Customer Reviews

The Book Of Ogham : The Celtic Tree Oracle

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Edred Thorsson is most noted for his work in the areas of Teutonic magic. This book represents a crossover in research and as a result the book is not as well researched as his other books. That being said, the book is one of the best books on Ogham divination at its time and continues to be a solid book today.

This is the first book I've read on the subject of Ogham and I'm far from an expert on the topic but from what I can tell this is a great introduction . There is a LOT of nonsense regarding various "pagan" traditions in print today but Thorsson tends to be a person you can trust to do the historical research and let the Tradition speak for itself. The thought and practices of the ancient Celtic people/s have been hidden and often erased from history so I'm sure it wasn't an easy book to write. He isn't afraid to fill in the blanks when its absolutely necessary (due to a lack of historical information) using what we do know definitively as a basis for extrapolation ( and his knowledge of similar Indo-European Traditions) but he generally lets you know when he is doing so and tries his best to keep it in the spirit of the tradition in question. In other words he tries his best not to create his own religion and then project it back on the Celts like so many of the "neo-pagans" but rather works to reconstruct the original tradition in so far as possible.

"The Book of Ogham" makes great usage of useful patterns in addition to smaller scale precision and larger scale organization. I feel these patterns are in deep harmony with Celtic and other Western traditions -- as well as recreated or newly created ideas to fill in the gaps or extend into new territory. Much territory is covered in necessary and sufficient detail to support understanding Celtic Metaphysics via Cosmology, Psychology and Theology -- enabling grasping of Ogham for practical usage. This inspiring book is done well artistically as well -- the cover intrigued me upon first viewing -- and the contents are easy on eyes and mind. The frontal dedication is interesting -- seeming to indicate hope for and approval of the following work. "The Book of Ogham" is unique among works on Celtic Ogham -- nothing else covers the involved topics quite like this book -- via Inspiring Patterns +++

This book is well done. He does apply his mannerisms for reading the Ogams (Oghams) as he does the runes. I found that unnecessary. Still, it is a well written.