Ogham Oracle
Straif (ST)29
Drawing a Blackthorn stave or card indicates the actions of fate in your life, something that cannot be avoided but must be faced and dealt with. Blackthorn gives you the strength to accept and persevere in the face of adversity. The Sloe berry sweetens after the first trial of winter, the frost. Accepting fate and adversity as a challenge, and making it work for you, results in an unexpected sweetness in your life.
Blackthorn can also herald the presence of the darker deities in your life, such as the Irish Morrigan and Dagda. Again, this is a sign of the spiritual strength and support that is available to you if you pick up the gauntlet. It is the one of the trees associated with the Bean Sidhe and the Dubh Sidhe.‘Straif also offers initiation into the mysteries of self-conquest and transcendence.’30 Daring to travel with the darker deities of the Celtic pantheon is a spiritual adventure at the deepest level! Blackthorn opens the pathway to Underworld initiation. Meditating under a Blackthorn bush during the Samhain season can put you in touch with powerful Underworld deities, such as the Morrigan. Wear a protective amulet with the Blackthorn ogham, sloe berries, or a blackthorn wand, if you choose to do so.
Blackthorn is the tree, which helps us to face the necessity of our own death. In many magical practices, we are encouraged to face death, in order to abate our morbid fear of it. Initiations are often re-enactments of our own death and rebirth.
On the negative side, Blackthorn can indicate a persistently negative, resentful attitude that draws negative experiences to you. Blackthorn can indicate a persistent and morbid fear of death. How you ‘frame’ your life is how your life plays out. Blackthorn can be seen as a reminder not to frame your life in negative scenes, but re-interpret them in a more positive way, to draw more positive experiences.
Magical Uses
According to John Matthews, the message of Blackthorn is ‘Magic is Everywhere’.31
Jane Gifford assigns Morrigan as the deity associated with Blackthorn, as well as the colour red, planets Mars and Saturn, gem Black Opal, and a feminine polarity. The chief attributes are the ‘Inevitability of Death, protection and revenge, strife, and negativity.’32
Blackthorn is used for purification, as well as protection, ridding the atmosphere of negative energy. It deals the issues on a Karmic level, which cannot be avoided. Meditating on Blackthorn can purify our minds of negative thoughts and impulses at the deepest level of our psyche. It can aid us in combating fear, depression and anger. The thorns of the Blackthorn can be imagined to lance the built up abscess of negative thoughts, and release the emotional toxins, which can then begin to heal.33 Using the gentler sister tree, Hawthorn, in conjunction with Blackthorn, can aid the process of healing.
Traditionally, Blackthorn is used in protection against evil, creating boundaries, purifying, confronting our own dark side. Blackthorn dispels negativity, toxins, old wounds, and impurities. It can be used in exorcisms. It is associated with chthonic and protective deities.
With Blackthorn staff,
I draw the bound.
All malice and bane,
I thus confound.
From a blackthorn tree along the Ridgeway near Wayland’s Smithy, I cut myself a wand (and left a little blood). I saved the cuttings from the wand as well, which included leaves, twigs and berries, and dried them. I use blackthorn to establish boundaries when working magic, so that nothing evil or unwanted can enter my Circle or Grove.
I also carry a ‘mojo bag’ of protective herbs with me. I've included dried sloe berries for their powers of protection. Magical Blackthorn tools come in many forms; Irish shillelagh, walking sticks, stangs, wands, thorns, ogham staves, berries. Most of these are used for protection, although some will still use the energy of Blackthorn for cursing. Tools made of blackthorn must be treated with the utmost respect.
Healing with Thorn Trees
Next time you are ill or depressed, imagine lying on your pallet, and in the dark of night, two eldritch sisters enter the room, one dressed in black, the other in white. The dark older sister, Draighean34, (Blackthorn), assesses your illness with a calculating experienced eye. She moves her sinewy, dark hands quickly over your body, touching points here and there, causing you acute pain. She mutters strange incantations under her breath in a low, crackling voice. She is frightening, but you must trust her if you are to heal. All the negative images you’ve ever held rise out of your subconscious like phantom characters in a Samhain festival. The night grows old and dawn approaches. Weary, the elder sister steps back and the gentle Huath, (Hawthorn) takes her place. Dressed in white, with long bright hair, she lays a cool gentle hand on your brow, muttering her own incantations in a sweet bell-like voice. The phantoms recede with the light, and the pain eases. As she sweeps her pale hands up and down your body, touching the same spots her dark sister had, the pain vanishes and you feel refreshed. You fall into an easy, restful sleep as the sisters leave your chamber, their work done
The most powerful times of the year to use Blackthorn for purification and banishing are Imbolc (Feb. 1st) and Samhain (October 31st) At Imbolc, Blackthorn is one of the first trees to flower, thus, it aids the ushering in of Spring.
