Ogham for September – Ivy Gort G
The ancient Celts used the first alphabet in Europe which is called the
Ogham script. Each letter is associated with a tree or an important
plant. The alphabet was used as a mnemonic device to encode
knowledge, the Celtic song of the universe, Ceolta na Cruinne (Diana
Beresford-Kroeger). The thirteen months of the year (pre-Gregorian
calendar) were each represented by a particular tree. The new year
began on Nov. 1st with Birch, followed by Rowan in December,
Alder in January, Willow in February, Ash in March, Hawthorn in April, Oak in
May, Holly in June, Hazel in July and the Blackberry (Bramble) or Vine for
August. September is represented by Ivy or Gort and the letter G.
The Celtic world regarded Ivy (Hedera helix) as a
magical plant that offered protection from evil spirits. Hedera is the generic name for ivy and helix
comes from Ancient Greek meaning to twist and spiral. Hedera helix is native to Europe and
western Asia. It also grows in North America.
It is seen in gardens, waste spaces, on house walls and tree
trunks. Ivy climbs with aerial rootlets
which have matted pads that cling to surfaces such as rock, walls, trees and
cliffs. It will also cover ground if no
vertical surfaces are available. Ivy
grows and flourishes in both cultivated land and wasteland, in full light and
shade. It is strong and difficult to destroy.
The lower or juvenile leaves are palmate or five-lobed
while the adult leaves are unlobed and heart-shaped and grow with the flowers
high in the canopy. The flowers are small,
umbels of greenish-yellow colour. They
provide late autumn food for pollinators.
The purple-black berries ripen in late winter and are important food for
birds who disperse the seeds. The wood
is good for carving. As ground cover,
Ivy reduces the effects of frost allowing birds and small animals to forage in
the leaf litter. Growing on trees, Ivy
provides spaces for hiding, roosting, hibernating and nesting,
Ivy is not a parasite.
Its own root system provides it with water and nutrients. Ivy is about exchange between this world and
the otherworld. It’s spiral growth, like
DNA links us to the strong life-force pulsing from the earth.
In
the Raheen Wood in Ireland, you can still see 500-year-old Ivy growing on Oak
trees. At a distance, the stems of this
Ivy look like muscles. Perhaps the Ivy provides the Oak with auxin, the growth
hormone of the plant world, suggests Diana Beresford Krueger.
Ivy
bears small greenish flowers that become black globose fruits which are toxic
like the leaves. Ivy is a member of the
ginseng family whose medicines act at a cellular level. The Druids used the uppermost leaves of Ivy
for medicines, the recipes of which have been lost. The leaf was used as a poultice
for rheumatic pain, the black resin was extracted for dental work and a leaf in
vinegar remedy was used for toothache and as a mouthwash. Ivy is considered toxic, however,
historically, ivy leaves seeped in hot water were used for wounds and sores,
sunburn and skin irritations. Ivy berries
are highly toxic to humans.
Gort
was sacred to the Druids as medicine and as a protector. In the winter, Ivy was
brought into the house to bring this protection. Mummers used Ivy as part of their costumes
during their revels. The Greeks
dedicated Ivy to Baccus, the god of wine because Ivy provided a preventative
treatment for wine. Young leaves were
infused into vine even though they are toxic.
You still see Ivy painted or growing over the doorways of pubs.
The
word Gort meant “field” and as gorta, “famine and hunger.” Perhaps Gort means a green field or garden
because people have to unite in agricultural tasks. Ivy assists the group effort and helps people
to work together. Ivy has been
associated with immortality, resurrection and rebirth because of its spiral
growth. Ivy is weaker when it grows
along the ground, symbolizing the weakening aspect of isolation and the strengthening
power of community and the need to find a good balance of the two.
In
the Middle Ages in Britain, wine goblets were made of Ivy wood and ivy wrapped
around poles was used to advertise taverns. Ivy wreaths were used in the
classical world to signify intelligence as well as for a newlywed couple. Ivy is associated with the moon and moon
goddesses. Also, during the Middle Ages, at winter solstice, a boy wearing a Holly
crown and a girl wearing an Ivy one were paraded around the village. Holly is ruled by the sun and is masculine
while Ivy is ruled by the moon and is feminine. Ivy was thought to offer protection
from enchantment by the fairies for cattle and so milkmaids wore Ivy crowns.
As
a vibrational essence, ivy is good for learning to give and receive support and
to give and feel unconditional love. It
is also about letting go and offering freedom to others and oneself.
According to Glennie Kindred, Ivy signifies a warning, determined
power, binding, restricting, search for the self, attachment, freedom, and uniting. Ivy has a fierce, determined power. It can bind trees together and also restrict
passage. Ivy can also smother and kill a
tree. Ivy represents the search for the
self and the link with others through the group collective soul. It is about the balance of clinging to one
concept which may bring restriction and embracing many concepts that puts you
in touch with your own freedom and inner resources. Ivy needs a host to climb on and it can unite
many trees.
Traditionally, Vine and Ivy are seen as adversaries. Vine, through intoxication releases prophetic
powers while Ivy connects you to your own inner resources so you can see with
the eyes of the soul. The colour “gorm”
or sky blue is associated with Ogham Ivy.
“Retain a vision of the clear blue sky to which you aspire in your mind’s
eye – don’t be gorm-less” (Liz and Colin Murray, p. 46). Ivy represents the labyrinthine wandering of
the soul in search of the self from going within to find spiritual strength and
without, linking with others in the collective unconscious.
This is a compilation of information taken from the following sources:
Diana Beresford-Kroeger (2019) To Speak for the Trees. Random House:
Canada.
Danu Forest (2014) Celtic Tree Magic: Ogham Lore and Druid Mysteries.
Llewellyn Worldwide: Woodbury, Minnesota.
Glennie Kindred, (1997) The Tree Ogham. Glennie Kindred: UK.
Liz and Colin Murray (1988) The Celtic Tree Oracle. Connections Book
Publishing: London, UK.
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