Divination - Blog Posts

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Hello! I’m Mai!

I’m restarting my blog from scratch, after a too-long hiatus, and I figured an introduction was in order.

I go by Mai on this blog, and I recently came out of the broom closet in a family of (very accepting) Christians. I’m a faerie witch, and I love plants and excel at divination. This blog will focus on those and basics, and the grimoire. That being said, this is a safe place, so no terfs, no racists, etc. Fight me.

My hobbies are drawing, writing, and making jewelry. I live in that one awkward part of the US where we aren’t really the South, but aren’t really Midwest either. I’m currently trying to balance 97 different things during this pandemic (including the pandemic 🥲).

I am here for any witches who need me, or are in a situation similar to mine- broom closeted, or trying to transition out of it. Feel free to drop an ask!

Edit: I have created a Silmarilion sideblog, so if you enjoy my Silmarilion content, go there. @mai-youdumbass

Tarot Basics

What is tarot?

Tarot is a method of divination. It is used as a tool to project and unravel our inner self, our thoughts and feelings. Each tarot card symbolises something different. When seen together in a reading, they tell a story. This story relates to our lives and can influence the way we see our future.

How do the cards work?

There are 78 cards in a tarot deck. 56 of the cards are part of the ‘Minor Arcana’ and the other 22 are part of the ‘Major Arcana’.

Each card in the Major Arcana represents a stage in the journey from ignorance to wisdom. They represent different archetypes and which archetypes are in play for each reading. The cards are part of a progression and therefore it’s important to remember where each card comes from and where it goes.

The 56 cards of the Minor Arcana deal with specifics rather than the big picture. Once again, each card represents a point in a pathway. However, unlike the Major Arcana, the Minor Arcana is spilt into 4 suits and therefore there are 4 paths.

What are the cards of the Major Arcana?

The Fool, The Magician, The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength, The Hermit, The Wheel of Fortune, Justice, The Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, The Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Moon, The Sun, Judgement and The World.

What are the cards of the Minor Arcana?

There are four suits in the Minor Arcana. They are the Wands, the Cups, the Swords and the Pentacles. Each suit has the cards 2-10 as well as an Ace, a Page, a Knave/Knight, a Queen and a King.

What do the suits represent?

The Wands represent creativity, desire and will. Their realm is physical. Their element is fire. They are active.

The Cups deal with emotions, relationships and love. Their realm is spiritual. Their element is water. They are receptive.

The Swords represent reason, logic, action and intellectual endeavours. Their realm is spiritual. Their element is air. They are active.

The Pentacles relate to worldly things: the body, finances, sensuality. Their realm is physical. Their element is earth. They are receptive.

How do I get a tarot deck?

You can be gifted one, you can buy one or you can make one. It’s up to you.

Are tarot decks oracle decks?

No. Tarot decks and oracles decks are both methods of divination but they are not the same. Neither is better than the other; you’ll just have to see what you prefer.

How do I bond with a deck?

You can sleep with it, interview it, shuffle it or just use it.

What do I do if I have more questions?

You can google them, message me, travel half way around the world to find the answer, climb onto my window ledge at 3 am etc etc. Basically, do whatever works for you to find the answer.

What do I do if I want a version of this post but on Instagram?

Never fear! I admin on a witchy Instagram account so if you go to @witchbitchditch on Instagram and scroll to 6th February 2018, you will find all the info in this post PLUS some tips and more info. :))

How To Practice: Divination With Dice!

While most of us associate dice with games, they can also be used for divination. Even if we don't have access to a set of physical dice, dice rolling apps and websites are everywhere, making them one of the most accessible divination tools there is.

The method is simple: you assign a meaning to each number, then roll.

You can assign meaning through older numerology associations, or you can even assign your own meanings. Here's how this works:

Let's say you're working with a D10 (ten-sided die). You make a numbered list on which you write possible outcomes. Here's an example of a list populated with common symbolic objects:

Branch

Heart

Clover

Rock

Star

Crystal

Moon

Sun

Tree

Sky

This is of course just a quick example, and I definitely don't think it would necessarily work for everyone. Feel free to play around with your own symbols. I would personally not recommend using straightforward answers like "yes," "no," etc., unless you can demonstrably get a correct result every time (for example, correctly answering who's running the country, what year it is, etc). IMO, your intuition is where the real power lies, and you should give it lots of wiggle room.

If you're using a D12, you can even even associate the numbers with the Zodiac, starting at 1 for Aries and ending at 12 for Pisces. Or you could do the months of the year. I would suggest using them in a suggestive sense rather than a strictly literal one. (Like, don't roll to find out your next lover's Zodiac sign unless you can also correctly roll your family's Zodiac signs. If the dice can't correctly tell you your mom and dad's signs, why trust it to tell you your next partner's sign?)

So yeah, that's the basics of dice divination. Experiment and see what works for you or not.

Happy witchin'!

Spiritual Progress Tarot Spread

Where you are in your spiritual cycle

Central cycle lesson

Positive Influence

Negative Influence

Advice 

Thought I would share this spread that his been super helpful for me and for others that I read for! Hope it has good results  for anyone who decides to utilize it!

My current vibe is that the book meaning of tarot cards are the most refined level of a reading, and therefore should be interpreted last, if you even want to use individual card meanings at all.

Reading tarot:

Identify major patterns in the spread (start by looking at groupings of card types, such as element, number, court, majors, general vibe or emotion of the cards; use these concepts as a jumping-off point to form your own pattern. What if a lot of cards have horses on them? etc.).

Use patterns to establish flow (low # cards to high # cards; groups of solitary elements; every court is paired with a major; where is the interplay?). If the patterns are boulders, how does the water of narrative flow through this river?

Use flow to link cards. (This group seems disconnected from that group. This card is an outlier; a break must happen somewhere. Energy slowly builds in this series of cards. There is a sudden shift in pattern, a big change must occur).

Use links between cards to determine which book or picture meanings apply. (This outlier card only links up if it means there was a break in the good event. I will choose meanings that relate to surprise and disappointment, and discard contradictory meanings).

At any point in the process, you can stop and call it a day.

Identify major patterns only: "Well I drew a shit ton of Pentacles cards so I'm going to say that your problem right now is that work is taking up all your time, but also you feel like everything is going super slow. Hope this helps."

Also identify flow: "Well I drew a shit ton of Court cards so I'm going to say that your problem right now is a ton of people all competing to have a say in your life, but at the end you have the Tower and the Sun, so I guess this situation is probably fated towards disaster and then a decent outcome."

Also link cards: "These three court cards face the Tower, but they are also all either Sword or Wand cards. In my practice, Swords and Wand cards are most associated with conflict. These three people, whoever they are, will cause the most conflict."

Also read book and picture meanings: "Out of these three problematic people, this person will try to control how many responsibilities are on your plate. They probably make you feel bad for not being responsible enough."

If you are getting low on energy, or do not have the focus to complete the entire spread, start with broad overview (pattern) and slowly narrow it to flow, then linking. Last of all, if you still have the time/energy, use book and picture meanings to add fine detail to the reading.

No point in adding fine detail to a rough block of wood.

First, shape the reading with broad strokes by finding patterns, and slowly add shape.

Only when you have the smooth, polished shape of your reading should you add the fine detail.

The Only Tarot Spreads You Will Ever Need in Your Life

Learn these, and forget everything else.

1. The Celtic Cross Tarot Spread

Gives you a comprehensive answer to any question

2. The Soulmate Conversation

Tells you everything about your soulmate

3. The Three Wishes Tarot Spread

Tells you which of your wishes will come true

4. The Two Paths Tarot Spread

Guides you towards making the right decision

5. The True God Shuffle

Reveals which higher power you are connected to

6. The What If Tarot Spread

Shows you alternate realities

7. The True Colors Tarot Spread

Shows you a person's true colors

8. The General Prediction Shuffle

Tells you about your life in general

9. The Life Purpose Draw

Reveals your life purpose in this incarnation

10. The Major Arcana Grand Tableau

Shows you the full year ahead

11. Your True Passion Tarot Spread

Reveals your true passion and how to live it

12. The Life Advice Shuffle

Gives you advice about life's many departments

13. The Sex Life Draw

Reveals your sex life with a current or future partner

14. The Past Life Tarot Spread

Reveals the truth about your past life

15. Allies & Enemies Tarot Spread

Reveals who your allies and enemies are

16. Your Future Children Shuffle

Tells you about any future children of yours

17. Sports Match Prediction Method

Lets you win meaningful bets

18. Age at Death Prediction Method

Tells you how long you will live

19. The High Priestess Tarot Spread

Answers any question about the future

20. The Time Prediction Method

Reveals the timing of any event

How to Read Tarot Cards When You Don’t Know Shit

OR: HOW I STOPPED WORRYING AND LEARNED TO LOVE PRACTICING TAROT

This is a simple exercise I’ve done really to hone my intuition while divining. I like to pull a three card spread (past, present, future) but you can really use whichever spread you’d like.