In the Celtic Ogham, Blackthorn, called Straif, rules the mystical three day period of Samhain, from October 31st to November 2nd, where it marks the ‘parting of the veils between the physical and the spiritual.’ 35 Blackthorn can be used to create safe boundaries from which to communicate with the dead, and protect us from evil spirits during this auspicious time.
At Samhain, because its berries ripen in the Winter, it helps us to prepare for the dark season to come.36 At this uncanny time, the Morrigan and Dagda, are said to mate.
The wintry fruiting Blackthorn tree is associated with Underworld Initiations. The Cailleach announces winter with a bang of her ancient Blackthorn stang.
Blackthorn is also used to celebrate the fertility magic of May Day, along with its sister tree, Hawthorn. Blackthorn wands were used for divination and wishing at this auspicious time of year. Bridal chambers were decorated with Hawthorn and Blackthorn flowers in May, the musky scent of the flowers stimulating desire.37
Blackthorn and Hawthorn, being sister trees, represent the dark half and the light half of the year. Blackthorn is the tree of Samhain, whereas Hawthorn is the tree of Beltain.38
Protective Spell from Jacqueline Paterson:39
This spell must be performed with the clear intent of returning ill wishing to the source. In doing so, the spell caster must divorce herself from all ill wishing, or the spell will backfire upon herself. Purchase or carve a candle into a body shape. Carve the name of your tormentor into the candle, naming him or her out loud. Use three Blackthorn thorns, and push one each into the candle image’s forehead, heart, and stomach. Light the candle, and when it burns down to each thorn, utter these words each time:
Evil return to the one who sent thee
For me and mine are now set free
No hurt nor harm can enter here
For my life and way are now made clear.
Allow the candle to burn down, and out. See yourself as released from the other person’s energy. Your intent must NOT be to harm your tormentor, but to release every baneful connection between you both. If your tormentor continues to send harm, it will now be his or her responsibility, and rebound on his self or herself. This spell is about protection and justice, not revenge
Deities
I associate this tree with the Irish Morrigan and the Dagda, the Scottish Cailleach, the Welsh Cerridwen, the British Morgan le Fay and Gwynn ap Nudd; all dark, chthonic, Underworld deities.
Jane Gifford associates the Blackthorn with the Morrigan40. Steve Blamires associates Blackthorn with the Irish God, Donn, a father God, who is associated with death. He, being a paternal deity, is a gentle guide who helps us mitigate the fear associated with death.41
Druid/Celtic Ritual
Druids often use the magic of wood in their ceremonies. Rituals taking place in sacred groves or nemetons are especially potent. The presence of Blackthorn in a Samhain or Yule ritual would be ideal.
Initiations: Blackthorn wands or staffs can be used during initiations. It is especially effective if used in conjunction with a Hawthorn staff to represent death and rebirth; Samhain and Beltaine.
Samhain: During your Samhain ritual, you can use a Blackthorn staff for the celebrants to pass under, on their way to the Underworld.
Samhain or Yule: During your Samhain or Yule ritual, you can ceremonially call the Caeilleach Bheur, who is the Old Blue Hag of Winter, a fearsome Scottish deity who, banging Her magic Blackthorn stang upon the ground, calls in the season of Winter.
Song of the Cailleach Bheur
What’s all this merriment and cheer?
Is it not winter that you fear?
I am the old veiled one of the wood,
And my appearance shall do you no good.
My realm is cold, dead, and dark.
The ground is barren and the trees are stark.
My fierce white hounds, with eyes of red
Howl through the night, a paean to the dead.
I strike my blackthorn upon the ground!
Now nothing green or living shall be found.
I am the Cailleach Bheur, and now is my reign.
