Introduction This manuscript owes its beginnings to a dear friend of mine, author, bass player trainee psychic and all around good guy. Bruce Thomas. Who during many conversations was insistent that I should write down a few of my adventures, anecdotes etc. This has been asked by dozens of people. Until with more than a gentle pushing on Bruces part you see before you the result of that labour.
!o dont thank me for these stories, thank the people that have lived through these e"periences and thank the people who have insisted that they be written down if not for prosperity, then at least to bring the truth to others. #y thanks go out to everyone that has made this possible, especially my wife and family, putting up with me and my unfortunate $ob that sometimes takes more time than my family should have to give. %ven if you have no belief in the here after I hope that they will at least bring a smile to you, and a little sunshine on an otherwise over clouded day. & On Th F!ir #ost people on the street think that a psychic fair is $ust a couple of people meeting in a room, above a pub. 'iving bogus readings (of the nature) I see a tall dark stranger or youre going on a trip* $ust to earn some beer money. +ommonly called cold readings a common magicians secret. That I wont be going into, If you want to learn about this, consult your local magic circle or read about mentalism. Well, unfortunately. #ost are. The strange and bizarre has always attracted people, whether a genuine seeker of the light and knowledge, or simply the curious. It as also attracted the bogus, people who would steal from their own mother, and whether in this business or selling second hand cars, would still be deemed a con artist, The sceptics- view of Tarot and psychic reading is damaging for readers in the long run, particularly those who don-t depend on cold reading, and who genuinely do want to make a difference to the lives of the people who come to them. In recent years, the shift of Tarot has moved from divination and fortune telling to a more therapeutic form, which could possibly even be classed as a psychological art form. #ore and more readers take the form of counsellors, like me, and our $ob is only made harder by people who deliberately try and cash in, on the unknown. The cold readers. The most difficult sub$ects for genuine readers and cold readers are the uncooperative sub$ects . who demand perfection from the reader with no input from their selves. This is of course a very effective way of catching out the cold readers, but it also traps the counsellors, who rely on the sub$ect to open up to them in much the same way a psychoanalyst or therapist does. 'etting blood from a stone, /erhaps some day the distinction between cold reading and genuine reading will blur, and both will be seen to be beneficial0 We can only hope that all readers, cold and otherwise will begin to hold the most honourable intentions, and have complete honesty in their dealings with those who come to them. /erhaps someday too, the genuine readers will stop being labelled as kooks, and the cold readers will stop being labelled as cons. 1nd perhaps someday, none of the readers around will $ustify either label, 1hh, Utopia,, 2 3owever the psychic world itself is a billion pound a year business, and covers all walks of life. 4rom reading your stars forecast in todays paper, to multi million pound companies asking advice from a graphologist to employ someone. 5r for a psychic to look at a map and say drill here. Today the market is e"panding even further with the advent of 3olistic medicine and alternative therapy fairs. These too encourage both the cold readers and psychics etc to latch on and swell the increasing ranks. Unfortunately the number of fakes and charlatans far outweighs the number of genuine people doing this to help people, rather than to $ust make a fast buck.
I have seen a supposed clairvoyant sell healing. They charge 678 for a person to sit in front of them for about &9.&8 minutes. Whilst the supposed healer simply walks around them holding out there hands towards them, as if forcing some unseen energy into the recipient, therefore curing them or making them better. 6&:9.99 per hour, 1 very good basic wage, wouldnt you say0 4or letting someone sit and rest awhile, The same person has even claimed to be able to cure #%.#!.+ancer.;ukeamia etc, 1n e"travagant claim to be sure, but one where people looking for a cure, can grasp at straws, no matter how slim that success might be. They are hoping for $ust the mere possibility of that same slim success.
!ome say they are channelling spirit energy, some say that it is through divine inspiration (the laying on of hands* <eiki masters say that by using the vibrational =ualities of stones and minerals, they re.attune the +hakra points, therefore removing the stains and debris we collect in the $ourney of life (a spiritual dry cleaners,*
Think back to being a child, you would fall over, be hurt, and so along would come mum. 1 hug and a kiss, and the pain was gone, 1s if by magic,, !ometimes when you listen to a piece of music, it will make you feel better, or bring about that change of emotions. ;ook at the band playing rousing music as the army goes into battle. 5r the lone piper playing a lament. %ach evocational in their own way. !o too the evocation brought forward by channelling. #aybe a better term would be sentimental healing. The latest craze I have come across is) >uero ;inguistic /rogramming) or >;/ for short. This basically means that the practitioner of >;/ re structures the way that neuro. logical messages are transferred to the rest of your body, or simply how they are retrieved and accessed by your brain. When I first heard of this the only thing I could think of was B<1I> W1!3I>', These people charge in e"cess of 6&99 per session, so effectively this is a rich mans rip off, ? 5ne practitioner of >;/ will only treat his patients, whilst they are in their underwear, I have heard many ladies complain that they have had to lie in a room in $ust bra and knickers, whilst this person hypnotises them. 1fter ?9.78 minutes they have come round feeling @rather strange some have been physically sick, not one of them has been able to remember more than a fragment of what has happened to them. I personally believe this is $ust a pervert getting his kicks. Being a clairvoyant and medium, reading Tarot and runes, may be a simple sounding $ob, but sometimes it has its different moments. Working on the /sychic fairs as a regular, I meet some rather strange and wonderful people. !ometimes the readers are $ust as weird as the =uerents. 7 R!dr": We have a lady who has an uncanny knack of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, I once overheard a conversation of the nature.A 5h, my dear, you have two wonderful children, very good.looking and very bright, intellectual. I dont know where they get it from,A 1 gay young gentleman man had $ust split up from his partner and was feeling rather sorry for himself and perhaps a little sore. 3e held onto her crystal and a few moments later the lady picked up on this state of affairs, sayingA I see you are feeling down, and unloved. I feel that you want nuturing,A everyone fell about laughing. !he had of course meant nurturing. 5ne of the mediums, originally from 'lasgow, but now resident in ;incolnshire is into <ed Indian mythology etc. 1nd has purchased numerous artefacts from the various trade stands that come to these fairs. 3e has a pair of horns, carved into Indians faces, against a picture of an Indian brave, also a bust of a native chief. 1ll these are cast from resin, and are available in many novelty or gift shops. 3e has a habit of telling people that the tribe that he belongs too, #ake him these by hand. The horns being real horn, and the bust being made by a small child on the camp, from lollipop sticks and clay, The so.called tribe grow their own herbs and have a wonderful herb that you chew, and it will stop smoking. They also have a special herb, but this is only grown on this one reservation, and only available to the members of the tribe. This will cure cancer, I personally wonder what e"actly his clients think of such utter dribble, especially when they handle these ob$ects to find stamped on the bottom @made in china +hinese Indians, 1 medium that works with us, he does think that he is the greatest thing since Besus +hrist loves to tell people how he was a professional footballer. That football bought him his house. 3e also goes on to tell people that he had a knee in$ury that prevented him playing in any ma$or games. !o he became an engineer. 3owever he never had any formal =ualifications. 1nd his current partner found him living in the streets, suffering a mental breakdown. He now advises people as to what they should do! 3e has his own spiritualist church, which is why he deems himself a medium. 3is church is a room in a nearby hotel, 8 5ne lovely lady medium giving a demonstration said, C I have here your fatherA indicating a lady in the front and centre of the auditorium. C3e is bringing you a gift, something very personal from himself to you. It is a rabbits foot,A CI dont think so,,A e"claimed the lady,A I am an animal protection activist, !o is my father, who $ust so happens to be sat here with meA 5ne gentleman who professed to be a #ystic. (C+all me #ystic #alcolm D like #ystic #eg,A* Would read cards playing cards (cartomancy* but would not even look at a Tarot deck believing them to be inaccurate. This man would only perform readings after a number of drinks. 3e also professed to speak numerous languages, after spending most of his life touring the world. 1t one venue we read the cards of a pretty !ingapore girl, who later came to me to ask me to translate what he had said, The same happened in Wales. The best was in a +hinese restaurant where he tried to order in +hinese, only to get thrown out for calling the owners wife a ten.dollar whore, We had one particular medium that specialized in hands on healing. Instead of simply channelling the energies through, no this man would have to make skin.to.skin contact, 3e especially liked breast cancer, It gave him a good e"cuse to fondle the ladies. 3e also never would have an e"tra person in the room with him as a chaperone. Eou can make up your own conclusions as to why0 5n the fair we have one gentleman who believes himself to be a shadow dweller, always wearing black, from head to foot. %ven in the hottest of weathers, refusing to even wear a short.sleeved shirt, This same person is totally money orientated, and consciously thinks up ways of making money from people, daily.wheter it is selling supposedly @lucky charms or books that he has purportedly written. 1s an organiser, he charges 89F of your earningsG you must conform to his way i.e. 3ave your leaflets designed and printed by him (at a considerable cost of course,* you can only advertise things in it that he will allow, if he already has a medium on the show, regardless of your =ualifications, you can not. Because of the fraudulent mediums act (which he is so fond of =uoting* 3e charges an admission price (door charge* this is so that the fair is classed as an entertainment, ergo it does not come under the act, and thus he can use whatever means to self aggrandisement. 3e claims to be a doctor, author, broadcaster, medium, healer, fully trained psychologist etc. the list of accomplishments is almost endless, including being a master electrician and an %ngland 5lympic s=uad marksman,
3e controls the bookings) 1lways making sure, that first and foremost, his girlfriend is fully booked up, before anyone else, usually &9.&2 advance bookings, When a =uerent comes in they pay their entrance fee, and are given some leaflets, detailing the H clairvoyants available. The person then sits, and reads thru these leaflets, hopefully deciding to have a reading with someone. They go back to the entrance table with their choice. If he decides you are not working today, he will simply say to the prospective customer that the person they want is unable to see them however, such a body is available, and can deal with their particular case better. !o obviously the person is going to bow to his $udgement and follow his weighted advice. I personally have had this happen a number of times from the said gentlemanImy last e"perience of this, was in <edditch Birmingham. I sat awaiting customers, from early morning until about &9.?9 at night .In the length of the day I had three customers, all of whom were perfectly happy with their readings. 1t the end of the night, I was packing away and chatting with a girl, about Tarot cards. The girl simply said C my mum wanted a reading with youA I replied, Cwell, why didnt she0A C5h,A she informed meA 3e said you werent doing readings, so sent her to him, over thereA indicating another clairvoyant, I could see, simply by looking that this lady wasnt en$oying her reading, and that she was simply being fed a load of bullshit. #eaningless garbage that could apply to anyone, or any situation. It was at this point that various pieces of the $igsaw began to fall into place. I had overheard part of a conversation earlier that day about how a new clairvoyant would have to have a tryout, to see if it could work. 5ne of the clairvoyants had that same week bought a new car, with money loaned him from, the organiser, 3e obviously wanted to make sure that he got his money back, !ome people have weird and wonderful images of what e"actly a clairvoyant or psychic, should look like. >umerous times I have had people remark, when visiting there homesA 5h, I e"pected someone wearing a long black cloak, or pointed hatA I usually reply,A I do but riding on the broomstick, they tend to get in the way,A %ven now, in the twenty.first century people still have an ingrained belief that somehow, because we use this si"th sense, we are some kind of supernatural being and can turn back the hands of time, or correct mans wrongs and in$ustice. I do so wish that we could. I e"plain, on a daily basis, we are not 'od, 1s a human we have choices, to turn left, or to turn right, maybe to proceed as we are, or simply to sit and wait awhile. I liken the $ob to that of a doctorG you must be professional in what you do, not $ust when you are on duty, but also in your private life. 1ll a clairvoyant can do is to give you that advice, it is up to you as an individual to take heed or not. The god given right of free choice.
Use it wisely. J COLD READIN# +old reading refers to a set of techni=ues used by professional manipulators to get a sub$ect to behave in a certain way or to think that the cold reader has some sort of special ability that allows him to KmysteriouslyK know things about the sub$ect. +old reading goes beyond the usual tools of manipulation) suggestion and flattery. In cold reading, salespersons, hypnotists, advertising pros, faith healers, con men and some therapists bank upon their sub$ect-s inclination to find more meaning in a situation than there actually is. The desire to make sense out of our e"perience has led us to many wonderful discoveries, but it has also led some of us to many follies. The manipulator knows that his mark will be inclined to try to make sense out of whatever he is told, no matter how farfetched or improbable. 3e knows, too, that people are generally self.centred, that we tend to have unrealistic views of ourselves and that we will generally accept claims about us that reflect not how we are or even how we really think we are but how we wish we were or think we should be. 3e also knows that for every several claims he makes about you, that you re$ect as being inaccurate, he will make one that meets with your approvalG and he knows that you will remember the hits he makes and forget the misses. >ot all cold readings are done by malicious manipulators. !ome readings are done by astrologers, graphologists, tarot readers, and psychics who genuinely believe they have paranormal powers. They are as impressed by their correct predictions or KinsightsK as are their clients. We should remember, however, that $ust as scientists can be wrong in their predictions, so pseudoscientists and =uacks can sometimes be right in theirs +old readers begin by taking in as much of the sub$ect as they can, the clothes, manner of speech, apparent age, physical attributes, socio.economic status, and mannerisms. %ven someones eyes and hands can hold many clues. Luring this initial assessment the proficient cold reader =uickly winnows all the possible classifications into those that are most likely. 4rom these preliminary inferences alone accurate predictions can be made, but it is not yet the time for such precision. These initial guesses are tested with general statements that lightly touch possible problems, all along watching for reactions. This is the crucial step. The clients reactions guide his statements as he goes from the general to the more specific, they lead the way to more and more precise assessments of what is bothering the client, while allowing him to abandon dead ends or wrong guesses. 1s more accurate statements are made the client becomes increasingly convinced that the cold reader is divining the truth by some e"tra sensory means. #uscle reading is yet another tool for surreptitiously ac=uiring information. It involves direct contact with the person being read, either holding a hand or an arm or touching something the : client is holding like a handkerchief. +ontact like this permits the reading of involuntary muscle movements that can be used to gauge a clients reaction. These reactions inform the cold reader if he is hot or cold allowing him to go from general to more specific statements. +old readers also know that certain aspects of human psychology itself helps in their endeavours. 5ne phenomenon, called sub$ective validation or selective memory, is especially important. It involves remembering significant events and forgetting the insignificant or unfavourable ones. 1ny assertion from the cold reader that is correct will tend to be remembered and the many that are off the mark are usually forgotten. The 4orer %ffect is related to selective memory but is even more apropos to the cold reading scenario. It states that in general, when people are given many general and specific claims about themselves, the inaccuracies are overlooked and the general statements are interpreted as accurate. Both these phenomenon give people a distorted memory of past events and prevents putting these events into their true conte"t. It-s an interesting component of the human condition that we want so much to believe that someone can help us to make sense out of an often senseless world, to gain control over that which is beyond our control, and to give us certainty in the face of the unknown and unknowable. <ecognizing these facts, and realizing that we-re all sub$ect to the same wishes and needs, it behoves us to be particularly vigilant about believing that which we most desperately want to believe, especially when that belief flies in the face of logic and the laws of science There are many people who promote themselves as psychics or clairvoyants, and who claim that their powers enable them to read your character, make contact with dead relatives, or provide insights into your life and your future. 5ften, the psychic will begin by e"plaining that his or her gifts sometimes work and sometimes don-t. It depends upon your receptivity and sincere cooperation. Because the messages aren-t always clear, it-s important for you to interpret the message on your own terms and fit it into your life. In this manner, the e"pectation is established that if only you are open and receptive, the reading will work. If you fail, it-s not because the psychic is a fraud. When e"amining so.called psychic phenomenaG or, for that matter, any supernatural claim, we should apply 5ccam-s <azor, a test for validity named for William of 5ccam, a philosopher of the fourteenth century. 5ccam-s <azor, in the original ;atin, states, 'Won sunt multiplicanda entia praeternecessitatem." or, KThings must not be multiplied beyond necessity.K 1nother way to state this principle is, KThe simplest e"planation for a phenomenon is likely to be the correct e"planation.K In other words, when something occurs, don-t assume that it-s caused by an e"traordinary phenomenon that defies the laws of science if a simpler e"planation also fits. If I pull a hard.boiled egg from behind your ear, there are at least two e"planations . either I-m able to defy laws of physics and produce something out of thin air, or I had concealed the egg somewhere and through deft sleight of hand was able to make it appear to materialize behind your ear. By applying 5ccam-s <azor, we can pretty safely assume that the most likely e"planation for the appearance of the egg is the latter. /sychics know that almost all of the =uestions people have will fit under one of three headings. Usually, people are concerned about affairs of the heart, problems with health, or issues around money. Therefore, the psychic might e"plain that he or she senses three areas that either now are giving the customer, that have in the past given the customer concern, or that will give the customer concerns in the future. There isn-t time to discuss all three, so the customer is asked which one to focus on. The customer-s answer, combined with an assessment of his or her age, ethnicity, socio.economic status (as ascertained by dress, car, M $ewellery, etc.