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Apple Divination By Cheryl Lynne Bradley

Divination Without Being Psychic By Shen Gerald

How to Predict the Future using Spinning Objects By Paula Haworth

How to Read Tea leaves for Fun or Profit By Paula Haworth

The Ethics of Divination – Choosing Your Seer By Dianne Hardwick

Methods Of Divination And "Seeing" The Future By Rose Ariadne

Apple Divination By Cheryl Lynne Bradley

"And pluck till time and times are done
the silver apples of the moon
the golden apples of the sun."
William Butler Yeats

We have all heard and used the expression "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." This expression is based on a very old superstition and is one of many associated with apples. I am quite sure that you have all held an apple in one hand and twisted the stem while reciting the alphabet to ascertain the initial of that "special someone" - the apple of our eye. I am equally as certain we have all gotten happy feet and sang along with the Andrew's Sisters "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree With Anyone Else But Me". In "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, we are moved and touched by the gracious and dignified austerity of Hester Prynne's declaration "A is for Apple." There is a very long tradition of prediction and divination with apples. A great many of them, of course, are associated with love and relationships.

Apples were once considered to be the food of the gods - if you cut an apple in half crosswise the centre is revealed as a five pointed star. Merlin carried the orchard of Avalon, the magical "Apple-Land" or "Isle of Apples" which received the dying King Arthur, with him on all his travels. The ignorant were not to eat of this fruit because the apple contained a Pythagorean Pentagram - cut widthways secrets were revealed in the shape of its pips.

An apple of gold was thrown into a wedding banquet for Peleus and Thetis (parents of Achilles) which was attended by many of of the gods and goddesses. The apple was thrown by Eris, the Goddess of Discord and a daughter of Night. She had been snubbed and not invited because she was such a troublemaker. The apple had "Kallisti" or “For the Fairest” written on it. Three goddesses, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, claimed it and Paris of Troy had to decide who was the winner. All three goddesses offered him a bribe: Hera offered him political power and Athena promised him great skill in battle. Aphrodite offered him Helen, wife of Menelaus of Sparta considered to be the most beautiful woman in the world. Aphrodite was chosen the most beautiful Goddess by Paris. The Apple of Discord and Paris's choice caused a quarrel among the goddesses and set the course for the Trojan War.

One of the Twelve Labours of Hercules was to obtain The Golden Apples of the Hesperides. The tree where the sacred golden apples of Hera grew was guarded by the serpent Ladon in the garden of the Hesperides in the far west. The Hesperides were three nymphs who were the daughters of Night and Erebus. This garden was close to where the Titan Atlas supported the world on his shoulders. Hercules was able to persuade Atlas to acquire the apples for him, while he supported the world for Atlas. Apples were also sacred to the goddess Venus and symbolized her, she "was worshipped on one half of the apple as the evening star, Hesper,...and as Lucifer, son of morning, on the other." Apples have their dark side as well, the apples of Sodam were beautiful to look at but ashes inside, and the apples of Istkahor were sweet on one side and bitter on the other. In Snow White, the wicked queen poisons Snow White with an apple.

There is a similar story to The Labours of Hercules in Celtic mythology called The Punishment of the Children of Tuireann. The sons of Tuireann, their mother was Brighid, were assigned seven tasks by Lugh, the Sun-God, to avenge the slaying of his father Cian. The first task was to obtain three apples from the Garden of Hisberna, in the east of the world. The skin of these apples was the colour of honey, the taste could cure a warrior of all his wounds and they could be used as hurling weapons. Nothing could destroy them and they would always return to the thrower when commanded. The King of Hisberna had powerful guards on his garden as it had been prophesied that three young warriors from the west would arrive to steal them. The brothers shapeshifted into the form of hawks, each piercing one apple with his beak. The King had three daughters who shapeshifted into griffins and pursued them. One of the brothers using druidic sorcery turned himself and his brothers into fish and they plummeted into the ocean away from the griffins.

The apple and apple tree are symbolic of the guarantee of immortality in Irish tradition and the apple tree is universally esteemed as a holy tree. The apple tree is another sacred tree to the Druids. In their tradition it is said that you may cut an apple into three pieces, then rub the cut side on warts, saying: "Out warts, into apple." The pieces are buried and as they decay, the warts disappear. Apple cider is used by modern Wiccan/Pagan practioners as a substitiute in old spells which called for blood or wine. Apples are indicative of choices and are often used for love and healing magic.

