Posts Tagged ‘Divination’

What is intuition? How can I develop my own intuition and how can it help me with reading the tarot?

I wanted to start this article on something that might surprise you! YOU can learn to read the tarot, both for yourself and for others! If you learn to open up your 3rd eye/Brow chakra and learn to trust your own intuition, then YOU will be a good tarot reader! It’s a matter of learning how to pay attention to your feelings and how to interpret the symbols that are in the cards!
 

Let’s take a look at this particular card.  It’s the Temperance card from the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. This might be the most known tarot deck that there is out there.  The imagery is clean and easy to interpret.  Here we see and Angel pouring water from one cup to the other.  Both the cups and water represent emotions.  Think of this, when we are emotional, we tend to cry, whether or not we are happy or sad.

Temperance is almost invariably depicted as a person pouring liquid from one receptacle into another. Historically, this was a standard symbol of the virtue temperance, one of the cardinal virtues, representing the dilution of wine with water. In many decks, the person is a winged person/angel, usually female or androgynous, and stands with one foot on water and one foot on land.

I look at this card and the advice that I see that is this:  Everything in moderation.  The angel that is depicted here is pouring wine into a cup or chalice of water, thereby diluting it.  Learn to temper your emotions.  Maybe you have a tendency to overdue things.  If there is an emotional issue here, learn to cool it!  Take a step back and think before you react.  Notice that the angel has one foot on land and the other foot on the water.  This indicates a need for balance.  Maybe there is a need for you to ground yourself. Take notice of other aspects of this card.  There are a lot of “opposites” to be seen here.  We already mentioned that there is one foot on the water and the other on land, but look deeper and you will see more.  There is a Sun in the background which represents life, but there are also lilies which represent death.  The symbol of an Angel is of a being/deity that can transcend death, rise above death.

Take a peek at the colors of this card.  Do the colors excite you or do they seem to calm you down?  What about the imagery?  Does the angel seem to comfort you or does the angel seem intimidating to you?   This where intuition comes in. One way to describe intuition is “the knowing without a particular reason why.”  Every like or dislike someone right away?   Trust any feelings that you get when you look at this card.  Jot everything down in a journal that you have set aside for just your tarot readings.  Do not second guess anything!  When you have done this, come up with your own description of this card.  There are NO wrong answers for this exercise!

I would LOVE to see what you have come up with!  Contact me here at Sacred Mists and let me know what your results are!

Learning to read tarot can be an intimidating prospect, especially for someone who is really new to the idea of tarot.  78 cards with deep meanings and many images and symbols on each card can seem like something that you might never get a handle on.  It can be a lot easier than you may think, but it’s important to keep in mind from the very beginning that the truly great tarot readers spend their whole lives studying and working with the tarot.  It’s not just a matter of memorizing upright and reversed meanings for 78 cards and then you’re done.  It truly is a lifelong mystical path all on it’s own that can add a great deal to the path of a Wiccan or Pagan.

In a future blog we’ll talk more about the ins and outs and history of tarot but for today we’re going to look at a simple exercise for getting started with a deck.  Many people pick up a deck and just want to start reading and working with the cards and this is a simple way to do it.  When working with this exercise you can do this with any tarot deck, and it can also be used for oracle decks suck as angel cards and the like.  It’s also something that you can start and keep working on and adding to for months or even years to come as you explore your deck more.

All you’ll need is a large notebook or journal, ideally with 2 pages for each card in your deck, and then of course your deck of cards.  Begin by placing a title on each page, or every other page, for each card in your deck.  So you’ll have a pages titled “0- The Fool”, “1 – The Magician” and then others like “Ace of Wands”, “2 of Wands”, all the way through your 78 cards.  If you have pages left over at the back you can designate some of these pages for specific kinds of notes along the way by doing things like titling pages “Relationship Spreads” and writing down details on relationship related spreads that you enjoy using, or a section titled “Daily Cards” where you can track daily card pulls (which we’ll talk about in a moment).  In the end you should have a book that almost serves as a tarot specific Book of Shadows almost.  You can also opt to do this as a general, overall book, or you can do what I do and make a new one for each new deck that you start working with.  Since different decks will give you different messages and impressions this is a great way to get to know each new deck you start working with and how to really keep track of what you’re doing with your cards.  If you decide to work with books for multiple decks I highly recommend using a large three ring binder so that you can keep the notes for more than one deck in a single place, something that just makes finding your notes and information easier as time goes on and your practice grows.

