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Divination, Intuition, Omens

  
 
Boy in a Suitcase
16:21 / 03.05.06
Something I've been thinking about for the last couple of days. One of the primary skills in magic is, of course, divination, intuition and being able to interpret signs. I'm getting to a place where I'm starting to wonder about this, breaking down what I thinking I know and starting over. The fundamental question I'm asking myself is, how to best learn discretion?

Let's look at each of these individually. First off we have divination. Personally I use the I Ching and the Thoth tarot. I make some of my food money on the side doing divinations for friends and acquaintances, mostly with the tarot, and everybody I've read for has been impressed and felt it was worth the $30 I charged them. Now let's be honest. With tarot readings, there's a large amount of cold reading of the situation. I don't think that's bad—I use a divinatory tool like a deck of cards to direct attention away from me and then construct for the person I'm reading for a story about their life that isolates problems, suggests solutions, and puts them in an empowering narrative having control over the invisible forces that direct their life. Of course there is always an element of psychic prediction as well. It happens on its own.

I mostly use the I Ching for readings for myself. In that case, it's like me having a conversation with some old wise dude who can see what I'm going through and level that hand of wisdom and perspective at it. In the case of the I Ching, there is also often a spooky element of "HOW could a book KNOW that?" or having it talk directly to you. But in this case it seems to be the "power" of the text, not the magician using it.

Now, at the next level is one's own sense of intuition. If you're a magician, you usually assume that walking around you're a bit more plugged in to the subtle levels of things than the people around you, what Eliphas Levi called the "astral light." You get "feelings" from people and situations all the time. Sometimes those feelings for me have been right, but I can't count those as much as I can the times where it seems to have been my own anxieties, personal prejudices and internal monologue taking over and passing itself off as valid. Part of it may be the fact that I live in New York, and have to be generally shut down to avoid psychic sludge and have to take for granted that everybody's out to get one over on me somehow. Intuition and prejudice can be scarily interchangable for me at times, and it can be hard to untangle a genuine intution from background noise. Any thoughts / experiences on this one?

At the next level is omens. Like you're in the synchronicity slipstream and you're getting regular direct messages to you from the universe. Now the more I grow up and the more I pay attention to these, the more I notice that they are often very ambiguous. The universe never seems to come out and give you a direct "do this" or "don't do this" message. They are always ambiguous, sly winks more than anything else, that can be interpreted one way or the other. Maybe that's the sign that they come from a "higher level," where, er "duality" doesn't apply. However, paying very close attention to them or even forcing it and running around interpreting numbers on street signs et al via gematria, impinging on Oath of the Abyss territory, hasn't really got me anywhere... there are signposts but they don't seem to point anywhere in particular.

I imagine all of these things are part of one faculty and one continuum... so I suppose I'm opening this thread askin for people's personal opinions on these things or, even better, ways in which they've developed their intuitive capacity and structured that capacity with some kind of discrimination.
 
 
LVX23
01:22 / 04.05.06
Regarding tarot, i-ching, and ambiguous omens... for me these tools are primarily psychic mirrors. They present fundamental forms/ideas/ideals/archetypes that my psyche then coordinates into some message that is meaningful to my present state of mind. The luck of the draw, as it were, determines which archetypes i'll be working with and also contributes the random/synchronistic element necessary to divination.
 
 
gravitybitch
04:36 / 04.05.06
Divination: I take it fairly seriously - if I didn't want to know, I wouldn't be asking. And I do pretty well drawing cards for myself and others, though I don't take money for it (that's what the day-job is for).

Intuition: also something I take mostly seriously. It keeps me from getting speeding tickets, among other things...

Omens and portents? I don't seem to get those, much.
 
 
LVX23
05:07 / 04.05.06
yes, i rely heavily on my internal cop radar . been very good to me.
 
 
Unconditional Love
11:10 / 04.05.06
A way i am beginning to understand the tarot is as spirits, the suits are the spirits of the elements and each card a deity. So when divining you are communicating with spirits and they with you. The cosmology of the individual deck then creates the corresponding mythological structure for the spirits to interact within.

In this way the thoth deck is alive to me for the first time, it is no longer a set of powerful and structured symbolism(it is also that) but a series of entities that reach through to talk to me. Perhaps each card personifys an area of the unconsciousness, but i prefer to think of them as living inspirational spirits.