Mandrake, a small perennial of the potato family, is called the devil's apple because of the poisonous golf ball sized fruit they produce at the root. This is a strange plant native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean which has been a source of mystery and superstition for centuries. The fleshy root is said to shriek when pulled from the ground. It was used in ancient Greece to alleviate pain and as an aphrodisiac. American mandrake or May apple is an unrelated plant common to woodlands and meadows.

Mother Goddesses are powerful female figures revered by many cultures. They are often depicted dispensing apples, bread or coins symbolizing wealth and the bounty of nature. In Irish and Welsh stories, apple trees in The Otherworld were magical and always laden with fruit that had magical properties. The story of Mael Duin is the earliest known Celtic travel myth. On his voyage into The Otherworld, three magic apples fed his crew for 120 days. In the story of Conla, a woman from The Otherworld gives him an apple which he eats from for one month. Cullwch, who is the first great hero of Welsh mythology, had golden apples embroidered on the corners of his purple cloak. The apple branch represented the seeking of your heart’s desire. King Cormac was given a branch with nine apples of red gold on it which made a beautiful sound when shaken. When the branch was shaken, no one had a want, a trouble or felt tiredness.

In Norse mythology Idun is the goddess who tends to the apples of eternal youth. Her apples prevent the gods from aging rapidly. The apple has connections with Pomona, the Roman Goddess of fruit trees. Hallowe'en is derived from the festival for Pomona.

The expression "apple of the eye" has a biblical origin and means the pupil of the eye and something or someone that is very precious and in need of protection, Deuteronomy 32:10, Proverbs 7:2, Lamentations 2:18, Zechariah 2:8.

Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings, Psalm 17:8

Traditional Christianity generally regards the apple as the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge which Satan tempted Eve with in the Garden of Eden. The Adam's Apple, the projection in the neck formed by the thyroid cartilage, is supposed to have been caused by a piece of the apple caught in Adam's throat. Since that time, superstition has dictated that to eat an apple without polishing it first is a challenge to Satan. Carl Jung interpreted the same apple as a symbol of life.

To dream of ripe, sweet, red and green apples is a promise of well deserved reward and shows the achievement of harmonious balance in your life. If the apples were green and bitter, it indicates that you could face a loss through your own foolishness and fickle friendships. Red, ripe apples denote true, dependable friendships.

If you dream of an apple which is rotten on the inside, it can indicate a relationship with serious problems even if the surface appears perfect. Eating apples with a friend or other people is a happy omen. Eating alone in a dream generally indicates a need to protect yourself from loss of status and friendships. Apple pie or baked apples in a dream can augur high expectations leading to disappointments. To dream of apple trees in blossom or an orchard can predict unexpected joys and prolonged advancement. A Crabapple tree is an indication of a new experience approaching.

In keeping with the traditions of the Romany, a young lady wishing to dream of her future husband was to obtain an apple from a widow on the Eve of St. Andrew. No thanks were to be given. The young lady consumed half of the apple before midnight and the other half after, which would ensure a dream of her intended.

Another method used to discover the face of your future spouse was to take an apple and a candle into a dark room just before midnight. While standing in front of a mirror cut the apple into small pieces. Throw one piece over your right shoulder and eat the rest while brushing your hair. Don't look behind you. As midnight strikes, the face of your future spouse will appear in the mirror. There are several variations on this divination method. If you sit in front of a mirror in candlelight and eat the apple while thinking about the boy or girl you like, he/she will return the sentiment.

We have all played the childrens Hallowe'en game of bobbing for apples. Games, such as apple-bobbing, called apple-dookin’ in Scotland, represent the journeys taken across water to obtain the magic apple by Celtic heroes. Traditionally speaking, the girls were to polish, mark and then float an apple in the tub of water. The boy that retrieved her apple with his bite would be her spouse. If you bob for apples it is necessary to concentrate on one so you may enjoy its sweetness in full. There is another apple game for boys called Snap Apple. Apples are hung from the ceiling on strings, the boys leap and try to sink their teeth into them. The first boy to bite into an apple would be the first to marry. Another tradition advises that if you share an apple with the one you love they will love you in return.

