this is because I have felt to connect with the ancient culture rather to receive that knowledge rather than create new myself, which isnt to say that the trees added later dont have worth because all spirits of every land have there role to complete in the spiritual development of us ‘human beings’.
I understand you are holding workshops on the Ogham, please tell us about that.What will you be talking about in your workshops?
The workshop is a very simple overview of the ogham mainly for children but it is a good introduction for adults and children alike and is like a doorway for people to step back into the way of thinking of our ancestors. I am hoping it will inspire old and new generations into investigating more about our ancient culture and getting back into nature where the real teachings are, which is the beginning of the solution for the western society.
I recently gave a talk at The Green Gathering to open up the project to people that may like to distrubute it within their area and there was a good response. The idea is to have the ogham project freely availble to those who wish to learn and to pass on the knowledge but protected so that it is not claimed by someone else who then makes money out of it.
I am running the first part of the project this sunday with some home education children from Cornwall and Devon and will be a donation ran activity that will go to a community that emphasises on living by ancient traditions of the jungle which has made this project possible. However in the future it could be for a celtic based project, so many things are still open as this is the beginning. So if any one would like to get involved, please get in touch with Matt.
What have you learned from trees?
More than anything to be firm and steady within the storm, whether it be emotional, physical or spiritual. Just by observing any tree you can see that they stand tall and are flexible in the wind but generally speaking are not uprooted, that, of course, depends on the environment in which it has grown, which can be related to the environment that we as children grow within.
However, it should be noted that when a tree falls or is cut down the persistence that a tree has to regrow and regrow or a seed travels to another place and germinates. That seed could be the good that one takes from themselves and begins a new life in a new area. This is a lesson that we can apply to our endeavours, which are hopefully endeavours to awaken the consciousness and to help our fellow man to create true community.
What we can learn from trees and nature is infinite.
What is your favourite tree?
That is a tricky one… I would have to say the old grandfather oak for his wisdom, strength and steadiness, followed by the holly for his protection… followed by the birch for new beginnings!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I think the most important thing for people to take from the ogham is to connect with our ancient ancestors so that we can begin to grow our roots to become strong as a people to make a stand for what is right. People in South America and other ‘third world’ countries look to english people to make the voices of the poor be heard. Being from England I know that we as a people also have little voice against our government and I feel that the key to changing this is to reconnect to our roots which have been ‘deleted’ from our memories and replaced with superficial technology, so that we have a firm and strong base on which to stand. We need to recognise the importance of being connected to our culture which was torn from by fanatisism, violence and ignorance if we are to stand again united as a people.
…When the people unite, Camelot will rise again….
