What Is Divination?
Divination is the use of tools or outside sources, as a way to communicate to the other side, the unseen places. This is a form of spirituality that goes way back in time to our ancient ancestors in many cultures. There are so many forms of divination methods.
Why is divination important in spirituality?
Why is the art of Divination important when you walk a spiritual path? For many it can be difficult to translate the language of the spirits and what it is that they want to communicate with us. Using age old systems formulated through different sciences helps us connect and have a lot more clarity. Now this doesn’t mean you are unable to communicate directly to source but simply means you may require a source in which to channel this message.
Methods Of Divination
Every culture has their own methods of divination and ways of connecting to the source, spirits, ancestors and guides. Today in magickal communities there are a few forms of divination that are popularly used in the west.
Tarot
Tarot is one of the most popular forms used in western spiritual circles today. This system is based on a set of cards and just like your regular deck of playing cards, tarot has four suits, with each suit there are 14 cards which include the King, Queen, Knight and Page. Also, in the tarot there is the Major Acana which consists of 21 cards.
The cards are simply a systematic way of divining messages and the tarot reader is simply a translator.
As Tarot is the most popular and well known art of divination, there are a few more are popular used today, like Astrology.
Astrology
Yes Astrology is a form of Divination :-). For myself I use Astrology, and I don’t see many add this way of communicating messages to the list of divination methods. Understanding astrology, you will learn how to read the message the universe is delivering. As astrology in general is a form of divination, Horary Astrology can be a more direct approach when needing the yes or no answers.
Other Divination Methods
Bone Throwing
Usually a kit of bones, shells and other objects depending on the practitioner and what they resonate with. Each piece of bone has a specific meaning and when thrown it is the relationship and how each piece relates to one another that tells the story.
Tea Leaf Readings
A type of fortune-telling, interpreting patterns of tea leaves, the symbols and shapes that are leftover in the tea cup.
Pendulums
An object, usually a crystal or stone on a chain that’s hung at a fixed stable position, then swung back and forth to determine the, yes, no or maybe answer. Before it’s use the fortune-teller determines the direction the pendulum uses for yes & no. The direction for maybe is usually in a circular motion. This can sometimes differ with each use and with each pendulum.
Mirror Scrying
Other known names for scrying is seeing or peeping, which is the practice of gazing into a suitable medium to receive messages, symbols or visions. For Mirror Scrying it’s typically done with a black mirror preferably an obsidian mirror or obsidian in the form of a flat surface.
Water Scrying
Hydromancy, much like mirror scrying, however the source of gazing into other realms is water. Typically water placed in a solid color basin to view and receive messages
Crystal Balls
Catoptromancy or Crystal Gazing into the Crystal ball is another form of a seeing and peeping, scrying practice for fortune-tellers used for many years
Runes
Runes are an ancient proto-Germanic tradition dating back to potentially the 1st century AD. They consist of a runic alphabet of 24 letters, usually made out of wood or stone that were used as a method of fortune-telling and protection sigils. See the rest of this article by Two Wander
Numerology
In modern numerological terminology, arithmancy is a form of divination based on assigning numerical value to a word or phrase, by means of English Qaballa, or a simplified version of ancient Greek isopsephy, or Hebrew/Aramaic gematria adapted to the Latin alphabet (e.g. English Qabalah). Wikipedia
FINDING WHAT WORKS FOR YOU
In any case not every one’s energy is the same, so naturally the way you receive downloads from the universe and the unseen will differ, so picking the form of divination that you are drawn to and not what popularity dictates is important.
The way this can be done is simply by testing the waters, meaning try different methods and see which one you connect to. This is the tried and true way and who knows….you may hit the jackpot on the first thing you try!
For example:
If you begin working with tarot cards and you find the concept easy and you understand it, however there is just something about it that you are unable to grasp. For myself the tarot cards can be a little distracting, so I do not resonate with this form of divination, but this revelation only came after taking a tarot 101 and practicing for a while.
Was it a waste of my time? No, I don’t believe the acquiring of any knowledge is a waste. This knowledge of tarot helps me be able to understand and follow along when a reading is being provided, and even connect it to understanding what the universe is speaking through astrology.
In the world of magick and spirituality, it’s best to obtain the knowledge of several methods of divination to be able to understand how the system of magick works in general. Also, you never know what the future of your path may hold with all the information you have absorbed.
I set out on a path to understand how magick works and wanted to learn all I could about the foundations of spirituality. All the knowledge I have obtained over the years can now be paid forward and help others.
My Message To You About Divination
Learn as much as you can, be patient and do not give up! You are unique and have a unique way of communing with the spirits, ancestors and guides.
How will you know which form of divination is right for you?
When you feel at ease and all of the information and the system of that method resonates with you, this will be the one! And who knows, your gift may be just speaking directly to the spirits, because after all methods of divination is just a system to ONLY aid us in ways to communicate.