What you’ll do next, and how you do it, is somewhat up to you and how you would like to work with your cards.  I personally go through the deck in order and do a handful of cards a day.  You might want to do them in a random order, do only one a day, or spend a few days working through the whole deck.  What you want to do is take time to sit and really look at your card and observe it as though you’re inside the card.  What does it feel like to you?  How does it make you feel emotionally?  What stands out?  Are there colors or symbols, items or people that you find your eye and your mind automatically being interested in and looking at when this card is in front of you?  If there are, what do they mean to you?  Write down all your thoughts and feelings about the card on the page or pages in your book titled for that card.  Do this without referring to any books or notes that came with the deck.  This helps you to develop that key element to tarot reading that separates good readers from great readers; the ability to read intuitively with confidence.

After you take time to make your notes based on your intuitive feelings about the cards, go back and look at the information in the book.  Often times different tarot authors and different tarot artists will have specific takes on things in their own deck that might differ from other decks.  Sometimes these will be things that may make sense to you and other times they may not.  Go with what you feel, intuitively, is right in your readings.  If there are certain things in the book that really seem important to you that you want to incorporate in your card interpretation, make notes about it on the page.  You will be surprised to see just how many things you might have picked up on before doing any formal research into your cards.

Different cards will also take on different meanings when they pop up next to different cards.  You might want to make notes about this as you use the deck to help you just with getting to understand how the cards work together.

Meditating with your cards is another way to get more insight into the messages that they have for you.  Each day set some time aside to sit down in a quite place where you can focus and meditate with your deck.  Shuffle the cards and when you feel ready, pull one from anywhere in the deck (some people like pulling from the top others like to pull from somewhere at random, while yet others will fan the deck out in front of them and take one that just draws their attention; use which ever method feels best for you).  When you get your card, turn to the page in your book for that card and then take some time to just consider the card.  You might want to soften your eyes as you look at the card and just take a few deep breaths and relax, letting the information come to you.  If there is anything you feel that you need to add from this to your notes on the card, add it now.

Then turn to a blank page at the back of your book and mark down the date and the card you pulled.  Note any specific messages that you feel the card has for you for the day (or the next day if you’re doing this in the evening).  For example if you pulled The Fool, it could be that today you need to approach things with a sense of adventure, optimism and maybe even with a sense of naive wonder.  But do you feel you need to cautious as well?  Maybe you need to also be aware of any warning signs that you could have your head in clouds today as well.  Whatever you’re feeling, intuitively, that the card is saying to you for the day, write it down.  At the end of the day come back and look at your comments and notes and see how it fits in your day.  Make some affirming comments or maybe journal about how the day went and why the card didn’t fit for you.  Sometimes, and quite often, you’ll find that in doing this other meanings for the card that you didn’t think of at the time suddenly reveal themselves to you through the events of the day.

Working with your cards shouldn’t be a chore; you should be excited to do it and each day should bring you a new experience with your tarot deck.  By taking your time to work through the cards like this, getting to know them and building your own intuitive confidence with them, you’ll find that you’re not having to memorize, you’re simply listening to the cards and what they have to say to you.

Some excellent tarot books that can help you getting started can be found in the Sacred Mists Shoppe!

Heart of Tarot: An Intuitive Approach by Amber K

Rachel Pollack’s Tarot Wisdom by Rachel Pollack

21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card by Mary K. Greer

Putting together a set of stones for divination can be a really simple and inexpensive way to create a divination tool that you can take with you pretty much anywhere.  From creating a yes/no set of 6 stones to a larger set that mirrors the major arcana in the tarot deck, stone divination is a great way to use your crystals on another level of healing.

