On Divination

Fortune telling and prophecy are staples of any story that involves the supernatural.

The classic soothsayer predicting victory or death, the traveling Gypsy turning the cards and seeing the future, even the Biblical prophets passing on notes from the Divine to people who don’t always get quite what they mean at the time, these are all well known examples.

In the real world, things don’t always work out quite so nicely. True prophecy is a rare thing (which, really, is probably for the best). And fortune telling has gotten a bad rap due to both scientific scrutiny and a number of high-profile charlatans who more than happily take people’s money.

That negative frequently overshadows the positives that exist.

There is no denying that divination is far from an exact science, at least in the ways it is most commonly practiced and presented. In someone’s life, there is simply too much going on–too many variables–to account for them all. Humans, being the fickle creatures we are, can be swayed by the most nonsensical things, deflected from a planned course by some shiny object or random idea, completely breaking from any predictable pattern, oblivious to any destiny we may have.

What, then, are the positives of divination?

There is skill. A good practitioner of any form of divination, be it Tarot cards or casting the bones, spends years honing the skills and knowledge necessary to interpret the symbols of their particular method. That teaches focus and builds awareness. For the diviner, regardless of the accuracy of any given divination, there is the chance for deep personal growth. Without a doubt, that is a positive.

There is awareness. Interpreting the symbols of the tools is only one third (at best) of a good divination. Another large part is awareness. The practitioner must be aware–aware of their client, aware of their own state of mind, aware of how things are currently going in the world their client exists within. Without this awareness, there is no context. Without context, any information presented by the divinitory tools is virtually useless. There are few who would argue that increased awareness is a bad thing.

There is creativity. It is the sole responsibility of the practitioner to bring symbol and context together into a coherent whole that speaks to the concerns of the client. This requires creativity–an ability to connect disparate and sometimes contradictory bits of information into something more than the sum of its parts. A good practitioner tells a good story about the client and the forces he or she has at work in his or her life. Creativity works the mind in different ways than pure logic and opens the door for more creative thought. If that can be shared with someone seeking solutions–if they can become just a little more in tune with the idea of creativity–this is a good thing.

Notice there is no need for actual metaphysical intervention. There is no need for grand psychic powers or deep and dark magickal powers. There is only need for knowledge, awareness and creativity. Because of this, anyone can practice divination in it’s most basic–and generally useful–form.

At its root, divination is a way to gain perspective and a way to explore new solutions. With a moderate amount of training and solid ethics, anyone can begin helping themselves and others.

The real problems begin when a practitioner leaves those ethical concerns behind him. When they put their own well-being ahead of that of their clients, they can twist and manipulate the knowledge they have. They can use their awareness to cut deep and their creativity to warp and influence the decisions of their clients. They can, without a doubt, easily and completely take advantage of many, many people before being caught.

This is the double-edged sword of many skills.

This is why a key component of any metaphysical practice is deep thought on ethics and responsibilities.

When used properly and with good intent, divination can be a very good thing. The addition of an actual metaphysical component can add to awareness, but is not necessary to change people’s lives for the better.

Divination does not predict the future, it merely looks at that which is often ignored in the past and present and follows it to a possible outcome. The idea of that journey, when shared with a seeker, can be more powerful than any supposedly predestined event or preconceived notion.

That is where the true power of divination is: not in seeing the future, but in helping others to create the future they want.