Major Arcana:

Most trump cards can be self explanatory if you’re good at word association.

The Fool card starts a story that follows a journey through to the World, the end. Everything in between is character development.

Death does not mean death. Unlike most horror films, its appearance can actually signal a new beginning or change.

Minor Arcana: Know what each suit means or symbolizes in general.

Cups: Water, focuses on your emotional self, creativity and romance, following your heart over your head.

Pentacles: Earth, focuses on your physical self, material ideas like business or wealth, manifestation.

Swords: Air, focuses on your mental self, action and concentration, intelligence and conflict.

Wands: Fire, focuses on your spiritual self, intuition and inspiration, values and flaws.

All in All: 

Use the context clues in the imagery of your cards to guide your intuition.

Don’t worry about misreading a card or getting anything wrong. This is really about trusting yourself and your gut instincts.

Don’t be afraid to take the surface value of the card during this exercise. It’s just an exercise. 

I hope this helped you if you’re just starting out, want to try a different method to divining with tarot, or just want to generally work on trusting your gut.

quick and easy tarot trick:

1. find the fool in your deck 2. the card under it is how you fucked up 3. the card over it is how you fix your fuck-up 4. you’re welcome

I’ve got another quick and easy tarot trick for y’all! The featured card for this one is The Hermit because I always associate it with taking time to care for yourself. 1. Find The Hermit in your deck. 2. The card below is what’s stressing or draining you. 3. The card above is something you can do for yourself.

hope it helps make somebody’s day a bit better!

25 Tarot Books You MUST Read If You Want To Grow Your Tarot Skills! By THERESA REED.

Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot by Rachel Pollack – deep and rich with information, no list is complete without this book.  If I did have to pick a favorite, this may be it.

Learning the Tarot: A Tarot Book for Beginners by Joan Bunning – based on her online course, this book will get any tarot newbie reading the tarot proficiently in no time.

Mary K. Greer’s 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card by Mary Greer – novel ideas to expand your tarot skills.

The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals (Special Topics in Tarot Series) by Mary Greer – I’m a fan of reversals (they are not mandatory by the way) and this is THE book for those of us who choose to read upside down.  (Honorable mention:  Joan Bunning also has a good book on reversals, Learning Tarot Reversals )

The Complete Tarot Reader: Everything You Need to Know from Start to Finish by Teresa Michaelson – this book has a massive amount of information – it’s like a little encyclopedia

Tarot Masterclass by Paul Fenton-Smith – this book is rarely mentioned but I think it is pure genius.  Not just a tarot primer but also a great section on being a professional tarot reader.  (Honorable mention: Fenton-Smith also has a great beginner’s book, The Tarot Revealed: A Beginner’s Guide )

The Tarot Handbook: Practical Applications of Ancient Visual Symbols by Angeles Arrien – featuring the Thoth deck, this book will help you to understand tarot clearly – even if you do not read with the Thoth deck

The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Marianne Costa – This profound book gets super deep with the Marseille deck.  How I wish I would have had this book when I first started out!

Tarot Plain and Simple by Anthony Louis – loads of interpretations and a slant towards  beginners, this is the book I recommend to all my students

Understanding the Tarot Court (Special Topics in Tarot Series) by Mary Greer – face it, the Court cards are one of the hardest suits for any tarotist to master.  Greer spells it all out with clarity.  LOVE this one.

Tarot: A New Handbook for the Apprentice, Classic Ed (Connolly Tarot) by Eileen Connolly – this is the first tarot book I ever got my hands on.  It’s still a treasured favorite.  Some might be put off by her Christian undertones but I find the interpretations to be pure gold.  I love all of her works.

SuperTarot: New Techniques for Improving Your Tarot Reading by Sasha Fenton – although this is out of print, it is worth searching for a copy. The techniques contained within will help you expand your tarot skills.

The Secret Language of Tarot by Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone – a fantastic book detailing the symbols in the tarot cards.

Tarot for Life: Reading the Cards for Everyday Guidance and Growth by Paul Quinn – A modern book with real life examples of tarot readings, this one will help you bring your readings to life.

Best Tarot Practices: Everything You Need to Know to Learn the Tarot by Marcia Masino – another great book that tends to be overlooked, this one has novel exercises and good advice on reading tarot professionally.

Tarot: Your Everyday Guide by Janina Renee – this book focuses on using tarot for dispensing advice.

Beyond the Celtic Cross: Secret Techniques for Taking Tarot to an Exciting New Level by Paul Hughes Barlow and Catherine Chapman – a very different approach to tarot – card counting and elemental dignities explained in a conversational format.

Rachel Pollack’s Tarot Wisdom: Spiritual Teachings and Deeper Meanings by Rachel Pollack – once again, Pollack delivers an impeccable and thought provoking book with new insights for the modern tarot reader.

Classic Tarot Spreads by Sandor Konraad – I’ve had this book for years and learned many a good spread from it.  (Honorable mentions:  Learning Tarot Spreads by Joan Bunning and Tarot Spreads and Layouts A User’s Manual For Beginning and Intermediate Readers by Jeanne Fiorini)

The Spoken Cabala: Tarot Explorations of the One Self by Jason Lotterhand – based on the Thursday night talks from Lotterhand, this book will give you some insight into the Kabbalah and how it relates to tarot.  (Honorable mentions:  Tarot and the Tree of Life: Finding Everyday Wisdom in the Minor Arcana by Isabel Radow Kliegman for a glimpse on how Kabbalah weaves through the Minor Arcana plus The Tarot Workbook: Understanding and Using Tarot Symbolism by Emily Peach which is a great Kabbalah/tarot primer for beginners)

Tarot Decoded: Understanding and Using Dignities and Correspondences by Elizabeth Hazel – every single dignity and correspondence you can imagine is featured here.

Who Are You in the Tarot?: Discover Your Birth and Year Cards and Uncover Your Destiny by Mary Greer – this is a fantastic book that gives deep insights on your personality, life and journey based on your “birth card”.

Tarot for Beginners: A Practical Guide to Reading the Cards by Barbara Moore – the easiest beginner book out there, this one will appeal to absolute newbies and those who are really sure they can’t “get it”.  Moore shows you that you CAN.

Tarot 101: Mastering the Art of Reading the Cards by Kim Huggens – excellent exercises, good reading list suggestions and a unique format make this book one you cannot miss.  Good for all levels.

Tarosophy : Tarot to Engage Life, Not Escape it by Marcus Katz – Hip and modern, full of useful information and exercises – plus it has stuff for all levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced).  It’s a very intellectual book – this is no “tarot for dummies”.

I made another spread, a more traditional fortune telling one. Hope you all enjoy it! ☘

SELF-REFLECTION SPREAD

I mostly use tarot as a tool for personal introspection. Even people who don’t believe in divination of any kind can use tarot as an aid to explore different perspectives to a situation or even their own psyche. These are some things which I believe I need to confront about myself before achieving any real personal growth.

1. FIXATE

What are the parts of yourself or your life that you tend to get hung up about. Confronting yourself can be good, but overly obsessing on a particular problem or aspect of yourself can inhibit growth. 

2. IGNORE

Conversely, what do you tend to push to the side. This can go both ways: some are unable to see the good things in themselves or their lives, while others gloss over their faults and avoid addressing their problems. 

3. FALSE

What are the things we think to be true about ourselves, or our lives that are not. These are often negative qualities, a lot of people think they are less capable, less deserving or less worthy than they really are. 

4. DECIPHER

What about ourselves have we yet to understand. Everyone has some things about themselves which they don’t yet fully grasp or cannot quite put to words.

5. WANT

What do we most want from ourselves and our lives. The things we wish were more true about ourselves or that we aspire to be. This is a long process to achieve, and part of that is learning that we can’t just skip to this step, we need to deal with the other parts of ourselves too, including the undesirable parts, before we can achieve true personal growth.

Note: Tarot is not a substitute for professional counselling and other forms of licensed therapy! Feel free to use it as a complimentary practice (unless otherwise advised), but do not rely on it as your sole means of treatment if you believe you need professional counselling.             