The first thing to do is decide on how big of a set you want to create.  You can always put these sets together on the fly when you need them from your collection of crystals, but if you want to create something specifically dedicated to divination, you’ll want to decide how big you want to go.  Do you want this to be something that fits in a small pouch that can go in your pocket?  Are you looking for something that can sit in a nice velvet lined wooden box on your altar and be part of your ritual divinations?  Let’s talk about both scenarios and then you’ll see that you can create anything in-between. Your creativity is your only limitation with this!

First, let’s look at simple, small sets of crystals which consists of 10 or fewer pieces.  A very simple one consists of 6 stones and is a yes/no bag.  All you need are 3 white and 3 black stones.  I would recommend for the white stones I would recommend:

• White Howlite = helps to calm, relieve stress and anger, and is said to also help gain insight from past lives.  (Howlite comes in a few different colors, including blue and green so you’ll want to seek out the white, which usually has black or gray veins through it.)
• Milky Quartz = helps with diffusing issues, relaxes and soothes.
• Moonstsone = connects to empathic energy, brings emotional balance, helps to release unwanted thoughts and emotions (Again, like howlite, moonstone comes in many colors.  Try and find ones that are as white as possible.)

Next you’ll want to find 3 black stones. Here I would recommend:

• Onyx = helps to ground and center, has a calming effect, helps to reveal underlying causes in difficult situations.
• Jet = brings stability and perspective to situations and puts the mind at ease.
• Black Tourmaline = very grounding and protective, helps to strengthen our grip on reality.

While seeking out your stones you’re going to want to look for pieces that are all somewhat uniform.  They don’t need to be the same size, but they should all be close (either all really small or all really large).  You also don’t want to mix raw and tumbled pieces, so either get all 6 as tumbled stones or all 6 as raw stones.  The reason for this is that when you have  your hand in your bag and you’re looking to draw a stone for an answer to a question you don’t want to be using your hands to search out familiar stones, even subconsciously.  You want to use the energy of the stones to draw you.  If you know that all the white stones are larger than the black, for example, you might be tempted to draw one of them just because of what you’d like the answer to your question to be.  By having stones that are all similar this is far less likely to happen and you’ll be able to focus more on how the energy of the stone feels.

Once you have your stones, properly cleanse and charge them, then give them intention.  Take the white ones and charge them for giving off “yes” answers and vibrations and the black ones for “no”.  If you feel for any reason that it should be the other way around, do that!  But charge them with their intent and their new “job”, so to speak.  Then put them in your bag.  Give them a gentle shake while thinking of a question that you already know the answer to.  Then put your receptive hand in, close your eyes, and take a moment to really feel around and let your hand be guided by the stones.  Draw our three stones, one at a time (I like to do this with my eyes still closed) and then see what you have.

• All White = Yes
• All Black = No
• 2 White, 1 Black = Most likely Yes
• 2 Black, 1 White = Most likely No

And there you go!  Really simple and depending on how small the stones are that you chose you can even carry this with you in your pocket all the time and you’ll never be without a quick divination tool.

For a larger set of stones, you can decide to work with a few different ideas.  I once had a stone reading with a woman that had a large Lazy Susan (one of those round spinning trays you might find on a dining table) filled with stones of all colors, shapes and sizes.  She had you think of a question and pick a number of stones with your eyes open.  Then you did it again, this time with your eyes closed.  The idea here was that the stones you picked with your eyes open indicated what you desire, what you were working toward, or even your expressed worries or fears, while the ones you picked with your eyes closed were more your higher self’s answers to some of these questions.  It was really interesting and quite accurate too.   The other method is to take stones that related back to the major arcana of the tarot and then you can use the stones to basically do tarot layouts like the Celtic Cross.

What I’m going to do is give you a list of stones with their meanings and tarot associations.  From there you can decide how you’d like to read them.  You can either just draw them like tarot cards or do the method like the woman that read for me did.  Either one I think works great.

