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 ![]() Saille Blocked |
Triggering Causes |
![]() Onn |
Necessary Conclusions | ![]() Muin Blocked |
Significator #1 | ![]() Gort Blocked |
Significator #2 |
![]() Uilleann Blocked |
Next Step | ![]() Luis |
![]() Eabhadh |
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Surprising Experiences ![]() Iphin Blocked |
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Outcome ![]() Nion |

Significator #1
Uilleann Blocked
- Tree/Plant: Honeysuckle
- Kenning: ‘Hidden Sweetness’
- Spiritual Lesson: Not all that tempts is treasure—but real treasure rarely announces itself.
- Reflective Question: What unseen blessing have I ignored?
- Affirmation: ‘I follow sweetness hidden in shadow.’

Significator #2
Luis
- Tree/Plant: Rowan
- Kenning: ‘Delight of the Eye’
- 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.’

Early Causes
Onn
- Tree/Plant: Gorse
- Kenning: ‘Flame of Fertility’
- Spiritual Lesson: Sacred fire creates; false fire consumes.
- Reflective Question: Where does my fire want to bloom?
- Affirmation: ‘I blaze the barren into bloom.’

Triggering Causes
Muin Blocked
- Tree/Plant: Vine
- Kenning: ‘Binding of Intoxication’
- Spiritual Lesson: True connection uplifts; false ties consume.
- Reflective Question: Where am I entangled in illusion?
- Affirmation: ‘I choose sacred union, not bondage.’

Higher Perceptions
Saille Blocked
- Tree/Plant: Willow
- Kenning: ‘Sweeping Elegance’
- 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.’

Necessary Conclusions
Gort Blocked
- Tree/Plant: Ivy
- Kenning: ‘Tenacity of the Green Path’
- Spiritual Lesson: Persistence must serve true growth.
- Reflective Question: What am I climbing toward—and is it worth it?
- Affirmation: ‘I cling to the light that feeds me.’

The Next Step
Eabhadh
- Tree/Plant: Aspen
- Kenning: ‘Stone of Memory’
- Spiritual Lesson: Some mysteries are meant to be honoured, not solved.
- Reflective Question: What silence am I afraid to name?
- Affirmation: ‘I honour the nameless and remember the unsaid.’

Surprises
Iphin Blocked
- Tree/Plant: Gooseberry
- Kenning: ‘The Tang of Life’
- Spiritual Lesson: Life stings—but it stings to wake you.
- Reflective Question: What bitterness must I bless so it can become my medicine?
- Affirmation: ‘I rise refreshed from the bite of truth.’

The Outcome
Nion
- Tree/Plant: Ash
- Kenning: ‘World-Tree of the Ancestors’
- Spiritual Lesson: True growth demands humility before the unseen web of life.
- Reflective Question: What legacy am I weaving with my daily choices?
- Affirmation: ‘I walk the worlds rooted and crowned.’