✨don’t remove my caption or repost anywhere else!✨

I am happy to present my own Wamily’s version of finding your signifier card using a Tarot deck.  (Wamily, just in case you don’t know, is a witch family.)  

Please keep in mind that this is a practice passed down and developed by a handful of witches related to me, and isn’t the process that every cartomancer uses.  I hope this helps you on your witchcraft journey!

My own signifier card was found when I was a wee little witch.  I chose the Chariot (which, if you know me personally, is Salt through and through.)  My strengths and limitations are very much found in this card and I am drawn to its imagery indefinitely.  

Comment with your signifier card once you find it!  I am excited to see what you receive.

Designed to help you investigate deep emotional struggles and learn why you feel the way that you do.  1. The Issue This card represents the topic of the reading. It can represent the individual the reading is for, or the specific problem you are trying to understand.  2. The Struggle This card represents the thing that is your most immediate obstacle. 

The center six cards examine the things within you that impact card one. We could say that we’re looking at your hopes and fears, the factors that determine how you feel about your situation. The row is chronological from left to right, with present day in the middle.

Top Row. External The upper row is representative of lighter aspects of the psyche. This is the face you show others, and what you are consciously, externally aware of.  Bottom Row. Internal The bottom row is the shadow aspect, your hidden fears, the feelings you wont acknowledge to yourself.

Bottom of Cut. Outcome I use the bottom card on the deck or the bottom card of the cut, depending how I deal, as the destination or outcome card. This tells us how you can expect things to “shake out”, if you continue the current course. You can see the spread in action here using the Klimt Tarot deck.

Three Card Tarot Spreads

Time

Past / Present / Future

Today / Tomorrow / Next Day

Morning / Afternoon / Evening

Beginning / Middle / End

Yesterday / Today / Tomorrow

Week / Month / Year

Self

Fear / Why it’s invalid / How to overcome

Who you were / Who you are / Who you will be

Mind / Body / Spirit

Who you’re meant to be / What to work on / When to know you’re there

Strengths / Weaknesses / What to do with them

dreams / fears / reality

Relationships

What’s healthy for the relationship / What isn’t / What needs work

What you like about your partner / what you undervalue / how you can appreciate them better

What you can do less / what you can do more / what you haven’t been doing

What you need from your partner / What you can give your partner / How to make sure everyone’s needs are met

Situations

Positive / Negative / Reality

Best case / Worst case / Most likely outcome

Goals / Obstacles / Solution

Problem / Solution / Likely Outcome

Pro / Con / Best Choice

problem / cause / solution

What you have control over / What’s out of your control / What you need to know

Get a three card reading from me for $8 

About Me Services I Offer  Free Readings  Guidelines

Getting Started

There’s a lot of differing opinion about what to call each hand. The left is sometimes called the hand of your past or the hand of your potential, while the right is sometimes called the hand of your future or the hand of your actualization. Generally speaking, think of your left hand as where you’ve been and your right hand as where you’re going.

Each hand differs in the way its mounts, special zones, and lines look, one hand may even have something the other doesn’t have! So it’s important to exam each hand on their own, and for a deeper reading put the information together. (In order to make the above diagram easier to read, I’ve separated the information across two hands, but all points are mirrored across the hands.)

This guide is a starter guide, however, and won’t be getting into advanced structure palmistry such as knuckles, nails, palm/finger shape, or special markers, so keep that in mind.

I suggest making sure your hands are clean, well moisturized, and rested before you read them so that you can get the most clear and accurate read possible.

Note: * I did my best to include as even number of pros and cons as I could for everything but the literature is very biased… Don’t be discouraged if you have many “bad” traits, as they are all strengths, tools, or things to learn from (in their own way).

Terms

Full: a large amount of skin/muscle

Flat: a small amount of skin/muscle

Weak: difficult to see

Strong: easy to see

Start, of a line: shortest distance to, or touching, the outer edge of the hand

End, of a line: shortest distance to, or within, the center of the palm

Short: line ends at the center of the palm or sooner

Long: line ends after the center of the palm

Fork: a line split into two or more parts

Break: a line is completely separated, but the two halves are close enough to reasonably be assumed a continuation

Branch: a “V”, line, or curve that the primary line passes through

Doubled: a second, smaller line that follows closely to a primary line without crossing it

* Note: Sometimes the meaning of start and end are flipped in other literature, but these are the definitions that make sense to me personally. Once you get familiar with palmistry you can decide for yourself where the start and end are.

Mounts

Venus ( ♀ ): [Love, friendship, self-care, intuition, vitality, success.] A full mount indicates someone who has many friends or romantic/sexual relationships, takes care of themselves but may over indulge, is frivilous and impulsive, enjoys the arts and “the finer things”, seeks instant gratification, and is influential or well respected. A flat mount indicates someone who is critical, more selective with friendships/romantic partners, is not close with their family, is a deep thinker and not superficial, independent, and may face many hardships.

Mars, positive ( ♂ ): [Courage, adventure, health, interpersonal, temperament.] A full mount indicates someone who enjoys “getting out there” and is unafraid to be in the spotlight, this person may be stubborn, aggressive, or may have a thick skull, they may have good health, and they communicate effectively but are very defiant. A flat mount indicates someone who has trouble expressing their feelings, is avoidant and anxious, easily over-stimulated, cautious, introspective, and reflective.

Jupiter ( ♃ ): [Willpower, personal philosophies, self-image.] A full mount indicates someone who cares about how they are perceived by others and therefore works hard to achieve their goals and be on top. This person is hard working, ambitious, responsible, cocky, spiritual, domineering, and may be self-centered but is willing to help others. A flat mount indicates someone who is clumsy, dishonest, self-conscious, has a lack of ambition, is frugal, goes with the flow, is spontaneous, and seems to be socially and spiritually disconnected.

Saturn ( ♄ ): [Intelligence, independence, patience, duty.] A full mount indicates someone who is in control of their life, responsible and trustworthy, sentimental, cautious, a bit of a show off, and can be depressive, shy, or withdrawn although they are friendly. A flat mount indicates someone who is superstitious, has strong religious or spiritual views, is superficial, disorganized, lacks introspection, this person may have a “go with the flow” attitude, and be more relaxed and carefree.

Apollo/Solar ( ☉ ): [Wealth, outlook, imagination, compassion.] A full mount indicates someone who is quiet or mild tempered, has many artistic interests or passions, is a modest philanthropist, a perfectionist, quick-tempered and sometimes prideful, and can be envious but is outgoing and flexible. A flat mount indicates someone who over-indulges beyond their means, is disinterested in art, they do not make decisions easily, they have little imagination, are rational and level headed, and may be drawn more to history and hard science.

Mercury ( ☿ ): [Wisdom, travel, communication, business.] A full mount indicates someone who is financially successful and shrewd in business, they are quick-witted and inventive but may have little follow-through, they may lie easily, and are flexible and adaptive. A flat mount indicates someone who is easy going although may be lazy, shy, and have difficulty communicating.

Mars, negative: [Self-control, endurance, enthusiasm.] A full mount indicates someone who is steady and stable, endures many hardships, and may not be too courageous. A flat mount indicates someone who is indecisive, has bad luck, has difficulty motivating, but is calm, tactful, and resilient.

Lunar ( ☾ ): [Imagination, intuition, creativity, emotion.] A full mount indicates someone who is very creative, spiritual, sentimental, and may be depressive or have their head in the clouds. A flat mount indicates someone who is steady, conservative, logical, and may be imaginative but doesn’t express it.

Neptune ( ♆ ): [Emotions, health, success.] A full mount indicates someone who is very emotional, sentimental, enjoys good health, is charming and charismatic, this person may be cruel, may face many challenges, and may be a talented musician, poet, or writer. A flat mount indicates someone who is unreliable, asocial, without drive, and may have trouble expressing their feelings.

Special Zones

Will, tip to first knuckle: If longer than #2 Logic, it’s indicated that this person is very reliable and hard working, but acts without thinking. If this portion is full, this person is egotistical; if flat, this person is irresponsible.

Logic, first to second knuckle: If longer than #1 Will, it’s indicated that this person comes up with ideas easily but has poor follow through and execution. If this portion is full, this person is bossy; if flat, this person is indecisive.

Love, second knuckle to wrist: Look at the thumb with the nail facing you. If this portion of the thumb widens as you move towards the wrist, it’s indicated that this person has a great capacity to love. If this portion remains the same width the entire length, then they are more reserved and closed off. (This change may be difficult to see, so really examine it.)