I shall not leave you until next Beltaine.42
________________________________________
Straif (ST)29
Drawing a Blackthorn stave or card indicates the actions of fate in your life, something that cannot be avoided but must be faced and dealt with. Blackthorn gives you the strength to accept and persevere in the face of adversity. The Sloe berry sweetens after the first trial of winter, the frost. Accepting fate and adversity as a challenge, and making it work for you, results in an unexpected sweetness in your life.
Blackthorn can also herald the presence of the darker deities in your life, such as the Irish Morrigan and Dagda. Again, this is a sign of the spiritual strength and support that is available to you if you pick up the gauntlet. It is the one of the trees associated with the Bean Sidhe and the Dubh Sidhe.‘Straif also offers initiation into the mysteries of self-conquest and transcendence.’30 Daring to travel with the darker deities of the Celtic pantheon is a spiritual adventure at the deepest level! Blackthorn opens the pathway to Underworld initiation. Meditating under a Blackthorn bush during the Samhain season can put you in touch with powerful Underworld deities, such as the Morrigan. Wear a protective amulet with the Blackthorn ogham, sloe berries, or a blackthorn wand, if you choose to do so.
Blackthorn is the tree, which helps us to face the necessity of our own death. In many magical practices, we are encouraged to face death, in order to abate our morbid fear of it. Initiations are often re-enactments of our own death and rebirth.
On the negative side, Blackthorn can indicate a persistently negative, resentful attitude that draws negative experiences to you. Blackthorn can indicate a persistent and morbid fear of death. How you ‘frame’ your life is how your life plays out. Blackthorn can be seen as a reminder not to frame your life in negative scenes, but re-interpret them in a more positive way, to draw more positive experiences.
Magical Uses
According to John Matthews, the message of Blackthorn is ‘Magic is Everywhere’.31
Jane Gifford assigns Morrigan as the deity associated with Blackthorn, as well as the colour red, planets Mars and Saturn, gem Black Opal, and a feminine polarity. The chief attributes are the ‘Inevitability of Death, protection and revenge, strife, and negativity.’32
Blackthorn is used for purification, as well as protection, ridding the atmosphere of negative energy. It deals the issues on a Karmic level, which cannot be avoided. Meditating on Blackthorn can purify our minds of negative thoughts and impulses at the deepest level of our psyche. It can aid us in combating fear, depression and anger. The thorns of the Blackthorn can be imagined to lance the built up abscess of negative thoughts, and release the emotional toxins, which can then begin to heal.33 Using the gentler sister tree, Hawthorn, in conjunction with Blackthorn, can aid the process of healing.
Traditionally, Blackthorn is used in protection against evil, creating boundaries, purifying, confronting our own dark side. Blackthorn dispels negativity, toxins, old wounds, and impurities. It can be used in exorcisms. It is associated with chthonic and protective deities.
With Blackthorn staff,
I draw the bound.
All malice and bane,
I thus confound.
From a blackthorn tree along the Ridgeway near Wayland’s Smithy, I cut myself a wand (and left a little blood). I saved the cuttings from the wand as well, which included leaves, twigs and berries, and dried them. I use blackthorn to establish boundaries when working magic, so that nothing evil or unwanted can enter my Circle or Grove.
I also carry a ‘mojo bag’ of protective herbs with me. I've included dried sloe berries for their powers of protection. Magical Blackthorn tools come in many forms; Irish shillelagh, walking sticks, stangs, wands, thorns, ogham staves, berries. Most of these are used for protection, although some will still use the energy of Blackthorn for cursing. Tools made of blackthorn must be treated with the utmost respect.
Healing with Thorn Trees
Next time you are ill or depressed, imagine lying on your pallet, and in the dark of night, two eldritch sisters enter the room, one dressed in black, the other in white. The dark older sister, Draighean34, (Blackthorn), assesses your illness with a calculating experienced eye. She moves her sinewy, dark hands quickly over your body, touching points here and there, causing you acute pain. She mutters strange incantations under her breath in a low, crackling voice. She is frightening, but you must trust her if you are to heal. All the negative images you’ve ever held rise out of your subconscious like phantom characters in a Samhain festival. The night grows old and dawn approaches. Weary, the elder sister steps back and the gentle Huath, (Hawthorn) takes her place. Dressed in white, with long bright hair, she lays a cool gentle hand on your brow, muttering her own incantations in a sweet bell-like voice. The phantoms recede with the light, and the pain eases. As she sweeps her pale hands up and down your body, touching the same spots her dark sister had, the pain vanishes and you feel refreshed. You fall into an easy, restful sleep as the sisters leave your chamber, their work done
The most powerful times of the year to use Blackthorn for purification and banishing are Imbolc (Feb. 1st) and Samhain (October 31st) At Imbolc, Blackthorn is one of the first trees to flower, thus, it aids the ushering in of Spring.
