divination tools

When to Cleanse Divination Tools

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This is a prompt from one of the Discord servers that I’m a member of.
“Do you cleanse your divination tools or anything else that you may use? If so, how often? If not, why is that?“

So, I know that the question is about divination tools, but I thought I would add a bit extra to the response as divination tools are not the only tools that get cleansed in my practice.

Ritual tools get cleansed and consecrated before each ritual (as opposed to spellwork tools, which might or might not get cleansed beforehand). This is because rituals are for sacred appreciation and connection with divinity. Spellwork is more about goals and intention.

Divination tools get cleansed when it feels like they need it. For me, this boils down to clairsentience and psychometry. My hands are very sensitive to energy so I can feel when energy I don’t want in the deck is there, and will cleanse it to resolve the issue.

This “unclean” feeling usually feels like a creeping cloying prickle/tingle feeling on the inside of the skin/beneath the skin starting in the palms and spreading through inside of forearms to outside of biceps. It can often create an urge to want to wash my hands. For cleansing during these instances, I use smoke cleansing, and go through the deck one card at a time, passing each card through the smoke while pushing my own energy through the card to “crowd out” and cleanse away the unpleasant energies I want to get rid of.

That said? I do minor cleansing of my decks when I use them just due to the fact that 1) I naturally push my energy through the deck during the shuffling process and 2) after having recently worn the finish off my wooden reading surface, I’ve shifted to using a selenite plate for shuffling and “knocking” of the deck during the shuffling process. I also have one in quartz, but I prefer the selenite one better.

Other divination tools are similarly done. If they feel “off” energetically, I’ll cleanse them with either selenite, smoke cleansing, or both while pushing my own energy through them.

#NoDisclaimersTarot Non-VR to Katey Flowers

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So recently (as in sometime in the past few months?) Katey Flowers on YouTube did a hashtag challenge and I really enjoyed it. I haven’t done one of these “non-VRs” in a while and I thought this would be a fun one to jump in on.

What trends/tropes in tarot annoy you the most?

Modern Witch Tarot

Lack of diversity while being marketed as diverse. (Hello, Modern Witch Tarot which was initially marketed as “diverse” and yet is women only; and the Lady Tarot Cards which says they are “for LGBT women and nonbinary people” and “absolutely trans inclusive”, and yet again, only depicts women. Keep in mind here, I’m not against all-women decks. What I’m against is the false advertising/marketing bullshit of saying something that they aren’t in order to drive up the hype.

Labeling decks “tarot” when they are not a tarot deck. I wrote an entire post about this.

BIG f’ing deck boxes. W.T.F. They’re inconvenient, unwieldy, and take up WAY too much space. I don’t understand why, instead of making the box fit the book, they can’t make the book fit the box by making it smaller in surface area and thicker.

Which deck do you feel is overrated?

Wild Unknown Tarot

The Wild Unknown. It’s not so much that the artwork isn’t great and the deck isn’t amazing. The artwork is great and the deck is amazing, and for its time when it came out? It was groundbreaking. The thing is? It’s constantly mentioned as a “beginner deck” which it absolutely is not.

Can you learn with it? Yes. But there’s a vast array of truly beginner tarot decks out there that will make that learning process far smoother, quicker, and easier.

What are your least favourite decks you’ve seen since joining TarotTube?

Mystic Mondays Tarot

I don’t broadcast on YouTube, but I have been watching it for a few years. So least favorite?

Hmmm, Mystic Mondays Tarot. I hate to say it, but the creator pretty much turned me off to this deck. It came out first through Kickstarter and there was a whole kerfuffle about it ending up releasing mass market prior to people getting their KS copies. The creator did not handle the kerfuffle well and was extremely rude (bordering on abusive) in her responses. It just completely turned me off a deck I wasn’t really all that interested in in the first place.

Tabula Mundi. This might be because I struggle with the artwork in the original Thoth deck? The Tabula Mundi feels like very similar artwork/energy… just modern and edgier.

The last isn’t really a specific deck, but a style. That gold on black design that’s become really popular the last few years.

The Marigold Tarot was somewhere at the beginning and is absolutely beautiful, but there’s so many of them out there now, and honestly? They all look the same to me because it’s just gold on black over and over again. I own a few, but I find that I rarely reach for them because it just feels so very over-done now.