I think though, that there are other decks that are much easier to interact with, more modern and populist in many respects, but also easier to breathe life into and be given life by. Crowley is filled with a rawkus flavour in some areas, not to everybodys tastes.

When recieving omens it seems to me to be good practice to establish as best you can where the omen is coming from, the messenger and whose employing them and why. Intuition can be a similar area or you can define it as a personal phenomena, if personal its also a very good idea imo to take the maxim know thyself into consideration, its all too easy for intuition to pander towards the ego and paranoia.

The police survival instinct, i think its mapped onto the predator stalking me map, preceeded by perhaps my parents mite catch me map, is intresting, even when abiding laws, if youve ever been outside of them through some activity, it still remains. The big blue meanie still stalks me watching and waiting.
 
 
Gypsy Lantern
13:10 / 04.05.06
I'll go to the oracles when I need a clear answer to a question or some guidance in a situation, but at the day-to-day level I remain in continual conversation with the deities I work with through the medium of "strange signs and portents"...

This is not as disordered and random as it might initially seem though. On the surface it might look like mad local nutter guy receiving hidden messages from street signs, etc. But it takes place within the context of very close relationships with deity. I speak to the Powers at their altars on a daily basis, and tell them what is going on in my life that relates to the territory they look over. If I don't receive immediate clear communication in the form of synesthesia-type "voices/colours/sensations in the head", then I'll often get a download sensation. Something that feels like information being imparted at a non-conscious level, and which will take a degree of time to trickle through before I fully understand it. Often the triggers for this understanding will be weird synchronicities and signs in my environment that help me to understand what has been given. I'll see something, and the non-verbal material I've been chewing over will click into a shape I can comprehend. Much of what I know about magic has been delivered in this way.

Other times, I get very clear messages from the Gods in the form of signs and omens in the environment. This can be blatant, difficult to write-off, even piss-taking in its audacity. For instance, one evening I was on my way to the shops to get ingredients to cook a feast for a particular deity. I knew it was a good move to make some decent offerings and try to get in the good books with that specific personality, but at the time I hadn't worked with them very much and didn't really know what their tastes were. I wasn't entirely sure what I should offer or what I was about to buy them in the shop. Until I saw some bizarre graffiti on a wall outside the shop that said, in no uncertain terms: "Give me yams, chef". Sometimes it is that blunt. Literally, it can be the Writing on the Wall, in a Biblical sense. If it's important, and I'm paying attention, the message will get through. The yams thing is a fairly operational bit of info, but the same principle can apply to all sorts of questions and guidance.

This process becomes so sophisticated after a few years, that it's not only the message that is clear, but the characteristic voice of the deity that is speaking. They all have signatures. It's obvious who is speaking. They make it quite clear. For instance, a personality like Erzulie Freda is never going to speak to you through something like cigarette ends arranged in an ashtray. She's more likely to send you a message in the form of the inexplicable appearance of a sexy belly dancer appearing out of nowhere and telling you something. Often, the communication is simply a sign that the deity speaking is looking out for you, has heard your petition and is going to help you out. Or else it could be a way of them telling you that you've neglected speaking to them and you are overdue for a catch-up and conversation. The "communication from beyond" might not be a detailed message in itself, so much as a heads-up from a deity that you have business and need to attend to it. An incursion of the Divine into day-to-day life, to get your attention and direct you towards following up on whatever it is.
 
 
Quantum
13:54 / 04.05.06
I'm a Tarot reader, and I find it very reliable although I don't read for myself much (too much bias). Signs and portents go beyond deliberate divination though, because they are reaching out to tell you something, not waiting to be asked.

I'll give you an example. I'm going to get a new tattoo (not of the Invisibles) and I originally intended a sun symbol, but recently decided on the symbol of the Tarot instead. Since then, the weather's turned sunny (no surprise there), I was given a coin with the Aztec sun stone on (see the coincidence thread), the Sun thread started and as I responded I phoned someone on Sunbeam road or something, the sun keeps coming up in conversation...

Now, I don't think the universe is advising me on my tattoo, but it's definitely reminding me of it's importance. So I'm going to meditate on the Sun card and see what happens.