Peeling apples for a prediction has been popular for ages. This method was used if someone had a very important question. The apple was peeled very carefully so that the questioner ended up with a long unbroken peel. The question was asked and the peel was thrown over the shoulder. The answer was "No" if it fell in the shape of an "U" or an "O" and it was "Yes" if it was anything else.

Another very popular form of a peeling prediction was one that allowed a girl to find out who her future husband would be. The apple was peeled, again in one long continuous piece, and thrown over her left shoulder. If the peel remained unbroken, it would fall in the shape of the initial of her future spouse. If the peel broke, she would remain unmarried.

Some peeling predictions require the use of a silver knife to peel the apple and others indicate that the divination be performed at midnight on Hallowe'en. If a girl cuts an apple into nine pieces at midnight on Halloween in front of a mirror, then sticks each piece with the knife and holds each piece (one at a time) over her left shoulder, as the ninth piece hits the reflection in the mirror, she will see her future husband. If a girl peels an apple at midnight on Halloween and hangs the peel on a nail by the front door, the initials of the first man to enter will be the same as those of her unknown lover. Apple peeling was also used see how long your life would be. The longer the unbroken apple peel, the longer your life.

An Apple Spell for What the Heart Desires

Whatsoever your heart desires
Write it down in words of fire
Cut the Sacred Apple through
Place your wish between the two

Seal with twigs from the Lady's Tree
Place in a kiln until dried it be
Sleep upon it night or day
Until good fortune comes your way

If you are having difficulty making up your mind between two people, places or situations just take two apple seeds and assign one to each of your choices. Stand in front of a mirror and stick the seeds on your forehead. The one that falls off last is the right choice.

For people desiring to know the initial of the person who will be their next relationship, take an apple seed and stick the seed to your forehead. Recite the alphabet. The letter you are saying when the seed falls is the initial you seek.

Counting the seeds was also a form of divination. To find out what the future held, people would cut an apple in half and count the seeds in the core. If the seeds were even in number, good luck was coming. An odd number indicated a disappointment and cutting one of the seeds in half indicated that the future could hold hard lessons and uncertainty.

In Austria if a girl cut an apple in half on St. Thomas' Night it was believed she would learn her future. An even number of seeds indicated that she would marry soon but if one or more of the seeds was cut she would have troubles in her future and be widowed.

Another stem twisting divination was used for a basic "Yes" of "No" answer. You would ask your question while holding the apple in your left hand and, with your right, begin twisting the stem. Every time you stwist the stem, say yes or no. The word that you say when the stem twists off is the answer to your question.

Many cultures have interesting beliefs and traditions about apples. An apple appearing in the grounds of your tea cup indicates an achievement. In Britain if an apple tree comes into bloom out of season while still bearing fruit it was an augury of a death in the family. In the rest of Europe this same event is viewed as an omen of extremely good fortune. It is also good fortune to find any type of fruit growing double. If you share it with a friend you will both receive a wish. A pregnant woman eating one could have twins.

In Somerset at Congresbury land auctions for single acre plots on two pieces of common land were once held. Each plot was marked and a matching mark was made on an apple. The apples were placed in a bag and were distributed to the commoners to allocate their plot. In Switzerland, William Tell refused to bow in homage to an Austrian nobleman's hat and was forced to shoot an apple off his son's head as punishment.

You were never to pick all the apples off the tree at harvest, some were to be left for the birds. If any apples were left on the tree in spring, there would be a death in the family within the year. It is also a good idea and considered lucky to leave a fallen apple or two on the ground in the orchard to keep any spirits who may be wandering through content. In Germany if the first apple on a new tree is picked and eaten by a mother with many children, the tree will be abundantly fertile as well. In Denmark, a fairytale uses an apple as a chastity test, the apple will fade if the owner is unfaithful.

I hope you have some fun with this and don't worry, only people who have read this article will know how those two little dents in your forehead got there. Only God can count the apples in a seed.

'Moonlit Apples'(1917)

In the corridors under there is nothing but sleep.
And stiller than ever on orchard boughs they keep
Tryst with the moon, and deep is the silence, deep
On moon-washed apples of wonder

John Drinkwater(1882 - 1937)

Cheryl Lynne Bradley is a mother, photographer, writer, internationally respected professional Tarot reader and the President of Tarot Canada. She writes extensively on Tarot, Divination, Omens, Superstitions, Dreams and Reviews on Books, Tarot Decks and Music.