What is one card that has ruined a deck for you?

Light Seer's Tarot

The afterbirth/urination card (Magician / Sorceress) in the Tarot Restless. (ew!)

The dog shit card (Five of Pentacles) in the Mystic Garbage Tarot. (again… ew!)

The revised Ten of Swords in the Light Seers Tarot. The original artwork is something I connected to very deeply, and the new version that Chris Anne replaced it with when people went into an uproar just doesn’t… connect the same for me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a beautiful and expressive deck, but the deck just doesn’t connect the same for me personally with the replacement card.

Which out of print deck do you wish was still in print?

Slow Holler Tarot

The Slow Holler tarot. So beautiful. So brilliant. I feel it should be more circulated than it is, and needs a lot more love instead of “holy too-expesive-to-buy-now reverence”.

It should be loved for its theme, it’s artwork, and what lies behind its creation… not just known notoriously as the deck out of everyone’s reach because getting one’s hands on a copy is so expensive.

What are some of your tarot and TarotTube pet peeves?

I think my biggest is the same as Katy Flowers’ in this case. It’s the “should” and “have to” that run the course of actually being exclusionary to people that say… read with reversals or don’t. Do mediumship, or don’t. Do predictive readings, or don’t. Tarot practice is not a cookie cutter practice so it bothers me when I see people looking down on others for this or that as if it’s “distasteful” or wrong, when instead it’s just simply another way of doing things.

At the same time? Tarot is a system. It has a specific structure. It bugs the hell out of me when people just make up their own meanings for the cards that have absolutely nothing to do with the tarot meanings at all. Why not go with oracle or image-only cards if you’re going to do this? Why instead corrupt an established system?

What are some decks that you feel should have more recognition?

Ink Witch Tarot

The Stolen Child Tarot – The artwork in this deck is absolutely breathtaking and it’s a take on the cards that I have not seen done before… and is done well.

The Ink Witch Tarot – Absolutely brilliant modern representations in the tarot in an art style that is both beautiful and soothing to the senses.

Journey of the Bearded Tarot – I love the illustrations in this deck, and I can’t believe I’d never heard of this deck before when I stumbled across it on Etsy.

Wonderland Tarot in a Tin

Wonderland Tarot in a Tin – This deck is has the sharpest tone when it answers questions out of any deck I have ever used. It isn’t mean, but it is bare-bones honestly blunt and sharp, and takes no prisoners.

Thera-Pets Emotional Support Animal Cards – If you suffer from depression? You may benefit from this deck. I know that I certainly have. Whenever an MDE comes on, I pull out this deck to help in the journey through the depression and subsequent climb back out of the pit.

What are your thoughts on negative reviews (on decks)?

I think that addressing both the negative and positive qualities of a deck are both important. People read/watch reviews in order to know if the deck is something they’ll want to purchase, and as such it’s important to cover both the good and bad elements of a deck when doing a review. I don’t particularly like reviews that are only good or only bad as they just seem biased and that I’m missing the full picture. I want to hear both.

Presence & Persistence Tarot Reading

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Presence & Persistence Tarot Reading with the Faunabelle Tarot

PRESENCE: What do I most need to be present with right now?

The Sun – Focus on the positive and push optimism right now. It’s time to start the climb out of your depression’s pit, and leaning into positivity can help you in scaling those walls. Lean into these themes and stay focused on where you want to go as the light begins to grow brighter and brighter above.

EASE: What do I need to ease off on?

Seven of Cups – Stop worrying so much about all of the different crap you need to do.  You’re unnecessarily overwhelming yourself.  Consider just doing one small thing a day.  Even just a tiny little thing is more than nothing and will keep you from getting stalled out with the overwhelming amount of options on what to do that are out there.  It’s about doing one small thing a day right now, not “what can we get done”.

PERSIST: What do I need to persist with, even if it’s challenging?

Five of Wands – Hold onto your moral compass and your values.  Push back is natural now and then, but don’t give up.  Instead, look at shifting your trajectory and those of others so you can unite your passions to a purpose instead of butting heads.

GIFT: What am I learning through all this?

Ace of Cups – You’re still at the beginning of your emotional learning journey.  You need to focus on enjoying the journey more instead of where you’re going or what you need to get done.