Now let's be honest. With tarot readings, there's a large amount of cold reading of the situation.

Not necessarily- I make every effort to avoid and minimise cold reading in my practice, to the extent of reading up on it to find out what I might unconsciously be doing. I've found the less I assume about people and the more I read the cards themselves the 'spookier' the reading are in terms of their accuracy and relevance.
 
 
Boy in a Suitcase
14:00 / 04.05.06
Some very interesting responses which bring up some good points.

In the case of omens and intuitions, even divinations, I guess the question that's been raised is: "What's communicating with you?"

Is it the consciousness/ego?

Is it the "transcendent self"?

Is it a spirit or a God, or *God*?

Is it a quote "demon"?

To what extent can spirits or Gods (or even demons) be considered to be a part of the "transcendent self," anyway?

And what signs might one look for the distinguish between these? In the case of Gypsy's post, it seems there would be some very specific calling cards for different spirits. This would seem to be one. If something is completely "non-dual" or uninterpretable in a "do this" or "don't do that" sense, maybe that's a sign that you're at least communicating with something "above the Abyss"...?

What about quote "bad spirits" that might be trying to send messages to fuck with you? If, for instance, I find a flyer for a club night that is named after a Goetic demon while in heavy ecstasis at another club, how should I (as player of this video game) take that? That the club night advertised is a manifestation of the demon, drawing energy? That that flyer is just there to keep me on my toes? That it is a sign that the demon is active in my life? Or just that some club promoter thinks that the Goetia is like, hardcore, man? That is... are all "divine messages" necessarily benign?
 
 
Boy in a Suitcase
14:02 / 04.05.06
Great response BTW Quantum—can you recommend what you were reading about col reading? I imagine I made that sound a bit more mercenary than it actually is. I do let my natural empathy and understanding of a situation come out in readings though, in addition to just the meanings of the cards, especially when reading for friends who I know well.
 
 
Quantum
14:54 / 04.05.06
I'll check the title tonight and let you know the book tomorrow, it's fantastic- the author is a razor-sharp cold reader and outlines about a hundred specific techniques blow by blow, which I use as 'Know thine enemy'* information (but it does come in very handy in life sometimes).

For people I don't know I never ask for any more than their name before the reading. I try to exercise iron will and self control to read the cards first, exactly as they appear, then ask the querent if it's accurate, then get them to tell me how it applies to their life, then do a deeper interpretive reading with that info. That way my prejudices and biases get second billing after the deck, but I can still do a proper reading.

Recently (after about a decade) I've been trusting the cards enough to rely on my intuition during the first phase, but I still try to be rigorously aware of what might be my own assumptions based on appearance, gender, age etc.
It's tricky because if I say 'Your husband recently left you and your daughter and you're finishing a tricky divorce battle in court' they might easily say 'No he hasn't, and anyway I'm queer and have no children' which would be a bit embarassing. Still, it's working so far, which regularly reinforces my faith in the cards as people say 'Yes! Amazing! That's spot on!' and the like.

More difficult with friends and people you know of course. With them I usually go straight to the detailed reading but still try to maintain some objectivity, kinda put my Doctor head on for the diagnosis instead of going 'Holy shit! You're in love with Dave!?!' or whatever.
 
 
Quantum
15:00 / 04.05.06
"What's communicating with you?"

The Universe, maaan. Seriously though, the signs I see seem to be themed (e.g. the sun) but it's certainly not deceptive imps or spirits fucking with me, or Aztec sun gods trying to recruit me (I hope! No human sacrifice for Quantum!) it seems to be reminders from the World as a whole.
Because the world is One thing, as I remembered the other day when a photo of myself and two friends fire-spinning came out spelling the word 'ONE'. Three-in-one, the universe punning again.
 
 
gravitybitch
03:35 / 08.05.06
I'll check the title tonight and let you know the book tomorrow

*nudge*
 
 
Quantum
16:55 / 08.05.06
It's Ian Rowland's 'Full Facts Book Of Cold Reading'
'This is the only Cold Reading book endorsed by Derren Brown, and the one which provided all the source material for one of Derren's earliest TV appearances. So if you want the real work, this is the book.'

