Divination Discussion 🕯 New Tools

MeganB · February 4, 2021, 1:49pm

Way to go to everyone that participated in the last Divination Discussion and tried to see through muddy water!

YAY! Thank you all for participating!

As @BryWisteria said, sometimes reading tarot for others involves a lot less drawing cards and a lot more telling the querent (person asking the questions) to be more specific and honest with themselves. Other times, it is up to the reader to try and see through the muddy waters of the questions, find the truth, and give the insight to help the querent.

@BryWisteria told the woman that she needs to be honest with herself before the cards can be honest with her.

@MeganB decided to interpret the pre-made tarot spread and help the woman choose a path.

@praecog29 used his beautiful Modified Gaia Tree tarot spread with some crystals for added clarity.

@Jeannie1 chose to use a Choices tarot spread to show the querent there may be difficulty coming her way.

As diviners, readers of fortunes and seekers of the truth and future, half of our battle when reading for others is finding out the truth. Some people believe that if the querent is not honest with you or in their intentions, the cards can tell and will not be honest back. Sometimes I think reading tarot for others can turn us into glorified, and unqualified, therapists. Often, someone coming to you for a reading may just need another set of eyes and ears on their situation or, if they’re like me, they just need to say things out loud to another person to get some clarity.

However you decide to read for someone is your choice, but you always have the choice to say no and you should always be honest about your reasons.

Great job everyone!

Ready for the new discussion?

For this discussion, I want to talk about what to do when you get a new tool. Recently in a Discord community that I’m in, someone mentioned that they got a new tarot deck and they were not sure what to do with it before they used it. They had heard the common things of cleansing the deck and sleeping with it to acclimate their energies, but they didn’t know what else.

So, what do you do when you get a new divination tool? Do you have a ritual of sorts? Do you cleanse it? Do you sleep with it under your pillow or carry it with you wherever you go? Let’s talk about it!

What to do?

Tell us about a time you received a new divination tool and what you did!
How do you cleanse your tools? Do you use salt? Smoke? Air?
Do you sleep with your new tool under your pillow or close to you? Do you carry it with you everywhere? What is your reasoning?
Do you believe there is a difference between cleansing and clearing your new tools?
As an animist myself, my divination tools have their own spirits. Each one has a personality on their own and some tools are more suited to specific situations and questions. How do you view your tools? Do they have spirits themselves? Or just energies? Or are they just tools?

Don’t have a divination tool or experience to share?

Imagine that you got a divination tool that you’ve had your eye on for a while. What do you think you would do?
Not into divination so much? Maybe think about this question in terms of other tools you have!

New to Divination Discussion?

How does it work?

Every two weeks, starting on Thursday, I’ll be posting a new hypothetical divination question.
For anyone that doesn’t have a divination method or wants to make it a little more challenging, I’ll have another option available for you.
During the week, use whichever method you feel comfortable with to answer the question. Draw as many cards, throw as many bones, or pull as many runes as you need. Any spread you think will work is okay to use that goes with the challenge.
Write about it here in the comments and share any pictures you may have taken!
Discuss your interpretation and the interpretations of others and help out where you can.
Ask questions! If you’re not sure how to interpret something, please ask. Many of us have personal experience or other sources that we can share.

What’s the purpose?

When we are learning a new method of divination or just practicing, it can be hard to get good practice without actually doing anything. Practicing this way with a hypothetical situation gives you an idea of questions that might be asked and it gives you practice in how to respond if you’re reading for someone else.

Guidelines

Anyone can participate – from new beginners to seasoned readers alike – to benefit from this discussion. To make sure we’re all on the same page, I’ve got some guidelines for everyone to follow to make this a place of safe and constructive discussion.

Any divination method is okay - use what you’re okay with.
This challenge will run from Thursday of one week to the end of day Wednesday the following week.
If you do not want feedback on your interpretation or reading style, please say so. The purpose of this challenge is to learn and discuss with everyone else.
Please use trigger warnings if your interpretation involves any mention of the following.

Trigger Warning Words (click me)

rape
abuse
violence
self-harm
other sensitive materials

To hide words, phrases, or content in your writing, highlight it, click the gear button up top in the formatting, and select either Hide Details or Blur Spoiler

Be sure to get your interpretations in before Wednesday, February 17th!

Remember, there aren’t necessarily wrong answers. Divination is often very personal and that’s why interpretations are fun and good practice!

Need more information on different divination methods? Check out these sources.

Cromniomancy, Capnomancy & Other Little-Known Divination Methods
How to Use Dice for Divination
Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE- Fortelling the Future
Tasseography: Tea Leaf Divination
Fortune Telling with Regular Cards
Whole Tarot Video Course
Talk Tarot with Me at Round the Cauldron

Saulamay · February 4, 2021, 2:19pm

Greetings @MeganB I have four different Tarot decks, okay I have five but the RW version goes unused and I will be giving it away at some point. There was no connection to it when I got them and over the weekend I brought it out in ritual just to make sure I wasn’t overlooking and asked if these cards were for me or not and the answer was a solid no.
But anyway the four that I have and use i cleansed and charged in ritual, then left them under my pillow for three days. Online I found a spread for interviewing your deck so I do that on each of them. This is where I discovered that one deck seems very whimsy, so I won’t use it for anything really serious, I have a deck that I use daily that usually gives me chills each time I take them out, I have another deck that is a bit blunt and tells it like it is, so I use them when trying to keep things to the point, and the last one seems a little darker so I don’t use them as much. But that is how I was able to get to know the decks I have. I cleanse all of my tools during ritual and charge them in ritual as well.
I have only done a reading for a few people but I cleanse and recharge the cards after each so they didn’t get mixed together and impact the other readings.