DECK USED: FAUNABELLE TAROT

Weathering the Storm Lenormand Reading

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Mystery Secret Lenormand

What recent storms have I faced?

Man and Fish – An inability to adapt as fluidly as you would like. Issues with Etsy, struggles with depression… all of these sort of things are usually something that you are able to stand strong during and adapt to as they happen. During the past few months, though, there’s been a lot of rigidity and an inability to adapt, which has in turn caused a lot of unnecessary anxiety, among other things.

What have a learned about myself through these difficulties?

Crossroads and Rider – You need to be more decisive.  Don’t hesitate to make choices, even when feeling uncertain. It’s okay to have to course correct later, as by keeping moving you continue to adapt instead of allowing yourself and the energies around you to go stagnant.

How can I gain strength to face future challenges?

Heart and Snake – Don’t take everything to heart as a betrayal. Sometimes people fuck up and it’s not intentional or directed at you specifically. Make sure you are not falling into a victim mentality where every hurt and slight appears as if it is an attack… when in truth it’s not about you at all.

DECK USED: MYSTERY SECRETS LENORMAND

Hidden Beauty Lenormand Reading

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Hidden Beauty Reading with the Forest Path Lenormand

What seeds have been planted in my life?

Tower and Moon – It’s time to bring awareness to the emotional isolation that depression can create.  Pay attention to this issue and make sure that you take steps to mitigate this influence.  By bringing attention to this issue, these cards are planting a seed that can allow you move into a healthier head space and help you stay open to others even during darker times.

What is beginning to grow that may surprise me?

Heart and Clover – Just how very lucky in love you truly are.

How can I take this time to appreciate the beauty that is around me?

Mountain and Tree – This has nothing to do with the actual meaning of these cards, but as an encouragement to get out into nature and go hiking among the woods in the trees. Many of my mountain trails are starting to open back up, although there’s still a lot of snow. But, as a trade-off, there are not a lot of hikers. It is a perfect time to get out there and enjoy this part of nature that will become crowded later on and you’ll want to avoid n preference of more secluded spots.

DECK USED: FOREST PATH LENORMAND

Personal Divination Practices

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Recently, one of the Discord servers that I’m a member of posted this question… “What is divination to you? What does it feel like when you do it?”

Casting Lots Divination

Divination is a great many things to me as it’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, my mother started both my twin and myself out with Lenormand cards as bedtime story prompts when we were children. The three of us would take turns pulling a card, and using it to add to the story.

So, for me, divination is bedtime stories with my mother and twin sister when she and I were little.

It’s campfire stories in creaky lawn chairs around a fire with playing cards for prompts.

It’s lazy weekends in the woods communing with the trees, and communication with deity during devotionals and ritual.

It’s seeking answers, reassurances, and sometimes? A little bit of forewarning of what’s to come.

It’s speaking to my subconscious and letting it have a louder voice when it tries to whisper back, connecting to ancestors and guides allowing for easier communication, and a way of coaxing out my wounded inner self to have a heart to heart.

It’s a way for me to help myself, and help others as well.

Sometimes? It’s just something to pass the time or sate my curiosity.

Tarot Decks

All of these feel different on a physical, emotional, intuitive, and psychological level. That is because they are all very different, and yet they are also all the same in some ways. The resounding way in which they all feel the same, though, is in that they all feel… right. A puzzle piece that slips into place and fits just right. That’s how it feels.

I think there are certain types of divination that fit better with different forms of inquiry. And, that not all kinds are suited to all people. I personally haven’t really been able to connect with things like automatic writing, mirror scrying, or flame reading, for example. Whereas cards, and especially cards with rich imagery on them, are very easy for me to use.

Throughout the past 20+ years, I’ve used a variety of different divination techniques from multiple different types of card decks (tarot, lenormand, playing cards, oracles, game cards, etc) to pendulums, casting lots (runes, charms, oghams, dice, etc), coin spinning, stick and stone casting, tasseomancy, reading dust motes, stichomancy, smoke reading, and many more (I like to explore and experiment).

Divination Coins

I’m sure that I’ll be exploring more in the future, as well. Some will come easy and become a part of my practice in some way, while others won’t be suited to me and I’ll pass on them and move on to something else.