Again follow the same rules when picking out your stones here.  Try and find ones that are somewhat uniform.  When you do the pick from a plate of stones method you can add in other stones that you might not otherwise use in a bag that you pull from, like geodes and points.  Once you have your stones, cleanse them, charge them, then place them in either a bag or box that you will work with them from.  Depending on how big of a collection you work with in this method, either with 22 to represent the tarot cards or with even more from just your personal preference, you will want to decide on a bag or box that will be big enough to hold them while also giving your hand room to move and work with them.

Stone Divination Meanings and Tarot Associations:
(this comes from Scott Cunningham’s book “Cunnignham’s Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem and Metal Magic”)

0.The Fool=Agate – Scattered energies, waste, extravagance, imbalance, pride, ego, vanity
1.The Magician = Quartz Crystal – Magical attainment, control, power, balance, center, unification of spiritual and physical, self-knowledge, depth and confidence
2.The High Priestess = Emerald – Spirituality, secrets, power, Earth religion, the unknown, female mysteries.
3.The Empress = Peridot – Receptive energies, women, cycles, fertility, abundance, creativity, growth, female sexuality and love.
4 The Emperor = Ruby – Projective energy, men, compassion, force, movement, aggression, male sexuality
5.Hierophant = Topaz – Authority, Captivity, Confinement, Advice, Employer, honor
6.The Lovers = Rose Quartz – Love, sexuality, relationships, friendships, duality, polarity, balance and beauty
7. Chariot = Staurolite (crossed stone or twinned crystals) – Earth power, nature,self-control
8.Strength = Diamond (Herkimer Diamond or Garnet) – Power, courage,will power, activity
9. Hermit = Sapphire (blue tourmaline) – Wisdom, Knowledge, Mysticism, enlightenment.
10.Wheel of Fortune = Sardonyx (black opal) – Transformation, fortune, luck, unknown factors
11.Justice = Carnelian – Law, Legal matters, dominance, submission
12.Hanged Man = Beryl (aquamarine) – Introspection trials, tests, sacrifice
13.Death = Amber – Renewal, beginnings, endings, health matters, Trials
14.Temperance = Amethyst – Moderation, Scattering of energies, nonfocused, disciplined, balance
15.Devil = Black Diamond (black tourmaline) – Addiction, delusion, pity, depression, pettiness, lack of vision, violence, control by others, submission
16.Tower = Lodestone Adversity, accident, oppression, challenge
17.The Star = Meteorite – Universal energies, astrology, eclipse, travel, hope
18.The Moon = Moonstone – Psychism, emotions, night, winter, sleep, dreams, tides, depression, water
19. The Sun = Tiger’s-eye – Mental activity, thought, visualizations, contentment, day, summer, the seasons
20.Judgment = Fossil – Reversal, outcome, evolution, growth, life, childbirth, lessons
21.The World = Opal – Interplay, success, harvest, movement, overview, ability, completion, higher forces.

Another great book to check out for information on stones and crystals for divination and magick is “Dunwich’s Guide to Gemstone Sorcery” by Gerina Dunwich.

Since we talked about doing some candle magick earlier this week, I thought that today we’d talk about expanding on that a bit.  A lot of times when we talk about candle magick we stop doing anything with the candle after we have lit it and then sent out our energy and intentions.   By not spending a little time with our candles, sitting in sacred space and letting them give us some signs and messages about the work we’re doing, and they can help us to get an idea of what to do next and where our magick is going.

Watching the Flame
Pyromancy, the act of divination through fire, is incredibly ancient but is still a popular form of divination for those who connect to the power of fire.  Here we’ll modify this practice a bit to work with candles used for spells.  Watch the flame as it burns and look for any of these sorts of signs or messages.