Relationships: The number of lines indicates the number of significant romantic or non-romantic-committed relationships in your life. This does not imply marriage and the relationship itself did not have to be serious for the person’s impact on your life (or your impact on theirs) to have been in a serious way. A fork or break at the end signifies a divorce. Strong lines indicate someone who is open with their feelings and is able to be vulnerable with others. Weak lines indicate someone who is more critical regarding who they get close to but commits more seriously.

Children: The number of lines indicates the number of children in your life. This does not necessarily imply children you may birth, adopt, or foster but instead reflects the number of lives you had a serious impact on. If a child line crosses a relationship line, you and a partner were both involved with that child. Strong lines indicate healthy children or children you were greatly involved with; weak lines indicate sickly children or children who were only in your life briefly.

Major Lines

If the line ends at the index finger then this person has a lot of love to share, is a dreamer, but may be let down by their high expectations. If the line ends at the middle finger then this person is more reserved and level-headed when it comes to building relationships. If the line ends between the index and middle fingers this person is very genuine, honest, is free with their relationships, and makes friends/falls in love easily.

A short line indicates someone who doesn’t think of relationships as being very important to them, they’re independent and some would call them loners, they’re more introspective and self-reliant although selfish and bad with communication. A long line indicates someone who is open and honest but may be harsh or blunt, they may have too high of standards, and be co-dependent.

Breaks indicate instances when you’ve made a major sacrifice for someone or the end of a relationship. Branches indicate this person is consistent and considerate. A fork indicates a major dispute, separation, or divorce.

If the line crosses the Heart Line it shows this person invests a lot of time in art and leisure, is very sensitive and sympathetic, but may have a lot of life troubles. If the line is very close to the Heart Line without touching it, relationships are a major part of their life, this person is comforting and supportive. If the line is joined with the Life Line at the start and branches quickly, then they are flexible and resilient. If the line is joined with the Life Line at the start and follows along, then they are introverted, indecisive, and cautious.

A short line indicates someone who is rash and bold, cares more about material or physical accomplishments than intellectual or spiritual ones, is easily distracted, but achieves goals quickly. A long line indicates someone who is focused, stubborn, and may procrastinate.

If this person has a doubled line, educational and intellectual pursuits are of highest priority, they have a high mental ability, and they like to look at issues from multiple perspectives. A palm-facing fork indicates someone who is imaginative, creative, and has a strong social bond. An outer hand-facing fork indicates someone who is clever and ambitious, but domineering and may not meet their high expectations. Breaks indicate poor health and career shifts, people with many breaks are strong-minded and need many relationships.

A short line indicates someone who is easily manipulated, deceived, and taken advantage of, this person may be sick often, is able to easily overcome obstacles, and must take special care to understand their own limits. A long line indicates someone who is very in tune with their intuition, is resilient, enjoys sports and physical activity, has a lot of stamina and vitality, has good health, and draws strength from pushing their limits.

Breaks indicate a serious illness or injury and unexpected changes in life. Outer hand-facing forks indicate someone who is diligent, ambitious, optimistic, and successful. Palm-facing forks indicate someone who focuses and work/school, is able to keep their personal and professional relationships separate, and will do a lot of traveling. Branches pointing to the fingers indicate success and achievement, branches pointing to the wrist indicate illness, worries, or life stresses as well as achievements

If the line stops at the Heart Line, then this person is ruled by their emotions and make many impulsive decisions. If the line stops at the Head Line, then this person will have a major career change, of their own choice, and break out into their dreams. A line that ends at Apollo indicates success in the arts. A line that ends at Jupiter indicates great power. A line that ends at Saturn indicates someone who will achieve great success with little effort.

A line that starts in Venus is destined to be wealthy or notable. A line that starts on the Life Line indicates someone who co-dependent, very emotional, and may have trouble with relationships. A line that starts in +Mars indicates someone who is very successful in business. A line that starts in Luna indicates someone who is very helpful and will network easily. A line that starts on the Heart Line indicates someone who will achieve success later in life.

Breaks indicate difficulties in school and work. Branches indicate someone who will have great success and affluence. Forks indicate someone who has many dreams and goals and may be involved in multiple business ventures.

No fate line indicates someone who is go with the flow and is happy to walk any path in life.

Minor Lines

Fortune/Sun: If this line is present, it indicates someone who will have major success. They are extremely capable and have great communication skills and follow through. People with this line are very creative, sensitive, and popular. The longer the line, the greater the success and the longer you will have success. A very short line indicates someone who is ordinary but doing well. No line indicates someone who will struggle to achieve their goals, consult the Fate and/or Life lines.

Health/Intuition: If this line is present, it indicates someone who stretches themselves to the limit. Generally this is the line of psychics, empaths, and healers. People with this line should take extra precautions when spending a lot of time around people in order to preserve their health. Consult the Life and Heart lines.

Rascette/Bracelets: Most people have 3-4 of these lines. A strong first bracelet indicates good health and few obstacles in life. A strong second bracelet indicates a stable career and financial situation. A strong third bracelet indicates someone who is well respected in the community, popular, and/or influential. The presence of a fourth bracelet indicates an extremely long life. Having only one line indicates serious health upsets or depression.

A very basic tarot spread that overview many areas in ones life.

For when you don’t want to feel horrible anymore.

New favorite way to cleanse my deck:

Play tarot klondike solitaire while listening to music as a creative way to sort the cards in order before reshuffling them again. 

Can also be used as divination, as source describes, for a grand total of one part game, one part cleansing, and one part divination!

♠️♦️How to Divine Using Playing Cards ♥️♣️

♥️HEARTS♥️

♥️Ace: home or close environment. Could represent a visit, travel or a change of address.

♥️King: an influencial man, someone who has the power or ability to do something good for the querent. Money, wealth, success in love.

♥️Queen: A trusted woman. Someone knowledgeable and faithful. One who always plays fair. Trust, honesty, friendship.

♥️Jack: A good friend to the querent, someone close, a cousin or confidant, someone they have known for a long time. Friendship, relationships (usually family-related), and gathering or celebration.

♥️10: A good card: means good luck, can counteract bad cards around it.

♥️9: Harmony, prosperity. Also known as ‘the Wish Card’. If surrounded by bad cards, these can represent obstacles that need to be dealt with in order to get the fulfillment of the wish.

♥️8: An event, a celebration, a party/wedding ..etc. Some sort of ceremony that is already in the works, or is being planned.

♥️7: A card of disappointent. Usually indicates a partner or other person failing to keep their promises. If this card comes up when dealing with some sort of plan, expect that the other person will back out.

♥️6: Warning card. Someone may try to take advantage of the querent. Also, the querent is being used by a close friend or partner.

♥️5: Indecisiveness: The querent’s inability to make up his/her mind on a subject. A tendency to make and break plans with others.

♥️4: The bachelor/old maid card. This card represent someone who is too fussy in their selection of a partner. Someone who, by their picky nature, is destined to remain alone.

♥️3: An unwise decision, made in haste and without proper background information.

♥️2: Success, often beyond the querent’s expectations. If bad cards surround, there may be delays in reaching the goal.

♣️CLUBS♣️

♣️Ace: Indicates wealth, fame, and having many friends or acquaintances. Also feeling well known and being able to receive certain perks due to good looks or social status.

♣️King: Represents a very good friend. A lifelong companion, someone who can be trusted and counted on during times of need and sorrow.

♣️Queen: Represents a wife or girlfriend in long term relationship for a man. For a woman, represents a sister or good friend, someone who shares a lot of knowledge about the querent.

♣️Jack: Represents a good friend, one who uses a lot of flattery, but only to make the other person feel better. Someone who is good at cheering the querent up.

♣️10 :A card of happiness and good fortune. Can also represent a long and fun-filled journey.

♣️9: Trouble: Represents arguments with good friends. A loss of a relationship, a dispute that will remain unresolved.

♣️8: A sense of desperation. An urgent need for money.

♣️7: A card of good luck, if other favorable cards are around. Success if there is not interference from the opposite sex.

♣️6: A partnership card. Success based on mutual goals and friendship.

♣️5: A marriage card, or the beginning of a long standing alliance.

♣️4: A danger card, showing misfortune or failure. Supposed friends getting in the way, or turning against the querent.

♣️3: A sign of a second marriage or even a third. Or an engagement with someone, then a marriage with another, after a friendly separation.

