The Basics of Divination

One of the more popular practices in neopaganism is divination. Divination is the art of being able to access possibilities in the future (given a linear view of time), whether determining the most likely one or discerning what your options are.

The best recommendation I can give as to how to learn divination is to just do it. The tools available offer a lot of variety, and many may be purchased inexpensively.

Cards: Tarot cards are probably the best-known divinatory tool. They comprise a rich symbolism involving the 22 Major Arcana and the 56 Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana in particular are rife with correspondences from other esoteric systems; for example, each one of the cards represents either a Sepiroth or a pathway from the Qabalistic Tree of Life, and draws on its inherent qualities. However, divination decks have expanded in recent years to feature everything from angels to totem animals to faeries, and also may be designed less for specific, traditional meanings and more towards intuitive interpretation.

Runes & Ogam: The runes derive from Norse and other Germanic cultures, while the ogam is Celtic in origin. Each uses a specific set of culture-specific pictograms, and each pictogram has a specific meaning. Rune stones and ogam sticks are usually, though not always, cast onto a cloth or other clean surface, and the divination is interpreted through how the stones/sticks fall. Both tunes and ogam have mucxh more extensive uses in their religions of origin than just divination, but this is the most popular usage for both symbol systems. Modern variations on this concept of divining through symbols on cast objects include stones that have animals on them, or symbols of the creator's own design.

Pendulum: This is a carefully balanced and weighted stone or other object at the end of a cord. Generally speaking, the cord is held at one end, with the weight at the other. The pendulum is brought to a standstill, and then a yes/no question is asked. The answer is determined based on the direction the pendulum begins to swing on its own, whether clockwise, counterclockwise, or back and forth. What each direction means may vary according to the person using it, and the individual pendulum. While not as romantic, simple yes/no divinations may be determined through a simple coin toss as well, if it is done with the intent to determine the best possible answer.

Ouija board: Oh, fear the might of the scary, ooga-booga ouija board! Seriously, folks, ouija boards aren't inherently evil, and they won't call demons into your home. Most bad experiences come from people who *expected* something bad to happen, and then subconsciously projected their fear into the movements of the planchette. You can use a ouija board for contacting spirits, but you can also just use it to channel your own divinatory abilities.

Some people claim you should only buy (or make) new divination tools; in fact, some runecasters insist that the runes must be made by the person who uses them, and that a lot of people don't take them seriously enough by buying cute little plastic runes-in-a-box. However, a used set of cards or pendulum can be used; it'll just need to be purified first.

This can be done in any number of ways. With something waterproof, such as a stone pendulum, you can place it in a glass of salt water for a few days. Nonwaterproof items, such as tarot cards, may be passed through the smoke of a purificatory incense until they feel "clean". You can even design and perform an official ritual of adoption for your divination tool, whether used or new, to help create a bond with it.

If you choose to make your own set, it's important that you do your research first. I've included a few resources at the end of the article just to get you started. With tarot cards, you can get blank card stock at speciality paper and print stores, or you can use double-layered posterboard--just glue two pieces together and trim them when they're dry. Runes and other stones may be made of clay, wood, painted glass or rocks, or even fimo. Just make sure that all of your stones, cards, etc., are about the same size and shape so you can't tell them apart from the back. Pendulums are best bought unless you're a good enough sculptor to create a balanced weight.

Okay, so you have your divination tool. How what?

As I said, the best way to learn how to divine is through practice. With more complex systems like tarot, get yourself a few books on interpretations and read them, then start doing spreads or castings. Pendulums are easier--the toughest part is learning to be patient and not move your hand even the slightest bit. You'll also want to ask the pendulum, first of all, these three questions: "How do you say Yes?" "How do you say No?" "How do you say Maybe/Not Sure?" See which way it swings after each question. That's how you determine your answers later on.

The first few times you divine, try asking a specific question. This will help you figure out how effective your divination is depending on what the eventual outcome of the situation you ask about is. It's very important to keep a journal of your readings so you can keep track of how successful your divinations are.

As far as getting better at it--practice, practice, practice. You'll find the more you work with your cards/runes/etc., the better you'll get at using your intuition. At first, you can use the interpretations in the books to give you guidelines, and learn how to apply those interpretations to your situation and to each other. After a certain point, though, the interpretation of what each card/rune/etc. means in a specific meaning will come more and more from your intuition and less from the prefabricated ideas. Eventually divination will be second nature to you and you won't need the books any more. The tools remain a good focus, though, no matter how experienced you are, though if you get to the point where you feel you no longer need them, don't keep forcing yourself to work within the restraints of the tool's symbolism.

Divinatory ability varies from person to person; some people may pick it up rather quickly, while others may need the books and such for years. There's nothing wrong with it either way.

One word of caution; something that author Taylor Ellwood has noted is that divination tools can actually cause you to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. By this he means that if a divination turns up a specific result, it may convince you that that is what is absolutely going to happen, and therefore you'll end up manifesting that reality whether you like it or not. He recommend using divination tools to look at a variety of possibilities rather than narrowing the field down just to the most probable. Try doing a series of readings to get multiple possibilities for a specific situation, or as suggestions on ways you can change your life to avoid possible pitfalls. Divination is not fortunetelling in the old Hollywood, Maria Ouspenskaya style. If you get a certain result, it doesn't mean that that's what has to happen. It can be a warning of things to work to avoid, or it may represent a goal to work towards, or it may be the way things are most probably going right now if you don't act on the situation at hand. But you're never stuck with the result whether you like it or not. We are creatures of free will, and therefore are capable of manifesting our own realities.

Here are a few resources to get you started (not an exhaustive list):

Eason, Cassandra (1998). The Handbook of Ancient Wisdom. Sterling Publishing. (Note: I do not recommend this as a primary resource for divination. However, it give s brief overview of many different divination systems. Find the ones that interest you, and then go elsewhere for more in-depth research.)

Gray, Eden (1982). The Complete Guide to the Tarot. Bantam.

Hollander, P. Scott (2002). Tarot For Beginners. Llewellyn Publications.

Thorsson, Edred (1999). Runecaster's Handbook: The Well of Wyrd