Derren says- "The definitive work, and long overdue. Has many applications to mind magic, close-up, and any inter-active performance"
 
 
Kylark
04:45 / 11.05.06
I'm wondering how to take coincidences. For example, I recently quit a job, and the supervisor I was working under called me and asked me to come back. This was two days ago and I haven't made a decision yet (and indeed don't know if the offer is still valid.)

This morning as I was leaving the dentist's office there was somebody from my job, sitting in the waiting room. I was a bit startled.

Sometimes the Universe sends direct winks, which I appreciate, but this one seems more ambiguous. Does it mean anything, or was it mere coincidence? In my experience, most coincidences "mean" something. I just don't know how to read this one.

I get the feeling the Universe sends lots of signals like that, that aren't a clear yes or no, just a bit of pattern emerging from the noise.

When you get signals like that, how do you interpret them?

It occurs to me a bit of divination might help here.
 
 
Anthony
16:29 / 13.05.06
if they hit you in the guts and you know they're a sign then they probably very well are; from the mythic side of the brain; "god-consciousness".
 
 
johnny enigma
09:33 / 19.05.06
Here's a little example of how divination impacts my life.
Last night I did a rune reading whilst in a fairly depressed and self pitying state and the basic message seemed to be " your circumstances and mood are not good, but sit back and listen, because divine communications maybe a foot".
With this in mind, after a few minutes comtemplation I went downstairs and turned on the TV. The programme I watched was about Vietnamese psychics helping to find the remains of specific martyrs from the Vietnamese war and reunite them with their family. The Vietnamese take their ancestor worship extremely seriously and watching families being reunited with the bones of their departed loves ones was extremely moving.
Another programme I watched last night also featured someone communicating with the dead through a psychic, and this morning the headline in the local paper informed me that an unidentified human skull has been unearthed in the local shopping centre whilst rebuilding is going on.
I interpret this little chain of synchronicity as telling me I should move my magical prcatise in this direction, which is a bit of a turn around for me as I have always been quite sceptical of spiritualism and the like.
 
 
trouser the trouserian
10:25 / 19.05.06
Yeah, I caught the end of that programme too - very interesting, and it relates to something I was meaning to bring up regarding omens - how they are seen in modern Western culture largely as private rather than communal events. This is quite a contrast with say, ancient Rome, where the central method of communicating with their gods was the taking of auspices - "reading" evidence of divine will/intent through the flight of birds or the behaviour of the sacred chickens before undertaking political actions. This was done by senior political figures, with representatives from the College of Augurs present to report on the conduct of the ritual. If the outcome was inauspicious then no action would be taken. Or rather, that was the theory - in one famous incident the consul Clodius Pulchur, taking the auspices at sea on his way to engage the Carthaginians, found that the sacred chickens would not eat the grain scattered before them (an inauspicious sign). He is reported to have said, "If they will not eat, let them drink!" and heaved the chickens over the side of his ship. He subsequently lost both the battle and his entire fleet.

There was also the haruspices - a specialist priesthood who sacrificed animals in order to examine their liver & gall-bladder for auspicious & inauspicious signs. Haruspices were also called in to interpret anomolous natural events by the senate (who would decide first whether or not the event was 'divine' in nature) and advise what remedy should be undertaken. Such an event - like lightning striking the statue of a politician - could be taken a sign from the gods that they felt neglected.

In medieval India, kings relied on specialist priests to interpret omens as auspicious or inauspicious. This was particularly important, as an inauspicious omen could potentially affect not only the king as an individual, but the entire populace.
 
 
LVX23
14:16 / 19.05.06
Sometimes the Universe sends direct winks, which I appreciate, but this one seems more ambiguous. Does it mean anything, or was it mere coincidence?

IMHO, the only thing that matters is what it means to you. Consider these events as reflections of your soul.

Look inside yourself deeply and if you intuit that seeing your (former) coworker in the dentist's office (usually a site of pain and discomfort) reflects the suffering you endured at the job, then consider staying quit. If you don't mind the dentist and had a meanigful relationship with that particular co-worker, or were reminded of many other things you like about the job, then maybe consider returning.

Nobody here can interpret these events for you and no one anywhere can prove to you that anything is mere coincidence.
 
 
Ticker
15:08 / 19.05.06
I find that my intuition can be co opted. Depending on what is happening it manifests differently.

