Types of Divination

What is Divination?

Divination practice grounds your intuitive messages into a tangible and legible form. These divination messages come through your own clairabilities. This practice connects us with our Higher Self, Future Self, the Universe, or any Spirit, Angel, Ancestor, Extraterrestrial, or Energetic Guide.

It is beneficial to also practice intuitive energy work without the tangible tools so that you do not rely on any one energy to provide you with messages. This will strengthen your abilities and expand your own energy. It will also provide you with further awareness of your place in the Cosmos. How deeply you decide to dive is up to you, but PLEASE, always do your energy work and divination consciously and intentionally.

How Does Divination Work?

The stronger the intention and the more you are relaxed, the more success you will have in achieving your goal. There are many different ways to pick up information intuitively. Over time, you will become aware that everything has a consciousness and a message to send. The wind, your crystals, your favorite book, the ocean, and your passed-on loved one all exist in the mass consciousness of the Universe. Dispersion and collection of energy is a conscious choice by the Universe, of which you are a part. This gives you more ability to consciously connect to these energies and also absorb, repel, filter, and communicate with any energy that ever has or will exist- anywhere at any time. 

Channeling is receiving messages from “the other side,” “beyond the veil,” another entity, or your higher self. The more you practice, the more precise your energetic filter and intuition become. There are many ways to channel messages. Some instances include automatic writing and using your clairabilities such as clairvoyance, clairaudience, or clairsentience, sometimes known as empathic ability.  Some channelers allow the Spirit to use their own voice as their own. This merging of energy is very intimate and is where energetic protection and lightwork are necessary. Always be conscious and careful of the energies that you allow into your own space, particularly your aura/ energy field. 

Things to Consider

While divination may seem exciting (which it is!) it can lead to psychological warfare or difficulty differentiating yourself from the entity you are channeling. Before practicing divination, always spend some time focusing on your own energy and ask for protection and guidance from those with the highest intentions for you. 

First and foremost, when practicing divination, many will consider using a craft. This is entirely unnecessary. However, for the beginner diviner, it may help to add tangible and physical aspects to help ground your energetic intentions. Examples of this can include using salt, fire, incense, crystals, or altar tools. Some people like to channel a specific deity, while others contact passed-over loved ones. Sometimes a Spirit will seek out a diviner for help relaying a message, while other times the diviner will ask the Universe for answers to a certain question, or guidance through a particular situation in life. 

When to Use Divination

Divination can come in handy whether you are seeking self-realization, arcane knowledge, or fun. Be the most careful with the ladder. Always make sure your intentions are pure and your energy is Strong, Well-Intended, and Protected. You may ask for help from your personal Angels, Ancestors, and Guides to protect your energy until you feel strong enough to do it on your own. However, they will ALWAYS be available to you, as a large part of their purpose is to help you reach your fullest potential. 

Divination for self-realization is encouraged, as the more we understand ourselves, the more we can understand the Universe and everything in it. However, please be careful when beginning, and do not start off by trying to contact nearby ghosts, entities, demons, or even deities. You can use divination to contact other living beings or their higher selves. Please use discretion and respect. This goes for living people, crystals, tarot cards, and every energy you could ever connect to. A great rule of thumb is this: Do not use divination to spy on people. Do not ask anything you would not want to be asked. Do not pry when there is an energetic barrier around a certain topic. Some things flow and others do not. Always respect the energetic boundaries, just as you would expect in reciprocation. 

Protecting Your Energy

Every single energy in existence contains equal parts dark and light energy. To utilize this energy consciously is a gift and takes continual effort on behalf of the diviner. Without conscious manifestation of the precise energy you are trying to tune into, one will not have set an “energetic filter” (as I like to call it) and may subconsciously attract energies they are not intending to connect to, which can also stick if you are not practicing your energy clearing, healing, and charging. 

A great way to tune into your own energy first is by meditating (space) or spending time with the element that you are the most comfortable with. Great examples include taking a bath (water), walking barefoot in nature (earth), lighting a fire (fire), or breathing exercises (air). 

Observe any blockages, obtrusions, or energies you would like to release/ascend from within your own energy field. In Reiki, these are called Byosen and you can physically identify them through psychometry. (Check out that article here!) 

It is important to always be in a clear and light frame of mind when practicing divination. The more relaxed you are, the easier messages will come through. While it is possible to connect to energies you did not seek out or to feed into your own delusion, this is the exact reason for practicing conscious energy work before, during (if you can) and after the divination session.

What to Expect

Oftentimes, physical sensations can come along with divination practices. These can draw your attention to a particular chakra, feeling, emotion, or physical sensation that does not belong to you. These sensations are to be used as data. Do not overthink, as the messages do not always align with your previous narrative. To receive messages from outside of you, you must be willing to unlearn what you already know and accept the energy of a different time, place, or entity into your own in some way. This is why it’s so important to have a stronghold on your own energy before dabbling. (We’ve all seen a spooky Ouija movie!)

Methods of Divination

Dowsing Divination

Dowsing is a form of divination that relies on micro and subliminal movements. These can come from you, or from an external energy you are connecting with to identify hidden energies around you. Dowsing can help you clarify your feelings about a particular topic, or get a clear yes and no answer. This method is tactically used to identify life, water, crystals, and even bodies by picking up energetic disruptions.

