Modus Operandi: Divination

[TeaDidikai]

Okay folks- one more before Nuri shoots me.

It's been a while since we talked about divination in general terms.

So here are the questions:
According to your understanding: How does divination work and what are your favorite form(s) and tools?  

[patch99329]

Thanks so much for posting this thread!

How does divination work?

I think there are two main ways.
1. Recieveing and interpreting messages from you subconscious. That could be via subliminal arm movements to move a pendulum, vague card meanings bringing an answer you subconsciously new to the forefront, etc.

2. Recieving and interpreting messages from outside sources. Gods, spirits, etc etc.

What are you favourite forms and tools?
I like divination, particularly sort number one. I get accurate and consistent results. Mostly because me and my subconscious are pretty good at working together.
I get accurate and consistent results with type 2 too (except when I don't pay attention sweatdrop ), but I put that down to the outside sources, not myself.

My method of choice is ordinary playing cards. I use a mixture of standardized spreads and meanings, and my own (for me, jokers and the queen of spades have distinct meanings if you pull them).
The consistency of readings with this medium has shocked even myself. Even readings that seem obsurd and innaccurate later turn out to be accurate, but mostly I'm good at shedding light on present situations. Which I think is important and often overlooked. That has led to uncomfortable moments when I have read for people and learnt their motives for wanting a reading in the first place. sweatdrop
I have one trusty deck I use, but it's falling apart and I saw some lovely alice in wonderland cards I want!

When I do form number 2 divination, it usually consists of the cards and a pendulum. The cards give me a topic and the pendulum fills in the rest.

Besides this I sometimes scry, use dice, coins and interpret omens and birdflight.  

[Maze]

I'm thinking of picking up a form of divination, but I haven't decided what yet.

I'd like to add 'astrology' to the list. I don't, personally, use it, but a friend of mine is way into it, and she likes to 'look ahead', as she calls it. It seems to correspond well enough, although I'm not sure how much of that is not 'expectations = result.'  

[TatteredAngel]

I kept wanting to reply to this, and deciding I didn't have enough to say. Then I had a dream about casting lots using a variety of pebbles, and it's been on my brain so I figure what the heck.

How does divination work?

I think it can go various ways. It can work the same way psychotherapy works, by dredging up things from your own mind and experience that may not be readily accessible.

If you're reading for others, it may be as simple as cold reading techniques and popular symbolism. It can utilize archetypes to make a relatively generic message seem personal.

And then it can work by tapping in to one's connection with the Other, whatever that may be in each tradition. I think this is rarer than the more mundane explanations, but that it doesn't make them necessarily less. If a message from a reading is important, it may not need the hand of the divine to be meaningful. Sometimes a path or set of choices is obvious, but gains solidity through divination.

My favorite form was always Tarot, because that's how I learned. I tried using runes at one point, some time back, and it was a poor and clunky fit. ((Sidebar: A girl I was half in love with introduced me to runes. She didn't really know much more about what she was doing at the time than I did, we were both in high school and both pretty fluffly. She had me draw one from the bag just to see, and I chose the blank rune. It seemed pretty cool at the time. Much later I learned that it was a modern addition, and went "Oh... huh."))

I don't pretend to be very good at Tarot. I was always better at reading for others than for myself because I was good at the mundane techniques and had a fairly good grasp on archetype. Readings for myself usually only made me grumpy, so I largely stopped doing them. I haven't tried in a while, but divination is something I'd like to come back around to eventually.  

[Deoridhe]

When it comes to divination, I usually cast runes, which is not a historical use of them but which I've found to be useful. I almost always cast for others, not myself; I find it difficult to read for myself unless I'm using my handmade set with the extra bits (stone, bone, etc...).

I have found a lot of my experiences of casting for others to be ...eerie. I usually prefer to not know their question and to instead just cast the runes and read what they have to say. The reading itself is a combo of the arrangements of the runes and which are facing upward; in most cases, I count the downward facing runes as shape markers only, though I have been known to read meaning into them if it seems right.

I believe the casting works because the runes are symbols for basic forces in the world, so casting them is like casting iron filings which will line up in accordance with the current field.  

[Loona Wynd]

How does divination work?

I'm going to echo patch and say that i think divination working by recieving messages either from outside yourself (spirits, gods, ect) and from your subconscious. The diviner interperts the symbols for the reading, and you have your reading. I've done readings where nothing fits as the reader, but the person I was doing to reading for really understood it.

what are your favorite form(s) and tools?

Right now I'm taking a little break from doing regular divination. I want to focus on other areas of my spirituality and if you may "magical" studies. However one of my favorite decks to use is the Spirit of the Wheel meditation deck.

My family has a history of cartomacers and tarot readers. I may see if I can channel my great meme when I start studying playing card divination again. My mom says that her readings were always right on. My mom reads Tarot.

I've used the Runes according to Ralph Blum (sp?), and while I know the meanings aren't accurate, his meanings have worked in the readings I've given. I'd like to learn about reading tea leaves, dice, and other uncommon forms. Though that's on hold till I do some soul searching.  

[Bohemian_Scara]

I see divination as a hazy subject.
Tarot card I can understand and use, as they sort of short circuit the brain to the subconcious. So I believe that Tarot card will never tell you something you didn't know, more force you to look at it from a different angle or highlight something you hadn't paid attention to.

Premonitions or (dejavu) I've had a few times from a relatively young age, I still don't get how these work.  

[Kuroiban]

How it works: I haven't decided in firm terms; I'm generally of the opinion that it's a vehicle to allow the subconscious/third eye/spirit guide/bob/etc to get a chance to grab the wheel and show you what has been obvious all along but you've refused to see for whatever reason.

Part of me think that it's just a psychodrama; we can't believe that WE could predict the future. We need some inked pieces of cardboard surrounded in superstition to do it instead.

Favorite Means: I Ching and Tarot typically...though it's been a while since I broke out my coins. As an aside, I lost my original set of coins, and sought out three silver quarters instead. They've worked without issue.  

[Recursive Paradox]

For me divination would likely involve channeling several Aspects at once. Perhaps the Knowledge Aspect, the Wisdom Aspect and even maybe the Sight and Time Aspects.

I don't think I'm quite at the point where I would be able to divine major knowledge of the future, present or past on my own power unassisted by channeling other sources.

That being said I've actually never tried to divine anything. I have a capacity to observe a situation, extrapolate from it based on experience and knowledge and predict accurately from that, so divination hasn't really been necessary.

I can do the same basic thing through simple observation and analysis for figuring out what's going on in the present or analyzing the past.

Maybe I'll give it a try at some point but I rarely do something without need. I certainly want to try the psychodrama element though. I imagine that would be really useful  

[Chaotic Paths]

How does divination work? Sometimes the god(s) tweaks the location of the cards. Sometimes the oracle objects pick up on the harmonies of the worlds. Sometimes the answer is already within us and we need a warped mirror (the objects of divination) to see it. A vague answer, I know, but I've seen all three happen. (UPG) The one constant I've seen, is that divination only works if the person performing it has faith in it.

Favorite form(s) and tools:
Tarot
(Modern) Runes
Natural Phenomena  

[RubyLight]

I think that divination can come from your subconcoious or outside astral influences. I find that accuracy is rather difficult due to interpretation.
My favorite form of divination is orical cards.