Case in point I was with a friend in a local store buying a pack of tarot for my sister. The clerk asked me how the cards worked as she had no idea about them. I did a quick spread with the deck and gave her a very elaborate reading with more detail than I usual do for strangers. She was delighted and when my friend and I left I asked him what the clerk's name was. He was shocked as he thought I knew her from the detailed information I had given. I'm certain that whatever prompted me to do the improv reading in a gift store (not a new age place at all) was motivated for the clerk's benefit.

The question of the message/sender/agenda is one I've pondered often.

My father and I are fairly active with both armchair and field research in Fortean matters and combined with our religious beliefs (he's a big ol' antagnostic) knowing who or what was trying to talk to you is very important.

We use the analogy of a letter. Was it addressed to you personally? Does the sender's address match up with the content? (this goes back to what was listed earlier by Gypsy Lantern regarding Erzulie Freda)
Just because you have a message doesn't inherently validate it. In Forteana being able to find these connections helps determine what you are dealing with. Know the etiquette.

It is my belief that the daimonic mechanism (think postal service) can be used by a variety of senders and receivers. You can send yourself a message and forge the return address for example, if it serves your purpose. Knowing the signature and agenda of your sender is very important as well as making sure your message is addressed properly when you're sending stuff out.

My intuition also has an emergency broadcast frequency that manifests as inappropriate or out of proportion panic when the focus in question is raised. I've rushed in a hand wring mess to the side of a friend with the flu only to discover later they actually needed to go to the ER for serious infection. There I was thinking I was being ridiculous and then....

I've learned to watch for auguries and omens as my Gods and ancestors tend to speak through *seemingly* everyday events. I've been redirected by crows, herded by cattle, heard phantom voices on the edge of sleep, awoken by fey music, and been kicked in the ass by a random stranger's offhand remark.

It all seems to come back to 'pay attention and be present'. Not to say you can't have your mind drift around and get good info that way.
 
 
Ticker
17:03 / 19.05.06

...I staggered out into the rain for lunch and thought of this as well...

For me divination work feels akin to the old epilepsy experiment were the right and left hemispheres of the brain were severed. A side effect of the operation was revealed in the study on the patients. If they couldn't see objects placed in their left hand they couldn't verbalize what the object was. An adaptive action was taken where the patient in question when holding a toothbrush might run their thumb over the bristles. Upon hearing the sound they'd be able to say what it was they held. In this case one side of the brain learned how to route information externally to the other side.

The images and symbolic knowledge of tarot, or the runes, or the bones, does the same thing for me. Translating that non word knowledge into language and context.


My intuition has that 'inner/deeper' source quality which separates it from my intellectual self mumblings. When the Spirit of the Place has communicated with me it has resonated up using this same internal aspect. I tend to trust it more than the decisions of my conscious mind to not be prone to ego mirages.
 
 
Scrambled Password Bogus Email
20:17 / 21.05.06
Perhaps this belongs in the 'Coincidence Monitoring' thread, but it's more omens/divination related really, so I thought I'd pop it in here. Sorry for the personal account rather than analysis exposition of the broad themes of this thread, but maybe it's a useful way of looking at how the process can occur and make sense to the practitioner.

So, I am about to embark on a 16 day fast with a very particular, spiritual purpose, which I spent all afternoon meditating on deeply, then writing down in graphic detail. To cut a long story short, I need to bust out of a terrible inertia professionally which has me in its stranglehold, and move into a sphere of great abundance for me and my family. I need to empty myself of the ghosts of the past, the egoic masks and armours I've been wearing, and step into the void confident that Universe will reward this step. I need to re-establish my direction and confidence in it. This fast will, by the way, include a total 'electronic' fast - no computers, no barbelith, no tv, no lights, nothing. As little of modern civilisation as possible, bearing in mind I was supposed to be heading into the Wilderness, but am, regrettably unable to do so (though this in itself I take to be communication).

Bear in mind, while fasting everything - everything that happens - is a communication from the sacred to the faster. Including, as far as I am concerned, in the preparation day before commencing.

So, I took my petition, carefully written, to the altar of my Beautiful Queen of the River. I made the offerings and read to this Spirit my intention, my petition, my request of the Universe. I felt great stirrings inside, loads of emotion as I did this - it was humble, sincere, and moving.

