A Primer On Divination

Every culture on the planet has devised different methods of divination. From stargazing, throwing bones and charms, to drawing cards, and swinging pendulums. 

And it is so cool!

I unabashedly love divination, and would love nothing more than to learn every divination system in history! Unfortunately for me, I am but a mere mortal and don’t have all the time in the world, nor a degree in anthropology. But that won’t stop me from trying!

But before I dedicate a not small portion of my blog to the many different forms of divination, I thought it might be prudent to give a primer of sorts for divination. What is it? How does it work? What can you actually do with it? Let’s run through it, and a bit more. 

First off…

What Is Divination?

Divination is just seeking knowledge through occult means. That could be a knowledge of the past, present, or future, an insight into a situation and the energies surrounding it, or knowledge of different possible paths. Divination is great for getting the vibe of a situation, or for getting a little bit of insight when you’re stuck. Usually, this involves using some sort of tool for reading like cards or stones, though not always. A reading usually, though not always, starts with a question which you then go to the reading method of choice for answers. These questions can range from simple to life-changing. Like, is now a good time for this spell versus what are the outcomes of these two job offers or what is the path of this relationship. 

How Does It Work?

There are a lot of different theories and thoughts on this question! And it will really depend on who you’re asking and their philosophies on witchcraft. But, in the absolute simplest terms, the two biggest camps are that 1) the divination tool is being guided by an outside force, or 2) that the tool is tapping into the questioner’s subconscious thoughts and bringing them to the forefront. We’re going to take a quick look into both of these because how you view how a divination system works will affect how you use divination!

The first one, that the reading is being guided by an outside force, can take a lot of different forms depending on the person doing the reading. A reader might ask for the aid of deities, spirits, ancestors, or the universe as a whole for guidance in the reading. If the divination tool is one that works on movements like a spirit board, dice, or pendulum it is thought that those entities are actually moving the tools. With things like cards and castings, the thought is that the spirits help guide the cards to where they need to be to give the answers.

The second big camp is that a divination method is really just a tool that the reader is using to access deeper parts of their mind. Full disclosure, this tends to be the way I look at most divination! So the idea is that you know the answer to a lot of these questions already, you just need a little help bringing it to the surface. Or through the reading, you get a framework to help you think through the problem. For example, I may already know which job would work best for me deep down, but doing a tarot spread on them might help me bring it all to the front and give more form to them.

There are other views about how it works, but the main ideas are pretty well encompassed in these two broad categories. And for a lot of people, there are a lot of places where these two ideas mix and bleed into each other. For most of my divination, I tend to have a view more aligned with the subconscious idea, but when I am doing my deity message readings, I definitely feel outside energy leading the reading. In the end, there’s not really a definitive answer, because no one really knows! It really comes down to what makes sense to you.

Who Can Do Divination?

Some people think that you have to be bestowed with a special gift to do any kind of divination; that it is a talent passed down through the generations and you have to be touched by the gods to have any kind of intuition. Now it is true that psychic abilities and divination may come easier to certain people than others, but so does math. It doesn’t mean that the rest of us are doomed to never be able to multiply! The reality is that anyone who wants to can perform divination! It is something that takes practice and work, but everyone’s got the ability on some level. 

What Method Is Right For You?

How or even if you practice divination is a completely personal choice. There are a million ways to do divination and there’s no way you’re ever going to learn them all unless you make it your job. So how is a person to choose where to focus?!?

Calm down hypothetically overwhelmed witch! There are a few things that you can start with to help narrow down your starting point. 

    1. What You Are Drawn To

    This is probably the most important thing when it comes to finding the divination methods that are right for you. You want to find a system that calls to you on a personal level, and this is just wherever you find yourself focusing! You can try getting a one or two sentence description about a divination system off the internet and see if it piques your interest. And if it doesn’t, that’s alright! Tarot is one of the most popular divination systems in the world, but if you just don’t feel a connection to the cards, then tarot is probably not right for you! But if you’ve always wondered about tea leaf readings, that would probably be a great place to start. Never feel like you “have to” use a certain form of divination just because a lot of other people do. You do what you’re drawn to!

    2. Your Divination Needs

    Different divination systems have different strengths and weaknesses in terms of the types of questions and situations they work best in. Some people prefer systems that give a lot of detail, while others want quick, simple answers and aren’t fussed about the little pieces. If you already have an idea of what you’re looking for in an answer, it would probably be best to pick a divination system to fit. For example, tarot is great for a lot of things, but not the best choice for simple yes or no questions. Palmistry is great for big, overarching life questions, but less ideal for immediately applicable advice. 

    3. Accessibility

    It can be really helpful to choose a system that is easy to get information on. That’s one reason why so many people start with tarot cards. There are a ton of resources for learning tarot, which makes it relatively easy to find a method that works for you. But there are other divination methods that are easy to find information on. Pendulums are easy to get the hang of, easier to find information on, and even easier to make yourself. Anything that you can find ample information on is going to be a better starting point for someone new to divination.

    There’s also financial accessibility. We all would love to own a $100 gold leaf tarot deck and a crystal ball the size of our heads but most of us don’t have the cash to drop on crazy expensive tools right away (or, you know, ever). So I always recommend you start with something you can get your hands on relatively quickly and easily. A lot of divination systems use things you can find around your house or make yourself pretty easily. Or you can buy something for relatively cheap. Heck, for palmistry all you need is your hand and the internet!

When Should You Do Divination?

There seems to be this weird idea that you only ever consult divination in the direst of circumstances. That you must approach every time you use it with the utmost of respect and reverence, and that it isn’t something to attempt lightly. And that is a complete misconception. My best guess as to where this comes from is the stereotypical ideas of what a professional reader looks like? A lot of people have an image of a classic “fortune-teller” who wears flowing skirts and a ton of chiming necklaces and bracelets, who pulls tarot cards one by one mysteriously from a deck. But, like a lot of stereotypical depictions, that isn’t the most accurate view, nor does it give the best idea about when a reading is appropriate. 

If you decide for yourself that you really only want that kind of advice for really important things that are up to you, but it definitely doesn’t have to have as much gravitas as that. You can do a divination reading any time you feel like you need a little bit of guidance. For a lot of people, readings are a part of their everyday routines. A witch might do a daily tarot card pull to get some upfront advice for the day. Or they might grab a deck just whenever they feel like they could use a little help.

I’m not saying to ask the universe for input on every little aspect of your life. No one wants to become overly reliant on divination, and you probably don’t need to bust out the bones to tell if you should buy mango or papaya. There is a balance to be struck between that and only consulting the cards when you think you’re about to die. 

So Basically,

Divination is fun, fascinating, and useful! It’s a practice that millions of people have used throughout the course of human history, and so can you! It’s just a matter of practice, patience, and a desire to learn and grow. Divination can take many forms and everyone has a different take on how it works and how to do it. The most important thing is finding what feels right to you, and what works. So go out, grab yourself a set of dice, and start asking questions!