• Flame goes out = Try again, now is not the right time.  Dispose of the candle, do not try to reuse it.
• Flame is large and hot = Power is manifesting in favor of your desires, keep praying and sending energy to your desires.
• Flame is weak = You’re facing strong opposition and you’re losing the battle.  Try your spell again.
• Flame flickers = There is indecision either within yourself or in the process of your magick.
• Flame jumps repeatedly = Bursts of energy, chaos and uncontrolled emotions surround you and your work.
• Candle breaks = Try again, the time isn’t right.  Dispose of the candle and do not reuse.
• Candle burns slowly or almost goes out = Task requires caution.  There will be many obstacles to overcome to reassess your plans.
• Candle burns our quickly – The situation calls for fast action and lots of energy.  It may also indicate that the goal will be attained very quickly and easily.
• Flame is multicolored = The energy of fire, ruled by the Salamander, resides in your spell and is aiding your work.  Communicate with the energy of the Salamander as it will help you in your work and bring you helpful messages.
• Black soot develops = This is a very positive sign as it indicates negativity and barriers are being burned away.
• Crackling sounds = The Salamander is pleading your case with the Spirits.  The lounder the sounds the harder it is working for you and the more opposition you’ll need to overcome.

Watching the Smoke
Looking for signs in smoke is a long held form of divination and you can get answers about your spells by taking time to watch how the smoke is rising and reacting.

• Smoke moves toward you = Your request has been heard.
• Smoke moves away from you = Work hard and send more energy to your desires.
• Smoke turns right = You’ll need to be patient.
• Smoke turns left = You’re too emotionally involved and may need to sort out your emotions and feelings before you’ll see results.  Take time to reconsider your feelings and try again.
• Smoke move North = Physical manifestation is in progress.
• Smoke moves East = Mental manifestation is in progress.
• Smoke moves South = Success will come fast.  The results may be quick and intense.
• Smoke moves West = Your emotions will likely get the best of you.  Better to hold off and try your spell again later.

Watching your Holder
The holder that your candle is in can something react to the candle and give you signs as well.  Most commonly people today use glass holders but you can take these and modify them for metal or wooden holders as well.

• Glass breaks = There is magick being done against you with regards to this desires.  Stop this spell and do an uncrossing spell first, being sure to watch signs from those candles before moving back to this spell.
• Glass remains clear = In spite of blocks that are in your way, your desires will manifest.
• Glass turns black at the top but is clear at the bottom = Someone is working against you, but you need to stick to your guns.  The darker the glass the strong the opposition.
• Glass turns completely black = There are serious obstacles for you to overcome and possibly spells being cast against you.  Stop this spell and work a cleansing spell on yourself and an uncrossing spell for any forces or people working against you.

With these signs from your candle you can know what to do next.  Do you need to cast your spell again?  Do you need to do something else before this spell is going to even take hold?  These signs can help you make your next move in your process of manifesting your goals.

For more help with candle spells, or for some spell suggestions, try these books!

Exploring Candle Magick by Patricia Telesco
Mastering Candle Magick by Patricia Telesco
Practical Candle Burning by Raymond Buckland

For those who follow the Celtic traditions, working with the energies of trees is a common part of magickal work.  Many Wiccans are familiar with references to at least nine of these trees, called the Nine Sacred Woods, from the Wiccan Rede.

Nine woods in the Cauldron go, burn them fast and burn them slow.
Bird in the fire goes to represent when the Lady knows.
Oak in the forest towers with might, in the first it beings the God’s insight.
Rowan is a tree of power causing life and magick to flower.
Willows at the waterside stand ready to help us to the Summerland.
Hawthorn is burned to purify and to draw faerie to your eye.
Hazle, the tree of wisdom and learning, adds its strength to the bright fire burning.
White are the flowers of Apple tree that brings us fruits of fertility.
Grapes grow upon the vine giving us both joy and wine.
Fir does mark the evergreen to represent immortality seen.
Elder is the Lady’s tree, burn it not or cursed you’ll be.

