Chapter by: Luka Oooh not Zag or Hyp? Yeah I'm dropping in for this one because I'm the divination expert of the system.
Alright, let's start. What is divination?
It's dictionary definition is: the art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge usually by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers.
And yeah, that's pretty close. Basically it's using tools and intuition to get guidance from forces beyond our realm. So spirits, gods, the universe as a whole, ancestors etc. there's a ton of different ways to do it, I'll just whack out a list of all the ones I can think of.
There's plenty more I probably don't even know about, pretty much every culture has some form of divination throughout history. Oracles back in ancient times are the first example that comes to mind in a historical context.
So how do you do it? First is pretty obvious. Pick your methods.
My favourite is charm casting, but just like all witchcraft, find what's right for you. Ones that are easily accessible though would be things like tarot since you can buy a deck at most book stores, palm reading since everyone has hands (unless you're an amputee then rip sorry), and pendulums since you can make them out of almost anything.
Divination is all about intuition, following gut feelings and interpreting them. Obviously, be logical. You can't go around telling of the end times or something, and if something seems too good to be true it probably is. The most obvious answer is almost always the right one.
You'll want to look into how to do your chosen method, and gather the supplies as needed. Make sure you're cross referencing information so you can be sure you're getting the right facts, you can't trust everything on the internet of course.
But once you have everything you need and are ready to give it a try, start with simple questions and document your answers. Again it's about intuition so whatever your interpretation of the answer is, that'll be the most likely one. That's the one you naturally gravitated toward, your intuition is speaking to you there.
As you practice more and more the better you'll get at it, the more accurate your readings will be.
I'll tell you a bit about my favourite, charm casting to get an idea of what I mean.
Charm casting is using small charms in various shapes and symbols, tossing them across and broad and whichever ones land in certain corners of the board, or if you don't use a board it'll be whatever ones you've grabbed blindly.
So you'll have a bag or box or something full of your charms, you'll shake it up to mix them all up and reach in and grab a handful without looking at them. Then cast them across the board/surface. Whatever charms show up will tell you what you need to know.
A set of charms will usually have letters, numbers, zodiacs, shapes, colours and symbols in them. And boards will look something like this.
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Certain sections for certain actions/events. Although you don't need to use a board, you can just use the charms as is.
You don't need a specific set of charms either, you can literally just rip something off old jewellery if you want. All you need is to know what the charms represents. Which if you know your symbolism you'll be able to figure out pretty quick. Like if you have a charm of the sun then obviously it represents light, daytime, masculine energy and everything else the sun symbolises. If you have a charm of a swirl that'll represent spirituality and relaxation etc.
I personally like this method because you can get a very clear answer from one cast. Things like letters and numbers that show up can give you a clue on dates and names, the symbols that show up can tell you a lot about the situation. Also because the charms make a nice jingle sound when you shake them all in their little bag.
Really divination is just one of those things you'll get better at with time, as you become more in tune with your intuition and start to understand the meanings of cards/charms/runes etc.
I'd say this is something for more intermediate witches, it can seem a bit confusing and overwhelming for beginners, but it's definitely something you'll want to develop as you grow into your practice as it really helps you grow intuition. It's also a good way to communicate with spirits/gods/ancestors etc.
And that's the basics of divination, what it is, some methods you can look into and how it works.