♣️2: Bad luck. Being let down by those around. Opposition from friends and family. Do not count on others.

♦️DIAMONDS♦️

♦️Ace: an important message. A letter or package/gift arriving, the contents of which are very important.

♦️King: A bitter rival, a dangerous competitor, for women it can mean an abusive man or a deceitful lover.

♦️Queen: A flirtatious woman, one who will interfere in plans. Gossipy, very attractive to males..able to get away with things and interfere in situations.

♦️Jack: A bringer of bad news. A selfish person. Not dangerous to male querents, but problems for a female one.

♦️10: Money. Money being the driving force of a journey or partnership. Greed.

♦️9: Adventure: A move in the hopes of advancement.

♦️8: Country life, travel and marriage late in life. The querent’s life is too hectic at the moment..a need to settle down and get away..but being unable to do so at the present time.

♦️7: Bad luck on an enterprise or idea. A man who is unreliable, a gambler or drinker.

♦️6: An early marriage, but an unhappy one..and one not destined to last. A second marriage would also be unhappy.

♦️5: Prosperity, long enduring friendship. Pride in family. Success with children.

♦️4: Quarrels: Forgotten or neglected friends and family. Situations that have been brewing and now come to a head.

♦️3: A card of disputes and quarrels. Lawsuits, legal actions. A sign of separation or divorce.

♦️2: A serious love affair, resulting in a marriage or interfering with one depending on surrounding cards.

♠️SPADES♠️

♠️Ace: Bad news, loss of someone close, possible death to someone near, or an illness, miscarriage, etc.

♠️King: A man who will cause problems in marriage or relationships. One who will get in the middle, divide and conquer..and then destroy.

♠️Queen: A cruel woman, one who interferes. For women, a betrayal by a good friend. For men, a woman who will use them for their own gain.

♠️Jack: A person who hangs around and gets in the way. Not a bad person, but a lazy person. One who will get in the way of progress. Takes and takes, but does not give back anything.

♠️10: A very unlucky card. If near a good card, it can cancel it out. If found with bad cards, makes them twice as bad.

♠️9: The worst card of all: Illness, loss of money, or misery. Even among the best of cards. Defeat, lack of success:

♠️8: False friends, traitors, someone who will betray. Most of the trouble can be avoided if caught early on. Examine all relationships closely.

♠️7: Sorrow and quarrels. Avoid arguments with friends. Let them “win” for now.

♠️6: Much planning but little result. Hard work, without much profit. Discouragements.

♠️5: Success in business or love, after much time and hard work.

♠️4: Minor misfortune: A short illness, a temporary setback.

♠️3: Unhappiness: Misfortune in love or marriage. A loss of pride and hope. Do not dwell, move on in life.

♠️2: A complete and forced change. Sudden change of location, relationship or a death. Bound to make a big difference in the coming months.

GENERALLY: ♥️HEARTS: Emotional, symbols of pain and suffering.

♣️CLUBS: Friends, relationships.

♦️DIAMONDS: Difficulties, money problems.

♠️SPADES: Warnings.

i just found this amazing site which is a random sentence/passage generator from tons of classical pieces of literature. everything from the illiad to bram stoker’s dracula and more. a pretty awesome way to do bibliomancy, especially if you don’t own some of the books it generates! i just used it with my spirit companion and it worked beautifully. 

Divination with DnD Dice

There seemed to be enough interest in the DnD Dice Divination system that I decided to go ahead and write it up. I couldn’t fit it all on here though so I might be making more posts in the future about it. I’ve included the most important stuff here to get started. 

I’ve included a zine to download and print off if you want to take it with you. I actually recommend the zine, it’s a better format than what tumblr would let me put together. 

Please consider tipping me and definitely credit me where you can. 

I know there are other systems out there and I don’t have a monopoly on dice divination but this guide did take a lot of time to put together and is built on my own collection of frameworks, meanings. 

Dice sets can be picked up for cheaper than most basic tarot decks making the barrier to entry lower. My goal was to create a system that could get a similar level of complexity of information to tarot and oracle cards. I found in test readings, I could get roughly the same as I would get from a four card reading. So it’s a good start! 

It’s my mission to make divination more accessible, tipping me helps me devote more time to this.

Zine: https://www.scribd.com/document/380692727/Divination-With-DnD-Dice

If Scribd gives you trouble try here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/21613135

Read description for printing directions or it might not come out right. 

If you can’t print it off, the same information is included below the cut.  

Hope someone finds this useful! 

Keep reading

Tutorials with Pokemancy: Making Your Own TCG Oracle Deck

One of my favorite ways to practice Pokemancy is by using Pokemon cards! In this tutorial, I am going to teach you how to create your OWN oracle deck using cards from the Pokemon Trading Card Game.

Before we get started, let’s go over some definitions and recommended reading:

Pokemancy: the practice of using Pokemon in ANY form to produce messages, advice, and possible divine future events.

Pokemon TCG Cartomancy: Probably the most widespread type of Pokemancy; it is the use of Pokemon TCG cards in order to divine messages. This is comparable to tarot, oracle and lenormand. Like a tarot reading, the person interprets the cards that are pulled for the reading in order to deliver the message to the querent (person receiving the reading). TCG Cartomancy decks can be put together using any of the thousands of Pokemon cards in circulation, the sky is the limit with what you put into your deck. Energy cards, trainer cards and stadium cards can also be used!

An argument for Pokemancy & why it makes sense in the modern occult community

Introduction

Divination is most effective when you are using a tool that is comfortable for you. This is why personalized tools are become more and more popular. I have seen a rising interest for personalized divination tools such as tarot decks, oracle decks, rune sets, bone throwing sets and many, many more. 

With that in mind, Pokemon cards can create a HUGE amount of variety and customization for a deck of cards used for divination! As of May 2020, there are:

Over unique 9000 cards in the English release

Over 20 billion cards in circulation

86 card set

That’s a lotta cards! 

But admin! Where do I start? How do I pick my cards?! Which Pokemon do I use? Can I use energy cards? What about the trainers? Which of the 168 Pikachu cards should I pick?!

Not to worry! We are going to cover all of this in this tutorial.

The purpose of this tutorial is to show you that there is no limitation to creating a divination tool that suits you. While I will be offering some basic guidelines and structures, this tutorial is not meant to place limits onto what you can make! Some people may not resonate with my suggestions, and that’s entirely okay.

Deck Theme & Purpose

Many people who read tarot and oracle are familiar with the following phrases:

“This deck is amazing to use for love readings!”

“I’m not sure about you guys, but the imagery on these cards just BEG for shadow work readings.”

“The thing I like about this deck is that it can be used for just about anything.”

Often times, when an artist is creating a tarot or oracle deck, they are designing it around a certain theme or purpose. For example, a deck full of dark, gloomy imagery was probably made for people who want to get readings about death, shadow work or heavier topics. A deck full of inspiring, softer art probably works great for self-empowerment readings and spiritual guidance. And a deck full of couples, cutesy pictures and love symbols will probably strike the right cords with people who want relationship readings. The same goes for TCG oracle decks.

Here are some very basic ideas for some of the most popular deck themes. Remember, you can use your own meanings too:

Relationships/Love

Fairy-type Pokemon

Water-type Pokemon

Pokemon that you consider to represent love

Pokemon that know the moves ‘Attract’ or ‘Covet’

Cards with pink, red or white colors

Business/Finances/Money

Grass-type Pokemon

Ground-type Pokemon

Meowth & Persian

Trainer/Support cards that ask you to draw more cards

Trainer/Support cards that may be associated with money or business in the games, anime and manga.

Spirituality/PokePaganism/Past Life Regression

Psychic-type Pokemon

Legendary Pokemon

Pokemon that are important to you

Energy cards to represent the elements

Stadium cards to represent locations that you may want to focus on during meditation

Healing

Chansey or Audino

Pokemon Center Cards

Pokemon/Support/Stadium cards that inspire you and make you feel good

Energy cards that you associate with healing

Shadow Work

Dark-type Pokemon

Psychic-type Pokemon

Trainer/Support cards associated with villains

Legendary Pokemon associated with the dark

The lists and ideas can go on for as long as you’d like! If you want a more general deck that you can use for every day, go ahead and add in a mix of everything! You can even use the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana of the tarot as inspiration.

Balancing Your Deck

My personal Pokemancy deck takes a few things into consideration, and these things may be important to you too:

Representation of the elements. I have one of each energy card in my deck, it gives me deck a sense of balance and allows me to use the deck in many different ways. The energy cards can help clarify readings, or really REALLY bring up the energy that is surrounding my life at the moment. This also plays into the type of Pokemon I choose; I make sure to have a few of each type in my deck.