Oak was a very important tree and wood source for many of the Indo-European people.  Being a very dense wood it was a main source for fires and was also used for fashioning everything from shelters to boats to weapons such as bows and spears.  An ancient 8th century Irish text called “Bretha Comaithchesa”, meaning “judgments of neighborhood”, was a legal document that dealt with issues of farming, animal care, and overall laws between neighbors, lists seven “noble woods”, oak, hazel, holly, yew and ash, detailing their economic value to the community.  Oak was listed because the acorns were useful for many common tasks such as woodwork, tanning, and feeding pigs.   The document listed that the fine for damaging any of these noble trees was five séta, roughly two and a half cows.  If the bark was stripped of an oak tree, which was used for tanning, other fines were imposed ranging from a single cowhide to a single oxhide depending on how much oak bark was taken.  The individual would then have to treat the wounds of the tree with a salve until new growth of approximately the width of two fingers could be seen.

For many of us, when we think of the mighty oak trees, one of the first images that may be called to mind is that of the white robed Druids, images that we may be familiar with from history books and documentaries on the Celts and the Craft.  The connection between Druids and the oak tree reach all the way back to the word Druid.  The old Celtic word druwis is thought to have Indo-European roots and means “oak” and “knowledge”.  Old Irish sees the word druí meaning “oak”.  However it’s the work of the Romans and Greeks that most modern scholars look at in regards to the etymology of the word Druid, breaking it down as being derived from their word drus meaning “oak tree” (though some will point toward the pre-Indo-European deru meaning “firm or solid”) and weid meaning “to see”.  Together these root words the word Druid holds the meaning “Strong Seer”, something that the Druids were certainly seen as.  Still others see Druid as being derived from druí and wid to give it the meaning “knowledge of the oak”.

One of the other places of importance where we see the oak in relation to Celtic and Druid practices, beliefs and history is it’s placement and importance in the Ogham (pronounced “oh-am”) tree alphabet.  In the alphabet the oak is given the name Duir and is attributed to the letter “D” and holds the representation of strength and security.  The oak was seen as being such a tall and mighty tree that in translations the Ogham association to oak was often something to the effect of “highest or most exalted of bushes” since it was taller than all bushes and most other trees.  The oak was also associated with the month of May since this is when it would bear fruit, flowers and leaves.  In working through the Ogham, the oak is seen as a tree that provides growth and strength, especially in relation to the trees that precede it and the lessons that they can bring.  Many Wiccans today may be familiar with the Ogham as a divination system and may find that working with the trees in this form can bring many lessons.

In modern Pagan and Wiccan practice, whether you are specifically working with the practices of the Druid tradition or not, the power of the oak tree can be harnessed and used for many different purposes.  We’ll look briefly at two specific uses, herbal and magickal in the form of charms.

Herbal Uses

The leaves and bark from the oak tree can be used to make an astringent which can help to tone the skin as well as heal skin tissue from scraps and cuts.  Oak can also help heal sore throats, fever and chest congestion.  It’s also been suggested that a tea made of oak and used externally as a rub on the skin can help to reduce varicose veins.   Boiled water infused with oak can also be used as a rinse on hair that is dandruff prone to reduce a dry or irritated scalp.  A poultice made of oak leaves and bark can be used to reduce redness, swelling and pain resulting from a burn on the skin.  Overall oak can be a very useful tree to be familiar with, especially if you find yourself camping or hiking in the woods, and you find that you need a remedy for a common injury or illness.

A Word Of Caution

The bark used for oak remedies needs to be taken from the branches of the tree and not the trunk as this could kill the tree.  It should also be done in the early part of the spring and it can then be dried and stored for use throughout the year.  The leaves need to be gathered before Summer Solstice because after this time the leaves will contain too many plant alkaloids which can make some people very ill and cause hallucinations.

Oak bark, leaves and powder are often available through apothecaries, markets that sell natural healing aids and through many online herbal sources.  If you’re not sure of the specifics of a tree and you wish to use oak for medicinal reasons, please check with a retail provider and purchase from them to ensure you are getting something safe for internal or external healing use.

When it comes to internal use white oak is the most preferred as it has the least harsh taste.  English oak can be used internally as well however most other oaks, including black and red oak, should only be used for external purposes.

