…eith-Birch || Learning Ogham

divination

MeganB Sea Witch Jan 5

It has been a long time since I wrote about ogham and I have learned a lot in the span of time.
This post is a re-write of an older post I did on Beith, the first ogham fid in the first aicme of the
ogham alphabet.

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: What is
Ogham? || Ancient Irish Alphabet and Divination Tool [CC] - YouTube

Source

Beith (bay-th) is the first fid (letter) of the ogham alphabet and it is the first fid that was ever
created. The God Ogma wrote “b” seven times to convey a warning to the God Lugh about his
wife. It was a warning that she would be carried away into the Otherworld or another country
unless birch guarded her. The letter for beith is written with one vertical line and one horizontal
line on the right side only. I’ve included a picture at the bottom of this post so you can see.

This moreover is the first thing that was written by Ogham, >-,-,- i.e. (the birch) b was
written, and to convey a warning to Lug son of Ethliu it was written respecting his wife lest
she should be carried away from him into faeryland, to wit, seven b’s in one switch of
birch: Thy wife will be seven times carried away from thee into faeryland or into another
country, unless birch guard her. On that account, moreover, b, birch, takes precedence, for
it is in birch that Ogham was first written. (The Ogham Tract)

The Birch Tree

The Birch tree itself is a hardy tree. There are actually over 30 different species of Birch - many
of them native to both European and North American places. Since the Ogham comes from
Ireland, the feda (tree) that the Irish most likely saw was the Betula Pendula - also known as
the Silver Birch.
 The silver birch is a hardy tree, a pioneer species, and one of the first trees to appear on
bare or fire-swept land. Many species of birds and animals are found in birch woodland,
the tree supports a wide range of insects and the light shade it casts allows shrubby and
other plants to grow beneath its canopy. It is planted decoratively in parks and gardens
and is used for forest products such as joinery timber, firewood, tanning, racecourse
jumps, and brooms. Various parts of the tree are used in traditional medicine and the bark
contains triterpenes, which have been shown to have medicinal properties. – Betula
pendula - Wikipedia

Source

Beith in Divination
For figuring out what Beith means in divination, I look at many different things. First, we can
look at the story of Beith’s creation. Ogma created Beith as a warning to Lugh. Seven Bs
carved and sent to him to protect his wife. It is my own belief that beith is connected to
protection and warnings, though I haven’t been able to find this connection anywhere else.

Next we can look at how the birch tree itself. It is silver or white in color. The bark on the
outside easily peels back to reveal what is underneath. The Birch tree is one of the first trees
to appear on land that is barren or has been swept by fire. This lends to the meaning of
purification and resilience. New growth can happen once the old is cleared away.

When this symbol is used, it is representative of new beginnings, change, release, and
rebirth. In some traditions, it also has connections with purification. – Celtic Ogham
Symbols and Their Meanings

Birch was also traditionally used for cleansing and purifying the home and body. Birch twigs
were used for brooms and the oil extracted from birch is a mild analgesic used for relieving
pain. This further lends to the ideas of purification and cleansing.

If you are reading Ogham staves and Beith makes an appearance, something new is
happening. A new beginning. Clearing out the old so new opportunities can be brought to you.
It is also an Ogham of purification and cleansing. The silver/white color is definitely symbolic of
purity, but also of rebirth. The way the bark peels back on the tree makes me think of peeling
back layers of an onion. What we see on the surface is not always what lies beneath.

Here are some keywords I’ve come up with in my studies for beith in regard to divination.

• protection
• purification
• cleansing
• release
• discipline
• physical safety
• creativity
• beginnings

Beith holds special meaning for me because it’s the first ogham I learned, and re-learned, in
my ogham practice. It’s also one of my favorite trees, so that definitely helps! I have made
protection trinkets from beith as gifts for family that I hope will last for years to come.