Divination - Fortune telling
Divination is another name for fortune - telling. It intends to gain knowledge of future or otherwise unknown events. If a distinction is to be made between divination and fortune-telling, divination has a formal or ritual and often social character, usually in a religious context; while fortune-telling is a more everyday practice for personal purposes.
Lee A. Bursten says: "I don’t believe that there is as much of a difference between fortune telling and divination as some would like to believe. After all, I think it would be difficult for a good fortune-teller, even if they were very event-oriented in their approach, to give a reading that did not contain some psychological, spiritual, and empowering content in it.
And anyone who does a Tarot reading that includes a card position for "Future" or "Final Outcome" is still practicing fortune telling, that is, predicting a future event. We may tell ourselves that we aren’t really predicting, merely uncovering a trend or something the querent should keep in mind, but these are semantic differences. A reading that discusses the future is a reading which discusses the future, whether we call it fortune telling or divination."
Images: 1) This is ASTROLOGICAL man too. Look at the signs of the zodiac. They correspond to each part of the body, starting with pisces, the feet, and working up their way to the head, with aries, the ram, that has sacred connotations. the Musée Condé, Chantilly. 15th century. 2) English ouija board. 3) Fortune Teller
"Divination", we understand, is the attempt to "foretell or explore the future", to shape our lives according to what is coming.
The one who tries it is usually called a Fortune Teller....The Bible says``Do not practise divination``
Methods Of Divination And "Seeing" The Future
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.