Divination Without Being Psychic By Shen Gerald

When we think about spiritual inquiring and divination, we often think that one needs to be psychic in order to do so. Well, that is not true.

If one is not psychic, how does one clarify spiritual-based queries about oneself? There are 2 methods that I know of, namely Applied Kinesiology and Pendulum Reading.

Using Applied Kinesiology or Muscle testing, it is possible to ask our own body and the soul/mind questions and get 'Yes' or 'No' responses. Applied Kinesiology works by gauging the reaction of certain muscle after asking the intended question. A strong response from the muscle means a 'Yes', while a 'No' will elicit a weak reaction. Uncertainty to a question will also yield a 'No' or weak response.

Applied Kinesiology can be performed alone or with the help of an assistant. One of the easiest way to muscle test is to use the arms.

For clear and accurate answers, the session needs to start with a space clearing to remove any potential negative influences. Space clearing is the process of purging an area of negative and stagnant energies. It often involves defining boundaries and using smoke or smudging to clear the area. There are books and Internet websites that teach Applied Kinesiology as well as space and entity clearing.

Besides Applied Kinesiology, Pendulum Reading is also a good alternative that does not require psychic ability. When used in conjunction with a YES/NO chart, the pendulum can be used to provide Yes/No response to queries.

In addition custom-made charts can also be tailored to very specific inquiries. For example, degree or percentage chart can be used to indicate degree of intensity.

Like Applied Kinesiology,the pendulum reading session needs to start with the clearing of potential negative influences for clear and accurate answers.

Well, these are the tools for divination and spiritual inquiry that doesn't need one to be psychic. In fact, one will be surprised at the ease of performing these divinations.

Happy experimenting...

How to Predict the Future using Spinning Objects By Paula Haworth

Throughout history people have sort ways of finding spiritual or mystical guidance in their every day lives. Consulting the Oracle, Soothsayer or village wise person who had the gift of seeing into the future was common practice in ancient times. However, you don’t have to be a psychic to predict the future. In the simple system of Cyclomancy, a revolving device, such as a wheel or revolving circle can be very effective tool for divination (ability to foretell the future by intuitive rather than scientific or rational means). The practice of Cyclomamcy may have been the origin of the roulette wheel as a game of chance.

The “wheel-of-fortune” found at fair grounds which stops on prize-winning numbers or the TV “Wheel of Fortune” are also based on this concept. Cyclomancy has survived as the popular party kissing game “spin the bottle”, or in a combination of ‘Truth or Dare’. In this variation, the spinner gets to ask the person whom the bottle points to an intimate, personal question, which must be answered truthfully. In all these methods, the decision of the wheel is automatically fulfilled, so it is not surprising that many people believe that questions concerning their future can be answered by a similar contrivance.

Cyclomancy dates from time immemorial, and takes its name from the Latin word ‘Cyclomantia’ and from ancient Greek ‘Kyklos’ meaning a circle. Spinning arrows may be used instead of revolving wheels for telling fortunes. In occult practices the wheel will have astrological signs, numbers, letters, words or mystical symbolic makings around it. The powerful archetypal symbol of the ‘Wheel of fortune’ in the tarot deck reminds us of how random and unpredictable life can be. And that we are all subject to the workings of fate and Karma, in that what ever he/she sows he/she shall reap.

One form of divinational consultation is in finding geographical direction. When at a crossroad, take a bottle and lay it horizontally on the ground, and spin it. When it stops spinning, the neck of the bottle will point to the road where your destiny lies. Alternatively, before spinning the bottle ask a question with regards to the different directions, for example in which direction will I have the most fun, view the best sights or meet a new friends. Variations of the method use knifes or spinning tops.

In order to get started, first you're going to have to check your logic mind behind. It’s a bit like visiting the cinema and as you walk in the door agreeing with yourself that for the next 90 minutes or so you will suspend your sense of reality. Trusting your intuition is a lot like that, once you begin to ‘trust’ that your question will be answered, somehow the cosmic wheels begin to turn and you will receive the answer to your question.

