Pagan Blog Project: "D is for Divination"

The BPB is a fun and interesting project to be a part of, but every time there’s a new letter, for some reason I always seem to “use up my good topic” the first week around! ^__^;; For “D”, I immediately knew I wanted to write about the Duat (which I did last time), so when it came to week two I was sort of at a loss. Then it occurred to me that, despite my techniques not having a direct relationship to Kemeticism, Divination plays a big role in my existence as simply a practitioner of heka, or magic.

I practice two forms of Divination, one I like to call “For Me” and the other “For Them.” I classify them like this, mostly because one I use much more intimately for personal questions/communicating with my Deities, and the other I use mostly to help others (my “free readings”, etc).

“For Me Divination” is my practice of Tarot. I haven’t been reading Tarot for very long, only a few months now, but it has already proved an effective method for helping me understand myself better and what I need, and it’s also proved quite useful for communicating with my Deities. I have, so far, been able to communicate most successfully and clearly with Het-heru and Nebt-het through Tarot. I use the Shadowscapes Tarot Deck, a popular, Rider-Waite-based deck sporting gorgeous watercolor illustrations of a very fantasy/elemental nature.

Here are my cards, in the lovely and adorable knitted pouch my Mom made for them ^_^

This deck instantly connected with me due to the elemental features – the paintings very much play-up the Elements associated with each Minor Arcana, for example (Water for Cups, Fire for Wands, Air for Swords, and Earth for Pentacles). I’m an extremely elemental person when it comes to magic, so that works well for me. The deck seems to already have a pretty good understanding of me, despite our short time together so far, as my readings often turn out very accurate for what does/did happen in my day, and just in general. I often laugh out loud when reading Tarot, the cards just know me. I read Tarot usually once a day – a “Daily Tarot” draw (one card) – as sort of a “message” or “theme” for my day. Other than daily Tarot, I use my cards to communicate with my Deities (like I mentioned), which I’ve done about three times now (doing this takes a lot of energy out of me, and it takes time, so I only use Tarot to ask Them questions when I really need clarification about something/need to speak with Them for important reasons).

The “For Them Divination” that I do is Bibliomancy. Bibliomancy is divination by books – the random choosing of a page/paragraph/section of a book (or several books) to answer a question or inquiry (or to divine in general/communicate with unseen powers). I personally am a fan of Dodger’s Bibliomancy Guide (for beginners). Successful Bibliomancy is usually dependent on the relationship one has with the book they are using. It is suggested that you use books you have owned for a long time/read often/care about deeply/etc. This is why the only books I use for Bibliomancy are my 13-year-old copies of The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, which I read probably three-five times a year, sometimes more.

 

 

They are my comfort books, my beloved favorites. I know the story inside and out, I have been a fan since I was 10 years old, and I continue to read them in times of sadness/worry/or just to pass the time. I have loved all of Tolkien’s work since I was a child, and it has deeply inspired me and shaped the person I have become today (as corny as that may sound!). I would never consider doing Bibliomancy with any other series of books; I know Lord of the Rings (especially these copies of them) so well that I just don’t think Bibliomancy would be as accurate for me using any other books. Part of what seems to make my readings so accurate for others is because of how well I can interpet the books – I feel like I have a very deep connection with and grasp of the story being told, and how that story can help others. I sometimes wonder what Tolkien would think of that if he were alive today! ^_^

I offer free Tolkien Bibliomancy readings on the Crooked Cauldron forum. Don’t hesitate to ask if you’d like one! I enjoy helping people. But do keep in mind, as with most other free divinations/diviners out there, I live a real, working life, so I can’t always get to readings RIGHT away, though I do promise to get to them as soon as I can. Also as with most other divinations/diviners, it takes a lot of energy out of me (I try to get the readings are accurate as I can), so it may take me some time to get back to you in that sense as well, especially if I have just answered someone else or a few others. Please don’t send me any requests here or through tumblr, though; I like to keep my practice to the CC boards as much as I can, mostly for organizational purposes. I might open readings from time to time on tumblr if I feel it is necessary/when I have more time, but for now, it’s mostly just on that forum. ^_^

And that’s pretty much it! I used to be sort of wary of Divination, back when I first approached the Pagan/Polytheist/etc. community 2+ years ago…mostly because I was scared of the idea of “finding out the future.” I didn’t want to know. But I have since realized that Divination is a far more complex, and far more useful thing than simply “a vehicle for seeing the future.” So much of Divination has to do with the present, more than anything: who you are, and where you are in your life journey. I think sometimes we need to understand our current selves before we can even hope to understand where our futures might lead. And in that sense, too, Divination can also help us come to terms with our pasts. It’s a multi-directional practice, one that reaches far beyond the scope of “fortune-telling.” That’s how I’ve grown to feel, anyway!

Until next time ^_^

 

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