As I finished, ending, as I always do, with my Aramaic prayer, Her altar candle sputtered and the bottom (it was one of those 'bowl' style altar candles) melted out, spilling melted wax full of aniseeds, which are always sprinkled in there after a usual service, down my bookshelf. The wax and aniseed coated three books.

The first one I noticed was none other than 'One River'. A book about, first and foremost, the largest River in the World, the Spirit River, if you like, and secondly, though no to no lesser degree, about the shamanic practices of the Indians who live on it - one of which, of course, is my own as regulars here abouts will know.

So, One River. She was certainly listening.

The other book I noticed that got the drenching was none other than 'The Miracle of Fasting'. Heh. I think, I mean, something or someone seems to be telling me, that I'm doing the right thing here. One River and the Miracle of Fasting.

The other book to receive the touch of this 'coincidence' was on a different shelf. 'The Winds of Truth', a rare, channeled text from none other than Sao Miguel, Lord Mikaal, the Archangel Michael, Who is like God, and who, again regulars may know, is a Power I happen to work very very closely with. So I guess He will have some part to play in this episode as well.

Upon being struck by the personal significance of this 'communication' from my altar candle devoted to my River Queen and my petition, I glanced at the time : 6:44 pm. 21st May.

Using a very awesome divination technique I have learned for the I Ching, I was able to calculate the Symbol of Change the Great I this event occurring at this time happens to offer. 6:44 is Fire Below, Thunder Above, Radiance and the Rouser working together - this is none other than Gua 55 - Abundance. The date, 21/5 gives me just one moving line : Initial Nine, Line 1.

So:

Gua 55, Abundance

Broadly speaking, a time of great abundance, in which exuberance and enthusiasm shine forth and illuminate all. The changing line indicates a meeting with a Great Person who will be Key to this transiton and radical transformation of fortune. The meeting will be mutually beneficial. A great Omen.

That my petition was so specifically for two key words : Prosperity and Abundance, and that this Gua should crop up through such a meaningful, to me, occurence at my altar is not to be taken lightly. I also note that, in Taoist I Ching translations, Gua 55 is connected with ridding oneself of all past sorrows and arguments and baggage, of cleaning out the past to make way for the Great Future...fasting, fasting, fasting before the Harvest.

The Mutual Gua for Abundance is none other than my recent New Best Friend, Gua 28, Da Xuo, Preponderance of the Great which, since that particular episode a few weeks back, I have cast at least 4 or 5 times in response to other situations. There is no doubt about it, I have a Preponderance of the Great! Radical Transformation Ahoy!

So then, how interesting, we have the Relating Gua - none other than Gua 62, Preponderance of the Small

At last! A total About Face! And pretty much exactly what the Change inherent in Abundance warns of, for nothing, most especially Abundance, is permanent. But if care is taken, if humility and smallness are nurtured, then the Change can be smooth and prosperous, beneficial and correct.

So there we go. If you remain quiet and receptive to the notion that the Sacred wishes to communicate with you, then you tend not to miss a trick, and the results can be quite startling.

Before I disappear for a fortnight, I thought I might leave this thread with a rather beautiful elaboration of these ideas by the poet Dale Pendell. I hope he and his publisher don't mind :-)

"ORACLES"

Though the Gods have the power of speech
more often they choose a flower or a plant;
elder leaves pressed on a blotter,
or spring buds emerging from a winter stem.

These messages they send -
so ordinary we often miss them:
an easy laughter and lightness,
or legs casually crossed and touching,

the way a serpentine dike blends seamlessly into bedrock
or the way two possible lovers move,
starting and stopping, passing and pausing
on an April trail.

The subtlest Oracles are always the most obvious -
seeing what's in front of us the most difficult:
a butterfly hatching from a ruptured dream,
or a splintered tree rooting in the soil wher it fell -

That those we've left endure or falter
does not mean that we must also -
the poison that bit us is also our medicine -
it is well to name things as they are.

Like that swampy Cree girl they call "Dries Things Out"
when they found her sitting by the stream,
a dragonfly on each palm,
all three drying together in the sun.

The Gods' whispers are never commands,
more like the place a steep trail has collapsed,
and sunlight offers the understory
a second chance.

And on that fine note, meu irmãos e meu irmãs, I shall bid thee good night! See you in a fortnight.
 
