"Celtic Astrology"
Graves also argues that the names of the Ogham letters in the alphabet used in parts of Gaelic Ireland and Britain contained a calendar that contained the key to an ancient liturgy involving the human sacrifice of a sacred king, and, further, that these letter names concealed lines of Ancient Greek hexameter describing the goddess.
While Graves's "Celtic Astrology" has been popularized by some New Age authors, his "Tree Calendar" has no relation to any historical Celtic calendar. His interpretations rather rely on the book Ogygia by the 17th-century bard Roderick O'Flaherty
Graves's "Tree Zodiac" includes the four cardinal points besides the twelve signs of the zodiac, resulting in a list of 16, matched to the 20 Ogham letters by attributing two letters each to winter solstice (A/I), Sagittarius (B/R), spring equinox (O/E) and Gemini (D/T):
- Winter Solstice: A/I: Spruce/Yew
- Sagittarius: B/R: Birch/Elder
- Capricorn: L: Service tree
- Aquarius: N: Ash
- Spring Equinox: O/E: Furze/Poplar
- Pisces: F: Alder
- Aries: S: Willow
- Taurus: H: Whitethorn
- Summer Solstice U: Heather
- Gemini: D/T: Oak/Holly
- Cancer: C: Hazel
- Leo: Q: Apple
- Autumnal Equinox: E/O : Poplar/Furze
- Virgo: M: Vine
- Libra: G: Ivy
- Scorpio: NG: Reed
Read more about this topic: The White Goddess
Famous quotes containing the words celtic and/or astrology:
“I find very reasonable the Celtic belief that the souls of our dearly departed are trapped in some inferior being, in an animal, a plant, an inanimate object, indeed lost to us until the day, which for some never arrives, when we find that we pass near the tree, or come to possess the object which is their prison. Then they quiver, call us, and as soon as we have recognized them, the spell is broken. Freed by us, they have vanquished death and return to live with us.”
—Marcel Proust (1871–1922)
“About astrology and palmistry: they are good because they make people vivid and full of possibilities. They are communism at its best. Everybody has a birthday and almost everybody has a palm.”
—Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (b. 1922)