Visual aesthetics. As a professional tarot reader, I take a card’s artwork into consideration any time I am reading. The art helps me connect with the card, and really get to know it. Often times, I find more and more meaning in cards with complex art. Some readers prefer a more minimalist approach so that they do not get distracted. But, with that being said, I pick cards that appeal to me!

Pokemon that are important to me. If I have a connection with a Pokemon already, it makes it easier for me to read it from a divinatory standpoint. 

Pokemon that I want to understand better. On the flip side, sometimes I add in Pokemon that I would make to make a better connection with– Pokemon that are currently “challenging me” in terms of grasping their meanings.

A good balance of “common” Pokemon and legendary Pokemon. My personal practice puts legendary Pokemon in the same seat as gods and goddesses. Common Pokemon give off more of a standard spirit energy for me. So, I have a mix of both in my deck so that I can have a good idea of whether or not this reading involves a connection to the lower realms, the middle realms or the higher realms.

A variety of trainer cards and stadium cards. I’ve got a few trainer cards in my deck in order to represent archetypes, and I have stadium cards that relate to different realms, locations or places that may be relevant during readings. For example, if I pull the Guzma trainer card, it means that I need to be strong and relentless in the face of an adversary, but I should be careful not to let my power get to my head. However, if I pull the Sabrina trainer card, I need to stop and allow myself to look at things logically and calmly.

The size of the deck. I like an average size deck, so my current Pokemancy deck is 40 cards. You, however, can choose as many as you want! As long as you aren’t overwhelmed and you feel that you can make a connection with your cards, and provide readings that make sense, then have at it.

When you put your Pokemancy deck together, you are going to want to try a few practice readings. If you find that your readings aren’t making a whole lot of sense, or if every reading is exactly the same despite changing the question, you may want to add a few cards, remove a few cards, or consider mixing up the variety of your cards. (Maybe all of your cards are TOO positive, and aren’t allowing you to see potential conflicts. Or maybe your cards are TOO negative, and you aren’t able to see the good in your situation!)

Storing Your Deck

                  ✨Deck storage is very important!✨

                      ❤️  Please protect your cards! ❤️

Yes. PLEASE treat your Pokemon cards kindly, ESPECIALLY since you are now using them as a tool for divination! If you ask me, you should have already been protecting those cards already, but now it is even more important to do so. Now that you are using these cards for readings, they are going to get shuffled a lot more! If you were only holding these Pokemon cards in binders and boxes, and not using them to actually play the TCG, then you may not be familiar with how much the cards can wear out and be torn up. 

There are plenty of things that can damage your cards:

Rain

Humidity

Heavy shuffling

Improper storage (can cause warping and bending

Unwashed hands (and I’m not just talking COVID-19, I’ve ruined cards with sticky hands before.)

Protecting your cards from damage not only increases the lifespan and quality of them, but it also makes the deck feel better all around. Tarot readers put their decks in pouches, leather deck holds, deck wraps and so many other lovely things. We as Pokemancers have our own storage methods as well.

I recommend getting a TCG deck box and card sleeves from one of these places:

Your local game shop

The Pokemon Center Website

Walmart, Target, Amazon, Ebay, etc.

You can also get some beautiful custom boxes from Etsy.

If you want, you can then put that deck box full of your cards into a tarot/oracle pouch, tuck it away in a wrap, or place it on your shelf.

Another way that you can protect your cards is by performing your readings on a reading mat or cloth. These mats and cloths can be found on Etsy, anywhere that you can purchase witchcraft materials, or you can make your own with some fabric!

Or, if you want to stick with the spirit of Pokemancy, buy yourself a Pokemon TCG playing card mat.

Bonding with your deck

So now you’ve got your deck, what’s next? Now, you want to take some time to get to know your deck. The more you know your deck, the better your readings will be. Think of your deck as a friend. The better the connection, the easier it will be to get along.

The most practical way to understanding your deck is by reading with it. For today’s tutorial, I threw a quick deck together in order to show you guys some examples on how to read with your new divination tool. Ignore the fact that the cards are naked, I ran out of card sleeves.

Let’s break down a simple reading together:

I asked this deck: what can I do to set myself up for success? 

Next, I shuffled the deck and pulled five cards. The top three cards are a classic past, present and future layout, while the bottom two give me some advice for the present.

When reading individual cards, I use everything on the card. But, let’s start simple and only focus on the three main points: the flavor text, the attacks and the card art.

Past: Duskull

The flavor text of this card reads: It doggedly pursues its prey wherever it goes. However, the chase is abandoned at sunrise.

The Pokemon has two attacks: Dark Guidance and Spooky Shot

The card art has a picture of Duskull weaving through a room, possibly abandoned due to the graffiti on the walls.

What does all of this suggest? In the past, I worked myself way too hard, often through the night until the sun rose. My form of guidance was putting me in a dark space, and it was pushing me to a point where I was abandoning a lot of things that were important to me.

Present: Morelull

The flavor text of this card reads: It scatters spores that flicker and glow. Anyone seeing these lights falls into a deep slumber.

The Pokemon has one attack: Ram

The card art has a picture of Morelull standing in the woods, illuminating the dark.

What does all of this suggest? Right now, I am pretty worn out from working too hard, to the point where all I want to do is sleep. However, I’m starting to see what I did wrong with my routine in the past, illuminating some possibilities for improvement.

Future: Noctowl

The flavor text of this card reads: Its eyes are specially adapted. They concentrate even faint light and enable it to see in the dark.

The Pokemon has two attacks: Hypnoblast and Night Raid

The card art shows Noctowl perched on a tree branch against a clear sky, head tilting like it knows something.

What does all of this suggest? In the future, I will be able to focus on the light side of things, or the good parts of life, even when I am surrounded by a lot of darkness (stress, bad mental health, etc.) Even if I am in a tough place right now, my future is bright.

Advice Card #1: Timer Ball

Trainer cards do not have any attacks or basic flavor text, it only has the card’s description. This is also an item card, which limits my ability to find meaning in the card art. However, I can relate this card back to the Timer Ball’s use in the Pokemon games.

The Timer Ball’s catch rate increases the longer you are in battle with a wild Pokemon.

What does all of this suggest? The more I work on myself now, the better my outcome will be in the future. I should not rush for my final outcome.

Advice Card #2: Pokemon Fan Club

Again, this is a trainer card, with no attacks or flavor text. Unlike the Timer Ball though, the Pokemon Fan Club has some more depth. 

The Pokemon Fan Club is an organization spread throughout the Pokémon world, with at least one club house in nearly every region. The club is considered a place for people to meet and chat about their favorite Pokémon and to show off their collections to each other.

What does all of this suggest? I should look to friends and groups of like-minded people (such as my classmates or people in my different communities) for support and drive right now.

Once you finish the reading, you can shuffle the cards back into the deck, thank it for its message, and then put it into storage.

And there you have it! See how simple that was? As you get to understand your cards more, you can use the numerology of the Pokemon’s height, weight and Pokedex number, the Pokemon’s typing, whether or not it is a basic Pokemon or stage 1 or 2 Pokemon, and so on. Don’t overwhelm yourself though! Start with a few factors of the card, and then add on more once you’re confident.

Just about every tarot spread can be adapted for your Pokemancy deck. Try out a few and see how your cards respond to them!

Conclusion

Making a Pokemon TCG oracle deck can be a lot of fun! It’s accessible for those who are still in the closet with their witchcraft/paganism (you can just tell people that you’re collecting Pokemon cards), it has a nostalgic factor, and it’s exciting when you learn about the depth of these cards. There are so many combinations that you can come up with, so go out there and make the deck of your dreams.