Oak Bark Tea:  To make a tea that can be used for internal healing, use a tablespoon of dried White or English oak bark and simmer in a pint of water, in a nonmetallic pot, covered tightly,  for ten minutes.  Drink up to three cups a day to help with sore throat, fever, stomach problems, or diarrhea.

Oak Leaf Tea: To make a leaf tea which can be used for external healing, such as to dress cuts, scrapes and burns, steep two teaspoons of shredded White or English oak leaves in one cup of boiled water for about twenty minutes.  You can then take strips of clean cloth, soak them in the water, and then wrap them around the area to be treated.

Healing Salve using Oak: This salve uses oak as one of its ingredients and can be used to help soothe irritation on the skin as well as help to heal small cuts.   Melt 1 ounce of beeswax in 8 ounces of warm olive oil.   Mix in 1 teaspoon each of the following in a powdered form: White oak bark, Myrrh, Comfrey.  Store in a canning jar, bottling while still warm, and keep in a dark place.  This makes about 10 ounces and will last a good long while and can be simply smoothed on the irritated or injured area when needed.
Oak as a Charm

Oak, having many different magickal and spiritual properties, can be used for a number of different charms.  Here are a few simple ones that can be used for protection and prosperity.

Oak Charm for Prosperity: For this charm to help protect either yourself or your personal property, such as a home or car, you will need 2 oak twigs and some red thread.

1. Gather two oak twigs from any oak tree.  If you cannot find fallen branches and you decide to take live ones, ask permission first, take small pieces, only the two that you need, and leave an offering of blessed water on the roots of the tree.
2. Form a cross with the twigs by laying one across the other.
3. Tie them together at the center with the red string using a chant such as: “Oak tree tall, oak tree strong, guard me and mine against all wrong.”
4. You can then either place the oak charm in your home near your main entry way, such as the front door, in your car or carry it with you in a red charm bag.

Oak Charm for Prosperity: If you are looking to use the oak to draw a little financial fortune your way, the acorns from an oak tree can help.  For this one you’ll need one acorn, a green charm bag or green piece of cloth, and three oak leaves.

1. On the evening of a full moon, either go out and gather your acorn, or take an acorn you already have outside, and while standing under the moon and stars, hold the acorn and say: “Seed of the stars, I plant my wish, blessed with the power of the forest.”
2. Plant the acorn in soil either at the based of the oak tree, in a small pot, or in another sacred place on your property.  Do this while visualizing your finances growing and improving.
3. Take three oak leaves from the tree and leave an offering of of blessed water on the roots.
4. Place the leaves inside your charm bag and either carry it with you to help increase your financial situation or you can keep it at your home office or desk where you work on your bank statements or pay bills.

If you’d like to learn more about working with trees, check out some of these books in the Sacred Mists Shoppe:

Whispering From the Woods: The Lore and Magic of Trees by Sandra Kynes
Druid’s Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine by Ellen Every Hopman
Celtic Tree Mysteries: Practical Druid Magic & Divination by Steve Blamires

Most of us that are involved in Wicca or another magickal spiritual path, make a serious effort in our practice to learn and become proficient in at

least one form of divination.  While using tools like tarot, runes and pendulums are some of the most common, there are some interesting forms that are lesser known that, once discovered by someone, can become quickly part of someone’s magickal practice.

One of these forms is one that many of us could utilize in every ritual or even on a daily basis through a simple act that many of use do regularly.  It’s called Libanomancy, also sometimes called livanomancy, livanomancy, or knissomancy,  the act of divination through the observation and interpretation of incense smoke.  The signs of messages and information are drawn off of the pops, flares, crackling sounds and the various patterns found within the rising smoke.  Manuals detailing the signs and their meanings and well and the methods employed to do this form of divination date back to about 2,000 -1,600 BC and originated from Mesopotamia eventually traveling to Egypt and Europe.

In one of these original transcripts giving such information, “Three Collated Libanomancy Texts” (which was translated by Irving L. Finkel in 1983-1984) lists some of these recommended ways to read the incense.