* and common sense knowledge of typical life crises people encounter (i.e. birth, puberty, career choice, work, marriage, children, middle age, declining years, death*, narrows the field of in=uiry. This knowledge, combined with a scrutiny of the customer-s involuntary (and sometimes voluntary* reactions to the psychic-s pronouncements can be used to =uickly lead the pair in the direction the customer wants to go. If initial, highly general statements are off the mark, the customer-s facial e"pression, breathing pattern, eye movements, etc. will let the reader know. 1 good reader picks up on the cues and is able to ad$ust the reading to fit the cues. In a short period of time, the reader is seemingly able to KdiscoverK what-s on the customer-s mind. 1t this point, the customer, especially if he or she is inclined to fall for the psychic-s hype, charisma and mystical surroundings, will often let his or her guard down and reveal the burning =uestion or =uestions. STOC$ READIN#S KEou have a need for other people to like and admire you, and yet you tend to be critical of yourself. While you have some personality weaknesses you are generally able to compensate for them. Eou have considerable unused capacity that you have not turned to your advantage. Lisciplined and self.controlled on the outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure on the inside. 1t times, you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. Eou prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. Eou also pride yourself as an independent thinker and do not accept other-s statements without satisfactory proof, but you have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself lo others. 1t times, you are e"troverted, affable, and sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, and reserved. !ome of your aspirations tend to be unrealistic.K !ome of your aspirations tend to be pretty unrealistic. 1t times you are e"troverted, affable, sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary and reserved. Eou have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. Eou pride yourself on being an independent thinker and do not accept others- opinions without satisfactory proof. Eou prefer a certain amount of change and variety, and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. 1t times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. Lisciplined and controlled on the outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure on the inside. Eour se"ual ad$ustment has presented some problems for you. While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them. Eou have a great deal of unused capacity, which you have not turned to your advantage. Eou have a tendency to be critical of yourself. Eou have a strong need for other people to like you and for them to admire you /eople close to you have been taking advantage of you. Eour basic honesty has been getting in your way. #any opportunities that you have had offered to you in the past have had to be surrendered because you refuse to take advantage of others. Eou like to read books and articles to improve your mind. In fact, if you-re not already in some &9 sort of personal service business, you should be. Eou have an infinite capacity for understanding people-s problems and you can sympathize with them. But you are firm when confronted with obstinacy or outright stupidity. ;aw enforcement would be another field you understand. Eour sense of $ustice is =uite strong. Lo these fit into YOUR LIFE? If the answer is YES. Well, it is likely that you also read your daily star forecast in the newspaper and believe it to be accurate too, The above are $ust generalizations. The true psychic, will not pre.empt anything, does not have stooges pumping for information etc 1nd if you watch this person a number of times at demonstrations, or shows. Eou will find that the information given out is totally different every time (lets face facts) everyone they speak too has different views, beliefs and problems* When I begin a reading for someone. The only =uestion I ask is) If there is anything bad, do you want me to tell you0 If that person says yes, tell me everything. I do. && #HOSTS 1 lot of people say, CI would like to see a ghostA 3ow do you know that you havent0 I have never yet seen the typical +asper type of white cloud like apparition. #ost spirits appears as they would in life, as your Uncle Bill, or 1unty #ay. I always e"plain to people that as you drive past a bus stop, you may see four people waiting for the bus. To the man standing there waiting to go to work he is by himself. (!ee waiting for the 7J* 'hosts and things that go bump in the night always capture peoples imaginations. #ost people see ghosts as being frightening and scary. !ome people don-t agree that ghosts e"ist at all, but there are so many people willing to tell of their own e"periences with ghosts and haunted houses that even the most sceptical person cannot discount them out of hand. What is a ghost, are they all the sameG +an they hurt us, why do they haunt us0 >ot all ghosts are the same, true they are all departed spirits, well departed from the physical bodies they had here on earth. I will try and e"plain the different type of KghostsK as some I do not like to call ghosts. !ome people are so wrapped up and connected to their earthly possessions that when they die their spirit will not let go of them. (!ee #otivation* &2 #ost of them don-t even know they are KdeadK. This might seem hard to grasp but it-s true, some do not realise they have died and so carry on, or try to, as if they are still here. !ome do realise but still don-t want to leave behind their possessions or loved ones. (!ee locked in the loo* What about the =uestion of time, well time only e"ists, as we know it here on earth, so to a KghostK no time has passed. !o these types of spirit Khang around K places that are familiar to them i.e. they haunt the buildings or areas they know until they are helped or are ready to pass over to the spirit world. The reasons for haunting vary depending how the person died, under what circumstances (was it a violent death* and what their beliefs were when they were alive for instance they may think that they have committed a great sin and won-t be accepted into heaven or they may not believe at all that heaven e"ists and so don-t accept there is anywhere else to go. (!ee block of flats* What about Kbad or evilK people, well they can create a realm where they stay until they accept the light and release their own negativity. This can be a K3ellK of their own making. In most cases when someone KdiesK or passes over to spirit, they go to a wonderful place and are greeted by their loved ones or friendly people they used to know. We must understand that the spirit world consists of many levels of e"istence or dimensions. There is one level that is very close to the earth plane that all spirits have to pass through to get to the higher realms. !ome spirits get KstuckK in this level for some of these reasons. !ome people report hearing noises or ob$ects that move, they can become frightened by this, and yes it can be =uite disturbing if you are alone at night, some of the noises can be e"plained logically, water pipes or the wind etc. If it is a spirit, they are usually not there to frighten you, but to get your attention. It could be a relative or friend who has recently passed over come to say goodbye or let you know they are all right and not really KdeadK. If a loved one has passed and do not realise they are KdeadK they can become very frustrated when they try to talk to you or try to get your attention and you $ust ignore them, well you can-t see them so you will ignore them. They will eventually become so frustrated that they will generate enough energy to move things or make noises or create a smell that can be linked to a particular person or place to get your attention. If this happens don-t be afraid $ust speak to them as if they were still alive, but e"plain to them gently what has happened or if you are not sure who they are say a little prayer and ask for them to be guided over to where they need to be. 1ny spirit that does become a nuisance, ask it to leave telling it that you are frightened by its presence, if it is a loved one it should go. If it remains then tell it in a very forceful manner, leaving them under no misunderstanding that you want them to leave. 4or those spirits that do get KstuckK there are mediums around who do what is known as K<escue workK, where they communicate with the spirit and try and guide them over to where they should be. This is specialised work and should only be done by e"perienced mediums, channelers or a priest. There are some negative spirits, which want to stay close to the earth plane and can cause a nuisance. They can try and attach themselves to someone, usually with a loose or damaged Ketheric fieldK. They feed on a persons fear so if you don-t allow &? yourself to be afraid (not easy at times* then they can-t affect you, as they say there is nothing to fear e"cept fear itself. They can become a nuisance, very noisy and cause ob$ects to be thrown around but they can-t hurt us physically. 4or us to see a spirit physically the conditions have to be right. To e"plain it simply, spirits vibrate at a higher fre=uency to those still KaliveK. This is why we can-t see them all the time. If conditions are right, our vibrational rate is higher and theirs is lower we will see them with our eyes as apparitions. If they are so wrapped up in their world they will not see us so won-t interact with us, but they will still be able to move through what we see as physical ob$ects e.g. walls and doors etc. !ometimes we will see a loved one or relative who has recently passed for a short time as they come to say goodbye before going on their $ourney, they may even talk to us, this is so special and should be remembered throughout our lifetime. This could be in daylight as well as at night when it easier for them to manifest or for us to see them. !pirit can also come very close during thunderstormsG this is probably why some people become afraid during storms. 5nce you get over your own fears the spirit world can bring great comfort, $oy and pleasure. I hope one day you will all e"perience this and realise $ust how close the spirit world is.... %ven if you do not believe in spirit, you must admit (even scientists do* that we are all energy. <ight the way back to atomic levels. %nergy cannot be destroyed. If you hit a brick with a hammer, it is still a brick, though now it is in dust. Thus some people believe that our energy still lingers. %specially if we come to a violent end. 1 murder. The energy lingers in that place and sensitive people can @feel the replayment of those events. !ome would actually see the re enactment of this particular event. 5thers would @feel maybe uncomfortable, or @out of place &7 Pri%!t R!din&" In O'dh!( )*!t" (ot' r%i"itd+ Two ladies were sitting side by sideG I naturally assumed they were friends. The first lady came up for a reading. The main =uestion was would she change $ob0 I gave her a reading and gave her the answer to her =uestion. 1t the end of every session I always finish by saying, if there is anything else I can answer, or =uestions you want to ask me, $ust come back and ask. The second lady took her seat, almost immediately I picked up strange vibesI >ot frightening, but like being in a cage with a tiger, apprehension and caution. 3er main =uestion was would the man she loved for the previous eighteen years one day be hers0 I asked his name, so I could spread the cards to look at him. !he answered,A 1lfredA, C1lfred 3itchcockA. AIs this a wind up0A I asked her. C>o that was his nameA, Letective 1lfred 3itchcock. Well I did her readingG again it was doom and gloom very sinister and simply put) >o she would not have a relationship with this man. When she left and returned to her seat, her previous friend returned to my table to fill in some of the missing pieces. It appeared that the girl had murdered her family, butchered them, dismembered them and draped various parts of their anatomy all over the family home. When the /olice investigated, she said that it was an accident. 3owever further investigation showed drawings made by this girl, four years previous, depicting the said crime (premeditated* In all its grisly and ghastly detail. The investigating officer in his report had said that entering the house was like a scene from an 1lfred 3itchcock movie, &8 The lady even now would look at someone and say, C3avent you got lovely earsA CThey would make lovely bracelets,A or Cwhat beautiful eyes, I could make cuff links from themA and still looked at other people to dismember and adorn her self with. The other lady said Cyou know that Im a nurse, well Im not $ust any nurse, Im her nurse Its my $ob to assess her, to see if she is ready to go back into society. What do you think0A Lo you really want to know #E answer0 &H Hr, Pu""- Pu""-. )Th C!t" T!'+ 1fter numerous telephone conversations with a particular lady, who did in fact have a vast knowledge of things occult, !he finally asked me to give her a reading. I duly arrived at this ladies house, it was in a respectable area, and every thing appeared to be well. 3ow wrong can appearances be, We went into the kitchen for the reading. 5n the table was a tin of Whiskers (cat food* I commenced the reading. %very time I tried to turn over a card, I was stopped by this young lady who would commence telling #e 3er version of what this depicted, and asking me =uestions about unrelated sub$ects, would the snow in 1laska, be as cold or taste different from the snow we had0 I turned over a card it was The World, it is number 2& the highest card in the ma$or arcanaG one of the symbols on this is a lion)A53, 1 cat,A she then continued CI was brought up by a cat, 3er name was Nitty. 1 black and white one. Then looking up from the table and cards to her back window and rear garden, C #y #ums coming in, shes been in the garden, getting some sun. I shant be a minute Ill let her inA. !he rose to go to the door. I was glad of the break, within this reading. !he returned, moments later.A 3eres #umA The lady said whilst resuming her seat at the table. I heard a gentle purr and then leaping on to the table was a little black cat with a white throat. C This is my mum, NittyA the lady introduced us. Then proceeded to open the tin of food and eat it with a fork, stopping occasionally to feed the cat, off the same fork she was using to eat this herself, &J !he continued to inform me that she had been sectioned for si" years (locked away in a mental asylum* because a supposed to be psychic at a fair had told her she had four entities on her soul and she should do something about it, !he did, she went to her local '/ and informed him that she had these entities. !o he duly carried out what he thought to be a reasonable course of action, for someone in the twentieth century proclaiming to be possessed by entities, or demons. 3e sent her to the mental hospital. %ven now, her nurse and her psychologist would visit her weekly to check on her progress. !he did not like either of them as they both professed to read her aura. The doctor however seemed to drain off her aura, suck it away for his own purpose. %ffectively a psychic vampire, 3e had informed her at an earlier stage that he was indeed a master of the light universe. >ow she had begun to fear him, and that he was doing this remotely (removed from the vicinity* and that he was such a powerful mage that he had been doing this to her, whilst riding past her on his bicycle, I know that doctors do some times make house calls, but I have never heard of one that calls on his pushbike, or at &&pm at nightI #aybe she had the wrong medication. #aybe she shouldnt have seen a psychiatrist or a doctor. !he would have probably been better off seeing a vet. &: H!% Ho. 1 young gentleman invited me to his home for a reading. I arrived to find a Oictorian type of place, immediately out of fitting with a young man. 5n entering this property In the late afternoon on a winters day I was struck by the gloomy atmosphere. The gentleman himself was very pleasant, well spoken and mild mannered. I commenced the reading, no problems. Towards the end I noticed that this gentleman was getting rather restless, fidgety. I ended the reading by asking my usual =uestion. Is there anything else I can help you with0 CWellA he started, C I thoroughly en$oyed your reading for me, but would you mind if I took off my clothes0A Being a pagan I have never had any problems with nudity, either mine or that of others. (1 lot of pagans work skyclad, when working their spells, believing that this is the way that you entered this world, it is the way that you leave it so being naked brings you a little closer to the cosmos, or the powers that be.* A>ot a problemA I replied AI also have a needA he continued C a need to masturbate, you dont have to $oin in, and you can watch if you like,A I told him I only perform readings, thanked him for the offer picked up my money and left. 1s I was climbing into the car, to come home he was standing in the window, waving. >ot with his hand. &M Th V!'u o/ Mon- )0h- th- don1t 2ut 2oc3t" in "hroud"+ 1 lady asked me to contact her deceased husband. 3e had been a man working in a very prestigious company, on the board of directors. %arning in e"cess of 68,999 a week, With e"pense accounts for everything he might need including cars, food etc. In fact he paid someone 6&89 a day to wash his car. The man paid to do this, simply took it to the nearest 1sda !uperstore, and power washed it, costing appro"imately 6?.89. I did, when I brought this man through, her simple =uestion (and probably the hardest to answer* was. Why0 3ad he some dark hidden secret, that had driven him to despair, that had led to his self.e"ecution0 3is answer was that he simply did not have enough money, Third Ti( Luc3-. 5n the same track, another lady wanted to know whether her husband had really killed himself, or was it foul play. This man was actually found with his dressing gown cord wrapped around his neck, hanging from the banister rail. In his own home. I brought him through. Ees he had intended to do away with himself, and had finally succeeded. 3is first attempt had been to drink a bottle of whiskey and four full tubs (appro"imately &99* of paracetamols. 3is second attempt was to leap off the bridge over the motorway towards an oncoming lorry. 3e missed the lorry, landing behind it and breaking his ankle. Unfortunately the following traffic had seen this and swerved to miss him, causing a pile up of si"teen cars, 1nd about forty in$ured people, 29 THE *LOC$ OF FLATS 1 young lady had decided to leave her husband, because he liked the bottle better than her. This young man couldnt stand the thought of his wife with anyone else, or a life without her. 3e simply took a hammer to herG beat her around the head, until she lay unconscious. 3eld her by the ankles out of their third storey flat then dropped her to the ground. The sickening thud, onto a car parked in the street, and its alarm now sounding alerted neighbours, who proceeded to phone the /olice. /anic now set in and this young man ran from the scene of this horrible crime, through the seedy estate in which he had found his love, diving through a fence found him on a railway track, with the ;ondon to 'lasgow e"press train yards away. >either the driver nor the lad had any chance to compensate. 3is life ended as the /olice arrived at the flat to discover the girl, still alive,
!i" months in hospital, with tremendous trauma and numerous operations, including rebuilding her face the girl recovered, to still find that she loved this man. %ven after the terrible ordeal she had suffered at his hands (this not being the first time he had beaten her* 3e still had not left her, as he now was constantly with her, but in spirit, rather than flesh. 1 little daunting for the girl, has he did have a habit of sitting on her bed, or besides her wherever she went.
Lid he love her0 3ad he ever truly loved her00 5r was he trying to make up for being the unthinking callous beast he had been.