This handy do-it-yourself divination tool can be used when seeking advice or answers to questions regarding past, present or future events. To make your own Cyclomancy fortune telling wheel, first cut a piece of card to the size of a dinner plate. Using a pen, divide the wheel into ten equal sections so that it looks similar to the spokes of a cycle wheel. Next pierce a hole in the centre with a skewer. Take three deep breaths and relax, as you do this gently begin to focus on the question that you would like to ask. When you feel ready spin the wheel and see where it stops. In a similar way an arrow could be secured to the centre by a pivot so that it freely revolves when given a sharp spin, the number that the arrow stops on being the significant one.

The analysis of the number is based on the ancient system of Numerology also known as Arithmomancy. The system was popular amongst early mathematicians such as Pythagoras who believed that each of the numbers one to nine had it’s own psychic or spiritual significance.

The interpretation of the numbers is as follows :

One - New beginnings, ideas and inspiration. Exciting new changes ahead in love, business, education.
Two - A need for tact and diplomacy. Two’s denote balance and harmony and fair play. Hidden things that need to be revealed. A period of waiting.
Three - Birth, pregnancy and marriage. A reason to celebrate or to go out and have fun. Your ships are coming in. Successful teamwork.
Four - Security, home, property, DIY around the house, time to take a break go on holiday. Five - Problems to overcome, a time to be assertive, excess energy at your disposal. Watch out for jealousy and conflict amongst friends.
Six - Time to give and receive in many ways, money, time, support. A time of success, meeting old friends, compassion, travel. A time for making choices.
Seven - Staying in control via understanding, time for clear thinking, beware of deception, need to check security, time for evaluating a situation.
Eight - Determination to achieve goals, on-the-job study, dissatisfaction with an aspect of your life, feeling trapped, time to move on, end of delays.
Nine - Light at the end of the tunnel, preparation for a new beginning, smugness, and success, unnecessary worries.
Ten - Change, the end of a journey, success, family gatherings, support of others, idealism, a sense of community.

Paula is a gifted psychic and the owner of www.email-a-psychic.co.uk and www.psychic-trudy.co.uk where your personal questions will be answered professionally and compassionately by Email.

How to Read Tea leaves for Fun or Profit By Paula Haworth

The ancient art of reading tea leaves in a cup is quite simple, and can be learned in a very short time. Although psychics throughout the ages have used it as a system of divination, any one can learn to master the techniques involved. Before long you will be making predictions about the future for friends and family. You don’t need to posses any psychic ability; all that’s really required is patience to understand the various symbols and their meanings. However, as with all divinatory systems constant use can have the effect of developing and stimulating your natural intuitive ability.

Adding clairvoyancy to the skill will give you a deeper insight into the metaphysical energy surrounding the process. Reading tealeaves is a fun way of stimulating the imagination and tapping into the unconscious mind and listening to your inner self for answers to problems or dilemmas that you may have. The process also links in with Carl Jung’s theory of the ‘Collective uconsciousness’, where by ones intuition isn’t limited by the constraints of space or time. It’s through this that tealeaf readers can look into a persons past, present or future.

The ancient practice of interpreting patterns made by tealeaves in the cup is called Tasseography, otherwise known as tasseomancy or tassology. "Tasse" or "tass" is an Arab word, meaning small cup or goblet. The art also includes the reading of coffee grounds and wine sediments. In China and Japan tea drinking had a ceremonial use and an aid to meditation. A reader would watch for omens in the patterns and shapes left after drinking the tea. Although tealeaf reading is associated with Gypsy fortune-tellers and Victorian parlour games it’s roots began in Asia, ancient Greece and the Middle East. In recent history it has close ties with Scottish, and Irish tradition as well as throughout Eastern Europe.

Historically, a psychic often had a special cup that he or she would use for readings. Likewise a special spoon may be used to give it a sense of ritual. The cup, saucer and spoon should be first washed or cleansed by immersing it in hot soap and water and rinsing it with cold. Modern day psychics use cups with astrological markings printed on the inside. This not only gives a reading from the tealeaves but also provides information based on the astrological signs. The cup should have a wide brim and should be plain inside as any pattern would conflict with the interpretation of the leaves

Part of the ritual of reading tea leaves is in the act of sitting down and enjoying the tea in the company of fellow drinkers as this allows you to relax and gather your thoughts. Typically psychics choose not to use small commercially produced tealeaves but opt for the larger type i.e. Jasmin or Erl Grey etc. The person having the reading would be asked to spoon a measure of tea into a heated pot or directly into a china cup. Some psychics ask that the person receiving the reading stir the dried leaves before spooning them into the teacup or pot. This is seen as being similar to shuffling tarot cards before a reading. Boiling water is poured over the tea as the person receiving the reading stirs the pot or cup. At the same time he or she should concentrate on the particular question that they would like an answer to. The teapot is swirled and the tea poured into the cup.