Please share this tutorial if you found it interesting! 

have to say tho, i was kinda sceptical about doing divination at first because i thought it was just tarot. so you can imagine my surprise when i saw dice and playing cards and casting runes are also divination methods. i was curious enough to try out dice and playing cards and like. y’all. they actually Work.

dice are a bit finnicky, at least the 3d6 method, they’re very vague and give too little information (and my rolls have all been So Low, but maybe that’s because my dice don’t like that they’re also used for dnd and were kept in a big pouch of dice with little regard) but that doesn’t matter much because i use them in addition to playing cards.

now Those? i fucking Love. i’ve used them to speak to lucifer (and it was really fucking nice, he’s so kind and reassuring… also might’ve been testing me but i’m not sure, my intuition with cards isn’t the best by question 3, i get tired really fast) and today my cards told me that Yeah, asmodeus is Definitely sending me signals. again, by question 3 the answer was jumbled, but it could’ve(???) been asmodeus trying to talk directly to me? i’m not really sure. but when i was shuffling the cards to end the reading, a card jumped out and it was like my deck wanted to reassure me or like. solidify that This Will Happen. when i realised, i had to laugh a little because damn, my cards are so good to me.

so yeah, since those two methods work Beautifully for me, i bought a tarot deck off vinted. the. smith waite centennial one i think? yeah. the illustrations are Gorgeous. i’ll be taking some precautions before i actually use them, like cleansing them and using a protective sigil on them, introducing myself, etc etc. i really can’t wait until they arrive :33

The questions I ask myself, roughly in this order, to interpret any* tarot spread:

How did the cards appear? Because I shuffle for jumpers, it matters whether cards pop from the deck together. They form pairs (or groups) which have stronger connections to each other than other cards in the spread.

What types of cards are on the field? Majors? Minors? All numerical cards? Court cards? What suits? What numbers? This is where I consider the raw, memorized meaning of individual cards and the archetypes they represent.

Are there obvious patterns or cadences in the order? Think like poetry, ABAB or AABB, but with the types of cards. In a hand of five, it's interesting if the order is Major-Minor-Major-Minor-Major. Or maybe the cards are in a descending numerical order, Nine-Eight-Seven-Six-Five. Or, perhaps Nine-Eight-Six-Five-Four -- the jump in the pattern matters.

Are there repeating numbers or suits? Repetition strengthens the significance of a number's or suit's meaning.

Are there repeating motifs in the card art? Again, repetition strengthens the significance. This includes colors, background details, people, animals, and so forth.

Where are figures in the art looking? Are they looking at other cards? At each other? Away from each other? The direction of figures' attention directs where that card's focus might be.

Is there a cohesion or flow in the spread, or is it interrupted and disorganized? Some spreads flow smoothly left to right, while others show disruption and a lack of coherency. This question looks a the spread as a whole again after all other questions have been asked to consider all elements together.

Does it make sense? Do the cards answer the question being asked? How do they apply? Is there something missing? Is there a deeper meaning to delve into? Do I need clarifiers? Do I need to try again with new cards? Can I explain these cards to the querent and have them understand my meaning?

And then I write out my analysis! There's obviously more to it than this, with a ton of nuance at every step, and I could probably write a whole essay about any individual part of this... and I probably still will, honestly. (And I started to, then decided to just write up a little list instead, lmao.)

*May not work for some tarot spreads, depending on the style.

communicating with deities

now of course this is a multi layered topic that is different for everyone. some people will use some of these techniques, some people use none, others may use all in sparing amounts. and some techniques may not work for you at all, and that's okay!

just remember that you and your practice is valid, this is just advice for whoever needs it (and that may not be you! it's okay!).

HOWEVER it should be said that a lot of cultures place an emphasis on cleanliness--both spiritual and physical. so, hey, maybe set up some incense and wash your hands before doing some of these methods.

1. Tarot, Runes, Etc.

Now this section is probably the biggest out of all of them. There are so many different physical divination techniques across several different cultures including tarot and runes, but also bone/charm casting (here's a good tutorial for that), psephoi, coin flipping, geomancy, the ogham, and gods so many more I just can't get to all of them.

I like to do this at or near my altar space while wearing my devotional jewelry or sometimes even while veiling, depending on the deity.

What I like to start with is just a simple "Please [deity name] guide this reading." before I ask my question and cast lots. I imagine the deity during the question, during the pulling, and while interpreting.

Sometimes, with deities, the question you ask isn't always the one that is answered. If there is a certainmessage they deem more important, they will give you that instead. This happens to me very, very frequently.

I don't have a particular spread that I always use, but I tend to go for a simple five card pull. I also tend to place a lot of importance in cards that fall out while shuffling, and will look at them with and apart from the other cards I pull. Other than that, a simple past-present-future can also be very useful here.

2. Meditation

This is what I know most practicioners to use, as it seems to come the easiest to most people. However, if you're someone like me who's on certain psychiatric medications, this may not work for you. Furthermore, if you have difficulty visualizing (which is Not your fault, some people are just built differently and that's okay), this may be difficult for you.

The way I used to go about it is that I would find a dark, quiet place, I would light some incense, perhaps even play some light music or nonspeaking ASMR. Here is a good tutorial on YouTube. I just needed to get relaxed enough to be almost asleep, but not so relaxed I lost focus. Recently, I've also noticed that doing some,,, gardening (iykyk),, helps a lot with reaching the right state.

You're looking for just the fine line between sleep and wakefulness, it should almost feel like you're being pulled upward (at least, that's how it feels to me).

Messages may come in the form of images or words, and can be direct or very vague. Just remember to be patient with yourself and your deities, the time may not always be right for you to hear some messages.

3. Pendulums

The reason why pendulums get their own section is just because they're so dang good. Yes, pendulums can and do answer yes/no questions, however they can also be used with certain alphabetical charts to discern individual words and phrases from your deities.

Again, like with tarot, I like to set myself up near my altar with my devotional jewelry. Then I'll ask my pendulum to please contact the deity in question. The reason you want to do this is because I've noticed pendulums may have energy of their own, and may answer questions themselves if given the opportunity. This is not inherently bad, it's just not what you want.

Remember to always ask your pendulum if they're okay being taken over by a deity, some will already be occupied by their own force and won't appreciate being budged out. Others won't care and you'll have an okay time with it.

4. Dreams or Visions

Some of our polytheist friends will be given the ability to receive dreams or visions from their deities. This often comes in it's own package of strange messages and symbolism, but it works nonetheless. Keep a look out for dreams that include your gods' symbols, holy animals, or popular visages.

Remember, it is totally alright if you don't receive direct messages from your gods. I, for one, do not. Sometimes I will dream about my deities but I almost never remember what happened in the dreams, much less if there was a message. Those that receive dreams and visions are not better than you, nor do they automatically have a better relationship with that god than you.

In this case, there isn't much you can do except pray for visions. You can't force them to happen, there's no way to make yourself the perfect vessel or devotee (unlike what some might claim), it just works or it doesn't.

Also if you're having frequent visions and seeing full apparitions while awake that are convincing you to do things or are encouraging paranoid delusions, please seek therapy. I don't automatically believe you need to medicated because you see apparitions of the gods in broad daylight, but you should see someone who can help you discern if these are real messages from your gods or are figments of poor brain chemistry. Take care of yourselves, please.

5. Devotional Acts

Some people, especially in antiquity, communicated the gods in a mostly unidirectional manner. This includes burning offerings and incense, setting up altars, engaging inprayer, and doing devotional activities.

My favorite devotional activities include:

-going thrifting for fun nicknacks for my altar space

-eating food in their name, especially ones that remind you of them

-making devotional jewelry, including prayer beads

-doing divinational readings for others

-going out to look at the sunrise/sunset/moon

-spending time with family, especially female family members

-doing kind things, like making donations to charities you like or giving money to the unhoused

-reading books or stories about your deities

-loving and taking care of your furry friends, especially strays

Anyways, that's all I've got for today, Khaire! <3

the ogham alphabet and their divinatory meanings

FIRST AICME

ᚁ beith

UPRIGHT: joyful beginnings, new possibilities, renewal and rebirth--even if it is uncomfortable

REVERSED: a blind path, wasted efforts, fixation on the past, longing for the impossible

ᚂ luis

UPRIGHT: clarity, attention to detail, purification, danger avoided or overcome, two paths are open to you

REVERSED: vulnerability, uncertainty, deception, delusion, something (possibly your own emotions) is misleading you

ᚃ fearn

UPRIGHT: protection and guidance, emotional security, good advice, prophecy, unexpected solution(s), music, poetry

REVERSED: willful blindness, refusal to listen to advice, arrogance or not enough information

ᚄ saille

UPRIGHT: go with the flow, intuition, dreaming, unconscious, letting go of preconceptions, feminine energy/connection to the moon

REVERSED: inability to adapt, feeling defeated or lost, lack of movement, difficulty that will inevitably pass

ᚅ nuin

UPRIGHT: connection and transformation, being a part of something bigger, fate, divine action/inspiration

REVERSED: isolation and boredom, being blind to (either good or bad) possibilities, take control and be assertive