Examples of dowsing include using a pendulum, rod, stick, or wand to identify an energy. Some will read a pendulum’s back/forth motion as a no and a circle as a yes. Others will interpret clockwise rotation as yes and counter-clockwise as a no. Set a clear system and set your intention. The more specific you are, the more legible your response will be. A crystal grid, divination cloth, or Ouija board can all be used as dowsing tools.  

Cartomancy

Cartomancy means using cards for divination. The most well-known forms of cartomancy are tarot and oracle cards. The Etruscans intentionally placed Arcane symbols into a deck of cards in order to pass along the occult knowledge of Sumeria without religious repercussion. Each card has its own energy with several symbols and messages included in it. These cards can be used to tune into your own energy and read an energy or situation legibly in an external fashion. The Minor Arcana of the Tarot also aligns with a traditional deck, making regular playing cards legible as well. 

Separately, cartomancy can be used as a form of channeling. One can tune into an external energy and ask for them to provide messages through the cards, meant for interpretation by the reader. Oracle cards are another popular form of cartomancy, which do not have traditional interpretations like Tarot cards. These cards can hold any message and can be interpreted in many different ways, including clarification for Tarot messages or other forms of divination. You can use anything from channeled messages, songs, energies, pictures, or even vocab cards and read them in the same way. A popular form of cartomancy is writing your own messages, options, or energies on pieces of paper and pulling them from a box intuitively, or by chance. This can be a fun way to get involved and create your own divination cards!

Scrying

Scrying relies largely on clairvoyance, or “clear seeing” using your pineal gland, or third eye. To scry, one must clear their mind and be receptive to visual messages. Popular scrying tools include a bowl of water, crystal ball, fire, or dirt. Scrying can also be called “gazing” and can be practiced using anything that is not overstimulating to the brain or eyes. Fire or candle gazing is a very effective form of scrying. This has been used as a healing and divination modality by shamans of various cultures for centuries. As this form is considered more difficult, it can be a hit or miss for beginners due to the strength and intensity of fire energy. Fire native individuals will, however, be more drawn to fire scrying as opposed to Earth, Water, etc. 

Many use crystals of all shapes and sizes for scrying, as each crystal holds particular energy and consciousness. Therefore, each one provides differently from the next. Some use obelisks while others use orbs or balls. Some gaze over or through the object, while others stare directly into the center. Any of the natural elements can be used for scrying, but water is one of the easiest and most popular starting points for beginning divination. The molecules of water form to the energy that enters it. Therefore water can provide messages more clearly than a dense crystal with edges and ridges. You can scry using your hardwood floor, Himalayan salt lamp, or even a yoga mat. It just takes practice, a clear mind and intention.

Psychometric Divination

Psychometry means picking up intuitive messages through physical touch. If you ever held an object in an antique shop and received a message, then you have practiced psychometry. Psychometry can be practiced in several different ways. This is why it can be helpful to hold hands with the querent when giving readings. When you wear crystals and they send you little messages, this is a form of psychometric divination. Physical objects can pick up messages by precisely tuning into the intended energy. 

Other forms of psychometry include billet, antique, and DNA readings. Billet reading is when a reader reads a message written on a folded piece of paper, which is at the time unknown to the reader. The reader picks up the folded paper and touches it to their Third Eye, allowing them to read the message on the paper without using their two physical eyes. This form of divination is pretty direct since the point of touch is the pineal gland. 

You can practice psychometry by physically holding something that once belonged to or contacted the energy you are tuning into. Many readers will use psychometry as a form of mediumship to connect the querent to messages from passed-on loved ones. Holding an antique or possession of theirs will help information or messages come through intuitively. Finally, DNA is a very strong connection point in psychometry, particularly in hair, nails, and blood. Please be kind, respectful, and responsible in allocating and using items that belong to others, particularly DNA. 

Cleromancy Divination

Cleromancy means casting lots to receive messages. When you flip a coin to receive an answer, this is what you’re doing. Currently, Astrology dice are a very popular cleromancy tool. These are a set of three dice, one with the Zodiac, one with the Houses, and one with the Planets. One can then use their knowledge of Astrology to interpret the messages coming through. Regular dice can also be used and interpreted Numerologically. 

Other popular forms of cleromancy divination include casting Runes or other stones, tea leaves, and bones. With casting, set an intention and the Universe or an entity will adjust the response accordingly. Stone sets used as cleromancy tools give guided messages or yes/no to a question. Each stone represents the two sides of the same coin, and whichever one comes out relays an answer or energy. 

When reading tea leaves, the energy of the querent absorbs into the tea, leaving a legible trail of herbs behind. Bones or shells relay messages, primarily revealing their messages in the shapes they make when they fall. Slightly different than burning bones or shells (Pyromancy), they are often interpreted similarly or utilized in tandem. 

Conclusion 

There are so many forms of divination that can be used to relay messages from anywhere. As you practice, you will become more comfortable interpreting messages from the Universe and determining which energy you are receiving your messages from.

No matter how choose to practice divination, remember that the tools do not hold the answers- you do. Always be safe and protect your energy, setting a grounding and cleansing intention alongside your practice. 

Whether you use divination to connect to a passed-on loved one, deity, your higher self, or just the general ether, remember to be safe. Have fun, and always have faith over fear. The future is always subject to change, and nothing is set in stone. Always balance your intuitive mind with your rational mind, and be responsible in your practice. Remember, there is both light and dark in ALL things. You set your intention, and you also decide your own outcomes in life. 

Namaste!