 
Ticker
20:23 / 21.05.06
That was a fabulous detailed experience. Thank you Whole i $chtick I trust your venture will be rewarding.
 
 
khephret
06:58 / 05.06.06
I don't know if you've read the book "Poker Without Cards" by Ben Mack, but it has a very interesting simple "divination" method using a single six-sided die. One asks a question, rolls the die, and interprets the results according to the following schema:


1. a thought that is either part of a bigger idea or a unifying principle.

2. a duplicity, like calling a circle on the eightball "one" circle.

3. a base to an idea, like a triangle is a base to tetrahedron.

4. solid structure of a thought.

5. an idea that is prone to influence

6. working system or a restructured thought, synthetics in motion, intellishit.


I'd love to hear of any interesting/positive results that anyone gets from using this system. I don't know if Ben Mack is still giving out free downloads of the book, but it's out there.

-k
 
 
SteppersFan
14:44 / 05.06.06
Great thread. There's been a few omens described here - anyone want to tell us how they turned out?

Quantum: sun tattoo? (BTW, I've been doing a mix of minimal house recently and there was a slew of tunes about sunshine, which I found odd when first putting it together!)

Kylark: did you take your old job back?

Johnny Enigma: did you go in an ancestor-oriented direction? (Strikes me as a good idea regardless of circumstance.)

Whole iSchtick: any more on the fasting (you're most of the way through, yes?) and One River?

My omens: well, a couple of hours ago I was in the kitchen vague thinking about this thread and the cold water tap suddenly, spontaneously exploded into life, pouring a torrent of water into the sink. No idea what's going on there - had to switch it off at the mains, which involved a trip to the underworld. The plumber's coming tomorrow morning, god knows how we're going to bath the kids tonight. I'm very Piscean so it kinda feels significant; I have a big meeting tomorrow (for which I am now likely to smell!!), and I think it's a *good* omen .
 
 
johnny enigma
09:03 / 09.06.06
Steppersfan - I'm still working on it, is the short answer. The prompt is still there.

Boy In A Suitcase - I can't say for sure who or what I'm communicating with when I use the runes.My suspicion is it's the traditional Norse pantheon and not my own subconscious.However, I trust their (or it's/his/hers) viewpoint. Not in a "I'll do what ever the runes tell me to do" kind of way - it's more like having a trusted friend who's advice always seems to make sense.

A question for everyone else - does anyone ever use more than one divination method for the same question, or is this considered bad practice?
 
 
illmatic
09:10 / 09.06.06
It depends on why you're doing it. If you're doing it because your a pissy twat, and you must have a divination that *agrees* with you... well that's obviously bad practice. All divination is a pointer to start looking inside yourself for these things.
 
 
Kylark
15:28 / 09.06.06
SteppersFan: I took my job back, was miserable for a few days, and left it again.
 
 
l gyre
00:24 / 10.06.06
i tend to take divination way more seriously these days than the person i used to be would have believed possible. my partner and i are both into it; we do runes and i do tarot as well. so usually when we have any big decision coming up, we ask about it. one of our favorite methods is to think about a binary decision by doing two separate spreads, one for each choice. the thing that frustrates me the most about divination is how much it can seem to perfectly describe a situation, without actually making the decision any easier. with that in mind, i sometimes get the most useful results by asking not about the future but about something in the present i don't have access to-- how a friend far away is doing, for example. that seems to work very well for me.

when i was getting started i tended to do very vague readings, for example saying things like "you are facing some challenges" and "you will receive help from an unknown source". i tried to read the cards, but in very tentative, general ways. now i'm much more comfortable saying things like "you will be travelling soon" or "you've recently had problems with money related to your family". so that's cool, though it's still scary and hard to trust. i like how certain runes or cards will build up meaning over time. i may get a card that i don't understand at the time, figure out what it meant in hindsight, and then find that it carries a similar meaning when it comes up again in future spreads.

intuition and omens such as coincidences, i try to follow. i think it helps to cultivate them by doing what they suggest, and i definitely find that they come and go in waves. usually they are things that strike me as instantly meaningful, but recently i've had a bizarre wave: lots and lots of bizarre stupid coincidences that don't resonate with me at all in terms of their content. what to make of that? i don't know.
 
  
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