DIVINING IN THE WILD WASTELAND

In this corner of the Wild Wasteland, you will find all things divination. I identify as an Augury witch, meaning I am a witch that specializes in “the art, ability, or practice of auguring; divination,” (American Heritage Dictionary).

Card of the Day

I am frequently asked to provide tarot readings for loved ones, friends, and acquaintances. I have acquired many tarot decks, but I do not always use the same deck for each reading. Many times I choose the deck that best fits the seeker. In this column, you can count on posts that reveal a Card of the Day (CotD), whether it be a Tarot or oracle card. I will tell you my intentions or thought process when pulling the card and give you my interpretation. Do not count on a specific deck for each CotD – I plan to switch things up frequently!

Superstition or Divination Necessity?

Many diviners use talismans or fetishes that bring added energy to their readings. These include items such as a special cloth to lay cards on, stones, or personally significant objects. This may be looked upon as superstitious, but I use three such charms in my readings. My personal totem is the grizzly bear, so I like to have a lead crystal bear that found its way to me nearby. I also keep an amethyst, a stone of spiritual power, and a beaded mat that DesertJen made for me many moon ago close by when I do my readings.

Divination Interpretation

A note about interpreting the Tarot – many readers interpret by the images or by rote memory only. I am not like other readers. I am a word person – I love words of all shapes, sizes, and meanings and I relate better to words than to pictures. Therefore, over the years I compiled a tarot guide for my own personal use, filled with the keywords or phrases that I find most meaningful for each card from various decks I own. Card meanings vary from deck to deck and no two decks are the same, just as no two readings are the same. My lists have grown long and fluid. When I am interpreting a card, I flip to the corresponding page in my guide and grab the words that I intuitively feel fit the reading best.

“A psychic reading is not just about career opportunities, good fortune, or meeting tall, dark strangers. It is a sacred portal to manifesting your true destiny.” – Anthon St. Maarten

Many Types of Divination

I am proficient with tarot cards, oracle decks, and pendulums but have yet to develop reliable skill sets in other forms of divination. In this column, I intend to start trying my hand at other seeker’s techniques, such as:

• Lithomancy (reading the stones)
• Scrying
  • Crystallomancy, or crystal gazing
  • Pyromancy, or flame gazing
  • Hydromancy, or water gazing
  • Mirror scrying
• Automatic writing
• Celtic Ogham
• Norse Runes
• Tasseography, or reading the tea leaves
• Osteomancy, or reading the bones
• Numerology
• And more!

I will get down and dirty with the history of each divination method and give you my take on the experience. It won’t just be a one-and-done, either. I hope to use the scientific method (is that a thing in witchcraft?) and really delve into each divination process.

I look forward to presenting you with my *scientific research* of different divination techniques. What is your favorite method of divination? Is there something not listed you would like me to try? Let me know in the comments below!