#aybe ne"t time he will be able to look after their love properly, if he is ever allowed to find such a precious gift again. #y personal beliefs are that to each yin there is a yan. We all, each and every one, have what is commonly called a soul mate. 1 person we find and can spend all eternity with. In various incarnations, and over many centuries. !ometimes we are lucky enough to find this partner, sometimes we must keep searching. 2& I 3no0 ho0 it1" don 5n one of the fairs I was doing a demonstration, and picked on a gentleman, he was well dressed, very well spoken and e"tremely well educated. 1t the end of my demonstration, he smiled benignly, thanked me very much and told everyone present that it was absolutely &99F accurate. 1fter I had finished, my part of the show I made my way to the bar, only to be stopped by this same gentleman, who simply said, C I know how you did that,A CIn fact I know how all you people are able to do thatA 3e proceeded to inform me. CEou are all mind readers,A CThats how you do it, you simply look into a persons mind and tell them what is there, their innermost thoughts, or feelings,A 3e continued to inform me that he had been to spiritualists, mediums but they had only been able to bring people through that he knew. Why couldnt they bring someone through that he didnt know, or tell him something that he himself did not know about0
It is indeed impossible to prove a negative. 5r is it true that the customer is always right0 22 John Do 1 lady phoned and asked if it would be possible to do her a reading. 5f course I replied. Taking the address etc I duly arrived to find a rather miss match of things. 1 very well spoken lady in a tatty semi with ragamuffin children and numerous dogs cavorting around. The lady asked if I wanted a cuppa, and was indeed very friendly and polite. I did notice however that this was covering a lot of agitation. !he was constantly smoking, fingers twitching, and swearing, for no apparent reason. We went into her dining room and I duly started her reading. I could tell, without even turning over a card that this lady was suffering emotional stress. 3er husband had left her. 3er present was 5N. 3er future was getting better, Eet her past was very, very troubled. 1t the end of a reading I always ask if there is anything else I can help with, or anything else the =uerent wants to know. !he asked if I could look into her past, at a past lover. I said CcertainlyA. 3is name was Bohn. 1 common name. Luring the reading for this man, it looked strangeG things were not as they first appeared. The man had been kidnapped, Was he still alive0 Ees, but at present drugged to the eyeballsI. 3e had been kept this way for nine months,, 2? ;ooking around this man at this present time, it did appear that the people holding him were indeed professional, at what they did. I could see Mmm machine pistols, fitted with double clips, similar to ones used by the !1! in trouble situations, or government agencies. Two men constantly guarding him, giving him food and water, and reasonable comfort. The location was some kind of industrial unit that had been derelict for some time. I also found that this man had two other people with him, a man and a woman. Because of the drugs, I could not clearly discern from his viewpoint, what he could see, or whom these people were. The all.engulfing feeling from this man was for his only daughter, she was constantly on his mind, and within his very soul. The family had paid the ransom. It had been this ladys husband, Luncan who had bravely taken the money to the drop off point, and had dealt with the kidnappers, for the release of his friend. The insurance firm had paid a vast sum of money to the mans family, because of the time delay, they had assumed that this man was now dead. The chief beneficiary being his sole daughter, #aya. To add to the confusion, this ladies husband, Luncan, had now disappeared along with the kidnapped mans daughter, #ayaI Both peoples passports were missingI. Lo you need a conclusion0 27 A M!r3t Tr!t We had decided to move house, and whilst looking around decided to look at the local market (one of my favourite hobbies is looking around markets and flea markets, and car boot sales. !ometimes $ust picking up the ob$ects, you can get tremendous feelings, and insight from them.* 1s you can imagine. 4inding the right property was an absolute nightmare. >ot only trying to find a house that was in the right area at the right price, it also had to @feel right. Trying to e"plain that one to various estate agents, 'oodness knows what they thought,, Whilst looking around I saw a gentleman with his young son. The child was asking for sweets, and pestering, as most young children do. The father said C>5A and smacked the child around the ears. I instantly saw that this young gentleman would be dead within a fortnight, and this poor child would have the enduring memory that his father did not love him. Without any further ado, I simply bought a fifty pence bag of sweets, located the child and gave them to him. I could see this man looking at me as if I were some kind of pervert. %ighteen months on I received a telephone call from a lady asking me to come to her house and do a reading. I duly arrived, was admitted into the living room, to find a spirit sitting comfortably on the settee.
It was the gentleman I had seen on the market,
The look of understanding of the spirit gentlemans face was worth more than the price any one could have paid for any reading.
>eedles to say this lady had an e"cellent reading. 28 4!itin& /or th 56 5ne afternoon, I decided to talk a walk with the dog around town. 1 friend decided to come with us. We chatted as we walked, until walking past the local school back towards home my friend saidA doesnt that lady look poorlyA, indicating a rather frail old lady standing in the bus shelter, facing the old peoples home. !he appeared rather pale and a little drawn, on two elbow crutches, the metal kind that wrap around your forearm. Wearing a flowery summer dress that ended below her knees, so to did her legs, 4rom her knees down to the ground there was $ust an empty space, The lady seemed to be hovering in mid air, with no visible means of support. 1s we approached, the hackles on the dogs neck stood up and he began to growl. (3e was a big dog, a rottweilerPmastiff cross weighing nearly &:stone* the lady simply looked at us and smiled we walked past, my friend stopped about si" feet further turned around. The bus stop was empty. >ow he too was spooked, 3e returned to e"amine the bus shelter. Ees, indeed it was empty, no one lurking around it behind it, or anywhere at all. >ot wanting to accept what he had $ust seen, he went directly to the old peoples home to make en=uiries. Ees the lady he described had lived there and every day she would amble across the road for a little walk, $ust to watch the children play and listen to their laughter. 3owever, he couldnt see her now, as she had died earlier that morning, and was now in the chapel of rest 2H A Mothr" Lo% 1 lady had moved house, bringing her teenage daughter with her, at first things seemed a little unsettled. The lady put this down to being in a new place, and the general upset this causes. Things got worse. Within twelve months the daughter had stolen 6?8,999 of her mothers money. 1ll of which, she used for drugs, between her and her friends. The mother would find the daughter searching through her purse taking loose change, When none was to be had she would send her mother out to the bank to get more money. %ventually things came to the point that the mother could not stand it any longer. !he left the house, walked down the prom to the mud banks and walked in. !he kept walking, until she could walk no further. The mud now being up to her chest, stopping her going any further. !he said simply A 5N, Ill wait for the tide, if I am about to die, so be it,A !he fell asleep. Waiting for the tide. When she awoke she had changed her mind and with a firm resolve turned around and walked back to the prom and to her life. 1s she climbed back her daughter and her friends saw her, not thinking anything else they set about beating her up, her own daughter kicking her so hard it actually burst her breast. Which she subse=uently had to have removed at hospital. It hadnt been the first time she had sustained in$uries from the daughter. /reviously the same girl had punched her mum in the face with an iron, causing temporary blindness and smashing her cheekbone. The lady went down hill rapidly, going from a dress size &H to appro"imately J Q stone, 2J 5n her release from hospital, this lady contacted me, for a reading. 5ver that reading, and a few others, we would sit and have a coffee, and discuss her problems, and how best to negotiate these. !he wanted a spell, to improve her life. Well, wouldnt you0 #aybe it was desperation (that is what some people called it* or maybe it was time to do something instead of simply thinking about it. Whichever. The lady did the spell, that week her daughter was arrested (she is currently serving J.&9 years for drug related offences* 1 week after her daughter had gone to prison a gentleman started to call, $ust to see that everything was 5N (a good !amaritan* this has now escalated, the gentleman now lives with the lady and cares for her immensely. They plan to marry this year. The ladys health has improvedG she is now a size &7 and feels a lot better. !o, do spells work0 I know what this lady s answer would be. 2: Mu(" *o- 1 lady phoned me and asked for a reading. I promptly arrived at the house to see the spirit of a young man walking through the door. I duly did the reading for the lady whilst this spirit youngster sat attentively at his mothers side. 4ollowing every action and every word. 1t the end of the reading I $ust had to comment on this young man, so obviously in love with this lady, his mum. I could see the tears in this ladies eye. !he was indeed heartbroken, that I could so plainly see him, yet she could not. I then noticed that the room was =uite bare, no photographs or pictures. Usually when someone passes over. /arents especially will keep a photo near by. >ot so this lady. I gave her his name and all the details this young soul poured out to me, even the name of his pet !taffordshire bull terrier) Bluebell. The lady was in shock. 3er sister made her a cuppa, and when she had composed herself, she began to tell me her sons storyG The boys father had been a soldier serving in >orthern Ireland, he had been killed. The son wanted to follow his dads footsteps and throughout his childhood had dreamed of $oining the army. %ventually getting good grades from his school e"ams he had enlisted and been accepted to $oin 3er #a$estys 1rmy. 3e would $oin on #onday. !aturday came and the whole family had a party, a sort of sending off spree. That night, after the party. The family had returned home and gone to bed. In the middle of the night #um awoke went downstairs to make a cup of tea. 1s the kettle 2M began to boil, she noticed /oliceman coming to her door. !he opened the doorG two officers re=uested that she accompany them to the mortuary to identify her son, Thinking this was some mistake or a stupid ghoulish prank she said Cdont be stupid, my boys asleep upstairs in bedA 'oing up at the officers urging she checked his room, it was empty. The boy had decided to climb out from his bedroom window run across the field to his girlfriends. 3e had done so. Bumping over the fence he had landed in the road, a ta"i returning back to town had hit him head on killing the lad instantly, The mum went to the mortuary, to find that every ma$or organ of this boys body had been removed, including his eyes, tongue and even parts of his skin, C4or 'ods sake,A she had e"claimed, C;eave me something to bury,A It was indeed a sad day that this young fit man with a dream within his hand had stepped into a different world. 1 bench seat with a pla=ue on it was donated to his old school. The ta"i driver had to have therapy, to cope with the accident. The boy. 3is spirit was happy, he was with the father he so missed and still able to be the lovely son to his mother he had always been and would continue to be. ?9 Th Po0r o/ Lo% 1 lady in Bolton had fallen in love with a gentleman serving in the army. Unfortunatly for him it had been a one.night standG to her it was indeed true love. 5ver the ne"t eighteen months. The lady had tried writingG telephoning everything she could, to make contact with this man of her dreams. 1ll to no avail. !he contacted me and the lady placed a spell upon this man. Twenty.eight days later, This same man was knocking at her door, asking her to move to +olchester, to be with him. !he was amazed that after eighteen months and all this effort a spell would work. That didnt amaze me. What I found amazing was that this lady had moved house three times since their liaison, yet he still managed to find her, ?& Th S2irit M""!& I was asked to do readings in the upstairs room of a pub, for about four ladies. I must admit, I dont like readings in pubs especially. #ore times than not there is always problems, either with residual energies, people who have problems with what I do. /eople who $ust have problems with each other, etc. The list could go on forever. I duly arrived and was met by the landlady, she escorted me upstairs and sat me in the front room of the pubs flat with a drink, and away we went with reading number one. 1fter reading the Tarot cards for this lady, I remarked that the lady she had with her was trying to bring through a message. I described the lady in spirit and she hadnt a clue who she was or what she wanted. In truth she couldnt make any sense of a thing I was passing on to her. !he went downstairs to send the ne"t person up, leaving both of us a little perple"ed and confused. The second lady duly appeared and again, so too did the same spirit. I e"plained what had happened earlier, again e"plaining the appearance, and the message that this spirit was trying to bring through. 1gain, no luck. This happened all the way with everybody present that night for readings, ?2 I must admit that by the end of the readings this spirit was getting rather adamant that she wanted this message giving, I too was getting somewhat bewildered as to $ust what I could do to help her out. It was only when I had packed my things away and gone downstairs to say goodnight that again I saw this same spirit standing by a lady near the window. !itting directly under where I had been sitting all night. I walked over to the lady e"plained again. The lady went white. It was her mother that had died $ust two days previous. Ees, she knew e"actly what the message meant. !he thanked me very much. Then went on to e"plain, that she 31L wanted a reading with me but had not been able to afford it. !he had that reading. Without any charge. ?? Th Str!n& E72rinc
Whilst finishing off after a session one night a middle aged gentleman came up to me with the challenge CIf youre so good, Tell me what happened to me,A Without even pausing whilst I continued to pack away my things, I simply told him that appro"imately &2.&:months ago he had gone on a trip to find his father. >ot the man he called dad but his true genetic father. 3e had travelled e"tensively, basically on a wild goose chase, a fool on others errands. This man had actually gone to <ussia, to chase his roots. 3e had taken his own eldest son with him. 3e had basically been sent from one family member to another, en=uiring about his father, all to no avail. 5ne night whilst trying to sleep he had seen a golden glow appear, in the corner of the room. Being a little frightened by this, it got his attention. 1s he looked at this his father appeared within this glow and began talking to him, telling him where he should go and to whom to speak too, to get the answers he needed. 3is own son was amazed and was vigorously shaking him, saying CL1LA CWake up,A 3e turned over and said, CI am awake son.A CBut Lad, you were talking <ussian,A 3e couldnt then, and cant now speak a word of the language, But he had been doing so, 3e followed the advice, which had been given him in the vision. 3e found out all about his true father, and the part he had played in the <ussian freedom movement, The man was totally taken aback. By the information I had $ust given him, even his drinking friends, and ac=uaintances in the pub hadnt a clue about this aspect of his life. To say he was stunned is indeed an understatement. 3is ne"t train of thought being voiced A Well, 3ow the hell did you know all that, !omeone must have told you,A I replied, C yes the man at your side told meA 3e thought I meant his drinking partner. 3e was wrong. I told him this mans name.. 3owever much he spent that night, to get drunk. It wasnt worth it. 3e was sober immediately. ?7 3e heard his deceased fathers name. And on th n0" toni&ht I had done a number of readings for an 1sian lady, and her family. 1ll of which were doctors, as is still common with 1sian families, if your father is a greengrocer, you too will be a greengrocer. !he had also had a number of spells. >ot for herself, but for various members of her family, mainly for good fortune or love. !he was indeed a wonderful lady, never asking for anything for herself, but always putting her family before her. Including distant family, sisters in law, cousins etc. The last one she had was for financial success. This particular reading was in the mid afternoon. 1 pleasant day, the lady and her sister wanted to know if her husband and brother in law would be successful, in their latest endeavour. They had set out to a business meeting, to raise funds for a new surgery, or and e"tension to their old surgery. The answer was a definite yes. The ladies were over the moon. 3owever within the cards it said that death was imminent, 1 further spread of cards indicated that it would be the ladys husband. The brother in law was fine. I hoped that the cards would be wrong, or maybe I had miss.interpreted them. I left the ladys house, and made my way home. ?8 The ladies decided to watch TO. They were $ust in time for the news. Whilst watching the local news a road alert was screened to tell people that between two $unctions of the #H there were sever delays, and to try to miss this part of the motorway, if at all possible. Being the dutiful 1sian wife that she was the lady decided to phone her husband and let him know, as this was to be their route home from the meeting. !he rang. %"pecting her husband or brother in law answering the phone, she was shocked and dismayed when the /olice answered the phone. It was indeed her husband who had been involved in this incident. It appeared that he had seen the congestion forming, braked, for no apparent reason his air bag had e"ploded, taking his head through the rear screen. The brother did not have a scratch on himG obviously he was greatly shaken up. But safe and still alive. 5h Ees, they had got the money they had needed. #aybe on old adage is wise here) Be careful what you wish for !t has stran"e ways of comin" to you ?H A '!0 unto hi("'/ 1 $udge asked me to call at his home, as he had a particular dilemma that he thought I might be able to help with. I duly arrived and commenced the reading. !trangely throughout the reading the feeling I had was that this man didnt need advice. 3is decision was already made. I told him this. It appeared that his eldest son was a ma$or drug dealer in the town. Because of his position in the community (being a $udge* it did indeed put him in a rather strange situation. 3is dilemma basically was should he uphold the law and give his son to the powers that be or could he himself resolve the problem. Nnowing the law as he did, he understood that his son would go to prison for a considerable time. 3is son had recently married and started a family. It would be vastly unfortunate for his family to lose their dad at such a critical time. The $udge simply asked his son to dinner. When he arrived, they ate well, and had a few drinks. When the time was right, the $udge asked his son to take a look in the cellar he did. The $udge proceeded to lock him in and incarcerated him for si" months. 3e kept him fed and watered and looked after, as any father would, all he had taken from him was his liberty. 3e had told no one about this, not even his daughter in law, !he kept asking had anyone seen her husband, but no one had. !o if you chance upon a lady asking the whereabouts of her husband. 1sk her first if her father in law is a $udge. ?J Loc3d in th Loo Eet another strange telephone call came through this started something like C 3ello, I dont, know if you can help me but Ive been locked in the bathroom for four hours,A Intrigued I informed the lady that I was neither a $oiner, plumber nor locksmith, so $ust how e"actly did she think that I could help her. !he e"panded on the story. It appeared that on the inside of her bathroom door was a latch, so the occupant could have privacy. Whilst using the toilet the lady had noticed that the latch moved by itself to the closed position. !he had tried to open it from the inside, to no avail. 3er husband and her daughter had tried from the outside, and could not open the door. 1fter four hours of constantly trying to persuade the door to open the husband had the great idea to phone the /olice or the 4ire Brigade, to see if they could e"tract his wife. The lady by this time was in =uite a panic. 1s the husband went downstairs the daughter sat looking at the door and the lady inside sat on the loo contemplating her predicament. 