Ankh Layout

 

 

Difficulty: Kind of tough

The Ankh Spread is for questions about the causes behind trends. It is similar to the Celtic Cross and Secret of the High Priestess layouts, but it covers the reasons behind the circumstances in question differently, perhaps giving a better explanation of why things are the way they are.

The loop of the upper section of the ankh reveals the spiritual background and causes of the situation, while the stem of the base focuses on prospects for the outcome.

The first two oghams represent the two parent causes of the situation. They will either complement each other or show two opposing sides of a conflict, depending on how they relate. These are the significator oghams of the Ankh layout.

3. This ogham shines light upon the early causes of the trend in question.

4. Pinpoints the causes that triggered the current situation.

5. Reveals the spiritual perspective of the subject at hand.

6. This ogham examines the reasons why this course of action had to unfold, as a means to this end.

At this point, it is good to pause to soak in the meaning of the first six oghams before moving forward to the last three oghams. The last three reveal prospects for the future.

7. The Next Step gives clues about the immediate future.

8. Surprising Experiences encountered en route to the result.

9. This represents the result.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your Ankh Reading

Early Causes	Higher Perceptions Luis	Triggering Causes
Saille	Necessary Conclusions	Ailm
Significator #1	Muin	Significator #2
Tinne	Next Step	Iodhadh
	Ruis
	Surprising Experiences Coll Blocked
	Outcome Straif

 

 

 

 

Significator #1

Tinne

• Tree/Plant: Holly
• Kenning: ‘Warrior’s Crown’

Tinne, the battle tree, grants you the armour of spirit. Now is the time for honourable combat—whether internal or external. Holly speaks to inner resilience, self-defence, and strategic action. You are not called to start wars, but to win them if they come. Focus your energy. Fight for what feeds your soul, not your vanity.

• Spiritual Lesson: Victory is hollow without a worthy cause.
• Reflective Question: What is truly worth fighting for now?
• Affirmation: ‘I wear the crown of sacred battle.’

 

 

 

 

 

Significator #2

Iodhadh

• Tree/Plant: Yew
• Kenning: ‘Tree of Death and Continuity’

Iodhadh, the ancient Yew, stands at the boundary of death and eternal return. Its poisonous berries and immortal trunk whisper the riddle of endings that never end. You are not merely ending—you are cycling into something older, deeper. This is not a death; it is a deepening. Honour the transformation that does not ask for permission.

• Spiritual Lesson: Death is not the end—it is the sacred beginning beneath all beginnings.
• Reflective Question: What am I clinging to that refuses to die cleanly?
• Affirmation: ‘I descend to rise.’

 

 

 

 

 

Early Causes

Saille

• Tree/Plant: Willow
• Kenning: ‘Sweeping Elegance’

The Willow bends but does not break. Saille teaches the mastery of emotion—the art of yielding without defeat. Here, grief is not an enemy but a river to be crossed, danced with, and honoured. Your feelings are powerful allies, not burdens. Dreamtime, prophecy, and creativity surge through the Willow’s domain. Trust your tears, your visions, your poetic instincts. They are the currents carrying you toward deeper wisdom.

• Spiritual Lesson: Mastery of emotion is achieved through movement, not denial.
• Reflective Question: Where am I refusing to let grief or inspiration flow?
• Affirmation: ‘I bend; I do not break.’

 

 

 

 

 

Triggering Causes

Ailm

• Tree/Plant: Silver Fir
• Kenning: ‘Pillar of Resilience’

Silver Fir stands tall in winter’s darkest days. Ailm offers endurance, spiritual health, and steady strength. In times of bleakness, remember your evergreen soul. Stand tall, rooted deep, reaching for starlight even when the sun hides. Your stillness is your revolution.

• Spiritual Lesson: True resilience bends without breaking.
• Reflective Question: What inner root keeps me alive through winter?
• Affirmation: ‘I endure, evergreen and steadfast.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Higher Perceptions

Luis

• Tree/Plant: Rowan
• Kenning: ‘Delight of the Eye’

The Rowan stands at the crossroads, its scarlet berries a shield against dark enchantments. Luis grants the seer’s sight—flashes of truth glimmer through the fog. Dreams grow sharper; omens clearer. Not all that you see will be comfortable, but all will be true. Trust the tugs at your spine, the sudden chill when someone speaks untruth. Your soul is attuned to warnings others miss. Listen, and you will pass safely.

• Spiritual Lesson: True insight demands patience, not desperation.
• Reflective Question: Where am I mistaking wishful thinking for true intuition?
• Affirmation: ‘My spirit sharpens to the truth.’

 

 

 

 

 

Necessary Conclusions

Muin

• Tree/Plant: Vine
• Kenning: ‘Binding of Intoxication’

Muin winds and weaves, bringing sweetness and sacred intoxication. It reminds you that connection can be heady—friendships, love, spiritual ecstasy. Embrace emotional entanglement without losing yourself. Trust the dance of give and take. Sacred intoxication frees the soul; debasement chains it.

• Spiritual Lesson: True connection uplifts; false ties consume.
• Reflective Question: Where am I entangled in illusion?
• Affirmation: ‘I choose sacred union, not bondage.’

 

 

 

 

 

The Next Step

Ruis

• Tree/Plant: Elder
• Kenning: ‘Death’s Gateway’

Elder stands at the threshold of endings and beginnings. Ruis calls you to sacred surrender: mourn, release, and prepare to be reborn. Transformation is not gentle; it strips you down. Accept the death of what must fall away. Only then can the new roots find soil.

• Spiritual Lesson: True rebirth demands true mourning.
• Reflective Question: What am I still carrying that must be laid to rest?
• Affirmation: ‘I bless the ending and welcome the new.’

 

 

 

 

 

Surprises

Coll Blocked

• Tree/Plant: Hazel
• Kenning: ‘Wellspring of Wisdom’

Blocked Hazel creates confusion, ignorance, or misuse of knowledge. Perhaps you seek easy answers where there are none, or hoard knowledge without application. Wisdom is not merely knowing; it is knowing when, and how, and why. Choose discernment over cleverness.

• Spiritual Lesson: Wisdom must be lived, not stored.
• Reflective Question: What hidden knowledge am I being invited to embrace?
• Affirmation: ‘I drink from the sacred well.’

 

 

 

 

 

The Outcome

Straif

• Tree/Plant: Blackthorn
• Kenning: ‘Blade of Trials’

Blackthorn is the bitter gatekeeper of transformation. Its thorns are cruel, but its berries sweeten with frost. Straif heralds hardship—not as punishment, but as alchemy. Pain clarifies. Conflict strengthens. Choose to transform, not to collapse. The frostbitten fruit is the richest.

• Spiritual Lesson: Pain refines, not defines.
• Reflective Question: What suffering is trying to carve me into something better?
• Affirmation: ‘I transform pain into power.’