divination

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.

Transitions Lenormand Reading

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Transition Lenotmand Reading - Storytale Lenormand Deck

What shift is taking place in my life?

Clover and Snake – There’s lots of opportunities that look awfully good coming your way, but you need to be careful that you don’t let an opportunity that looks just right end up biting you in the ass. That “grass is always greener” mentality isn’t really true, so make sure you are paying attention to your assumptions.  You want to catch this before it matures. Better self awareness is needed.

What needs to be released so that I can welcome this change?

Tower and Gentleman – Being too on guard is not healthy. It’s not walls that you need in order to protect yourself from the snake among the grass and clover patches.  It’s awareness and strength, as well as owning up to one’s choices and responsibilities.

How will this support my continued growth?

Paths and Lily – Clearer thinking and better decision making will grow from this if you allow yourself to shift with these transitions and follow the wisdom lain out here.

DECK USED: STORYTALE LENORMAND

Fresh Start Lenormand Reading

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Fresh Start Lenormand Reading - The Chelsea Lenormand Red Edition

What is beginning to emerge in my life?

Book and Cross – The ability to add more skills and knowledge under your belt. There’s more to learn, and you are beginning to research all the avenues available to you to make this new venue of research into a success.  This is about the research I have been doing in making myself a functioning commerce website.  There’s a lot of options out there and a lot to learn to make things work.

How does this represent a fresh start for me?

Heart and Letter – Think of this as a love letter to yourself. By bringing this into being, you are giving yourself a sense of security that you have been lacking. It is an act of self-care and a message of self-love as you begin to work at providing for yourself something you’ve recently discovered that you desperately need.

How can I support this new cycle of growth?

Clover and Bouquet – Positivity and an optimistic outlook.  You need to not just see this new cycle as a self-kindness, but put to work the efforts to stay positive in order to keep things open for growth so that you don’t close down, close up, and end up becoming stagnant.  That positive outlook and energy will help keep things on the right track and flowing smoothly.

DECK USED:  CHELSEA LENORMAND RED EDITION

🌕 Full Moon in Leo – February 2022

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Tomorrow is the full “Snow” moon, and like all new moons and full moons, I did a spread aligned to the moon’s current themes as a part of my recognition of the moon’s cycle and influences upon us. Today’s spread is about the medicine within, and brought to you by Ethony‘s Tarot by the Moon series.

L'Oracle de L'Amore

Where is my power during this full moon?

L’Amour en Destinée – Place your trust and confidence in the cycles of life and your belief in the universe to provide you with opportunities to thrive. Shit happens, it’s a part of life. Remember that you are a survivor and will ride the upswing with a strong grip. You will not drown, for there is still too much yet to be had.

What belief, relationship, or habit no longer serves me?

Le Souffle de L’Amour – What is no longer serving you, at least at this time, is belief and habit that drive you to fight even when you are powerless. Try using these moments of powerlessness to rest instead, and to prepare for opportunity to show its face.

What area of life could benefit from me taking a risk?

Les Trois Temples – Here we see an encouragement to let ourselves delve into the passion and connection that sex provides.  There is more to sex than physical unity, and this card is an encouragement to connect more deeply, without fear, and allow that connection to flourish through the three centers of the body, the heart, and the mind.

Where am I being called to be creative and think outside the box?

Les Voiles de L’Amour – Instead of focusing on what’s not going right, focus on what is.  You’ve just experienced a huge upset with a great deal of anxiety.  The thing is?  Instead of waiting for the next shoe to drop, you should be enjoying this time, breathing in and letting the calm wash over you as you take pleasure in the moment. The future will take care of itself, don’t let your worries block your view of what you have to cherish and enjoy in the present.

Where am I seeking validation in my life?

Le Mystère Amoureux – Self care is not something that you can be given by others, it’s something you have to do for yourself.  Validation won’t come from others, no matter how much you want it to.  It is within that you need to find what you seek, and that includes the motivation to actually do the things that tend to your well being rather than allowing distractions to pull you from the love you need to receive… from yourself.

Full Moon advice from the Minoan Goddess Amalthea.

L’Amour Cosmique -Step away from mental rigidity and allow fluidity, curiosity, and adaptation to take the wheel. Struggles and turbulence are an opportunity to show how well you can bounce back from a stumble.  Don’t allow these distractions to pull you off course of your chosen path towards the person you want to become and where you want to go in your life.

DECK USED: L’ORACLE DE L’AMOUR

Divination – How Does It Work?

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This is a perspectives prompt that was offered up recently by one of the Discord servers that I’m a member of. Question: “How do you think divination works? To give some context to the question – there are various models I know of. For instance, some say that your tarot deck connections to The Universe. What do you think?“

I get this question often with long-term clients, and the thing is? That “where does the message come from?” question is actually pretty common when you read for others. The thing is, the answer is different for everyone depending on their beliefs, their skillset, and their sensitivities. Some options are…

1) The Universe – This includes but is not limited to God, other deity, divinity of all forms, and other “universal” energies or personalities. The way that I see divinity is that it is essentially the energies of creation, evolution, and balance in all things. People interpret these energies differently depending on their belief system and to parse out what “parts and pieces” of these energies they specifically want to deal with.

2) The Dead (whether it is the individual or their residual energy) – Mediumship is a thing. There are those that receive messages from the dead as their main source of divination. There are others that the dead surely influence their readings without them even realizing.

