Divination Tools & Trinkets
Image source: All Hallows Geek
Divination is a practice in witchcraft used to increase your intuition. Divination is a great way to empower yourself in your path by using tools that speak to you in order to communicate with higher powers as well as gaining mental insight into your own life. This is a very spiritual practice that benefits witches in their personal journeys.
There are a variety of ways to use divination in your practice; it is up to the individual witch to choose what kind of tool best suits their needs. One witch may feel particularly connected to using tarot cards, another might prefer runes or even scrying. You do not need to know how to do all of these things, but it does help to identify the types so that way you as a witch can choose what divination style best suits you.
Tools and trinkets you can use to practice divination:
Dowsing/L-Shaped Rods:
These L-Shaped Rods were used in ancient times to locate water, metals, gems, lost items, and to talk to spirits. In the metaphysical sense, these tools were used to locate things beyond human ability.
(i.e. These are really used by your own personal energy and intuition, as all divination tools generally require you to do.)
Spirit Boards:
A Spirit Board is used to communicate with spirits or higher beings. This includes boards such as:
Ouija Board - using the alphabet, numbers 0-9 and the words “yes or no” accompanied by a heart shaped piece with a circular whole to view the letters/numbers through.
Pendulum Board - (A round, sometimes simplified version of the Ouija board) dedicated to pendulum divination
Runes:
Runes are an ancient form of divination used to seek advice from higher beings. The word ‘rune’ simply means mystery. Runes have a long history, dating back to ancient use by Germanic and Nordic tribes.
Runes can be made of various materials, but are most commonly made of stone, and feature a symbol from the runic alphabet on them.
There are various different types of runic alphabets used on runes, with one of the oldest ones being the old Germanic runic alphabet known as ‘Elder Futhark’. The Elder Futhark contains 24 runes, the first six of which spell out the word ‘futhark’.
Tasseomancy:
(Tea leaf reading), requires using loose tea without straining. The querent drinks the tea leaving a small amount of tea in the bottom of the cup. The tea leaf reader will swirl the remaining liquid in the cup along with the loose leafs and then can either spill the rest of the contents onto the saucer. Or sip until the last bit is at the bottom of the cup (think that iconic moment in Harry Potter when Professor Trawlaney exclaims at Harry Potter “My dear boy! You have THE GRIM”
Divination is read through the shapes and patterns formed by the wet tea leaves are then intuitively interpreted.
Scrying:
Scrying or "seeing" is the practice a witch will use to uncover certain truths, either about themselves or about the world around them. They do this by peering into a certain medium, such as:
A crystal ball - These can be made with many different crystals, but the most dominant crystals people use to create these are crystal quartz or obsidian stone.
A scrying mirror - either a small hand held mirror, or a large mirror. There are some scrying mirrors made with obsidian stone that are meant for this particular practice.
A scrying bowl - filled with a liquid, most often water.
Other Forms:
Oil scrying
Smoke scrying
Wax scrying
Cloud scrying
Eye scrying - basically staring into a person’s eye (awkwarddddd)
Fire Scrying
Pendulum:
A pendulum is an incredibly versatile tool that can be used for several things, aside from gaining “yes” or “no” answers, it can also help identify imbalances in the chakra system and auric field. It can help locate a person or place on a map aka pendulum dowsing.
Image source: Healing Stones for You
Merkaba Crystals & Metals:
Egyptian in origin, the Merkaba is a sacred meditation tool or ascension vehicle that is used to enhance awareness and help make a spiritual connection to higher teachings. Merkabas come in a variety of intricate geometric designs. They generally look like stars or flowers (mandalas, etc) and are made from crystals or metals. Other spellings for merkaba include merkabah, merkava, and merkavah.
Astrodice:
Astrodice are marketed as a fortune telling game. Three dice depict the 12 planets, 12 signs, and 12 houses that are used in astrology divination. Tactile way for the astrology novice to familiarize themselves the symbols used for planets and zodiac signs, also gives meanings for the various combinations a throw of the dice indicates.
Cartomancy:
Tarot Cards: Tarot cards come in a deck of 78 individual cards. They were developed about 600 years ago for gaming. However, some mystics, psychics, and occultists began to use the cards for divination, and today the cards and the ability to “read” them are seen as elements of fortune-telling. To receive a tarot reading is to attempt to find out things about one’s life or future through the occult.
Oracle Cards: A deck of oracle cards is a divination tool that many people are embracing. They are a little more free-form than Tarot, and a lot of people find them easier to understand and navigate. Typically, an oracle card contains an image and an associated phrase or word. The cards can be laid out in any format, and, like the Tarot, are used for guidance and introspection. These cards rage from 20 cards to 144 cards.
The difference between Tarot and Oracle Cards:
The attitude and historical background are obviously huge differences between the two, but also the way in which the decks work. Whereas Oracle cards are geared more toward the now and the energy you are currently emitting, Tarot cards can go in infinite directions past, present, and future and embody multiple energies that you may be feeling. Oracle cards and Tarot cards can both have an aesthetic theme, but in terms of individual card readings, tarot cards typically have an overriding theme with each suit or number, whereas Oracle cards are more stand alone cards, each giving you a specific affirmation. It is a common belief that Oracle cards are more “lighthearted” than Tarot cards, but as I’ve learned not all Oracle cards are rainbows and sunshine. And every Tarot deck has a different personality and attitude in how they deliver their message to the querent.
Hopefully this was informative and helpful to you witchlings out there!
Stay Witchy,
The New Witches
P.S: Here are a few amazingly long lists of all the different types of divination:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methods_of_divination
http://www.paranormal-encyclopedia.com/d/divination/types.html
