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 Ór Blocked	Triggering Causes
Émancholl Blocked	Necessary Conclusions	Fearn
Significator #1	Eabhadh Blocked	Significator #2
Gort Blocked	Next Step	Ur Blocked
	Ngetal Blocked
	Surprising Experiences Straif Blocked
	Outcome Uilleann

 

 

 

 

Significator #1

Gort Blocked

• Tree/Plant: Ivy
• Kenning: ‘Tenacity of the Green Path’

Blocked Ivy suffocates instead of survives. Are you holding onto dead things? Are you climbing structures that no longer serve you? Growth for its own sake is cancer. Attach wisely—or learn when to release.

• 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.’

 

 

 

 

 

Significator #2

Ur Blocked

• Tree/Plant: Heather
• Kenning: ‘Flower of Dreams’

Blocked Heather is escapism, false hope, or emotional dissociation. Dreams without grounding become fantasy. Tend your dreams like gardens, not castles in the air. Hope is sacred—not to be wasted on illusions.

• Spiritual Lesson: Dreams demand roots as much as wings.
• Reflective Question: What fragile dream do I need to protect and nourish?
• Affirmation: ‘I dream with rooted hope.’

 

 

 

 

 

Early Causes

Émancholl Blocked

• Tree/Plant: Double Hazel / ‘Lover’s Vine’
• Kenning: ‘The Sacred Pair’

Blocked Émancholl is entanglement without purpose. You may be caught in patterns that mirror old pain, not new growth. Not all bonds are sacred. Some vines must be cut to allow new growth.

• Spiritual Lesson: True connection is mutual transformation.
• Reflective Question: What relationship calls me to become more than myself?
• Affirmation: ‘I grow through sacred union.’

 

 

 

 

 

Triggering Causes

Fearn

• Tree/Plant: Alder
• Kenning: ‘Shield of the Warriors’

Alder thrives between earth and water—the place of negotiation, the meeting of opposites. Fearn calls you to step into the battleground of life, not with brutish force, but with fluid adaptability. Stand where others fear to stand. Your strength will come from your ability to bridge worlds, broker peace, or hold your ground with dignity. Alder wood dyes water red—a sign that some sacrifices are honourable and necessary.

• Spiritual Lesson: Strength is found not in stubbornness, but in sacred resilience.
• Reflective Question: What cause truly deserves my courage right now?
• Affirmation: ‘I am the bridge and the battleground.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Higher Perceptions

Ór Blocked

• Tree/Plant: Spindle Tree
• Kenning: ‘Weaver’s Gold’

When Ór is blocked, you weave chaos or refuse the loom entirely. Inaction and distraction are just as dangerous as the wrong actions. Choose the thread. Begin the weave. The future waits to be dressed.

• Spiritual Lesson: Destiny is not found—it is crafted.
• Reflective Question: What thread must I pick up now, even if it scares me?
• Affirmation: ‘I spin my future with sacred hands.’

 

 

 

 

 

Necessary Conclusions

Eabhadh Blocked

• Tree/Plant: Aspen
• Kenning: ‘Stone of Memory’

When Eabhadh is blocked, you're drowning in ambiguity or paralysed by what can't be understood. But not all truths are meant to be solved—some are meant to be witnessed.

• 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.’

 

 

 

 

 

The Next Step

Ngetal Blocked

• Tree/Plant: Reed
• Kenning: ‘Voice of the Waters’

Blocked Reed creates noise instead of music. Are your words sowing confusion? Are you shouting when you should be silent? Miscommunication can rot trust quickly. Return to simplicity. Speak from the quiet place inside, not the ego’s storm.

• Spiritual Lesson: The purest messages are the simplest.
• Reflective Question: What truth needs my voice right now?
• Affirmation: ‘I am the voice of clear waters.’

 

 

 

 

 

Surprises

Straif Blocked

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

Blocked Blackthorn is bitterness without evolution. Hardship can become identity if you refuse its medicine. Don’t wear your scars like trophies. Wear them like wisdom. Refuse to become thorny just because the world is.

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

 

 

 

 

 

The Outcome

Uilleann

• Tree/Plant: Honeysuckle
• Kenning: ‘Hidden Sweetness’

Uilleann wraps and winds—sweetness found not in plain sight, but in spirals. This is the glyph of unseen blessings and secret pathways. Trust the detour. Trust the fragrance that pulls at your soul. Follow what draws you, not what shouts at you. Life’s richest nectar is rarely on the main road.

• 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.’