1 loud click was heard and all three saw the latch undo itself. This hadnt been the first of these strange happenings, kettles would turn themselves on or off, seemingly of their own accord. The stereo would play music loudly at the strangest times.etc. This had been the last straw. They wanted to know if the house was haunted, and why them. I visited the home. 1nd instantly found the spirit of a young man. ?: The spirit simply wanted his family, particularly his son. I told the lady this and she went white. C 5h, #y grandson has always asked me 'ran who is that man0 1nd pointed to the upstairs. I couldnt see anything or anyone. Lo you think he could see him0A This I think was the key. The spirit had taken this young child to be his own son and simply wanted to contact him. 5n further interaction with this spirit, it appeared that he had been a drug dealer. 3e had an escape route, from the front bedroom through the bathroom. Whilst trying to escape one night, he had been brutally kicked to death. 3is family had since moved out and this lady had taken up residence, after the council had finished renovating the property. I e"plained to the spirit the current situation and hoped he would go to the light. I e"plained to the lady what she must do to help this soul on his way. 1 week later, my phone rang again C +an you come around to my daughters0A it was the same lady. C C!o you didnt do as I saidA C>o, I didnt, please come as soon as you can.A !he pleaded. I went around immediately. It appeared that the lady and her daughters had been into town shopping. 1fter a nice bit of retail therapy they had returned home. 'ran went to the kitchen to make everyone a cuppa. The front door burst open. The middle door burst open. The first door slammed shut followed by the middle door. The daughters sat stunned, at what they had $ust seen. They checked the doors, they were still locked. ?M Laughter number one said A Im not stopping in the 1ddams family house, Im offA and promptly left the second daughter said C I have to go to work now mum so look after +harley, Ill see you laterA and also left. 'ran decided to start making dinner for her and her little helper. +harley did not want to help his gran so went into the front room. 1 few minutes went by and +harley asked if he could have some music on, as he wanted to dance. 3e was told that she was too busy making 'randdads tea so go and dance by himself. 1 few moments passed and not hearing any music, actually not hearing anything at all 'ran decided to investigate. Nnowing that a =uiet child is usually in trouble of some kind. !he went into the front roomG there were no signs of the child. C +harley, Where are you0A she shouted. CIm up here granA came the reply CUp where0A she was getting more than a little agitated. CIn the bathroomA What are you doing0A thinking the child was simply answering the call of nature. C Im dancingI Lancing with that manIA came the ominous reply, >ow alarm bells where ringing in grans head, she ran to the stairs, running to the landing, she could see that her little grandson was indeed dancing. In fact dancing a waltz. But not on the floorI >o <ather about four feet off the bathroom floor, with unseen arms enfolded around this tykes body, gently swaying from side to side, then around. Without any further ado she grabbed the child, ran from the house to her daughters and promptly telephoned me. 79 This time she followed implicitly the instructions I gave her. This time he moved on to the light. 7& An Ur&nt C!'' /ro( L!d- J!n I had done a number of readings for a middle.aged lady, Bane. !he was going through a difficult patch, looking after her infirm and elderly mother, and trying to get her relationship off the rocks. The telephone rang and I heard Banes voice, C 3ello Ian, can you come round here, >5W,A CI need to see you urgentlyA Bane was not a lady to panic, over the slightest thing, so whatever this crisis wasG I knew it would be something big. Immediately I presumed that her mother being old and frail had passed over, 3ow wrong was I to be,, I arrived at her house within about ten minutes. !he opened the door, and on entering the house I instantly saw mum sitting drinking a cup of tea, !tanding by her were two rather large gentlemen, both clean.shaven, and wearing rather smart suits. They looked like solicitors. 1gain, how wrong0 >o introductions were given. Bane asked me to sit and simply said C What can you tell me about that0A she gave me a rather e"pensive watch to hold. Immediately I could tell that this was indeed her husbands. I said, CThis belongs to your husband Lavid.A >o one said a word but the two men drew closer. I proceeded to tell them all that I was picking up from the watch, his emotions, feelings etc. 72 Oery disturbed and feeling neglected yet having a strange desireP a passion. 5ne of the men said, C+an you get a location of this man0A It was then I knew these men were from the ministry of defence, I concentrated and was able to give them an address. I didnt even know if the location e"istedG let alone the actual street name and number. It was a location I had never heard of before. 1nd certainly wasnt within the locality. Instantly the watch was taken from me Bane said a very hurried CThanksA and I was outside, 5h well. I returned home, thinking what a strange way to behave. The ne"t day again the phone rang, again it was Bane.A +an you come around again today, I need to e"plain some things to youA This time there was no urgency in her voice. I duly arrived back at the house, this time a very friendly welcome and a cup of tea. 5ver the cuppa Bane e"plained what had happened. 1fter I left, the men from the government immediately went to the address I had given them. They found the husband Lavid with a fourteen.year.old schoolgirl, I told Bane the girls name and what she too looked like. !he was flabbergasted, I said if she had wanted that information too, I would have told her instead of being bundled out. 5bviously because of this mans $ob everything was hush.hush. The ne"t time I did readings for ;ady Bane her =uestions were encyclopaedic, 7? H!% -ou "n 4nd-8 I had $ust finished doing readings for a party and handing a business card to the hostess, she said C 5h I used to live across the street from your house, at number &?. 3ave you seen Wendy0A Thinking she meant the people that lived in this house, I e"plained that none of their names was Wendy. The lady laughed and said when you go back, ask the occupants. I bet they WI;; know Wendy, The lady filled in the rest of the story Thus) When she was living there, she was e"pecting her first child. Whilst heavily pregnant her husband had gone to the local pub, only five hundred yards away. Whilst sitting watching TO she had heard the cellar door rattle, as if someone was trying to open it. Nnowing she was alone in this large Oictorian house, she went to the door. It was still locked. !he resumed watching TO then felt very heavy bangs under her feet. !he promptly moved to another seat. The banging followed her, as if someone in the cellar below her feet could see, her and follow her movements. This happened again and again. 1fter thirty minutes of moving from seat to seat, she moved to the pub and brought her husband and a few friends back, to investigate. >othing was foundI 5n numerous occasions she would be in her back yard, hanging out the washing, or simply playing with her baby son. To look up towards the top room in the house, to see the curtain fall back over the window, as if someone was watching. Eet a prompt investigation. Would show the room to be =uite empty. 77 The final straw came a couple of years on, when the child had begun to toddle. Whilst sat in the front room the little boy walked past his mum, as if holding onto a grown ups hand, walking towards the stairs. CWhere are you going0A the mum en=uired CIm going upstairs with WendyA came the reply CWhos Wendy0A The child seemed to stop, look up as if in conversation with a grown up. Then came the reply. CWendy says that shes my mum now, and, that I have to go with her >5W,A The lady, grabbed her son went to her mothers, sold the house and never had any further problems with Wendy. 3owever it did prompt her to start researching. This is what she found out) The family that had lived there previously had a nanny. 3er name was Wendy. !he had died trying to save the children from a fire that had engulfed the home. 3er room had been this same room at the top of the house. 1 number of years after leaving this house a family had moved in the father, regularly beating his wife, one day decided to take his frustrations out of someone else, so he beat the child. !trangely enough the ne"t day he and his wife were found in their car. It had turned upside down and collided with a lamppost on the prom. The car had been engulfed in flames, it was reported that the couple could be heard screaming for about five minutes as the firemen tried to e"tinguish the blaze. 1 child was sitting =uietly on the prom playing with a stone. 1 policeman asked the child CWhat are you doing here0A 78 The child =uietly replied, CWendy brought me here and told me that I would be alright now,A The girl that lives there now has reported @feeling someone in her room, and sometimes feels as if an unseen body is lying directly over hers, and can feel the person breathing on her, in the night. !trangely enough everyone who has lived in this property with children, has looked after them. !o maybe we could do with a few more Wendys. 7H Th Trri9' T!rot 1 friend of mine went to do readings at a party for about si" or eight individuals. 1ll night a word kept coming to him, for no particular reason. 1t the end of the night he happened to mention this to the hostess of the party. CWhats the wordA she asked C/aybackA he replied. The lady went ashen. CEou are not going to believe thisA !he e"claimed CI too was a professional reader, but whenever I did a reading for someone, something would always happen to me, I called it @paybackA The lady had given up reading because a brain tumour had been found, she had blamed this too on the Tarot D @/ayback CBefore you go, Id like you to take these with you,A she said, handing a well worn pack of tarot cards to my friend CI hope you will have better luck with them than I haveA #y friend left, went home and promptly phoned me to tell me of this strange tale. I told him to cleanse the cards, what to do and to do it now.
3e said he would. 3e didnt. 1fter our telephone call he decided to go to bed, whilst going upstairs, he stopped and looked through the window, on the landing, as it seemed =uite bright outside. It wasnt daylight. !omeone had firebombed his motorbike, 1 few days went by. !till he had not cleansed the cards . %arly one morning his wife was taking their three children to school. !he stopped at the top of the road, a T $unction. 'oing to turn right, she checked the traffic. It was clear. 1s she looked to her right before pulling out. The front end of her car disappeared, 1 <olls <oyce had taken the entire front off her car, she sat there dazed and stunned. The children and herself physically ok but obviously very shaken. 7J 1 family friend returned from touring %urope on his motorbike, they told him this same tale. 3e pleaded with them to let him have the cards. They were pretty scared and so gave him these terrible tarot . 1s he drove home through country lanes that afternoon. 3e fell off his bike, running over both his legs, which had to be amputated, We visited him in hospital. Typical biker, sitting in his bed with his leather $acket on, 3e looked a little =uite and somewhat stunned. 3e remarked C I did a reading for the bloke in the corner bed thats now empty, and a reading for the bloke that was in the bed facing me.A indicating two empty beds. CThey both died,A 7: Th #u"t Hou" >umerous hotels across the length and breadth of Britain are purportedly haunted. #ost $ust for publicity reasons, though there are a few that doesnt advertise the fact. These are usually the ones that are well and truly haunted. Travelling around as much as I do I come into contact with a lot of hoteliers, and guesthouse owners. In the old days of variety they would be called pro.digs. The number of stories relating to these is legion. 3owever, one particular guesthouse that we used to visit regularly (because it was cheap* always had strange feelings to it. #ost rooms we stayed in or that others on the fair stayed in, always felt) @not =uite right The hotel owner used to buy the bedding and beds, cheap, from a local old folks home. Usually after someone had died in that particular bed. Thus cutting the costs of the hotel. (Lont be s=ueamish, This is business. Eou never consider when going on holiday who has slept in your bed previously or where that particular bed has come from* 5ne night a lady medium staying in the hotel awoke to find a gentleman standing over her, in bed, grinning wildly and laughing. It was the laughter that had awakened her It was her screams that awakened everyone else. >ow I know that you would normally think that as a medium she would be used to spirits visiting her, and not be afraid. In fairness, to be awoke in this manner, whether by spirit or person, from your sleep it is still a shock. I calmed her down and the rest of the people staying in the hotel, were persuaded that it was $ust a bad dream and eventually all seemed to go back to their respective rooms and back to sleep.
This lady would not venture back into this room.
>ot even for a gold bar. !he was truly frightened. The rest of the night, she spent in the back seat of her car. Luring the following day we discussed this happening with the proprietor) 7M It appeared that this was not the first time. In fact only because the hotel was full, had he put her in that room. It was the only room available. >ormally no one was ever put into the room.
It transpired that for a number of years a gentleman had lived in the room as a full time guest. 3e wasnt able to find work. 3e had gone through relationship problems etc. 1nyway. %ventually he had stumbled on to black magic. Thinking that this would cure his life he had begun to practise various spells, and incantations, with a modicum of success. Usually in this same room. %ventually he had become =uite insane. 4eeling that the only thing left for him to do was a blood sacrifice. It was this that led to his own demise. 3e had taken a young girl (had to be a virgin* to his room, raped her then tried to cut her throat to drink her blood, consuming her life force. 3as he had tried to kill the girl, it was her father that had smashed his way in. taking the knife from this mad man had plunged it seventeen times through his chest killing him. 1mazed, we asked how did he know so much. The girl, she was the proprietors wife,
89 A Tri2 to London It has always been nice to see how the rich and famous live, and to share their sumptuous life style, if only fleetingly. 1 while ago the famous 1merican illusionist Lavid +opperfield came to Britain. 1 friend and myself decided to go and watch him perform in ;ondon. We were seated in the centre about three rows from the front. We had arrived early, to make sure we didnt miss anything. !o sitting, waiting we like everyone else started to people watch, in case we could see anyone famous, watching the show also. I noticed that the security people kept walking past and looking furtively at us. The people sitting either side of us were =uietly asked to move. The people from in front of us likewise vacated their seats, #y friend was starting to get a little alarmed. I decided that come hell or high water I was not going to be moved from this seat. !o pushing my arms thru the seat sides, and wrapping my feet around the seat base, I thought that it would be difficult to move me out. #y peripheral vision saw a man approaching on the row behind us. I e"pected the Ctime to go nowA Instead a giant of a man stood behind us he put his hand on my shoulder and pressing firmly said, in a !cottish accent, Cnow boys, were not going to have any trouble. 1re we0A it was an assurance, not a =uestion. I turned to look at this man. Because he was bending over between us, his $acket bowed open. I noticed the pistol, in its holster nestling along his side, and a can of +! gas on his belt. 8& I learned at an early stage, never argue with a man who has a gun. I looked into his eyes. They told lots of stories. 1ll frightening ones. This was definitely a guy you would not want to mess with, C>o problems at all mateA I replied. C'ood, $ust sit there and watch the show. Lont speak unless your spoken to.A !aid the !cottish giant. 1s I turned my head to now face forward, I noticed why. The royal family had decided to pay a visit. They were sitting right ne"t to me, I faced forward and within a minute a sweet voice said softly =uietly and most regally C3ello Ian, Would you like a #alteaser0A I simply saidA Thank you #aamA 1nd turning to the !cottish giant C Is it 5N,A The look on this mans face. The most famous lady in the World, knowing my name, and offering me a sweet. I had done her a reading earlier that week. 82 :;<< I get asked to perform at many corporate events, sometimes doing a lecture type performance, sometimes.private readings for the companys elite. 5n numerous occasions, I have noticed that a lot of the time many different employees will have similar readings, obviously where work is concerned on one such occasion, in the middle of Buly. I was doing a number of private readings within a company when I read a lady, with no future after early !eptember, Then again a colleague of hers and yet again. 1fter about si" of these, I began to doubt things. /articular doubt falling on myself, and my reading abilities, I had never come across this before. Thinking that maybe I was overworked and tired. Was the only reason I could think of. 4inishing the party I made my weary way home. The day after realising that I hadnt been paid I contacted the agent. There were no problems as this was for a reputable company. ;ike most big firms they get the invoice then anything up to three months can pass before payment is made. Time passed, and three months later, still not having heard anything the agent suggested I contact the firm direct and see if I could hurry them along. I phoned up and was put through to the director. We e"changed pleasantries. Then he e"claimed that during the week or so after the party. They had discussed the readings, I had given them. What a strange thing that so many of his employees should suffer the same fate, 3e had organised a trip for them to 1merica. 8? 1 surprise vacation for the best of his firm. 1s part of that @thank you they had gone to the Twin Towers. The date of the e"cursion M th !eptember, That was indeed why the che=ue hadnt arrived. 3e had been busy with funeral arrangements etc. 87 Po'ic P'!" !ometimes we are asked to look at forensic evidence, or simply see if we can give a clue as to how a crime was committed, or why. !ometimes for an opinion, of the victim, or offenders state of mind, at that particular time etc. !ometimes, purely because there might be an occult theme to the crime, whether it be Ooodoo or Witchcraft. 5r some idiot trying to cover the real purpose of their crime. 88 Th Loc3d Roo( 1 man was found dead in a locked room. The key was on the insideG locking it the windows were bolted shut. In the centre was a small table with a black altar drape covering it in this was a set of Tarot cards, laying out in a classic spread. It appeared the victim had died of fright. In this the millennium. 1 very unusual cause, from which to die. I was asked to read these cards, and give their meanings. +ould they be responsible for this mans fear0 Well, the simple answer was that Ees, indeed they were. The cards themselves read in no uncertain way that this man had committed incest, and now his sister was about to reveal the past to the public. Because of his standing in the public eye (he was a Budge* it would have resulted in his downfall and ultimately despicability in the community. 3e feared the worst that he could go to prison, and maybe face others whom he had committed. The fear of this had pushed him over the top. 8H Moti%!tion 1 businessman was seen, by ++TO, pulling onto the car park, parking his car, climbing out of the vehicle and walking into the office. The receptionist, talked to this man, made him a cup of tea with two sugars, which he drank.
3e then preceded to go to the meeting, which went well, !igned the forms, and paper work he had been waiting for, at the end of a very successful business meeting said his farewells and left the office.
Instead of waiting for the lift he took the stairs. Being stopped two floors down by an old friend promised to meet him in the pub later that day for a drink. Walking towards the reception area again he was stopped by a golf friend and promised to have a game of golf with him at the weekend.
!aid goodbye to the receptionist and again thanked her fro the lovely cup of tea. Went outside, again ++TO followed his progress into his car and out of the car park. >othing strange about that is there0 4orensic proved that this man had been dead for at least four days before this, 8J Cor2"" 5utside the #idland hotel, here in #orecambe I noticed a converted ambulance, parked there. %very time I drove down the prom, something would draw my attention to it. In the front windscreen was a doll on a surfboard with a blue #ohican haircut. I assumed it might belong to someone visiting #orecambe for the punk festival. 1t the back, above the door was an e"tra number plate, reading +5</!%! I thought that maybe it belonged to one on the many punk bands that were playing here, and maybe that was the name of the band. !o far, very logical. 5ne night, returning home again driving down the prom I again saw this vehicle, this time there was a strange light around it, a kind of glow. 1s I got closer, the light took form and appeared to be standing on the roadside. It appeared to be a very evil looking young gentleman, 'rinning wildly, almost like a mad man, leering and pointing into the road at vehicles, as they passed. /sychically I could hear demented laughter. I must admit I felt uneasy about this situation, as I had never e"perienced something like this. The day after this episode, I was doing readings for a couple of /olicemen, and happened to mention, my strange night.