When the tea is cool enough to drink the person receiving the reading sips the liquid whilst continuing to concentrate on the question. The person having his or hers tealeaf read should leave about a quarter of an inch of tea at the bottom of the cup. The cup should then be swirled around with the left hand three times in a clockwise direction so that the tealeaves are in a state of suspension. It is then flipped quickly facedown onto a napkin, which has been placed on the saucer thus leaving the tealeaves on the bottom and sides of the cup.

In order to interpret the images it may help if you slightly squint your eyes as you look at the leaves and allow your imagination to roam. Making a mental note of what you see; begin reading the cup clockwise, the handle representing the day of the teacup reading should be facing the reader The rest of the cup is divided into twelve months with the six month position being directly facing the handle. The leaves near the brim of the cup have more importance than those near the bottom. Some psychics say that images facing anticlockwise represent the significance is departing, whilst images facing clockwise mean the person requesting the reading is moving towards the occurrence.

Iterpretation of the symbols can be either exactly as they appear, for example a house, may mean contentment and home, or symbolically ie combined with a bell may mean good news or an invitation on it’s way. Contradicting images imply indecision in the person's mind. Sometimes the top of the cup is seen as lucky and the bottom is seen as unlucky, but you should use your intuition and common sense when deciding this. The size of the symbol may give you clue to its importance. The rim represents the present or things that may happen within a few days or weeks. The sides predict the future. The bottom predicts the very distant future.

Like learning most things the more you practice the better you will get. The same applies to the art of tealeaf reading the more proficient you will become at it. The secrete is to trust your instinct, try and not allow your logic to interfere with what you see. At first you may only be able to see vague shapes, but with perseverance your competence and confidence will grow. The list of symbols and meanings below is far from complete but will help you get started. It would also be helpful to purchase a book with a more comprehensive list of interpretations or alternatively, there are many resources available on the Internet. Ultimately, the interpretation should be left up to the reader, and no two readers are the same. The main thing about interpreting what you see is to learn to trust your intuition and gut feelings. You may find that certain symbols have a particular meaning for you alone and vary from the meanings listed below

Symbols and Interpretations :

Aeroplane :- Travel, going up in the world.
Anchor :- A journey ends.
Angel :- A blessing from your guides.
Bell :- Good news i.e. wedding etc.
Bird :- Good fortune on its way.
Book :- Look for further information.
Bottle :- Allurement, good social life.
Butterfly :- None serious about a relationship.
Clock :- Act now, a meeting soon to happen.
Moon :- Changes.
Cross :- Problems but outcome positive.
Cobweb :- something guarded or secure.
Dagger :- Fallout or plotting ahead.
Dog :- A faithful friend.
Flag :- Stay fast for good fortune.
Fish :- Spiritual progress.
Gate :- Change of circumstance, confidently proceed.
Heart :- Happy emotional things.
Key :- Solutions revealed soon.
Ladder :- promotion, improvement.
Mountain :- Problems, but conquerable.
Ring :- Changes for the better.
Scales :- Decisions need to balance things.
Trees :- A new start.
Teapot :- Warm-loving friends.

Paula is a gifted psychic and the owner of www.email-a-psychic.co.uk and www.psychic-trudy.co.uk where your personal questions will be answered professionally and compassionately by Email.

The Ethics of Divination – Choosing Your Seer By Dianne Hardwick

Professionals have their regulatory bodies and codes of practice, but individuals involved in mystical work are often self taught. This can leave them feeling they are in something of a black hole when it comes to dealing with the public appropriately. From the point of view of the client, it makes it difficult to know who to choose for a reading.

Ethical principles should guide all practitioners of the divinatory arts, whatever their field. Talking with a group of astrologers confirmed for me that the same types of problems face all “readers” whose clients have come seeking advice: dealing with difficult questions; the possibility of tragic events; what to do when people have depression or issues they cannot handle alone, and especially, avoiding dependency and the pressure it places on the practitioner. It is dependency on the reader that I will discuss here and how readers and their clients can avoid the problem.