BryWisteria · February 5, 2021, 9:54am

Ohhhh this is a great discussion! Excited to dig into this one~

I dabble with a few different forms of divination, with Tasseography (tea leaf readings ) and Tarot being my current favorites. Despite my adoration for tarot decks, it’s actually been a while since I got a new one!

Like @MeganB, I believe that my decks (or at least the ones I used for readings) are an entity all their own- and oh boy do they have personalities! My current go-to deck is the Anima Mundi and it lets me know when it’s time for a cleansing.

When it comes to cleansing I like using moonlight , crystals , and a spoken blessing to cleanse the deck.

When it’s not in use for readings or for spellwork, my deck has a special drawer for a home. I never take it out of the house- mostly due to current lockdowns but also becomes I’m terrified I would lose cards somehow along the way

I love my cards not just for magickal readings, but also a source of inspiration for creative works! I love using and seeing how the cards can inspire art or other creative processes

Looking forward to learning more about how everyone handles and practices with their unique divination tools! Thanks for the fun exercise, @MeganB!

MeganB · February 5, 2021, 1:09pm

It sounds like you’ve got a good routine down @Saulamay and I’m glad you’ll be giving the RWS deck to someone else if it no longer suits you. How do you cleanse your cards? Do you use smoke or salt or air ? And what do you think the purpose is of leaving the cards under your pillow for three days? Is the number three significant in your practice? Thank you for sharing part of your divination routine!

@BryWisteria you always have your hands in so many different cups that I find it hard to keep up! It’s been a while since I got a new deck, too. And one day I will learn how to read tea leaves. I’ve got to focus on my Ogham first

For Tasseography, does that require any cleansing? Do you have a special cup you use?

And I totally get it about losing your tarot cards. I actually make a special pouch for mine so they don’t get lost

Saulamay · February 5, 2021, 2:25pm

@MeganB I use smoke and fire when I cleanse them. I think 3 (or connections to 3) are relevant; as they say “the third times a charm”. Plus the Three Fold Law is factored in as well. I tend to do things based on 3-6-9-12, etc. so when working with numbers I try to make it to when you add them together they equal out in that respect; so when heating something in the microwave for example I’ll do it in 30, 60, or 90 seconds, etc.
Blessed be.

Susurrus · February 6, 2021, 6:52pm

I like to use my quartz pendulum with chakra stones in the chain. That one is my favorite for everything. I use my brass pendulum when I am not asking questions but wanting to really connect with someone. I have 2 tarot decks and 1 of them I absolutely love! It is so direct with me and doesn’t pull any punches. The other deck sometimes leaves me guessing or confused.

I put the decks under my pillow then I gave them their own home in a drawer with each other. It’s right next to my bed. I use smoke and spoken words to cleanse them and I do that when the cards start acting up.

I used smoke & spoken word to cleanse the pendulums and I place the one made up of crystals on selenite and under the full moon when the weather allows. I really wish I had a room that got moonlight through the windows, but I’m not that lucky here. We don’t get much from the sun or moon through our windows.

MeganB · February 7, 2021, 4:36pm

Smoke and fire are very popular methods @Saulamay – thank you for sharing!

Sometimes our decks and other tools can really pack a punch as you said @Susurrus . You said you cleanse them when the cards start acting up. What does this mean to you? Do they contain a specific energy or feeling? Or do you do this when you feel like they just have some energetic gunk to them?

I also love that you mentioned using the moonlight as a form of cleansing. This is very popular as well and one of my favorite methods!

Susurrus · February 7, 2021, 4:41pm

My cards are definitely brutally honest so when they start showing things that don’t really make sense to the situation or they get a weird energy or they just have too much “gunk” in them, I will cleanse them. I really need to get into doing it on a more regular basis. My best friend cards are the Light Seer’s Tarot. They are beautiful & don’t pull any punches.

I used them this morning & I feel like I am getting better with them because when I saw 3 out of 4 major arcana reversed, I didn’t totally freak out. The first thing I thought & wrote down was that I have something to work on. I was right too! It was working through my anxiety in carrying out my decision. But that I have the determination to do it. So I started journaling this morning after the reading to organize my thoughts.

BryWisteria · February 8, 2021, 7:06am

That’s a great question! The only cleansing I tend to do before a tea leaf reading is mental- focusing the mind and drawing in energies When I studied the Japanese tea ceremony, we were taught that pouring the hot water into the vessel is a kind of ritual purification- and that always stuck with me

As for cups, come people have beautiful tasseography cups with art or designs inside the cup that help with readings (the lovely @Berta shared her amazing tasseography cup). Alas- I haven’t got my hands on one yet! For now my readings are guided by nothing but pure imagination

And your tarot pouch is lovely! That’s such a great idea for transporting the cards.

MeganB · February 8, 2021, 2:24pm

That sounds like a perfectly good time to cleanse the cards @Susurrus especially if they have a “typical” energy I’m glad you feel like you’re getting better with your cards that’s so great to hear. Usually when I have more than one major arcana card pop up in a reading it is a definite sign that I need to pay attention and really focus.

Ah, I always forget that you’ve studied the Japanese tea ceremony I would imagine things like that would stick with you no matter what. Water is very cleansing in itself, so the tea purification makes a lot of sense! Thanks for sharing! (and thanks for the lovely compliment )