Divination is not only to ask questions about your future, but also to reflect upon certain patterns of behaviour. There are many different methods of divination, and here I only include those I either practice or would like to in the future.
I´ve not included Tarot and Lenormand divination, because they both have their own section due to their size (78 and 36 cards) and complexity.
- 36 Divination
- 37 Intuitive Senses
- 38 Scrying
- 39 Dowsing
- 40 Auras
- 41 Numerology
- 42 Cards
- 43 Dices And Dominoes
- 44 Ouija Board
- 45 Western Zodiac
- 46 Chinese Zodiac
- 47 Other Zodiacs
- 48 Runes
- 49 Palmistry
- 50 Tasseography
- 51 Dreaming
Divination : To me it is to get guidance and new insight, interpret patterns and to seek hidden knowledge with the 6th sense. It takes regular practice to learn both symbols and methods, and the important thing is to choose what speaks to you, and as in every other aspect of witchcraft, it is not necessary to buy a lot of tools, if the budget is a bit low. There are lots of free material available for download of e.g. templates for Tarot cards.
Intuitive Senses : The various elements of the sixth sense are e.g. clear knowing/the inner gut feeling, clear hearing/the inner voice, clear seeing/e.g. seeing auras and clear feeling/the feelings of others. They are very useful in divination, because it typically is a personal experience, where you have to truly trust yourself in the moment of truth.
Scrying : I use a crystal ball to seek images and shapes, new ideas.
Dowsing : Crystal pendulum to seek advice and straight answers (Yes, No, Maybe, which Chakra needs to be aligned).
Auras : The energy fields around the body (Chakras inside the body) have different colours with a certain meaning.
Numerology : Numbers reduced to a single digit number between 1 and 9 and interpretation of the number.
Cards : Fortune telling with a deck of cards. Similar to Tarot cards in terms of pip cards and court cards and 4 suits, but with different interpretation. I occasionally use a deck of ordinary playing cards, but I prefer to do a Tarot or Lenormand reading for my divinatory purposes.
Dices And Dominoes : Interpretation of numbers.
Ouija Board : I study it, but I don´t use it, not because of its superstitions, but because I´ve tried once, and I´m just not into this.
Western Zodiac : Astrology, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer (I´m a Cancer), Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.
Chinese Zodiac : 5 elements (Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood), 12 animals (the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Goat, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog and the Pig).
Other Zodiac : Astrology from all over the world.
Runes : General guidance, advice and inspiration from the old Futhark rune alphabet. Typically I use them at the big sabbats like Samhain and Beltane, where the veil is thinnest between the realms of the mundane and the magickal world.
Palmistry : Divination reading hands. A project for future study.
Tasseography : To interpret patterns from tea leaves or coffee grounds is not as easy as it may seem at first glance. So I need some extra patience, before I try this.
Dreaming : Also a future project to keep a dream journal.
Currently, I´m working with Tarot and Lenormand cards, but occasionally I shift to another method of divination in order to learn as much as possible about this part of the Craft. It is a craft in itself to learn more than one method, but it is also practical, because it always depends on the intention behind the wish to know something.
I´m, however, not planning any part of my life from these methods. I only use them for general guidance on tangible aspects of life, like what to expect a week ahead. But my decisions lie in the mundane world, because witchcraft to me has a life of its own that need not getting mixed up with everyday challenges.
Likewise, I´m always careful when reading e.g. a Tarot spread. I read the positive traits in things, and I take negativity with a pinch of salt.
Does it work, then ? Well, I can only speak for myself. Many years ago, I went to a professional Tarot reader and used 2 hours of my life to see if that old method still worked. It did, because certain things happened, whether I looked for them or not. Fortunately, most of them were positive experiences. And the rest is life itself.
I also like to create tools myself, so my runes, the dices and the dominoes are made by me.
Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow will be longer posts, because both Tarot and Lenormand cards have a complexity that needs to be learned, both by studying and practicing. So I´ll include a personal spread on both days in order to show you how I use them in my daily life as a witch.
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