The day after, typical /olicemen decided to investigate the vehicle. Upon that investigation, it appeared that there was no ta". 1 tow truck was called to remove the vehicle. The mechanic who arrived with a truck tried the door, so he could release the hand brake and so take the ambulance away. When he entered the vehicle, he found a gentlemans body, hanging from the centre. 4urther tests revealed the corpse to have been dead for two days. 3owever he had probably hung there most of the day, before dying, simply watching vehicles and people walk past, leering into the road. #aybe trying to shout for help, before finally reality snapped, madness, taking final hold, frenzy setting in to ultimately lead to an ignominious death. 8: DIVINATION !o, what is divination0 1ccording to the #erriam Webster dictionary, divination is Kthe art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge usually by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers.K This definition also includes Kunusual insight) intuitive perception.K When someone says K +rystal ball K you get the image of an old gypsy woman who is not to be messed with. But, if she is a fake, then how come you walk away and say to yourself Khow did she know that0K
We are all born with the gift, modern society takes it away from us. If you believe it you will see, but if you do not want to know, then the gift will be lost. 1t the end of the day the choice is yours. We all fear what we do not understand but there is nothing to fear but fear itself. We seem to push aside people who say that they have seen the future and what will happen if we do not listen. We say that these people are mad, insane because they have seen demons and aliens. But perhaps we should listenG they could $ust be the key to our future. Instead they are locked away from our eyes and ears, why listen to the mad man0 Eou may find it hard to believe but some psychic-s do vanish. If anyone asks =uestions they do not e"ist anymore, or they are stamped as mad. Eou can then go see these people, but their carers will say, Kdon-t listen to them, they are on medication, they don-t know what they are saying CI wonder how much an hour they get paid to take away someone-s freedom.A 8M 1 word on divination is probably not out of place. It could be argued that all the possible pasts and futures are spread around us, linked by time and a myriad of probabilities. !ome of these probabilities are clear) step out in front of that car and get hit. !ome are subtler, and have knock.on effects that can last for years. 1nd of course, they interact, so that pretty soon you don-t $ust have a Kdecision treeK but a shifting sea of possibility. Livination is a way to tap into that sea of possibility. #aybe it-s in your head, maybe notG the point is that it works and is useful. The Rabalists have the Tree of ;ifeG Ooudou (Ooodoo* hun"ans have the hierarchy of loa. Western occultists have the Tarot. 1nd the >orthern %uropeans have runes. %ach system is an attempt to e"plain and parameterise the universeG it-s both a key to the mysteries and, in some way, the mysteries themselves. I-ve long held that the systems are all as good as one anotherG some work better for one person than another, but none is intrinsically better or more accurate than any other. It comes down to personal preference. It may be true that, as these systems are =uite tightly integrated into their cultures, it is easier for someone to work with their native system than with a foreign one . but that certainly doesn-t deny the validity of other systems. The 1frican rune vit#i and the suburban Bapanese mambo aren-t parado"es. H9 1strology is probably the best.known fortune telling techni=ue with any sort of -rational- or scientific basis, although omen.lore, lucky and unlucky signs, precious stones, numerology and palmistry also have early origins and were used in prophesying and divination. 3owever, playing cards were used in %ngland for fortune telling in the middle of the &: th century. +artomancy seems to have been practised elsewhere much earlier, particularly 4rance, where There had been a revival of interest in fortune.telling, the occult, prophecy, clairvoyance, etc., perhaps inspired by the prophecies of >ostradamus (&89?.&8HH* in the &H th century. By the end of the &J th century Britain-s <enaissance had reached its zenith. The world was fraught with wonders, and the learned men of the day were constructing elaborate new schemes to encompass the whole of knowledge. There was a society of fortunetellers in ;ondon who called themselves the $ercurii of %ondon. 1rtists and seers are drawn to design even more compelling fortune telling and tarot packs, drawing upon esoteric philosophies, religion, mysticism, %gyptology or inspired speculation. In some cases the theories are sublime) some purport higher authority or even a secret manuscript as their basis, whilst others rely upon correspondences with cabbalism, astrology, numerology, witchcraft, and so on. Best known amongst the 4rench cartomantic fortune tellers of the revolution era was #adame ;enormand, who had designed her own variant version of the tarot, and was said to have been consulted by >apoleon and predicted military disaster. There are several popular fortune telling narratives similar to the #adame ;enormand account found in booklets. It usually runs like this) "At the end of the 18 th century there lived a famous y!sy "ho had a reat re!utation as a fortune teller### she !redicted the do"nfall of $a!oleon and many other historical events### after her death her cards "ere found and are no" re!roduced here###" ;enthall-s cards of about &HM9 are an e"ample of %nglish Livination or 5racle cards from this period. They involve looking up the answer according to mathematical rules, reminiscent of numerology and dice throws, !o that the prophecy is read on a specific card. 1lso similar to an %nglish for form the I +hing, 'enerally, that is to say in a large ma$ority of packs, the -fortune- is printed at the bottom of the card, beneath an allegorical illustration depicting the predestined outcome. !ome packs are more engaging than others.
H& Italy is generally regarded as the birthplace of the modern day tarot, which was originally a card game. In the &:th century the trump cards became the focus of mystification and since then the tarot has become a sort of popular religion or oracle. 4or believers, the tarot holds the key to inner wisdom, but sceptics must respect their right to freedom of belief. There has also been a distinguished output of %>';I!3 T1<5T +1<L!. By the &:J9s a number of %nglish occultists had begun taking an interest in the tarot, attracted by the idea that the tarot was some sort of repository of ancient wisdom, esoteric lore or such like, and that it could be used to predict the future. 4rench occultists were largely responsible for these beliefs, notably +ourt de 'Sbelin, %liphas ;evi and %teilla, who saw correlations between the tarot trumps and ancient mysteries. Thus the tarot became the domain of initiates such as !.;. #ac'regor #athers, 1.%. Waite and 1leister +rowley (&:J8.&M7J* #ac'regor #athers was the author of a popular booklet on the tarot, in which he wrote that) "&he &arot' consistin" as it does' of the ten numbers of the decimal scale counter chan"ed with the tetrad' and of a hiero"lyphical alphabet of twenty(two mystic symbols' must be rele"ated to a far earlier period in the history of the world than that usually assi"ned to the introduction of cards into Europe". #athers also offers theories on the %gyptian origins of the Tarot, and throws in some e"tra ideas about 'nosticism and +abbalism. #ore recent %nglish tarot packs, reveal that fortune telling has become a game of fun for all ages, but there are also many other sites on the Internet covering this sub$ect in greater depth.
The <ider.Waite Tarot +ards were first published in %ngland in &M9M, and printed by William <ider T !on, ;ondon. They were sold either separately, or accompanied by a book written by 1rthur %dward Waite titled "&he )ey to the &arot". The <ider. Waite tarot was reissued in &M&9 and many times since then. It has become the most popular tarot pack of the twentieth century. It is usually featured in many magazines and occultPhorror films. The Thoth Tarot was painted by ;ady 4rieda 3arris (&:JJ.&MH2* under the guidance of 1leister +rowley (&:J8.&M7J* during WWII, a time of great national anguish. The imagery of the cards reflects +rowley-s eclectic occultist philosophy, which, like Waite, included astrological and alchemical symbolism, along with other esoteric lore. There have been several editions of this pack published since &MJ2 and it has become one of the more popular 29 th century tarot packs. The original paintings were made with wartime materials, and are currently housed in the Warburg Institute, ;ondon, where they are beginning to show signs of deterioration. Luring the late &M79s and &M89s The Insight Institute, of >ew #alden in !urrey, ran correspondence courses on the Tarot, which consisted of lessons with homework that was checked by tutors. The principal of the Institute was 1drienne 1rden, and the KLirectors of !tudiesK were <ichard %den, >oel Ba=uin, +olin %vans, %dward H2 Whitman, Oera +rompton and 4rank ;ind, who subse=uently published the correspondence course material under his own name. The Insight Institute also published courses on 1strology, 'raphology, +hiro. /sychology, Eoga and /sychic development, as well as a set of -1uthenticated- Tarot cards. The Insight Institute Tarot course describes the origins of the Tarot as -Indian-, introduced by gypsies who spoke <omany, which accounts for the problematic origin of the word -tarot-, (according to the Insight Institute* Luring the &MJ9s Waddingtons distributed tarot packs in %ngland, often in con$unction with !tuart Naplan, such as the &BB Tarot deck manufactured by 1.'. #Uller V +ie, !witzerland in &MJ9. !tuart Naplan also commenced publishing -complete and authoritative guides- on the tarot, as well as re.publishing the <ider. Waite Tarot that has now become a classic. I" C'!ir%o-!nc E%i'8 Bust what e"actly does evil mean0 We have already seen from the many e"amples that genuine Livination helps more people, than it in$ures. ;ike everything, there is always light and shade on every path. Bust to balance the books a little and to give a different perspective on things. Two powerful bodies are opposed to the idea that survival of death is a natural phenomenon. The +hristian +hurch holds as its central belief that the death of Besus redeemed humanity and gave eternal life to those who follow him. The simple fact that this is totally in opposition to the evidence derived from the communications, that we all survive physical death, eluded me for years. 5f course orthodo" +hristianity cannot accept the fact that everyone, cats and dogs included, continue in some form after death. The role of a priest as teacher and minister is not actually at odds with the role of a medium as a link with the ne"t world, and should not be. But one can understand that difficulties could arise particularly if a medium were fraudulent, In &M8? The +hurches 4ellowship for /sychical and !piritual !tudies was inaugurated. It is an ecumenical body and its introductory leaflet states that it e"ists to Kpromote the study of psychical and reli"ious e*perience within a +hristian conte*t. , &he -ellowship ta#es a positive view of psychic sensitivity which many people seem to e*perience .uite naturally in their lives,.K. It holds branch and group meetings, residential and day conferences, and publishes two $ournals the K+hristian /arapsycholo"istK and the K0uarterly 1eviewK. I understand that there are a number of Ruaker members. H? Th Scinti"t" !cientists seek to prove hypotheses by conducting e"periments that are repeatable. The link with a communicator in the ne"t world cannot necessarily be repeated under test conditions. !cepticism is an obstruction to communication so the sceptical sitter often fails to get results and his or her scepticism is reinforced, 3owever, when scientists have been invited to witness physical phenomena and to take measurements, photographs, etc, they have fre=uently become less than scientific, They have either refused to investigate at all, which does not seem to be acting in accordance with a true spirit of in=uiry, or, if they have investigated and witnessed events which they found ine"plicable, they have refused to alter their belief systems to accommodate these new e"periences and have preferred to deny the evidence of their own senses. !piritualism and psychic studies of any kind, therefore, have always encountered opposition from these two powerful voices. The media have also tended to ridicule, probably out of deference to scientists and the +hurch, and because in a materialistic society that which is not understood in terms of the five senses is easily mocked. 4itchcr!/t The study of psychic phenomena and everything relating to it has been linked with witchcraft and this has proved a serious matter from the point of view of acceptance by society and also from a legal standpoint. Until the passing of the 4raudulent #ediums 1ct in &M8&, for which the movement worked over many years, mediums were actually in danger of breaking the law pertaining to witchcraft and vagrancy. Witchcraft itself is still under persecution by people who should know better. It is and should be treated as yet another comparative religion. Th 4itchcr!/t Act, <6=> !ince the earliest days the alleged practice of witchcraft was regarded as an offence punishable both in the ecclesiastical and civil courts. 1 succession of !tatutes e"ists dating from the seventh century, each replacing the previous one. The 1ct of &J?8 replaced that of &H97 enacted in the reign of Bames &, and this in turn replaced an 1ct of &8H? enacted in the reign of %lizabeth &, and so on. +onviction under the 1ct could result in a prison sentence. The 1ct of &J?8, together with !ection 7 of the Oagrancy 1ct of &:27 was serious threats to the practice of mediumship. (The Oagrancy 1ct makes punishable as a rogue and a vagabond Kevery person. 2sin" any subtle craft by palmistry or otherwise to deceive and impose on any of his $a3esty4s sub3ectsK and it was held that mediums were persons who used a Ksubtle craftK.* +onviction under the Oagrancy 1ct resulted in a fine. Th F!(ou" C!" o/ H'n Dunc!n H7 #ediums had to be very careful indeed not to fall foul of the law. If this sounds like an e"aggeration, the case of 3elen Luncan sadly proved the point. 3elen was born in +allander in /erthshire in &:M:. !he came from a poor family and had little education but was psychic from childhood and developed into an incredibly powerful materialisation medium. 1s an adult she worked professionally as a medium, managed by her husband, 3enry, with whom she had nine children. 3elen was very successful and had many devoted followers whose loved ones had communicated at her sSances. 3owever, she was not above trickery at times and on one occasion was detected in a crude and clumsy fraud. When the lights were turned on she was caught trying to conceal some white material. There was a struggle to gain possession of a stockinet vest during which the police were called at 3elens re=uest. The vest was later produced in evidence at +ourt. This incident resulted in her first trial in %dinburgh in &M?? at which she had a conviction for Kpretendin"K to be a medium and was fined 6&9. Worse was to follow. In &M77 3elen was indicted at the +entral +riminal +ourt, in ;ondon, under the Witchcraft 1ct, KThat on the &Mth Banuary &M77 she pretended to e"ercise or use a kind of con$uration, namely, that spirits of deceased persons should be present in fact in the place where she then was.K !he was not allowed to demonstrate her mediumship to the $ury. 3er Barrister, +.%. ;oseby, himself a !piritualist, conducted a strenuous defence but, on 7th 1pril, 3elen was sentenced to M months in prison. The authorities were inclined to turn a blind eye to mediums but 3elen had attracted attention to herself in the sensitive area of wartime security. 1t a sSance in %dinburgh her guide, 1lbert, told of the sinking of 3#! 3ood. This information was in fact correct and &799 lives had been lost, but the 1dmiralty was keeping the news from the public. Then at a sSance in /ortsmouth 3elen was arrested and detained in 3olloway for five days. The charges which led to her trial were made under the Witchcraft 1ct rather than the Oagrancy 1ct because the authorities wanted 3elen in prison and unable to practise her mediumship. 3er work seriously deteriorated after her imprisonment and the !piritualist >ational Union withdrew her diploma. 3elen did recover her former faculties and despite bad health started to travel again, conducting sSances. 1t the time of the !uez +risis in &M8H, the interruption of a sSance by the police when 3elen was in trance caused her such in$uries that she was hospitalised for a month. !he never fully recovered and died later that year. /hysical mediumship is very rare nowadays. H8 Th Fr!udu'nt Mdiu(" Act The 4raudulent #ediums 1ct received the <oyal 1ssent in Buly &M8&. (It will be noted that +hurchill returned to office in the same year.* K1t last the law recognised that genuine mediumship e"isted. The fraudulent were still liable for prosecution, but the #ovement had always tried to police itself. They hated fraud $ust as much as any magistrate. This 1ct which amended the Witchcraft 1ct and section 7 of the Oagrancy 1ct effectively e"tended religious tolerance to the !piritualist #ovement.A (K&99 Eears of >ational !piritualismK by Bean Bassett*. >ot deeply buried in our collective unconscious is the notion that it is wrong and dangerous to possess psychic gifts. This shows itself as a pre$udice . a pre$udice we need to recognise and consider. The Bibles version of fortune telling and divination in general is here. It is a little long winded, but worth the effort. Bust to balance things a little and show maybe the other side of the coin. 5r not, as the case may be, here is a +hristians viewpoint. Ill let you be the $udge. The seeking after knowledge of future or hidden things by inade=uate means. The means being inade=uate they must, therefore, the supplemented by some power that is represented all through history as coming from gods or evil spirits hence the word divination has a sinister signification. 1s prophecy is the lawful knowledge of the future divination, its superstitious counterpart, is the unlawful. 1s magic aims to do, divination aims to know. Livination is practically as old as the human race. It is found in every age and country, among the %gyptians, +haldeans, 3indus, <omans, and 'reeksG that tribes of >orthern 1sia had their shamans, the inhabitants of 1frica their mgangas, the +eltic nation their druids, the aborigines of 1merica their medicine.men .. all recognized diviners and wizards. %verywhere divination flourished and nowhere, even today, is it completely neglected. +icero-s words were, and apparently always will be, true, that there is no nation, civilized or barbarian, which does not believe that there are signs of the future and persons who interpret them. +icero divided divination into natural and artificial. >atural (untaught, unskilled* included dreams and oracles in which the diviner was a passive sub$ect of inspiration, and the prediction that from a power supposed to be then and there within him. 1rtificial (taught, studied* comprised all foretelling from signs found in nature or produced by man. 3ere the diviner was active, and the divination came apparently from his own skill and observation. This division is almost the same as that given by !t. Thomas with respect to the invocation of demons) divination with e"press invocation of spirits, embracing dreams, portents, or prodigies, and necromancy, and divination with tacit invocation through signs and movements observed in ob$ects in nature, such as stars, birds, figures, etc., or through signs and arrangements produced by man, such as molten lead poured in water, casting of lots, etc. Lreams here mean those e"pressly prepared and prayed for with hope of intercourse with gods or the dead. /ortents or HH prodigies are unusual and marvellous sights coming from the lower world. 3ere we are considering artificial divination. METHODS The variety of divinatory methods is very great. !carcely an ob$ect or movement in the heavens, on the earth, or in the air or water escaped being metamorphosed into a message of futurity. 1dd to these the invention of man, and there is a glimpse of the immense entanglement of superstitions in which pagan people groped their way. They can, however, be grouped into three classes, as seen from !t. Thomas-s division. 1 detailed list has been given by +icero, +lement of 1le"andria in his K!tromataK, and others of the 4athers. Under the first class, e"press invocation, come oneiromancy or divination by dreamsG necromancy, by so.called apparitions of the dead or spiritismG apparitions of various kinds, which may be either e"ternal or in imagination, as +a$etan observesG /ythonism or by possessed persons, as the Lelphic /ythonessG hydromancy, by signs in waterG aeromancy, by signs in airG geomancy, by signs in terrestrial substances (geomancy has also another meaning*G aruspices, by signs in the entrails of victims, etc. The second class, tacit invocation and signs found ready.made in nature, embraces $udicial or genethliac astrology, pretending to tell the future through the starsG augury, through the notes of birds, and later covering prediction through their mode of acting, feeding, flying, and also the neighing of horses and sneezing of men, etc... with us it comprises all foretelling by signsG by omens, when chance words are turned into signsG chiromancy, when the lines of the hand are readG and many similar modes. The third class, tacit invocation and signs prepared by man, includes geomancy from points or lines on paper or pebbles thrown at randomG drawing of strawsG throwing diceG cutting cardsG letting a staff fall or measuring it with the fingers saying, KI will or I will notKG opening a book at random, called Sortes 5ir"ilianae, so much was the Wneid used in this fashion by the <omansG etc. This last transferred to the Bible is still common in 'ermany and elsewhere. HJ 3ypnotism is also used for purposes of divination.