3) Guiding Spirits – This could include the dead and ancestors, but also includes the Fae, angels, demons, and other entities that are there in the background to help guide and protect you.

4) Other Entities – Sometimes mischief makers can influence a reading. These aren’t guiding spirits so much as entities out for their own agendas. Most people who encounter this issue, in my experience, find that they were divining just fine and then suddenly find that their deck/pendulum/etc is “acting up”. They cleanse the deck and in the process end up repelling the entity regardless of the fact that the entity is probably not residing in the tool being used.

5) The Subconscious – Our brains are busy working things out all the time in the background, and we don’t even realize it. Sometimes the messages we receive from divination come straight out of that dark inner working of gears, no external influences involved. This also includes communicating with your inner child and other parts of your past and present self.

6) Our Intuition – That mysterious “inner knowing” we all have. Some tap into it more easily than others, and some use divination to translate what their intuition has to say.

7) Clair-senses and Other Abilities – Much like with one’s intuition, sometimes these “other” abilities can be hard to understand and interpret without a little help. Divination can often provide that intermediary / translator needed in these situations.

I see divination as a bridge between languages. The languages of the above sources… and your conscious mind and understanding. Whether it’s pendulums, tarot cards, scrying, automatic writing, etc… the divination method is meant to help you better understand what needs to be seen, heard, or understood. It’s there to help you communicate with yourself and these other entities, elements, and energies.

Imbolc 2022

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This evening through ’til tomorrow evening is Imbolc (also known as Candlemas, Imbolg, and Brigid’s Day), which marks the half way point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, and signifies the transition from winter into the first stirrings of spring. This holiday is about life renewing, but in the hidden darkness of cold months and dark earth.  Deep in the darkness seeds stir and roots begin to feel the warming of the earth as the days grow longer and nights shorter. Life awakens, invisible in its infancy.

imbolc

Like with new moons and full moons, I usually do a spread to check in with myself and give myself some direction for the next couple of months for each solstice, equinox, and other Sabbats. This spread is an adaptation of my Self Care Saturday spread, so there are sure to be  some similarities in how it is read. The focus of this spread, though, is not about Self Care, but rather about progress and my path. The time period is also longer, reaching through the next handful of weeks until the celebration of the upcoming Spring Equinox at the end of March.

Sabbat Themed Art Card, Pagan Underworlds Tarot, Compendium Of Witches Oracle, Healing Herbal Cards Vol 1 & 2

Theme of the Season – Imbolc, New Moon, Echinacea pallida

Imbolc – Beneath ice and snow, the earth stirs. The sun’s rays spend more time kissing her skin, and she warms deep within.  Seeds, once frozen solid and dormant in the cold, begin to awaken within the depths of the soil.  We cannot yet see what grows as seeds and roots begin to awaken from their sleep, but soon these stirrings will break free from the surface to share their renewal with us all.

New Moon – In the ebb and flow of the moon’s cycle, the New Moon is a time of rest. This lowest point in the moon’s energy and influence gives us a moment to pause.  To breathe.  To reflect upon the now, and on what is to come.

Echinacea pallida – In spellwork (at least in my path), Echinacea flowers are most commonly used as both an energy and intention amplifier, as well as sometimes as a blood substitute. It can also be used to bolster stamina, and increase one’s protections and/or prosperty.

When looking at these three cards together, the theme that I see here is that now is a time to gather strenght.  Instead of expending it at every turn, let it spool in and grow.  Give yourself time to shore up your reserves and build upon your energy base.  Just as the roots begin to feel the warmth of the sun, absorb it in and begin to gather energies needed to burst forth with new life in the spring… so too do you need to do the same.

Earth – Two of Pentacles Rx – You can do better to get a balance in your life in the areas of your self-care and your stability endeavors (finances, responsibilities, etc). The feeling of imbalance in your life right now is about the fact that you are not focusing enough on making sure you’re keeping things distributed in a healthy manner.

Air – Two of Wands Rx – Don’t stall out. There has been a good deal of advice from the cards lately on how to keep from feeling as if you’re falling into a mire of stagnacy.  Make sure you are taking small steps forward instead of induging in inactivity and resistance.

Water – Page of Wands – Stay motivated to explore your emotions, and invested in learning new ways to manage your emotional health and well-being.  You need to stay on top of this and aware of what’s going on with these elementsof your life instead of discounting them and ignoring them.

Fire – Five of Cups – Everything echoes back to your emotional well-being and stability right now. Make sure you are focusing on optimism and not allowing yourself to sink or stall out. Doing so will set you back everywhere.

Waning – Weaver atop Veil Walker – You have spent too much time focusing on the practical and need to turn instead to something more frivolous.  Life doesn’t always need to be about survival and what you need. Lighter times and having a bit of fun are just as important.

Waxing – Comforter atop Distaff – Set down your authority and responsibility long enough to truly enjoy and savor the little things and small comforts.  Sometimes if you spend too much time tending the soil, you end up missing the blooms.

Take Away – This entire reading is a warning on an incoming depression and encouragement on how to mitigate its effects. Although this reading is usually about my spiritual journey, what we see here is that something else (the depression) is going to overtake that journey if I don’t find a way to keep it in hand.

DECKS USED: SABBAT THEMED ART CARD, PAGAN UNDERWORLDS TAROT, COMPENDIUM OF WITCHES ORACLE, HEALING HERBAL CARDS VOL 1 & 2