The Druid Magic Handbook: Ritual Magic Rooted in the Living Earth - John Michael Greer 2008

Ogham in Practical Magic
The Art of Enchantment
The Practice of Druid Magic

Once you have meditated on a few and explored it in scrying, you have the connection with that few you need to use it in magic. A simple way to do this is to add a single Ogham few to the Sphere of Protection ritual. Start by choosing a few that corresponds to your intention—for example, Tinne to focus your energies on a goal, or Ailm to give you a clearer awareness of a situation. Begin the Sphere of Protection ritual in the usual way, and proceed all the way to the Gate of Spirit Above, asking the elements to further your intention as you invoke them, and banishing all obstacles to its fulfillment.

At the Gate of Spirit Within, though, the ritual changes. Be aware of the six elements around you in the usual way, and then draw the Ogham few in the air in front of you with the first two fingers of your right hand. Draw the vertical stem line of the few from bottom to top, and then draw the other lines on it. Imagine the lines drawn in colored light, using the traditional color of the few itself.

Imagine the few glowing in the air before you, and say words like the following: “By the light that was before the worlds, by the creative power of Awen, I trace the few [name of few]. By its power, [here state your intention aloud].” Hold the few clearly in your imagination for a time, then release the image and allow it to dissolve completely. Proceed to the Circulation of Light as usual.

Figure 6-2 Tracing an Ogham Few

Ogham magic can also be worked on a more intensive level, in a grove ritual. Prepare for the ritual by placing your chair so that you face the direction of the few across the altar, just as though you meant to scry the few. Your wand and cauldron should be on the altar. Open the grove in the usual way, take your seat in the grove, and spend several minutes doing color breathing using the traditional color of the few. Meditate on your intention and on how it relates to the few you have chosen. If you have explored the few in Pathworking, you can do another Pathworking along the same path at this point, to help yourself focus the energies of the few.

When you are ready, rise and go to the altar. Take your wand and dip its tip in the cauldron, and imagine the cauldron filling with light of the traditional color of the few. Then, as though your wand was a brush and the light was paint, draw the few in the air above the cauldron and see it shining there. Say words such as the following: “By the light that was before the worlds, by the creative power of Awen, I trace the few [name of few]. By its power, [state your intention here].” Pause for a time, concentrating on the image of the few.

Next, use the wand to trace an invoking heather pentagram over the altar, with the lowermost point just below the lower end of the stem. See the lines of the pentagram drawn in silver light. Say, “I invoke Spirit Below. Let the telluric current ascend and fill this few with its might.” Imagine a shaft of silver light rising up from the heart of the Earth to shine into the few. Make this image as vivid as possible, and maintain it for several minutes at least.

Now use the wand to trace an invoking oak pentagram with its uppermost point just above the upper end of the few's vertical line. See the lines of the pentagram drawn in golden light. Say, “I invoke Spirit Above. Let the solar current descend and fill this few with its might.” Imagine a shaft of golden light descending from far above you to shine into the few. Make this image as vivid as possible, and maintain it for several minutes at least.

Point the wand at the center of the few, and say, “From above to below, from below to above, the two currents are awakened. I invoke Spirit Within. Let the lunar current be born within this few and fill it with the power of Awen.” Imagine the golden solar current and the silver telluric current both shining into the few at once, and then see them fuse into pure white light, the color of lightning, in and around the few. Imagine the disk of the Moon surrounding the few. Make this image as vivid as possible, hold it for several minutes at least, and then release it. When you are ready, close the ritual in the usual way.