1. If when you sprinkle the incense, its flame burns smokily, your army will defeat an enemy.
2. If when you sprinkle the incense, it stops short, and afterwards its flame burns smokily, an enemy will defeat your army.
3. If when you sprinkle the incense, (the smoke) goes to the right and does not go to its left, you will prevail over your adversary.
4. If when you sprinkle the incense, (the smoke) goes to its left and does not go to its right, your adversary will prevail over you.
5. If when you sprinkle the incense, (the smoke) goes to the east and does not go towards the crotch of the diviner, downfall for your adversary.
6. If when you sprinkle the incense, (the smoke) goes towards the crotch of the diviner and does not go to the east, your adversary will prevail over you.
7. If when you sprinkle the incense, (the smoke) goes equally in all directions: equal weapons.
8. If when you sprinkle the incense, (the smoke) clusters: success: the man will enjoy profit wherever he goes.
9. If the top of the incense(-smoke) is fragmented: there will be financial loss and loss of cattle in the man’s estate. (Next line 9a too damaged for translation)
10. If the top of the incense(-smoke) is cleft (in two): madness.
11. If the top of the incense(-smoke) is cut off: the man will experience hard times…
12. If the top the incense(-smoke) (looks) like the brickbasket of Šamaš: there will be di’u disease in the man’s household.
13. If the top of the incense(-smoke) gathers like a date-palm and is thin (down) at its base: hardship will seize the man.
14. If the incense(-smoke) after a while is constricted: hard times will befall the man.
15. If the incense(-smoke) after a while pushes through and gets out: the man will pull through hard times.
16. If the incense(-smoke) pushes through to the east and gets out: the man will pull through hard times.

While many of these specific translations might not pertain to us today (I’m sure many of us aren’t too worried about whether our armies are going to defeat an enemy, we can certainly modify these meanings, taking their essence, and rewording and reworking them to make them more relevant.

The best kinds of incense to use for this sort of divination is loose incense that is cast on burning coals.  Using incense that includes seeds, especially hemp, fennel and coriander seeds, and salt peter, also known as Vesta Powder, allows for more than just divination based on the smoke itself but allows for the pops and flames of flame to be interpreted as well.  When you use cone or stick incense you can always work with any changes in burn patterns, if the incense goes out suddenly etc.  When using loose incense that uses just herbs you may occasionally get some pops or flares but you can instead utilize the patterns in the smoke as well as any images that you may see in the pile of herbs as they burn on the coals utilizing the same techniques often used in water, fire or mirror scrying.

If you enjoy creating your own incense you can pick herbs and seeds that might either pertain to the specific type of question that you have or one designed specifically for divination.  Take a few moments to focus on your question or questions while the coals warm, asking for the Spirits, Guides and Gods you work with to guide your divination.  Then when you’re ready toss a good amount of incense on the coals.  You want to be sure to use enough to allow it to burn for a few minutes to give you time to divine from it; a small pinch will not be enough for this, and because of that it is advisable to work in a well ventilated area but being careful not to be working right by a window or outdoors since the wind can play a factor.

Some interpretations used today include:

1. One pop for “yes”.
2. Two quick pops together for “no”.
3. Silence (no pops if you have incense with seeds that should pop) for “answer unclear”.
4. If the smoke quickly moves away from you it can indicate either a negative outcome or things moving away from you.
5. If the smoke quickly moves toward you it can indicate either a positive outcome or things moving toward you.
6. If the incense goes out before it should it can indicate that now is not the time to  ask this question.
7. Look for shapes in the smoke and interpret them much like in tea leaf reading.

Try using this method of divination at your next Esbat or at your upcoming Ostara rituals.  It’s a simple method that you can customize and personalize to your own needs, working with your chosen Gods and Spirits, and making part of your personal tradition no matter what your spiritual practice is.

You can find a number of incense blends in the Sacred Mists Shoppe to help you get started with your venture into libanomancy.