HISTORY To attempt to trace the origin of divination is a waste of time, since like religion it is universal and indigenous in one form or another. !ome nations cultivated it to a higher degree than others, and their influence caused certain modes of divination to spread. By its practice they gained a wide reputation for occult power. /re.eminent in history stand the +haldeans as seers as astrologers, but the ancient %gyptians and +hinese were also great adepts in elaborate mysterious rites. Which of them had priority therein is still an open =uestion, though the larger share in the development of divination, especially in connection with celestial phenomena, is attributed to the +haldeans, a vague term embracing here both Babylonians and 1ssyrians. In 'reece from the earliest historical times are found diviners, some of whose methods came from 1sia and from the %truscans, a people famous for the art. While the <omans had modes of their own, their intercourse with 'reece introduced new forms, and principally through these two nations they spread in the !outh and West of %urope. Before +hristianity divination was practised everywhere according to rites native and foreign. In early days priest and diviner were one, and their power was very great. In %gypt the pharaoh was generally a priestG in fact, he had to be initiated into all the secrets of the sacerdotal class, and in Babylonia and 1ssyria almost every movement of the monarch and his courtiers was regulated by forecasts of the official diviners and astrologers. The cuneiform inscriptions and the papyri are filled with magical formulae. Witness the two treatises, one on terrestrial and the other on celestial phenomena compiled by !argon several centuries before our era. In 'reece where more attention was paid to aerial signs the diviners were held in high esteem and assisted at the public assemblies. The <omans, who placed most reliance in divination by sacrifices, had of official colleges of augurs and aruspices who by an adverse word could postpone the most important business. >o war was undertaken, no colony sent out without consulting the gods, and at critical moments the most trifling occurrence, a sneeze or a cough, would be invested with meaning. 1longside all this official divining there were practised secret rites by all kinds of wizards, magicians, wise H: men, and witches. +haldean soothsayers and strolling sibyls spread everywhere telling fortunes for gain. Between the regulars and the irregulars there was a very bitter feeling, and as the latter often invoked gods or demons regarded as hostile to the gods of the country, they were regarded as illicit and dangerous and were often punished and prohibited from e"ercising their art. 4rom time to time in various countries the number and influence of the regular diviners were diminished in account of their pride and oppression, and no doubt at times they in turn may have adroitly mitigated the tyranny of rulers. With an increase of knowledge the fear and respect of the cultivated people for their mysterious powers so decreased that their authority suffered greatly and they became ob$ects of contempt and satire. +icero-s KLe LivinationeK is not so much a description of its various forms as a refutation of themG 3orace and Buvenal launched many a keen arrow at diviners and their dupes, and +ato-s saying is well known, that he wondered how two augurs could meet without laughing at each other. <ulers, however, retained them and honoured them publicly, the better to keep the people in sub$ection, and outside classical lands, workers of magic still held sway. Wherever +hristianity went divination lost most of its old.time power, and one form, the natural, ceased almost completely. The new religion forbade all kinds, and after some centuries it disappeared as an official system though it continued to have many adherents. The 4athers of the +hurch were its vigorous opponents. The tenets of 'nosticism gave it some strength, and neo./latonism won it many followers. Within the +hurch itself it proved so strong and attractive to her new converts that synods forbade it and councils legislated against it. The +ouncil of 1ncyra (c. ""iv* in ?&7 decreed five years penance to consulters of diviners, and that of ;aodicea (c. """vi* about ?H9 forbade clerics to become magicians or to make amulets, and those who wore them were to be driven out of the +hurch. 1 canon ("""vi* of 5rleans 8&&* e"communicates those who practised divination auguries, or lots falsely called Sortes Sanctorum 6Bibliorum7, i.e. deciding one-s future conduct by the first passage found on opening a Bible. This method was evidently a great favourite, as a synod of Oannes (c. "vi* in 7H& held forbidden it to clerics under pain of e"communication, and that of 1gde (c. "lii* in 89H condemned it as against piety and faith. !i"tus IO !i"tus O and the 4ifth +ouncil of ;ateran likewise condemned divination. 'overnments have at times acted with great severity. +onstantius decreed the penalty of death for diviners. The authorities may have feared that some would.be prophets might endeavour to fulfil forcibly their predictions about the death of sovereigns. When the races of the >orth, which swept over the old <oman %mpire, entered the +hurch, it was only to be e"pected that some of their lesser superstitions should survive. 1ll during the so. called Lark 1ges divining arts managed to live in secret, but after the +rusades they were followed more openly. 1t the time of the <enaissance and again preceding the 4rench <evolution there was a marked growth of no"ious methods. The latter part of the nineteenth century witnessed a strange revival, especially in the United !tates and %ngland, of all sorts of superstition, necromancy or spiritism being in the lead. Today the number of persons who believe in signs and seek to know the future is much greater than appears on the surface. They abound in communities where dogmatic +hristianity is weak. The natural cause of the rise of divination is not hard to discover. #an has a natural curiosity to know the future, and coupled with this is the desire of personal gain or advantage, some have essayed, therefore, in every age to lift the veil, at least partially. These attempts have at times produced results that cannot be e"plained on merely natural grounds, they are so disproportionate or foreign to the means employed. They cannot be regarded as the direct work of 'od nor as the effect HM of any purely material causeG hence they must be attributed to created spirits, and since they are inconsistent with what we know of 'od the spirits causing them must be evil. To put the =uestion directly) can man know future events0 ;et !t. Thomas answer in substance) 4uture things can be known either in their causes or in themselves. !ome causes always and necessarily produce their effects, and these effects can be foretold with certainty, as astronomers announce eclipses. 5ther causes bring forth their effects not always and necessarily, but they generally do so, and these can be foretold as well.founded con$ectures or sound inferences, like a physician-s diagnosis or a weather observer-s prediction about rain. 4inally there is a third class of causes whose effects depend upon what we call chance or upon man-s free will, and these cannot be foretold from their causes. We can only see them in themselves when they are actually present to our eyes. 5nly 'od alone, to whom all things are present in 3is eternity, can see them before their occur. 3ence we read in Isaiah (7&)2?*, K!how the things that are to come hereafter, and we shall know that you are gods.K !pirits can know better than men the effects to come from the second class of causes because their knowledge is broader, deeper, and more universal, and many occult powers of nature are known to them. +onse=uently they can foretell more events and more precisely, $ust as a physician who sees the causes clearer can better prognosticate about the restoration of health. The difference, in fact, between the first and second classes of causes is due to the limitations of our knowledge. The multiplicity and comple"ity of cause prevent us from following their effects. 4uture contingent things, the effects of the third class, spirits cannot know for certain, e"cept 'od reveal them, though they may wisely con$ecture about them because of their wide knowledge of human nature, their long e"perience, and their $udgments based upon our thoughts as revealed to them by our words, countenances, or acts. Unless we wish to deny the value of human testimony, it cannot be doubted that diviners foretold some contingent things correctly and magicians produced at times superhuman effects. The very survival of divination for so many centuries would otherwise be ine"plicable and its role in history an insoluble problem. 5n religious grounds to say that divination and kindred arts were complete impostures would be to contradict !cripture. In it we read laws forbidding magic, we have facts like the deeds of Bannes and #ambres before /haraoh, and we have a declaration of 'od showing it possible for a sign or wonder to be foretold by false prophets and to come to pass (Leuteronomy &?)&.&2*. But, e"cept when 'od gave them knowledge, their ignorance of the future resulted in the well.known ambiguity of the oracles. 1ttempts to give artificial divination a merely natural basis have not succeeded. +hrysippus (de Livinatione, ii, H?* spoke about a power in man to recognize and interpret signs, and /lutarch (de 5raculis* wrote on the special =ualifications an augur should have and the nature of the signs, but a preternatural influence was recognized in the end. !ome modes may have been natural in their origin, especially when necessary causes were concerned, and many a prediction made without occult J9 intervention, but these must have been comparatively rare, for the client, if not always the seer, generally believed in supernatural assistance. That some analogy may be traced between an eagle and victory, an owl and sadness..though to the 1thenians a welcome omen..and that to lose a tooth is to lose a friend, may readily be admitted, but to try to connect these with future contingent events would be to reason badly from a very slight analogy, $ust as to stab an image, to in$ure the person it represents, would be to mistake an ideal connection for a real one. 3uman instinct demanded a stronger foundation and found it in the belief in an intervention of some supernatural agency. <eason demands the same. 1 corporeal sign is either an effect of the same cause of which it is a sign, as smoke of fire, or it proceeds from the same cause as the effect which it signifies as the falling of the barometer foretells rain, i.e., the change in the instrument and the change in the weather come from the same cause. #an-s future actions and signs in nature stand in no such relation. The sign is not an effect of his kinds of signs from the living creatures can be passed over by almost the same reasoning. 4rom those who believed in fatalism, or pantheism or that man, gods, and nature were all in close communion, or that animals and plants were divinities, a belief in omens and auguries of all kinds might be e"pected (see 1>I#I!#*. %verywhere, as a matter of fact, divination and sacrifice were so closely connected that no strict line could have been drawn in practice between divination with and without e"press invocation of gods or demons. The client came to offer sacrifice, and the priest, the diviner, tried to answer all his =uestions, while the private wizards boasted of their Kfamiliar spiritsK. THEOLO#ICAL ASPECT 4rom a theological standpoint divination supposes the e"istence of devils who have great natural powers and who, actuated by $ealousy of man and hatred of 'od, ever seek to lessen his glory and to draw man into perdition, or at least to in$ure him bodily, mentally, and spiritually. Livination is not, as we have seen, foretelling what comes from necessity or what generally happens, or foretelling what 'od reveals or future actG neither do the sign and his act proceed from the same cause. The other what can be discovered by human effort, but it is the usurpation of knowledge of the future, i.e. arriving at it by inade=uate or improper means. This knowledge is a prerogative of Livinity and so the usurper is said to divine. !uch knowledge may not be sought from the evil spirits e"cept rarely in e"orcisms. Eet every divination is from them either because they are e"pressly invoked or they mi" themselves up in these vain searchings after the future that they may entangle men in their snares. The demon is invoked tacitly when anyone tries to ac=uire information through means which he knows to be inade=uate, and the means are inade=uate when neither from their own nature nor from any Livine promise are they capable of producing the desired effect. !ince the knowledge of futility belongs to 'od alone, to ask it directly or indirectly from demons is to attribute to them Livine perfection, and to ask their aid is to offer them a species of worshipG this is superstition and a rebellion against the providence of 'od Who has wisely hidden many things from us. In pagan times when divining sacrifice was offered it was idolatry, and even now divination is a kind of demonolatry or devil worship (d-1nnibale*. 1ll participation in such attempts to attain J& knowledge is derogatory to dignity of a +hristian, and opposed to his love and trust in /rovidence, and militates against the spread of the Ningdom of 'od. 1ny method of divination with direct invocation of spirits is grievously sinful, and worse still if such intervention ensuesG with tacit invocation divination is in itself a grievous sin, though in practice, ignorance, simplicity, or want of belief may render it venial. If, however, notwithstanding the client-s disbelief the diviner acts seriously, the client cannot be easily e"cused from grievously sinful cooperation. If in methods apparently harmless strong suspicion of evil intervention arises it would be sinful to continue if only a doubt arise as to the natural or diabolical character of the effect protest should be made against the intervention of spiritsG if in doubt as to whether it be from 'od or !atan, e"cept a miraculous act be sought (which would be e"tremely rare*, it should be discontinued under pain of sin. 1 protestation of not wishing diabolical interference in modes of divination where it is e"pressly or tacitly e"pected is of no avail, as actions speak louder than words. 1 scientific investigator in doubt about the ade=uacy of the means can e"periment to see if such superhuman intervention be a fact, but he should clearly e"press his opposition to all diabolical assistance. The divining rod, if used only for metals of water, may perhaps be e"plained naturallyG if used for detecting guilty persons, or things lost or stolen as such (which may be metals*, it is certainly a tacit method. To believe in most of the popular signs simply ignorance or weakness of mind. DIVINATION IN THE *I*LE The 3ebrews coming from %gypt .. a land teeming with diviners .. and dwelling in a country surrounded by superstitious tribes, would have their inborn desire for foreknowledge intensified by the spirit of the times and their environmentsG but 'od forbade them repeatedly to have anything to do with charmers, wizards, diviners, necromancers, etc., all of whom were abomination in 3is sight (Leut., "viii, &9, &&*. The ideal was in Balaam-s day when Kthere is no soothsaying in Bacob, nor divination in IsraelK (>umbers 2?)2?*, and to preserve this, the soul that went aside after diviner 'od declared 3e would destroy (;ev., "", H* and the man or woman in whom there was a divining spirit was to be stoned to death (;ev., "", 2J*. 'od however, as !t. +hrysostom puts it, humoured the 3ebrews like children, and to preserve them from e"cessive temptation, lots were allowed under certain conditions (Bos., vii, &7G >um., ""vi, 88G /rov., "vi, ??G in >.T. !ee also ;5T!*. 3ebrew seers were permitted to answer when it pleased 3im (5rigen, c. +els. I, """vi, """vii*, prophets might be consulted on private affairs (I N. i". H*, and the high priest could respond in greater matters by the Urim and Thummim. 'ifts were offered to seers and prophets when consulted, but the great prophets accepted no reward when they acted as 'od-s representatives (IO N., v. 29*. When the 3ebrews fell into idolatry, divination, which always accompanied idolatry, revived and flourished, but all during their history it is evident that secretly and again more openly wrongful arts were used and as a result condemnations were fre=uent (& N., "v, 2?G IO N., "vii, &JG Xach. ". 2G Is. "liv, 28 etc.*. It should be borne in mind that their history is very long one, and when we reflect how completely other nations were given over to all kinds of impious arts and silly observances we shall readily admit that the 3ebrews were in comparison J2 remarkably free from superstitions. When later these flourished more strongly and permanently it was during the decay of faith preceding and following the time of +hrist (see Bos. 1nt. Bud. YY, v, i, viii, HG Bell. Bud. OI, v, 2*. The Talmud shows the downward tendency. The various methods of divining and kinds of diviners are not always clearly distinguished in !criptureG the 3ebrew words being differently interpreted and sometimes merely synonyms. The following list is based on mainly upon ;esetre-s article in Oigourou"-s KLict. de la BibleK) .. Livination by consulting the &eraphim, small household gods of which we first read in the time of 1braham and ;aban ('en. """i, &M*. 3ow they were consulted is not known. It was apparently +haldean form, as ;aban came from that country. They are met with in Budges, "vii, 8G IO N., ""iii, 27, and elsewhere. They sometimes deceived their in=uirers (Xach., ", 2*. The Hartummim, a name translated by KinterpretersK (Oulg. con3ectores* in the Louay version ('en., "li, :*, elsewhere (Lan., ii, 2* by KdivinersK (Oulg. arioli* and other names, especially K+haldeansK. The Ha#amim are the wise men (Oulg. sapientes* of the Bible ('en., "li, :*, a name given those skilled in divination in %gypt, Idumea (1bd. :*, /ersia (%sth., i, &?*, Babylon (Ber., &, ?8*. 0esem or $i.sam designated divination in general and is always used in the !cripture in a bad sense e"cept in /rov., "vi, &9. By it the witch of %ndor raised up the dead !amuel (I N., ""viii, :*. KThe king of Babylon stood in the highway, at the head of two ways, seeking divination (.esem*, shuffling arrowsG he in=uired of the idols (teraphim*, and consulted entrailsK (%zech., ""i, 2&*. The arrows bore the signs or names of towns, and the first name drawn was the one to be attacked. This was Babylonian mode. The 1rabs practised it so) three arrows were prepared and the first inscribed, KThe ;ord wills itK, the second KThe ;ord wills it notK, and the third was blank. If the blank came a new drawing followed until an inscribed arrow was taken. The last method mentioned in te"t =uoted was aruspicy (Oulg. e*ta consuluit*. 8ahash is soothsaying (Oulg. au"urium* in the Bible (>um., ""ii, 2?*. The precise method signified by it is in dispute. The versions make it e=uivalent to divination by the flight of birds, but this mode, so common among the 'reeks and <omans, was apparently not used by the 3ebrews e"cept towards the time of +hrist. 