A Look into Divination Methods, what they can do and what they can't. Clearing up some myths and providing background on some of the more popular methods such as Runes, Tarot, I-Ching
In this lesson I want to cover several things. First of all, I feel it most important to cover what divination can and cannot do as well as cover some general ethics rules before discussing the various methods and tools.
What is Divination?
Divination is the process of using a tool such as Tarot, Runes, even Tea Leaves, to look into the life of the querrent. This can be used to review past incidents, and to provide options for the future. Divination can NOT tell you what is going to happen. We all have free will and therefor our paths change continually. The best divination can do is map out a likely scenario based on past and present actions and reactions to events. If anyone tells you they are a fortune teller and can tell you absolutely what is going to happen etc.. hold onto your money and run the opposite direction.
What can I achieve through the use of divination tools?
Divination tools can be used for many things. They can help you look at yourself and situation a little differently, they can aid in meditation, self reflection, and more. Many people use Tarot as a tool for personal growth and meditation more than divination or predictions. This is a great use. I warn away from using the Tarot or any other form of divination to try to provide you with all answers. Using Tarot as a crutch can be dangerous to the psyche. The answers to your life lie within, and these tools should be used for reflection and viewing your options only, not as a way to try to get power by knowing answers in advance etc.. Those who have "abused' divination in the past can tell you that this doesn't work, and it's best to always look within for answers.
Another good use for divination methods can be to give you something to focus on. For instance if you do a one card or one rune reading in the morning, the meaning of the card/rune that you choose gives you something to focus on. So if you wake up and draw a death card, it doesn't mean you expect to get hit by a bus or a lightning bolt or something, it means you focus your day on renewal, ie starting a new project, or ridding yourself of something that no longer serves your highest good.
Ethics:
When using methods of divination it can be easy to be tempted to try things we shouldn't. When using a Divinitory method you should never:
Tell someone what they Should do, tell them their options and let them make up their own mind. Never peer into the life of a third party without their permission. You wouldn't go peek in someones window and invade their privacy, nor should you with divination tools. There is a law in the universe that what we do comes back, so remember do unto others. You wouldn't want someone invading your privacy, don't do it to others. There is a fine line here, if someone wants to know if someone is ok, and you get a look and see that they are fine, you can tell them that. If someone asks you is so and so having an affair with his secretary.. don't go there.. what if you were wrong? and it could cause the breakup of a relationship or a violent confrontation? Just explain to people, I'm sorry, but it's really not right for me to go beyond a certain point and maintain my standard of ethics. The line is a thin one, and everyone has their own codes of ethics, but as a general rule I say keep it focused on your querrent only.
Don't answer silly questions about things like death or health diagnosis issues. If you see someone needs to go the doctor, tell them, but if someone asks you hey in twenty years will I die of cancer or in my sleep? don't answer, first of all you most likely wont' get an accurate answer, and in my opinion if we were meant to know we would already.. you get the idea.
Final point, make sure that your querrent knows that the power to change their path lies within. Readings should always leave a person feeling empowered. Even if you have a lot of negatives, don't lie about them, but point out the silver linings in the clouds.. ie. Jane, I know this isn't what you were wanting to hear, but I really believe that sometimes things that seem bad on the surface are really blessings in disguise adn this is giving you the opportunity to try X instead of Y, and you may find out as you go along your path that X is going to work out much better for you than what you had established previously.. you get the idea, point out the positives as well as the negatives, there are always two sides to the coin. Always tell the truth, don't "sugarcoat" but don't be harsh or judgmental either.. wear the other persons shoes for a moment, even if you don't agree with what they are doing on a personal level, leave that out of it. We've all done things we've regretted, and remember you probably don't know the whole story.. so reserve judgments and point out all options. I cover ethics more thoroughly in my Tarot course, but these are the biggies that apply to any type of divination/psychic reading etc..
Do you have to be psychic to use Tarot, Runes, etc.?
No, you don't. Anyone can use these tools. Many find that they start out using the tools as they develop their intuition, and that is great. You may get to a point where you find Divination tools restrictive, or you may decide you love them and always use them as a "backup" to your intuitive processes. I don't use Tarot near as much as I used to, but I do still enjoy collecting them for the artwork, and I use them for personal reflection all the time. They also come in handy for doing an 'on the spot" reading for me. This is really an individualized thing to.. one thing I can say though is that they can be disctracting for the student who is working on developing the psychic senses if you become dependant on them for validation. Use them with balance, and work without them as well as you develop your skills so that you learn to trust yourself more without a crutch.
Some common Divination Tools
There are many, and I do mean MANY means of Divination. You can research these further, but I will provide a very brief summary of a few of the more popular. I can't include all of them here as they are too numerous.. everything from tea leaves to flour.. yes flour.. to Runestones, sticks, and Tarot.
Tarot: Probably one of the most popular. There are many decks, with beautiful artwork, themes, and more. Some are based on religions like Wicca and yes there is even a Christian deck with the Saints etc.. Others are based on countries, cultures, mythology, healing arts, and more. The best bet is to look around and find the one or ones that call to you. For the beginner reader, i recommend starting with a common deck such as the Rider-Waite simply because there are more resources for that deck than any other online and in books etc..
Runes: There are several different types of these stones as well, with different symbols. Again find some made out of a material that speaks to you. Some are made of stone, clay, and even wood. Look around, see what you enjoy the most.
I-ching: This is a method I don't honestly know much about. It is based on a set of sticks that form lines that are either broken or together, and they represent the yin/yang apects of the Spirit and psyche. these are more of a reflective tool than a divination method.
Bibliomancy/Stichomancy
This is something you can do right now. This is the act of opening either a regular book or holy book to a random passage while focusing on an area of concern. I use bibliomancy often for reflection, and have found it to be startlingly accurate. This method can be used by anyone.
There are several sites online (check the resource section) where you can learn more about different divination methods, get free readings, read reviews and more. .... shameless plug for my next project ;)... I have a CD-ROM / E-book coming out soon called "Spiritual Guidance Tarot: A Journey in Self-Discovery" It features visualizations/meditations/affirmations for each card as well as standard and inverted interpretations, how to do many different spreads, in-depth spiritual guidance interpretations and much more. It's not just another Tarot book, it's a life changing tool. Look for it soon at my website :).