Finding a Divination Style that Works for You

If you ask 10 people what form of divination, they practice you will most likely end up with a list of 20 plus different forms. It’s human nature to want to find meaning in the chaos of the world and find omens in everyday patterns. Since time immemorial there have been people who practice divination to find that meaning and order. The popularity of divination methods wane and wax as humanity changes and new systems are constantly being developed. Finding a divination system isn’t the difficult part, finding a divination system that works with you and fits into your practice with ease is a different deck of cards all together.

As a child, my friends and I would flip coins to see which way the universe wanted us to choose when making decisions. We never thought of it as divination when we were kids, it was just playful asking for guidance. It wasn’t until I was in collage that I seriously started to look into what divination was and what types were out there. In my sophomore year of college, one of my dormmates gave me a tarot card reading. I was instantly fascinated by them and the next time anyone in my friend group went to the little metaphysical store near campus, I went along. They had a selection of maybe 8 different tarot decks for sale. The guy running the shop told me to pick up each deck and see what one felt right. So, I picked up maybe 5 decks when I picked up one and sparks flew. You know that little shock you get when you touch metal in winter and the air is dry? Well, that’s what happened to me, but it was a damp day in November and there was no static electricity built up. So, I ended up adopting my first tarot deck. It was beautiful, full of Medieval Italian looking artwork, and faux-gold gilt on the cards. It felt like coming home and going on an adventure at the same time. I think I spent more time that year studying and learning the cards than I spent studying my major. It was the early 1990s, so the internet wasn’t really an option yet and regular bookstores rarely sold metaphysical and tarot books. I was lucky enough to find a new age bookstore near my house that carried books on the tarot.

Over the years and with the growth of the internet, I’ve been lucky enough to be exposed to many forms of divination. I love learning new techniques every chance I get, and I am one of those metaphysical chicks that loves collecting divination tools. I don’t envy beginners today. When I started there were less resources, but things were also a lot less overwhelming. There is almost too much information and choice to today’s beginning diviner. But with a little thought and self-reflection, the vast sea of choices can be navigated.

Start with what you are aware of, think about the forms of divination you know about or have heard about. Maybe make a list in your journal of the systems you know and maybe develop a rating system of them from no interest to really want to learn. Now think about what appeals to you in a divination system. Just because everyone you know reads tea leaves doesn’t mean that you need to read tea leaves. Whatever you choose should excite that part of your brain that look at patterns and omens and interprets them. That part of my brain loves colors and interesting graphics, but I know people who have brains that get excited by minimalism and dark imagery. We are all different and our brains get excited by different things. If what tool you are using does not get your brain excited, then you will not build a connection with that tool and your reads will be lackluster. Everyone has that omen interpreting part of their brain, it is just a matter of finding the tool that gets the neurons firing and allows that omen seeking part to communicate with the rest of your brain. I would like to note that the part of the brain that seeks patterns and omens is often very quiet unless encouraged to speak out. Society does tend to look at divination as silly and, in some cases, as downright evil. We are hardwired in our brains to see patterns and notice slight differences; it is the part of our brain that kept our ancestors alive. It is a gift and a gift from the Universe, vilifying it as evil or weird and demeaning the Universe’s gift.

Back to finding that method that allows your brain to communicate the omens and patterns it sees. Some things to consider when looking for the divination system that works with you:

1. Availability: how easy is it to acquire the tool and the supplies necessary to use this tool? Methods like cards and pendulums are fairly easy to acquire. Many people read tarot because it is affordable, adaptable, and it’s easy to find books and websites that will teach you more. On the other hand, there are tools and techniques that are extremely hard to find unless you know the right people and are willing to pay exorbitant sums of money to acquire them. That doesn’t mean that the obscure or expensive tools are any more powerful than the DIY divination tools. The power behind divination is the rapport the practitioner develops with that omen seeking part of their brain.

2. Expense: you should never go into debt or sacrifice necessities for a tool. There are many techniques that can be practiced free or for little money. Palmistry is essentially free, you just need people willing to allow you to read their palms and the internet is full of how-to guides palm reading. When you are first learning to do divination, the bougie tools can sometimes be more of a hindrance than a helper.

3. Portability and Discretion: Are you only going to practice in a designated area or are you looking for something that can be tossed in your purse and taken with you? This is an important consideration that many people overlook. I love divination tools that I can take with me. Portable tools can also be discreet tools. If you are living in a situation where you have to your tools, something small that can be tucked in a pocket might be a good choice. This is a real consideration when looking at tools. Sometimes, no physical tools are just as powerful. Things like cloud reading and being able to divine from watching a fire burn are legitimate.

4. Difficulty to Master and Resources available: Some people thrive learning ridigidly codified divination styles and some are at their best when they make it us as they go along. Most people fall in the middle, but it comes down to how detailed do you need the technique to be and how much do you want available resources. I’m an intuitive reader when it comes to the tarot. I prefer to look at the cards and let omen finding brain focus on some part of the card and figure our it’s significance without using the book or manual for meaning. I use the book as a guide for the meanings or sometimes to translate what is being focused on. Meanwhile, I know some people who are fantastic readers who read by the book. Both of us use the same tool but use it in very different ways. Astrology is an example of a tool that is heavily codified and using the resources adds depth to the reading. I have a basic understanding of astrology and I’m fine there, but I know people who can do very in-depth reading and explain why things are going to happen like they do. Those people know their stuff and they have huge reference libraries that help them figure everything out. They have an understanding of the art that I don’t have.

5. Play and try: My final suggestion on finding what works for you is to try it out. Buy an affordable tarot deck, if you are interested, and start doing practice reads. Journal about the cards, Study them, etc. If you find a pendulum that you like in a shop, ask to try it out, hold it and ask it a few questions. Depending on the shopkeeper, you may get a mini lesson on using it. I’m a tactile person, I love holding tools in my hands and feeling the energy. And yes, I have on several (many) occasions purchased a tool that when I tried it at home just didn’t spark joy in my brain. I often gift those tools to others who might be interested.

Finding the divination tools that speak to the omen seeking part of your brain is like all things spiritual and metaphysical, a matter of trial and error. There is no one size fits all that works for everyone. I’m a big supporter of starting with what appeals to you, playing around, and trying new things. Everybody can do divination, it’s just a matter of finding your omen seeking brain’s voice.