4rom its derivation, as commonly accepted, it would mean divination by serpents, ophiomancy, but on the other hand it is never in this in the !criptures. Balaam-s divination by animal sacrifices is so termed (>um., ""iv, &* and also Boseph-s ('en., "liv, 8, &8* which remains a ve"ed =uestion in spite of +almet-s triumphant solution (Lict. of the Bible, III, p. ?9* e"cept reasonable e"planation of 'rotius be accepted (3ummelauer, +om. in 'en., p. 8H&*. $e#ashsheph is the magician (Oulg. maleficus* in %"., vii, &&, and the wizard in Leut, "viii, &9, who not only seeks the secrets of the future but works wonders. !t. J? /aul mentions two of their leaders, Bannes and #ambres, and their modes are styled sorceries (Oulg. veneficia* in IO N., i", 22 and (Oulg. maleficia* #icheas, v, &&. The word 'obh signifies the spirit called and the person calling him, the necromancer. In Leut., "viii, &&, it is e"pressed by Kseeking the truth from the deadK (the best known case is that of the witch of %ndor* and elsewhere by /ythons (Is., viii, &M*, divining spirits (I N., ""viii, J*. The !eptuagint translates the words by Kventrilo=uistK because when the necromancers failed or wished to deceive the people they muttered as if from under the ground as though spirits so spokeG it recalls !hakespeare-s of Ks=ueak and gibberK. (+f. Is., ""i", 7.* 1 bottle or skin water bag is 'obhG the use of the word here may come from the diviners containing the spirit or being inflated by it. The Yidde 'onim were diviners whom we generally find connected with necromancers, and the two terms are perhaps practically synonymous (I N., ""viii ?G IO N., ""i, HG etc*. Livining by $e'onen included apparently many methods) divination by chance words, as when 1braham-s servant sought a wife for lsaac ('en., ""iv, &7G I N., "iv, MG III N., "", ??*G auguries (Is., "i, H*G observers of dreams (Leut., "viii, &9*, etc. There were also modes by charming serpents (Ber., viii, &J*, astrology (Is, "lvii, &?*, and by consulting the %phod (I N., ""iii, M*. In the >.T. diviners are not specifically mentioned e"cept in 1cts, "vi, &H, concerning the girl who had a pythonical spirit, but it is altogether likely that !imon #agus (1cts, viii, M*, %lymas (1cts, "iii, H*, and others (II Tim., iii, &?*, including the possessors of the magical books burnt at %phesus (1cts, "i", &M*, practised divination and that it is included in the wonders by which 1ntichrist will seduce many (1poc., "i", 29*. Under the >ew ;aw all divination is forbidden because, placed on a higher plane than under the 5ld Lispensation we are taught not to be solicitous for the morrow (#att., vi, ?7*, but to trust 3im perfectly Who numbers the very hairs of our heads (#att., ", ?9*. In divination, apart from the fraud of the 4ather of ;ies, there was much merely human fraud and endless deception the predictions were generally as vague and as worthless as modern fortune telling, and the general result then as now favoured vice and in$ured virtue. !ince the mid.&MH9s, there has been an immense increase in the popularity of divination, or fortune telling, among young people all over the globe. Livination is an occult practice where a person foretells future events or gains secret knowledge regarding someone-s personality and life. /opular methods of divination are) astrology, tarot cards, palm reading psychic consultations, mediums and oui$a boards. Why have these practices (especially astrology* become so popular in our modern CscientificA culture0 Because people want personal guidance in their lives. /eople want to know the future, because knowledge of the future means control of the future. +ontrol of the future, through occult means, is supposed to give a person an advantage over others. This advantage entails power. /eople want to predestinate their own lives through foreknowledge. J7 1 key element in divination is that people seek this knowledge on their own terms. /sychics and those who cast astrology charts generally give out vague good news to their customers. If they gave out bad news, they would go out of business. CThis is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the ;ord) which say to seers, @!ee notG and to the prophets, @/rophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceitsA (Is. ?9)M,&9*. Therefore, astrologers, psychics and all diviners, by nature, are false prophets. CThe secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king. But there is a 'od in heaven that revealeth secrets (Lan. 2)2J,2:*. This does not mean that psychics have never been right. Through coincidence and demonic deception many people are deceived into becoming followers of these occult practices. When it comes to divination, !atan-s tactic is simple) give people what they want, tell them what they want to hear. CThe prophets prophesy falsely and my people love to have it soA (Ber. 8)?&*. /erhaps you are thinking, C+ome on whats the big deal0 I only read the astrology page in the newspaper.A 5r, C#y friends and I have a sSance once in a while, so what0 Its $ust good clean fun.A The basic problem with that thinking is that it is man.centred. It totally ignores what 'od has said regarding divination. The Bible says that 'od hates divination in any form with a holy hatred. CThou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of Zthe[ nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 4or all that do these things are an abomination unto the ;ordA (Leut. &:)M.&2*. If you are involved in astrology in any way, or if you consult with a psychic, you are detestable before 'od. Eou are an abomination in the sight of the ;ord. The Word of 'od speaks clearly and forcefully regarding this issue. 'od says that divination is worthless and deceitful, Cthey prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heartA (Ber. &7)&7*. The ;ord proclaims that diviners are liars and false prophets, Cthey prophesy a lie unto youA (Ber. 2J)&9*. 3e says that those who practice divination will not be a part of his people, Cthey shall not be in the assembly of my peopleA (%zek. &?) M*. 'od says that divination is false, futile, nonsense and lies, Ca vain vision, a lying divinationA (%zek. &?)J*. Liviners have not been sent by the ;ord 'od, Cthe ;ord hath not sent themA (%zek. &?)H*. The ;ord does not speak through them, Cye say, @The ;ord saith itG albeit I have not spokenA (%zek. &?)J*. 'od tells his people not to worry about the signs in the heavens (i.e. astrology*, because Cthe customs of the people Zincluding astrology[ are vainA (i.e. useless, futileG Ber. &9)?*. The ;ord through the prophet Isaiah proclaimed a severe $udgment against astrologers, CThou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. ;et now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. Behold, they shall be as stubbleG the fire shall burn themG they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flameG none shall save theeA (Is. J)&?.&8*. J8 In 1cts &H)&H.&:, a girl who had a spirit of divination (or, in modern $argon, was a CpsychicA*, had these powers only because she was possessed by a demon. 1postle /aul cast this demon out, in the name of Besus +hrist, and set the poor girl free of this dark oppression. Why does 'od hate divination0 Because it is a demonic, unauthorized form of revelation. 'od has given to mankind a perfect, infallible guide for salvation, life and godly living. This guide is the Bible. C1ll scripture is given by inspiration of 'od, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness) that the man of 'od may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good worksA, (2 Tim. ?)&H,&J*. When people re$ect, ignore or attempt to allegorise the Bible, in order to incorporate it into an occult or new age paradigm, they are asserting their independence from 'od. They insult the ma$esty of 'od. They are saying by their actions, CThe Bible is unnecessaryGA or, CThe Bible is not an ade=uate guide for living.A They are saying, CI-ll do it my way. I don-t need 'od telling me what to believe or how to act.A /ractitioners of divination, whether they realize it or not, are accepting the satanic doctrine of salvation and power through autonomy from 'od (cf. 'en. ?)&.HG Bud. 2&)28*. !atan was the first diviner in history. When 1dam and %ve obeyed !atan rather than 'od, they were seeking a shortcut to power and dominion. 'od had promised 1dam eternal life, if he perfectly obeyed 'ods command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 'od commanded 1dam and %ve Cto be fruitful and multiplyA and fill the earth ('en. &)2:*. 1dam was given dominion over the earth in order to develop a godly cultureDone that would glorify, obey and en$oy fellowship with the +reator. In order to develop a worldwide godly culture, mankind would be totally dependent on 'od-s Word (before the 4all through direct communication* for personal and societal ethics. If anyone needed personal guidance, they would receive it from 'od. 1dam and %ve re$ected 'od-s plan, believed !atan-s word and decided to follow their own ethical standard (cf. 'en. ?)&.H*. The result of disobedience to 'od-s word is death (cf. 'en. 2)&J*, spiritual death and slavery to sin and !atan in this lifeG physical death, hell and the lake of fire in the future. When people seek the answer to life-s problems through divination, they only make matters worse. It is a normal part of human nature that drives people to seek dominion over the earth. It is understandable that people want success in life. It is perfectly rational to seek out ways of overcoming life-s problemsG but to do so apart from 'od-s Word is a form of idolatry and self.worship. Besus +hrist said, C;ay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal) but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal) for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.... >o man can serve two masters) for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ee cannot serve 'od and mammon Zi.e. riches[.... But seek ye first the kingdom of 'od, and his righteousnessG and all these things shall be added unto youA (#att. H)&M.2&,27,??*. There is no neutrality. True success, and lasting dominion, can only come by placing +hrist first in your life. The only way to have a meaningful life is by believing in JH Besus +hrist and repenting of your wicked life.style. Instead of the vain, idiotic babbling of the diviners, you must submit to +hrist-s Word as your blueprint for living. /erhaps you are asking, CWhy do I need to believe in Besus +hrist0 1ren-t the accounts of 3is virgin birth, crucifi"ion and resurrection myths made up by the early +hristian church0A 1bsolutely not, The apostle /eter said, CWe have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known to you the power and coming of our ;ord Besus +hrist, but were eyewitnesses of his ma$estyA (2 /et. &)&H*. 'od came to earth and dwelt in human flesh (cf. /hil. 2)8.:*. 3e was born of a virgin, in Bethlehem (cf. #att. &)2?.2)&*. Besus lived a sinless life (cf. Bn. :)7H*. 3e was tortured and crucified as a blood atonement for his people. C+hrist Besus) whom 'od set forth to be a propitiation Zi.e. +hrist appeases 'od-s $ust wrath against sin[ through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of 'odG to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness) that he might be $ust, and the $ustifier of him which believeth in BesusA (<om. ?)27.2H*. Besus +hrist died on the cross and was laid in a tomb for three days (cf. #att. 2J)89,H9*. 5n the third day, he rose from the dead, victorious over sin, the world, death and !atan. CBut now is +hrist risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept Zi.e. died[. 4or since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 4or as in 1dam all die, even so in +hrist shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order) +hrist the first fruitsG afterward they that are +hrist-s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered the kingdom to 'od, even the 4ather, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 4or he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is deathA (& +or. &8)29.2H*. Besus +hrist ascended into heaven (cf. 1cts &)M* and sits on the right hand of 'od the 4ather (cf. 3eb. &)?*. Besus +hrist now personally intercedes for those who believe in him. CIf we confess our sins, he is faithful and $ust to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnessA (& Bn. &)M*. If you believe in the person and work of the ;ord Besus +hrist, you will be saved. Eou will have eternal life. C1nd as #oses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the !on of man be lifted up) that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 4or 'od so loved the world that he gave his only begotten !on that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 4or, 'od sent not his !on into the world to condemn the worldG but that the world through him might be saved. 3e that believeth on him is not condemned) but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten !on of 'odA (Bn. ?)&7.&:*. What about you0 1re you going to trust in Besus +hrist0 3ave you repented of your sins0 5r, will you continue to lead a life characterized by self.worship0 Livination won-t save you. It will drag you into the pit of hell, Cinto outer darkness) there shall be weeping and gnashing of teethA (#att. :)&2*. +opyright \ Brian !chwertley, ;ansing, #ichigan, &MM: JJ !o there you have it, This $ust about sums up the way that @The 5ccult is looked upon by those who are blinded by there own bigotry. !trange isnt it that spiritualists pray to Besus and sing +hristian hymns use the 3oly +ross, yet according to the above all of them are in @league with the Levil and are destined to an eternity of torment and plague, THE TOOLS 4E USE 'enerally speaking it is one or more of the three +lairs. +lairvoyance +lairaudience +lairsentient +lairvoyance) Basically means clear seeing) whether this is seeing a spirit of someone (although this really should be called mediumship* or seeing events, of the past present or future. +lairaudience Basically means clear hearing) again this might be a spirit telling you a message, or simply their name. 5r simply hearing noises you cant e"plain. #any people have reported walking down the street and hearing their name called out, =uite loudly and distinct. This generally is a sign that there is a message for you. 1t this time most people think that they are indeed going mad and seek some kind of professional help. +lairsentient) Basically means clear smelling) #any people have e"perienced walking into a room and smelling their departed mothers perfume, or fathers favourite tobacco. 5r maybe the smell of a favourite food cooking (Bread or apple pie*. This is generally believed to be simply a calling card. This specific spirit, $ust letting you know by remembering J: them in this way, that they are still with us, even though they may not be within our physical sight. 1lso under this heading comes feel, there again are numerous instances where a person has felt their hair being brushed. 1 gentle hand on their shoulder. 5ften times a spouse feeling the presence of a departed partner lying alongside them in bed. 1lthough clairvoyance is the general term, adapted by most to cover whatever means, they are able to glean the information. 1 clairvoyant will use all the senses of touch, taste sight and smell, sometimes all together. 5r maybe a permutation of any or all. Eou will of course see advertisements for people who say they are @Tarot <eaders @/alm <eaders. This simply means they have got their instructions from a book and the interpretation of whatever divinatory tool they use is from a removed source i.e. the instruction manual. 1s a @clairvoyant they use their innate psychic abilities to interpret whatever they may see and put this into perspective for you. The purest form of clairvoyance is simply using your mind, and @tuning in to the situation. %ven using e"tra tools, such as the I +hing, runes, tarot etc. !ometimes we can use various tools, as these to unlock a specific part of that cosmic mind, to help with the tuning. #any people will only use one particular tool, others will use many, and depending on the area they are looking into. It is like a plumber, sometimes he will use a wrench, other times it will be a big hammer, or even a blowtorch. The $ob itself dictates the tools to use. 1nd yes, you can sometimes use a hammer to drive in a screw. #y favourite tool is of course pure clairvoyance, followed a very close second by the Tarot cards. !imply because they can be used in so many different ways, and can cover so many different facets of a persons life, in one go. I personally feel an affinity to the tarot, so maybe I am a little biased in their favour. 3owever I also find that using crystals, gives me personally some very good insight. 1lthough I have spoke with many people who find it e"tremely difficult to get anything at all from either of these two sources, JM Th T!rot: The tarot is cartomancy or telling the future using playing cards. 4ive suits making a total of J: cards. >o one knows for sure the true history of the Tarot. It is generally considered to have begun in either %gypt or India, travelled over the World by gypsies, arriving into %urope where it eventually became our standard deck of playing cards. This is generally attributed to the 4rench. The Tarot is J: cards, made up of five suits. The 4rench deleted the #a$or 1rcana, leaving four suits, of fourteen cards, deciding that the page, and knight were too similar, the page was further deleted, leaving four suits of thirteen cards. 5ver the years the symbols on these suits have changed, from +oins.Liamonds, BatonsPsticks.+lubs, !words.!pades, +halicesPloving cups D 3earts. But their meanings remain the same. The ma$or arcane were branded the devils picture book, simply because of the picture of the devil that they contained. 1lso because of the story they tell, from zero (The 4ool* to twenty.one (The World* or the fools $ourney through life, and his fight against evil, or in some cases, the selling of his soul to the devil, for worldly wealth. :9 A T!rot E7rci" If you havent access to a Tarot pack, then an ordinary deck of cards will do. !imple think of a =uestion, that can be answered yesPno. !huffle the pack, whilst thinking of your =uestion. Whenever you @feel ready. !top and remove three cards .The one on the left will tell you where you are at this moment, why you are asking the =uestion. The centre one is either a bridge or a door, it will tell you if you are going to get this outcome, or not. The final card, on the right is the ultimate answer, and the why it will or wont. With a normal deck of cards, a person will simply ask a =uestion, whilst shuffling them. 1gain take out three cards. The black ones being against and the red being in favour. 1lthough the <omany ('ypsies* did not create the deck of cards, they did adapt their fortune.telling techni=ues to include the cards. The deck of choice was the regular deck of playing cards, not the Tarot. 3owever, by the &: th +entury they were using the Tarot as well as the regular deck. When reading in the <omany manner, pay close attention to the !evens. These cards are given special meaning, and give added significance to the area(s* where they fall. The special meanings are as follows) !even of Liamonds . your thoughts !even of !pades . your tears !even of 3earts . your $ealousies !even of +lubs . your worries :& &he 9: +ard ;ec# Traditionally, a <omany deck contains ?2 cards, 1ce, Ning, Rueen, Back, Ten, >ine, %ight and !even of each suit. #eanings are listed below.