Initially, I would say, be clear about motives. As a practitioner, I think the best position is to have a set of strong values with regard to your work that accord with your spiritual perspective. Being a person who tries to live her life by Buddhist teachings I ask myself, “What is my motivation in doing this kind of work?” The answer that initially springs to mind is to help others by giving them the insights gleaned from a reading, but it is more than that. It is to empower others to choose for themselves how to deal more effectively with problems in their lives by giving them information. Encouraging clients to become dependent on more and more readings is not ethical.

Client dependency usually occurs when people have a simplistic view of divination. They believe that a reading reveals “Fate” – a future written in tablets of stone that cannot be avoided. They see themselves in the role of puppets on a stage where larger forces are pulling the strings. If they get the “wrong answer” to their queries then real stress can result and clients can pressure readers to tell them what they want to hear by asking the same question again and again, until they get the “right” answer. It’s easy to forget how much the client invests in what a reader says and how careful readers need to be when faced with someone overwhelmed by life problems.

The Tarot cards show potentials, trends and possibilities for a person at any one time. At no stage does that person lose their free will. Readers need to show clients how they have choices and need to be proactive in their lives. “If you follow this path, then X may occur. If you follow that path then Y is more likely”. Does anybody get a new job or a new romance if they don’t make some moves towards their goal? A good reading should show ways of making desirable changes.

If you are a client looking for a reader who can give you real insight into your possibilities then you should be looking for someone who has the insight to explain things in this way. At no time should you feel you have lost control of your choices. The purpose of divination is to seek guidance not intimidation. Both “seers” and clients need to adopt an exploratory frame of mind in a reading rather than a predictive one and clients should ask, when they book a reading, “How do you work? Is there only one answer to a problem or am I free to explore the possibilities open to me?”

Dianne Hardwick has been reading tarot for over 30 years. For a free astrology forecast visit her website at http://www.diannehardwick.com

Methods Of Divination And "Seeing" The Future By Rose Ariadne

Learning to do Divination may take a little more practice for some people than others, but it can save you from many of the pitfalls of life. However, some people have a more natural affinity for it and can begin to "see future events" much easier than others.

Alsoi, it is important to remember that the visions will not always be crystal clear - you may have to learn how to interpret what you see in your divinations. Any additional materials you need can be acquired from any wicca supplies shop on the Internet (or in your local area).

Now then, here are a few different types of divination that you can begin to practice now - and a description of each.

Square of Mercury - This is a cabalistic form of divination. It is usually used as a base for other forms of divination. It draws the power of Mercury, the Great Diviner into strengthen and better unfold future events.

Scrying/Crystal Balls/Magick Mirrors - These are general focus tools used to see into the future. Sometimes full images and scenes will play themselves out in the depths of the reflections. Sometimes you will only see symbols. Other times it may be a fog or clouds that move one way or another in answer to your questions.

Necromancy - This is a form of divination used to communicate with spirits of the dead, and must not be entered into lightly. The spirits of the dead are said to have answers to past and future, because the have pierced the veil of living in linear time and have the ability to see all things at all times.

Bibliomancy - This is a form of divination where you take a Bible (but any other book or tome of wisdom may suffice), ask your question, open the book at random and start reading where your eyes fall on the pages to receive your answer. Another method is to take a needle and open the book, pinpointing the place where you should begin reading for your answer.

Auguries - Simply put, the signs of nature and other happenings around you. This was the method employed by many of the ancient shamans. A question is asked and then they waited to see what symbols appeared in nature, which way the clouds moved, or the birds flew. These were all ways that they determined the answer to their questions, and gauged what was to unfold for the future.

Ouija Board - I wanted to add this in here, because so many people have played with Ouija boards as a game to ask questions of the spirits. It is a method of finding out answers for the past, present, and future. As with necromancy, must not be undertaken lightly. One thing that people fail to recognize in their “game playing” with the Ouija board, is that you are, essentially, opening a gateway between the worlds to communicate with spirits. I recommend staying away from them. If you feel this is a tool you would like to use, then set your basic circles of protections in place and treat the use of the board with the care and respect that you would with any ritual.

The art of Divination is one of careful practice. You will find an entire section in the Home Academy – complete with step-by-step divination using pendulums, scrying, Magick mirrors, and more. You’ll be able to see exactly how to use divination to see into the future successfully with the included DVD demonstrations.

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