“There are four directions: North, South, East, and West. We are going in the fifth direction, which is the direction of stories.”
Sean Taylor
Cover art by Piotr Stachiewicz
In the tale, the “Settling of the Manor of Tara,” Fintan, the oldest living Seanchai, divided the Land of Ireland into five parts (East, West, North, South and Center). The navel of Ireland was placed at Uisneach as marked by the Stone of Divisions. This marked the center of the plane of the surface. Trefuilingidh Tre-eochair (the Magical being who came from out of the West, seeking the Sun’s rising) further defined these divisions into a series of qualities associated with each province and direction. The Great Plane of the Sky, Magh Mor and the Islands of the Otherworldly Sea, Tir Andomain, can also have their surfaces defined in a corresponding manner. These divisions allow us to define their centers so that we can understand their interconnection with the Bile or World/ sacred Tree. The Celts and Neolithic peoples defined a circle (as well as a world) by using an equal armed cross. This symbol evolved into the “Celtic Cross.” The Sunwheel is a symbol of Lugh as well as the cross (being a symbol of Brighid as well). This act of crossing is exactly what a Celt does to determine his “center” at sunrise of each day as he/she welcomes the first rays of the morning sun.
I have compiled a table of the divisions into which I think the Three Worlds should be divided to assist us in developing a “casting cloth” for our Ogham Divination system. These divisions are based upon the wisdom of Fintan and Trefuilingidh Tre-eochair and many other ancient and modern sources (please accept these assignments as a guide only…. they seem to work for me, but you may have others that work better for you). These divisions are the sharp edges that I use to test the “truth” of my Ogham divinations. Please use these general assignments of characteristics to further guide your own divination efforts when casting upon a “cloth” or a “circle” (more specific meanings will be given in “The Ogham Correspondences” section of this book for each Ogham, as well as the Realms of the Otherworld/ subconsciousness/ superconsciousness). The basic qualities and attributes of the Three Worlds are described here so that we may have a better “feel” for the form, shape and color of the Celtic Cosmological canvas. The information that is specific to each Realm, Deity, Hallow, Direction or Quarter have already been provided. If you look closely, the patterns and weaves that exist between the Three Worlds and their distinguishing qualities may appear to you and guide your own steps. The Three Worlds of Sky, Land and Sea (Upper, Middle, Under)/(Past, Present, Future) are divided as follows:
These are the plains that we must travel in our quest for foreknowledge and divination. These are the worlds of our consciousness. Within each Land, the Hallows and the hazards have been defined as well as the rewards and the opportunities. In our next segment, we will describe the warriors that will assist us in our quest. Hopefully, they will guard our thoughts and insure our victories while we attempt our Ogham divinations. Following that, we will describe the attributes and the qualities of the Ogham Fidh themselves. Perhaps we will soon be able to answer the remaining questions:
Who calleth the cattle from the House of Tethra? On whom do the cattle of Tethra smile?
Searles O'Dubhain
Searles O’Dubhain is an American Celtic scholar, writer and story teller who has been practicing Druidry for over 30 years. Searles created ‘The Summerlands’, one of the very first beloved online Celtic pagan communities in the early 90’s. He additionally published ‘Ogham Divination’, that lays a detailed and creative pathway of recreating and discovering the ancient ways of the Druids. This and much more available on his website.
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