SECOND AICME

ᚆ huath

UPRIGHT: patience, protection/purification, reserve, feeling suffocated, problems that will eventually change, self-sacrifice

REVERSED: you are acting too hasty, take a second to think OR you're at a standstill, you need to take action

ᚇ duir

UPRIGHT: sacred spaces, forward movement, power and energy, the power to endure, leadership, endurance

REVERSED: help from those in power, success despite means, borrowed strength, a gift, cowardliness

ᚈ tinne

UPRIGHT: challenges or tests, recommends decisive action, balance, integrity, talent/skill/expertise, growth

REVERSED: attack, hardship, aggression, lack of direction or balance

ᚉ coll

UPRIGHT: knowledge and learning, transformation and flexibility, creativity, daydreaming, rituals/divination

REVERSED: intellectual/creative blockages (art/writer's block), lack of insight, fear of failure, ignorance

ᚊ quert

UPRIGHT: happiness, healing, beauty, love affairs, awakenings and new experiences, opportunity (or the choice) to live more fully

REVERSED: despair, ailments, unavoidable choice(s), mixed gain/loss, procrastination

THIRD AICME

ᚋ muin

UPRIGHT: inspiration, prophecy or psychic senses, community and celebration, freedom, rest, examine life's lessons

REVERSED: burdens, difficulties, a need to relax/unwind, you're strung out or trying too hard OR overindulging

ᚌ gort

UPRIGHT: slow/indirect progress, wildness, purpose, determination, transformation, follow life's path

REVERSED: entanglement, think twice about what you're doing, and arduous path

ᚍ ngetal

UPRIGHT: vitality, awareness of environment, creating order from chaos, prioritizing personal health, you aren't finished yet

REVERSED: inability to act, need for healing and patience, you aren't ready to act yet OR you have done all you can

ᚎ straif

UPRIGHT: necessity/inevitability, fate or omens, death, rebirth, some things cannot be changed, wheel of fortune

REVERSED: pain, difficulty, retribution, necessary suffering, no choice is a good one

ᚏ ruis

UPRIGHT: resolution, completion, looking ahead, omen of success, difficulties permanently overcome

REVERSED: endings and departures, face the facts, shame, illness/disability

FOURTH AICME

ᚐ ailm

UPRIGHT: insight, grounded in the present, clear vision, start new project(s), new perspective, foresight

REVERSED: ignorance of the broader picture, unrealistic ideas, step back and reassess, fear and anxiety

ᚑ onn

UPRIGHT: energy, life, vigor, sexuality, attraction, gathering together, consider changing your life's direction

REVERSED: difficulties and delays, overconfidence, taking too many risks, unrealistic desires

ᚒ uhr

UPRIGHT: spiritual/magical power, forces of nature, deep connections, fulfillment, death and memories of loved ones

REVERSED: deception, deceit, loss of contact with nature/spirits, need for recuperation/reconnection in a relationship

ᚓ eadhadh

UPRIGHT: courage and tenacity, a struggle for victory, quest for inner strength, enlightenment

REVERSED: addiction, terror, declining health, compromise and negotiation, choosing a different path

ᚔ iodhadh

UPRIGHT: ancestry, aging or dying, things unchanging, old age, memory

REVERSED: stagnation and immobility, death or mourning, the past is a burden, things lingering past their prime

FORFEDHA

ᚕ eabhadh

UPRIGHT: spiritual wisdom, complexity, place of balance/harmony, presence of many factors, spiritual wisdom

REVERSED: confusion, bewilderment, too many factors at work to allow for a successful prediction/decision

ᚖ oir

UPRIGHT: radical transformation, abundance, sudden illumination or destruction that is set about by outside forces

REVERSED: patience, preparation, the path before you is a slow one, wait for outside forces to act

ᚗ uilleann

UPRIGHT: knowledge and lore, learning and study, wisdom of the past as a guide, private thoughts or secrets

REVERSED: ignorance, failure to learn from the past, future instead of past

ᚘ ifin

UPRIGHT: secrets and revelations, subtle influences, releasing emotions of guilt/shame

REVERSED: the situation is not as it seems, the information that you need is not available to you

ᚙ eamancholl

UPRIGHT: unexpected change, arrival of new influence, illness

REVERSED: sudden endings or disruptions

30 Tried & Tested Tips for Becoming a Great Tarot Reader

Stop bullshitting people.

Aim for truthful readings.

Be confident when giving a reading.

Avoid blanking when reading.

Avoid the most common mistakes.

Always trust your cards.

Don’t make your cards hate you.

Create a bond with your decks.

Learn proper tarot etiquette.

Don’t believe in superstitions.

Don’t mistake honesty for hate.

Master the Celtic Cross.

Predict timing accurately.

Read reversals the right way.

Treat rogue cards the right way.

Never pull clarifiers.

Never assign a yes or no value to cards.

Learn how to read feelings, thoughts & intentions.

Learn how to read physical appearance.

Learn tarot's astrological associations.

Know the cards’ literal meanings.

Know the meanings of tarot’s colors.

Know the meanings of tarot’s numbers.

Read one spread in many ways.

Deal cards the traditional way.

Have your own reading ritual.

Properly close every tarot reading.

Gauge yourself.

Master tarot.

Be the best reader you can be.

Learn the Most Accurate and Important Tarot Spread There Is

Anyone serious about tarot needs to master the Celtic Cross. Here is why as well as how.

Why It is Superior

There are a myriad tarot spreads. You can make your own, or use none. Just pull as many cards as you like and read them as you want. As with food and fashion, we each have a preference. But there are reasons the Celtic Cross deserves so much reverence.

1) It respects you and your question.

The Celtic Cross is not designed to give rushed, biting and abrupt answers. It recognizes that your question is important to you. So it takes the time to explore every detail of your situation before giving you advice and a prediction.

2) It kindly proves itself to you.

Fortunetelling involves powers beyond the natural. Powers that only a few can truly harness. To minimize the trickiness of the business, the Celtic Cross states what you already know: your past, hopes, fears, pains, secrets, goals. If it accurately describes these things, you can trust its promise of what tomorrow will bring.

3) It allows for great interaction.

When interpreting a spread, it is crucial to look at how the cards are connecting. Is the Page of Cups offering his chalice to The Magician? Is the Knight of Swords on his way to attack the King of Wands? The way the Celtic Cross is laid out lets many interactions come about.

How to Perform It

It has dozens of variations. Each reader has a fancied version. Below is what my elders taught me. I use it faithfully.

1) The Hierophant (reversed) – The Present

What is happening at the moment?

2) Three of Wands – The Problem

What needs to be remedied?

3) Two of Pentacles – The Past

What led you to where you are?

4) Seven of Pentacles – The Near Future

What happens next?

5) Seven of Swords – The Conscious Goal

What does your mind want?

6) Four of Wands – The Buried Truth

What lies in your subconscious?

7) Eight of Swords – The Advice

What will the Fates have you do?

8) Six of Swords – The Environment

Where are you in the broad view?

9) King of Pentacles – The Hope or Fear

What does your soul crave or dread?

10) Queen of Wands, Nine of Wands, The Sun – The Ultimate Outcome

What does the future hold, after all is said and done?

11) The World – The Underworld

What lies beneath that can help or hinder?

How to Interpret It

STEP 1: Read the cards in the above order, one by one.

Then read the Ultimate Outcome cards as one: The Queen of Wands is reprimanding the man in the Nine of Wands. But he is supported by The Sun. All will be well for the querent in the end.

STEP 2: Compare the Near Future with the Ultimate Outcome.

The man in the Seven of Pentacles has put life on pause, anxiously awaiting what is next. Then it comes: first, it will be bad (Nine of Wands), then he will be glad (The Sun).

STEP 3: Compare the Buried Truth with the Hope or Fear.

If it is a positive card, it is the hope. Otherwise, it is the fear.

The two positions are aligned. A buried need for stability (Four of Wands) and a desire to be solid and steady (King of Pentacles). The querent is clear about his wishes.

STEP 4: Compare the Conscious Goal with the Ultimate Outcome.

It all happens as hoped for. The querent wishes to get away with something (Seven of Swords). And after a bit of scuffle (Nine of Wands), he does (The Sun).

STEP 5: Compare the Advice with the Ultimate Outcome.

The querent needs to stop acting the victim (Eight of Swords). Once he moves forward, he will face the punishment he fears, yes (Queen of Wands and Nine of Wands). But it will all work out (The Sun). No rainbow without rain.

STEP 6: Close the reading.

For this, you have ten more things to do. All the best to you.