In the Celtic Ogham, Blackthorn, called Straif, rules the mystical three day period of Samhain, from October 31st to November 2nd, where it marks the ‘parting of the veils between the physical and the spiritual.’ 35 Blackthorn can be used to create safe boundaries from which to communicate with the dead, and protect us from evil spirits during this auspicious time.
At Samhain, because its berries ripen in the Winter, it helps us to prepare for the dark season to come.36 At this uncanny time, the Morrigan and Dagda, are said to mate.
The wintry fruiting Blackthorn tree is associated with Underworld Initiations. The Cailleach announces winter with a bang of her ancient Blackthorn stang.
Blackthorn is also used to celebrate the fertility magic of May Day, along with its sister tree, Hawthorn. Blackthorn wands were used for divination and wishing at this auspicious time of year. Bridal chambers were decorated with Hawthorn and Blackthorn flowers in May, the musky scent of the flowers stimulating desire.37
Blackthorn and Hawthorn, being sister trees, represent the dark half and the light half of the year. Blackthorn is the tree of Samhain, whereas Hawthorn is the tree of Beltain.38
Protective Spell from Jacqueline Paterson:39
This spell must be performed with the clear intent of returning ill wishing to the source. In doing so, the spell caster must divorce herself from all ill wishing, or the spell will backfire upon herself. Purchase or carve a candle into a body shape. Carve the name of your tormentor into the candle, naming him or her out loud. Use three Blackthorn thorns, and push one each into the candle image’s forehead, heart, and stomach. Light the candle, and when it burns down to each thorn, utter these words each time:
Evil return to the one who sent thee
For me and mine are now set free
No hurt nor harm can enter here
For my life and way are now made clear.
Allow the candle to burn down, and out. See yourself as released from the other person’s energy. Your intent must NOT be to harm your tormentor, but to release every baneful connection between you both. If your tormentor continues to send harm, it will now be his or her responsibility, and rebound on his self or herself. This spell is about protection and justice, not revenge
Deities
I associate this tree with the Irish Morrigan and the Dagda, the Scottish Cailleach, the Welsh Cerridwen, the British Morgan le Fay and Gwynn ap Nudd; all dark, chthonic, Underworld deities.
Jane Gifford associates the Blackthorn with the Morrigan40. Steve Blamires associates Blackthorn with the Irish God, Donn, a father God, who is associated with death. He, being a paternal deity, is a gentle guide who helps us mitigate the fear associated with death.41
Druid/Celtic Ritual
Druids often use the magic of wood in their ceremonies. Rituals taking place in sacred groves or nemetons are especially potent. The presence of Blackthorn in a Samhain or Yule ritual would be ideal.
Initiations: Blackthorn wands or staffs can be used during initiations. It is especially effective if used in conjunction with a Hawthorn staff to represent death and rebirth; Samhain and Beltaine.
Samhain: During your Samhain ritual, you can use a Blackthorn staff for the celebrants to pass under, on their way to the Underworld.
Samhain or Yule: During your Samhain or Yule ritual, you can ceremonially call the Caeilleach Bheur, who is the Old Blue Hag of Winter, a fearsome Scottish deity who, banging Her magic Blackthorn stang upon the ground, calls in the season of Winter.
Song of the Cailleach Bheur
What’s all this merriment and cheer?
Is it not winter that you fear?
I am the old veiled one of the wood,
And my appearance shall do you no good.
My realm is cold, dead, and dark.
The ground is barren and the trees are stark.
My fierce white hounds, with eyes of red
Howl through the night, a paean to the dead.
I strike my blackthorn upon the ground!
Now nothing green or living shall be found.
I am the Cailleach Bheur, and now is my reign.
I shall not leave you until next Beltaine.42
________________________________________
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