Post by wren on Nov 15, 2006 16:17:15 GMT -5
Gort (Ivy), pronounced GORT
Botanical name: Hedera helix. Status: Chieftan tree. Sound: g.
Elaborations on the Ogham Name Gort: Ivy, Greener than pastures is Ivy.
Word Ogham of Morainn mac Moín: Ivy is sweeter than grasses; to wit, the cornfield.
Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Ivy equals pleasing oil, corn.
Word Ogham of Óengus: Ivy equals size of a warrior.
Visualization
Ivy clings to a sheer wall of rock, a wolf’s face forming in its leaves.
Gort is ivy, a tenacious and ruthless plant that flourishes in all kinds of environments. This is, correspondingly, a tree letter of tenacity, of the raw survival instinct which enables you to triumph over circumstances, establish roots, and put forth new green leaves out of the stoniest of soils. This suggests a fair measure of adaptability and toil, and when reversed may mean that you are the object of ruthless treatment from the outside world.
Ivy is a plant which insinuates itself into the least promising of places, prospering in a wide range of climates. It can be as readily seen flourishing in the wastes of our cities as in the Greenworld. When ivy attaches itself to objects, it can exploit the most minimal advantages to support its own needs. Similarly, this tree-letter teaches you the virtues of making use of what you find about you, however seemingly unpromising, and applying sheer force of will to create conditions favorable to your requirements.
Another less pleasant aspect of ivy is that it is a parasite that preys on its host and uses other plants and bushes to support itself. Perhaps some such force is restricting, constricting or exploiting you. At times, we too must show similar ruthlessness in order to survive. While you should not treat others unjustly, you may need to apply a measure of warrior spirit yourself in order to carve out your own niche.
The spiraling form of ivy as it winds and twists its way upwards and outwards embodies a powerful and primal impulse of the life force, greatly respected by the Celts. Here is a blueprint of unfolding and outward expansion. We can see a similar principle at work on many levels of the cosmos, from the interlocking pattern of DNA in our blood to the spiral forms of galaxies. It is a basic archetype of growth and endurance.
Reversed, though, Gort augurs challenge and difficulty. When ivy takes the form of an outside factor which exploits or constricts you, you may begin to weaken and wither. The world is full of hostile energies that know no law but their own-interest. If you are facing such a person or situation, do not stick around to be bound and swallowed. Take up your sword and make a clean break of the constricting knots while you still can. There are fertile fields opening elsewhere.
Keywords: Tenacity, survival instinct, ruthlessness. The growth spiral, the primal impulse of the life-force, flourishment. Ruthless treatment, restricting, constriction, exploitation. Breaking barriers, reformulation of reality, achievements.
Reversed: Challenge, difficulty, restriction.
Gort is identified as ivy in the Ogham Elaboration and by almost all commentators in contemporary Ogham divination. It is possible, however, that the word Gort originally meant ‘green field’, as reflected in the Word Ogham Óengus epithet that calls ‘size of a warrior’. As a plant, it is a fighter, and a mean antagonist at that.
Undoubtedly, Ivy carried a certain aura of menace. A crawler that flourishes by sucking the verdure from more substantial plants, ivy’s snaking tendrils insinuate themselves into the most unyielding cracks and crevices. When its host is another tree, it will eventually smother and destroy the very thing that has helped it flourish. Honeysuckle, often linked to this ogham, appears a slightly less virulent parasite that is nonetheless similar to ivy in its habits.
Botanical name: Hedera helix. Status: Chieftan tree. Sound: g.
Elaborations on the Ogham Name Gort: Ivy, Greener than pastures is Ivy.
Word Ogham of Morainn mac Moín: Ivy is sweeter than grasses; to wit, the cornfield.
Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Ivy equals pleasing oil, corn.
Word Ogham of Óengus: Ivy equals size of a warrior.
Visualization
Ivy clings to a sheer wall of rock, a wolf’s face forming in its leaves.
Gort is ivy, a tenacious and ruthless plant that flourishes in all kinds of environments. This is, correspondingly, a tree letter of tenacity, of the raw survival instinct which enables you to triumph over circumstances, establish roots, and put forth new green leaves out of the stoniest of soils. This suggests a fair measure of adaptability and toil, and when reversed may mean that you are the object of ruthless treatment from the outside world.
Ivy is a plant which insinuates itself into the least promising of places, prospering in a wide range of climates. It can be as readily seen flourishing in the wastes of our cities as in the Greenworld. When ivy attaches itself to objects, it can exploit the most minimal advantages to support its own needs. Similarly, this tree-letter teaches you the virtues of making use of what you find about you, however seemingly unpromising, and applying sheer force of will to create conditions favorable to your requirements.
Another less pleasant aspect of ivy is that it is a parasite that preys on its host and uses other plants and bushes to support itself. Perhaps some such force is restricting, constricting or exploiting you. At times, we too must show similar ruthlessness in order to survive. While you should not treat others unjustly, you may need to apply a measure of warrior spirit yourself in order to carve out your own niche.
The spiraling form of ivy as it winds and twists its way upwards and outwards embodies a powerful and primal impulse of the life force, greatly respected by the Celts. Here is a blueprint of unfolding and outward expansion. We can see a similar principle at work on many levels of the cosmos, from the interlocking pattern of DNA in our blood to the spiral forms of galaxies. It is a basic archetype of growth and endurance.
Reversed, though, Gort augurs challenge and difficulty. When ivy takes the form of an outside factor which exploits or constricts you, you may begin to weaken and wither. The world is full of hostile energies that know no law but their own-interest. If you are facing such a person or situation, do not stick around to be bound and swallowed. Take up your sword and make a clean break of the constricting knots while you still can. There are fertile fields opening elsewhere.
Keywords: Tenacity, survival instinct, ruthlessness. The growth spiral, the primal impulse of the life-force, flourishment. Ruthless treatment, restricting, constriction, exploitation. Breaking barriers, reformulation of reality, achievements.
Reversed: Challenge, difficulty, restriction.
Gort is identified as ivy in the Ogham Elaboration and by almost all commentators in contemporary Ogham divination. It is possible, however, that the word Gort originally meant ‘green field’, as reflected in the Word Ogham Óengus epithet that calls ‘size of a warrior’. As a plant, it is a fighter, and a mean antagonist at that.
Undoubtedly, Ivy carried a certain aura of menace. A crawler that flourishes by sucking the verdure from more substantial plants, ivy’s snaking tendrils insinuate themselves into the most unyielding cracks and crevices. When its host is another tree, it will eventually smother and destroy the very thing that has helped it flourish. Honeysuckle, often linked to this ogham, appears a slightly less virulent parasite that is nonetheless similar to ivy in its habits.