Tools of the Trade, Part 2

Tools of the Trade, Part 2

Originally Published August 16, 2018

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Welcome back! In my last post,  Tools of the Trade Part 1  I talked about some of the divination tools anyone can use to help aide their psychic endeavors. This post continues my introductory overview.

Crystals

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Rating: Beginner- Intermediate

Risk: Low

Using crystals as a divination tool is a HUGE topic, so I am going to stick to the bare basics.  The thinking is that crystals, which come from the earth of course, may not be living beings but that they are animate objects.  Each crystal vibrates with it’s own frequency.  Different stones, shapes, colors, and sizes all effect that frequency.  Crystals can give off energy and help those around them to their vibration, or they can absorb energy, be it positive or negative.  They can also repel.  There are many types of crystals said to help improve psychic intuition.  I incorporate them into all my readings because I find my “clairs” improve with their proximity.  Usually when someone obtains a new crystal they should cleanse it of negative energy, charge it with fresh energy, and “program” it with an intention to get the most benefit out of it.  I will be discussing aspects of crystals and their use in future blog posts.

Scrying

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Rating: Intermediate- Advanced

Risk: Low- Moderate

Related to using crystals as a divination tool would be the act of scrying.  Scrying is the act of looking into pretty much anything and using it to see visions or messages.  Reflective tools like a bowl of water (hydromancy) or a mirror are popular choices.  The evil queen in Snow White was scrying with her magic mirror (mind blown, right?).  Pyromancy, or looking into fire, is another popular choice.  Scrying can be challenging if you don’t have any “clairs”.   However, let’s say you have some affinity towards clairvoyance, but sometimes have difficulty accessing it when you want, or seeing clearly.  You might use scrying with a crystal ball to enhance your visions.  While some diviners may see an actual image IN he object, others see the vision with their third eye.  Scrying carries some risk because objects can be used by negative spirits, and they may have more opportunity to influence your vision if you do not protect yourself and cleanse your object.

Astrology

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Rating: Beginner- Advanced

Risk: Low

Who doesn’t know what their zodiac sign is?  Horoscopes on their basic level are very well known to the population at large.  However, if you dig a little deeper astrology uncovers a world of divination by celestial bodies.  One of the fun things about astrology is even if you feel you have no psychic abilities, anyone can learn it with enough studying. 

If you did’t know, Astrology goes way beyond your zodiac sign, which is actually just your sun sign.  There are signs for your moment of birth corresponding to every planet, and all of them act on your personality and experiences for life (if you believe in it anyway).  In my experience an astrological lay person will or won’t believe in astrology based on the description of their zodiac sun sign’s personality traits.  If it sounds accurate to who you feel you are, you are more likely to believe it.  If the description doesn’t resonate, people tend to reject it.  If your sun sign description doesn’t sound right to you, it would be in your interest to learn about the other zodiac signs that fit into your date (moon and rising signs are the most influential after sun).  This is why it’s different to have a true astrologer draw up your chart.  Your horoscope isn’t just your mood of the week, or a list of generic sounding personality traits.  It’s actually incredibly complex and takes multiple positions and relationships between the planets and stars to uncover.  There are apps and websites that can spit out a full horoscope for you just by punching in your birth date and location, which is pretty amazing.  However, a computer can only compute.  An astrologer can read much more deeply into the various positions and meanings.  If you are of an academic spirit, astrology might just be your divination tool of choice!

Runes

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Rating: Beginner- Advanced

Risk: Low

Runes are an ancient divination technique that come from Germanic and norse traditions, though eastern cultures have their own versions of runes with a similar method but different tools and symbols.  Rune usually consist of symbols on some sort of “stone” (the stone may be made of actual stone, glass, or even cards), and every symbol represents something different.  The reader casts the runes much like you would cast dice, and depending on how the stone lands, they are interpreted differently.  While a beginner in Runes may want to start by simply pulling one rune out of the bunch in answer to their question, it takes more study and experience to interpret multiple runes based on not only their symbol but where they land, if they are face up or down, their relationship to each other in both position and symbolism.  A psychic who uses runes may also use them as a catalyst for their “clairs”, launching them into visions or premonitions.

Tarot

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Rating: Beginner- Advanced

Risk: Low

Tarot cards are an extremely popular method of divination, and I’m willing to guess most of the people who read this have a deck of their own.  Written accounts of Tarot cards do not exist prior to the 18th century, however they are traced back long before that to biblical periods.  There are many MANY different types of Tarot decks.  Traditionally most decks are made up of 78 cards, with 22 major arcana cards and 56 minor arcana.  The decks consist of different symbolism or illustrations that are not unlike the suites in a deck of cards. Usually you have twos through tens and then a set of royal cards.  Depending on the theme of the deck, the card suites often have elemental meanings (usually they are traced back to air, earth, water, and fire).  The Raider wait tarot, which is particularly common, represents these elements with suites of swords, pentacles, cups, and wands.  Every number or royal card within each suit represents a multitude of meanings.  Most tarot decks come with a little book so you can look up the meanings.  These cards are shuffled, chosen, and laid out in patterns.  Different patterns put the cards into a different context, and the reader interprets the cards individually and in their relation to each other.

I could go on and on about tarot cards, some of the different types, and how they work, but that depth of information will be saved for a different post.  For now I will say that Tarot skill level is something similar to reading rules- there are ways for beginners to do simple readings, and then there are deeply intricate readings where tarot cards are used as a catalyst for psychic vision.

Tasseography

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Rating: Intermediate- Advanced

Risk: Low

Tea leaf reading not surprisingly has its origins in ancient eastern culture.  The reading usually involves some ritual in the preparation and drinking of a loose leaf tea, which may vary by practitioner.  Once the tea cup is empty, the reader interprets the shape and position of the leaves left behind on the inside of the cup.  Because there is no limit to what can be seen in the leaves (runes and tarot technically have defined symbols, for example), one could consider it a more intuitive art.  You may consider it more difficult or easy to learn, depending on your own developed level of intuition and other psychic skills.

As I said in Tools of the Trade Part 1 , there are many more divination tools than the ones I've reviewed, but this is a place for you to start. What sounds the most intriguing to you? If any of these techniques seemed to jump out at you, follow your intuition and give it a try! There will be future posts going more in depth into many of these techniques so stick with me!