Luck, good news, receipt of letter or newspaper House, pleasant news, love letter Business affairs, can mean sad news received Letter, gift, money, proposal of marriage Good Character, loyal man Affectionate person of fair appearance Untrustworthy man, widower Man with fair or grey hair, soldier ark, friendly woman Loving !londe woman "idow #air woman who can$t keep secrets ark, attractive young person, a friend Cheerful young person %erious young man, in law or medicine, can also mean deception &oung man in lesser position, may not !e relia!le %uccessful 'ourney Good fortune, luck in love %orrow, loss of freedom, sad 'ourney Money, 'ourney, change of home Une(pected good luck, positive outcome of legal matters "ishes fulfilled Loss, thwarted plans, !ad omen, health pro!lems ifficulties with wishes, sharp o!'ects, sudden events, firearms :2 Good friends Love from !londe person, marriage, dowry, furnishing a house, flirtation Low spirits, disappointments %hort trip, !rief love affair %uccess, )ecognition of good deed, small investment gives good return %mall pleasure or small wish fulfilled %uspense, decisions or arrangements to !e made Annoying or unfriendly remarks, si!ling, child or pet involved 1omany Spread >o +ourt card is selected. Leck is shuffled and spread out face down in a fan shape. Ruestioner selects twenty.one cards from the spread and hands them to the <eader. The cards are spread face up in the order that they were selected. The cards are read as follows) #any <omany spreads involve all thirty.two cards. There are two significant spreads, The 4our 4ans and the 4our Backs spreads. There is also a short reading spread, believed to have come from the <ussian <omany. &he -our -ans 'ood for a =uick, but thorough reading. 3ave Ruestioner shuffle cards. 3old all cards in deck loosely, and have Ruestioner choose eight cards (either one at a time or in groups*. Take the eight cards and place in lower left hand corner. +ontinue with the same method until all ?2 cards are used. :? &he -our <ac#s This spread can be used for a once.per.year reading or for any =uestion regarding timing. It could be used to find out when a planned event is most favourable, or to find out what will happen in a particular three.month period during the coming year. %ach Back stands for period of three months. The first three cards of each group stand for the individual months. The months are represented as follows) Back of +lubs . Banuary, 4ebruary, #arch Back of 3earts . 1pril, #ay, Bune Back of !pades . Buly, 1ugust, !eptember Back of Liamonds . 5ctober, >ovember, Lecember 4rom a deck of thirty.two, remove the four Backs. The Ruestioner shuffles the remainder. 4irst position is lower left. The Back of +lubs is set in the centre of the section. ;ay the first si" cards around the Back, and a seventh card covers it. 4ollow this for the remainder, laying the Back of 3earts in the second position in the upper left. The Back of !pades is positioned in the upper right, and the Back of Liamonds in the lower right. :7 /ay particular attention to any +ourt card appearing in the positions representing a month (+ard &, 2 or ? of each group*. The seventh card is considered to be the final outcome or advice of the cards. +ards 7, 8 and H link the advice card to the months. The seven cards in each spread can be used to represent the days of the week in a four.week period. 1ussian =ypsy 0uic# Spread Ruestioner shuffles the deck of thirty.two and places it face down before the <eader. The <eader selects the top two cards and places them at the top. The reader continues to pick pairs of cards until the Ning or Rueen of 3earts is found, depending upon the Ruestioners gender. 5nce the 3eart is found, it and its companion card are put aside. If the 3eart is first, then the reading is about a current situation. If the 3eart is the second card, then the reading is more about the Ruestioners thoughts and attitudes. 1fter the pair have been put aside, the remaining cards are carefully righted and put on top of the remaining deck. :8 Then the <eader selects three cards at random from the stack and places them below the pair. If the answer is clear, then no further cards are selected. If the answer is unclear, the reader may select no more than two more cards to add. To make the reading clear. The reading should not be pushed further. The <unes RU$E% & 'he (i)in Oracle 4or as long as anyone can tell, runes have been around helping people in the northern %uropean area and now they are making =uite a comeback on a worldwide basis due partly to commercialism and partly due to the unknown uprooting of many occult :H practices. /eople are looking for a better way to live and people are looking towards oracles for answers and guidance to their troubles. This is where the runes come into play. In this area, we will be looking at the meanings of runes and how they can help you. 1t this point, we will give only a brief overview of what they are and where they came from. This is only a survey. <unes come from the >ordic area where the ancient Oikings once lived, worked, and fought. Though they were relatively savage in their outings, the Oikings were people in touch with %arth and the many forces that coe"isted with them. They have a whole lore that includes many popular god figures such as Thor, the son of 5din. Thor carried a mighty hammer and many of us know him from comic books. The father of Thor, 5din, was the creator of the <unes and is the most important holy figure of the Oiking people. 5din hung upside down from a tree limb for a chance of higher knowledge and right before he came down from the tree limb, he was bestowed with the new system called the <unes. These symbols were used for writing and magic by the high priests. 5n this page, we will discuss the 28 runes most used today and their meanings. 5din, the >orse 3igh 'od of the 1esir, hung from the world tree, Eggdrasil, impaled on his own spear, for nine days and nights in order to gain the knowledge of runes. When the runes appeared below him, he reached down and took them up, and the runic knowledge gave him power. 3e later passed on this knowledge to the Oanir goddess 4reya. !he, in turn, taught him the magic of seidr. 3eimdall, the god who guarded the <ainbow Bridge, taught the runes to mankind. <unic alphabets first appeared among 'erman tribes in central and %astern %urope. !ome runes symbols are likely to have been ac=uired from other alphabets, such as the 'reek, %truscan, and the %arly <oman. The runes were made of straight lines to make the characters suitable for cutting into wood or stone. The earliest runic inscriptions on stone are dated to the late ?rd century 1L, although it is probable that runic alphabets had been in use for some centuries before. The 5ld 'ermanic <unic alphabet or K%lder 4utharkK contains 27 runes. The first si" runes of the alphabet spell out the word K4UT31<NK. 1s the runes spread northwards into !candinavia, some rune symbols were dropped and the alphabet was reduced to only &H runes. Between 799 and H99 1L, three 'ermanic tribes, the 1ngles, the !a"ons and the Butes, invaded Britain. They brought the runes with them. The forms of several of the runes changed, notably the runes for 1P5, +PN, 3, B, !, and >g. 1lso, changes in the language led to nine runes being added to the alphabet to compensate for the e"tra sounds, and several runes were given different corresponding letters. This alphabet, e"panded to ?? symbols, has become known as the 1nglo.!a"on 4uthorc. The rune names themselves have been passed down relatively intact. 1lthough no manuscript e"ists listing the names of the older, 'ermanic runes, the 1nglo.!a"on and !candinavian rune poems agree to such an e"tent that their common origin can be deduced. 3ere you can see number of <unic !cripts :J <unes are usually attributed to either the >orse or the +elts. +ommonly runes are made from wood. !hops bought ones are generally on a kind of small tile made from ceramic or resin. 3owever true >orse runes were carved from bone. 3uman bone, in fact the knuckle bones from their opposing tribes. >orse believed that to enter Oalhalla (>orse 3eaven* you could only do so fighting. 5bviously when opposing teams entered into heaven the fighting would continue. It was also believed that whatever you had on this life you should take with you into the ne"t. Therefore if you would continue to fight in heaven, it would be wise for the earthly shaman to remove your corpses hands, therefore it could not continue the celestial bash, >ot wanting to waste anything, the said van=uished hero would now be put to work divining the con=uerors future,, A Run E7rci" 1gain like the first tarot e"ercise, by simply thinking about things and picking three, your =uestion will be answered, <unes do not give reasons why. The other e"ercise you can try is to get the rune of your choice. %.g. !ig. (the rune for strength.* 'o to work and today go straight to your boss and ask about that promotion, or pay rise, that you have been putting off. To your surprise, you will get a favourable response. 1 lot of people make their own runes by collecting stones, from a river or the beach, and simply painting the sigils onto them. :: The runes are an ancient 'ermanic alphabet that probably dates back to the last couple centuries B.+. It is commonly believed that they were used for divination and magic, based on the many mentions of magical runes in >orse literature, such as this from the 3avamal, stanza &8J) ]at kann ek it t^lpta) ef ek sS _ trS uppi v_fa virgiln_, sva ek r`st ok ` ranom f_k, at s_ gengr gumi ok mblir vic mik. 1 twelfth (spell* I know) when I see aloft upon a tree 1 corpse swinging from a rope, Then I cut and paint runes !o that the man walks 1nd speaks with me. (Translation by <alph W. O. %lliott* 1 very early description of 'ermanic divination, which may have involved runes, is given by Tacitus in =ermania' chapter Y (date, 1L M:*) They, more than anyone, attend to omens and divination. Their custom with regards to divination is simple) They cut down a branch from a fruit.bearing tree, and chop it into twigsG they mark these with certain signs, and sprinkle them randomly upon a white cloth. Thereupon, the priest of the community, if it is a public matter, or the head of the household, if it is a private one, having called upon the gods, looks up to the sky and takes up three of the twigs, one after another, and interprets them ac cording to the signs previously carved on them. <econstructions of the #agic While te"ts like this make it a very plausible theory that the runes were used for magic and divination, we have no idea e"actly how they were so used. The runes all had names, and these names were very ancientG we have poems in three languages (with many similarities*, which contain short verses about the meanings of each name. 3owever, we have no direct evidence that these rune poems had anything to do with magic. 4or all we know, they were simply mnemonic or aesthetic) K+ is for cookieG that-s good enough for me...K But the hypothesis that these poems supply some key to the magical and divinatory meanings of runes .. and indeed, that these runes were the same as the notae in Tacitus and the r>nom in the 3avamal and so on .. are impossible for the romantic or the occultist to resist. :M 5nce this hypothesis is granted, we can go to great lengths to reconstruct a Theory of <unes, as %dred Thorsson has done. (If we believe Thorsson, the ancient 'ermanic tribes had an occult philosophy of such comple"ity it would have flabbergasted a Nab balist, We can also ignore @all ancient evidence about their meanings, and make up our own new system of meanings, as <alph Blum and many other authors has done. But in all of these cases what you end up with is a reconstruction. Why go to secondary sources0 Why settle for a reconstruction0 Bibliomancy There is a process of divination known as *i9'io(!nc-, which consists of randomly opening a work of literature and applying the first passage you see to the situation at hand. 5ne way to use the <unes for divination without going through a reconstruction is to use a set of runes associated with one of the <une /oems. #ake yourself a set of rune.cards, or rune.twigs, or find some other way to randomly choose runes. +hoose one or a few for each reading, and read the associated verses of the rune poem. ;et some elements of the poems $ump out at you. ;et those elements intertwine with each other and with the situation about which the divination is being made. 1dd a liberal dose of imagination and intuition, and voila, 1 divination, The 1nglo.!a"on <une /oem is admirably suited for this purpose. 5f the three e"tant rune poems, it is the least grim and dark, and it has the most runes. (The other two only have si"teen runes apiece.* I-ve provided this copy of a good translation of the rune poem for your edification. The Futh!r3 alphabet was used by the >orth %uropean 'ermanic peoples (the !wedish, >orwegian and Lanish* between the ?rd and &Jth centuries 1.L. 1bout ?899 stone monuments in %urope, concentrated mostly in !weden and >orway, are claimed to have been inscribed with this writing. The 4uthark alphabet, which is also called the Runic stemmed from the very same origin, as did the ancient Tur3i"h inscriptions with #o3tur3 alphabet. The <unic +haracters are written directionally from right to left, otherwise in normal from top to bottom rows, #uch of early 3ungarian history was recorded in runic writingsG . carved into stone, clay, leather and wood. Unfortunately most of it was destroyed, When !aint !tephen, 4irst +hristian Ning of 3ungary was converting the #agyar people to +atholicism, he ordered all reminders, ob$ects and writings of the /agan era to be destroyed throughout the nation. This of course was to ensure the steady forward course of religious conversion. Oery little historical evidence written in ancient 3ungarian <unic writing survived. Luring the rule of Ning (+orvinus* 3unyadi #atthias (#_ty_s &78:.&7M9* Khistory and its recordingK took an important role. <enowned for his humanistic views, the Ning was surrounded by scholarsG he was patron of the arts and sciences. Luring his M9 reign, a magnitude of the nation-s cultural contribution was e"posed. 4rom the mid &8th century more evidence of and references to the 1ncient 3ungarian <unic writing were found then previously. The Transylvanian 3ungarians (!zSkely #agyarok* deserve much of the credit for safeguarding, using and keeping the 1ncient 3ungarian <unic Writing alive. It is the intention of some 3ungarian scientists and linguists to bring back the use of <unic writing, which could be thought to the children in schoolsG possibly in heritage classes. ?ncient Hun"arian 1unic +haracters and $atchin" /resent ;ay ?lphabet !ince the oldest runic finds are ascribed to roughly the middle of the second century 1L, and since the script seems already to have been in use for some period when the characters are first found perhaps as much as a century* this can at least tell us something of what the oldest forms of 'ermanic were like at around the year &99 1L, then it is possible that this date of c. &99 1L is in fact the time when the script was first devised. M& Run N!( Lttr E?ui%!'nt Sound 4ehu 4 4 as in f at Uruz U U as in u nder Thurisaz Th Th diphthong as in t hin* or in "ea th er 1nsuz 1 1 as in a dd <aido < < as in r ed Nauno + (hard*, N + as in c at G N as in ) in 'ebo ' ' as is ood+ 'h as in lo ch
Wun$o W, O W as in " a,+ v as in v an 3agalaz 3 3 as in h at
>audiz > > as in n o"
Isa I (short* I as in s i t
Bera B, E B as in - am+ E as in y a! Ihwaz I (long* I as in s i te* E as in st y le /erth / / as in ! ot
1lgiz X X as in . one# ! as in cou s in (may also have been the rolling RRR heard in !cottish dialect*
!owilo + (soft*, ! + as in ni c e+ ! as s it M2
Tiwaz T T as in t o!
Berkanan B B as in / a
%hwaz % % as in e nd
#annaz # # as in m an ;aguz ; ; as in l et
Ingwaz >g >g dipthong as in fi n er
5thila 5 5 as in o ld* or in c o t
Lagaz L L as in d o 4ehu (4) Lomestic cattle, wealth.* /ossessions won or earned, earned income, luck. 1bundance, financial strength in the present or near future. !ign of hope and plenty, success and happiness. !ocial success. %nergy, foresight, fertility, creationPdestruction (becoming*. 4ehu <eversed or #erkstave) ;oss of personal property, esteem, or something that you put in effort to keep. It indicates some sort of failure. 'reed, burnout, atrophy, discord. +owardice, stupidity, dullness, poverty, slavery, bondage. Uruz) (U) 1uroch, a wild o".* /hysical strength and speed, untamed potential. 1 time of great energy and health. 4reedom, energy, action, courage, strength, tenacity, understanding, wisdom. !udden or une"pected changes (usually for the better*. !e"ual desire, masculine potency. The shaping of power and pattern, formulation of the self.. Uruz <eversed or #erkstave) Weakness, obsession, misdirected force, and domination by others. !ickness, inconsistency, ignorance. ;ust, brutality, rashness, callousness, violence. Thurisaz) (T3) Thorn or a 'iant.* <eactive force, directed force of destruction and defence, conflict. Instinctual will, vital eroticism, regenerative catalyst. 1 tendency toward change. +atharsis, purging, cleansing fire. #ale se"uality, fertilization. (Thorr, the Thunder god, was of 'iant stock.*Thurisaz <eversed or #erkstave) Langer, defencelessness, compulsion, betrayal, and dullness. %vil, malice, hatred, torment, spite, lies. 1 bad man or woman. <ape0 1nsuz) (1) The 1s, ancestral god, i.e. 5din.* 1 revealing message or insight, communication. !ignals, inspiration, enthusiasm, speech, true vision, power of words and naming. Blessings, the taking of advice. 'ood health, harmony, truth, wisdom. 1nsuz <eversed or #erkstave) #isunderstanding, delusion, and manipulation by others, boredom. Oanity and grandilo=uence. (5din is a mighty, but duplicitous god. 3e always has his own agenda.* M? <aidho (<) Wagon or chariot.* Travel, both in physical terms and those of lifestyle direction. 1 $ourney, vacation, relocation, evolution, change of place or setting. !eeing a larger perspective. !eeing the right move for you to make and deciding upon it. /ersonal rhythm, world rhythm, dance of life. <aidho <eversed or #erkstave) +risis, rigidity, stasis, in$ustice, and irrationality. Lisruption, dislocation, demotion, delusion, possibly a death. Nenaz) (N) Beacon or torch.* Oision, revelation, knowledge, creativity, inspiration, technical ability. Oital fire of life, harnessed power, fire of transformation and regeneration. /ower to create your own reality, the power of light. 5pen to new strength, energy, and power now. /assion, se"ual love. Nenaz <eversed or #erkstave) Lisease, break.up, instability, lack of creativity. >akedness, e"posure, loss of illusion and false hope. 'ebo) (') 'ift.* 'ifts, both in the sense of sacrifice and of generosity, indicating balance. 1ll matters in relation to e"changes, including contracts, personal relationships and partnerships. 'ebo #erkstave ('ebo cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition*) 'reed, loneliness, dependence, over.sacrifice. 5bligation, toll, privation, bribery. Wun$o) (W or O) Boy.* Boy, comfort, pleasure. 4ellowship, harmony, prosperity. %cstasy, glory, spiritual reward, but also the possibility of going Kover the topK. If restrained, the meaning is general success and recognition of worth. Wun$o <eversed or #erkstave) !tultification, sorrow, strife, and alienation. Lelirium, into"ication, possession by higher forces, impractical enthusiasm. <aging frenzy, berserker. 3agalaz) (3) 3ail.* Wrath of nature, destructive, uncontrolled forces, especially the weather, or within the unconscious. Tempering, testing, trial. +ontrolled crisis, leading to completion, inner harmony. 3agalaz #erkstave (3agalaz cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition*) >atural disaster, catastrophe. !tagnation, loss of power. /ain, loss, suffering, hardship, sickness, crisis. >authiz) (>) >eed.* Lelays, restriction. <esistance leading to strength, innovation, need.fire (self.reliance*. Listress, confusion, conflict, and the power of will to overcome them. %ndurance, survival, determination. 1 time to e"ercise patience. <ecognition of one-s fate. #a$or self.initiated change. 4ace your fears. >authiz <eversed or #erkstave) +onstraint of freedom, distress, toil, drudgery, and la"ity. >ecessity, e"tremity, want, deprivation, starvation, need, poverty, emotional hunger. M7 Isa) (I) Ice.* 1 challenge or frustration. /sychological blocks to thought or activity, including grievances. !tandstill, or a time to turn inward and wait for what is to come, or to seek clarity. This rune reinforces runes around it. Isa #erkstave (Isa cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition*) %gomania, dullness, blindness, and dissipation. Treachery, illusion, deceit, betrayal, guile, stealth, ambush, plots. Bera) (B or E) 1 year, a good harvest.* The results of earlier efforts are realized. 1 time of peace and happiness, fruitful season. It can break through stagnancy. 3opes and e"pectations of peace and prosperity. The promise of success earned. ;ife cycle, cyclical pattern of the universe. %verything changes, in its own time. Bera #erkstave (Bera cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition*) !udden setback, reversals. 1 ma$or change, repetition, bad timing, poverty, conflict. %ihwaz) (%I) Eew tree.* !trength, reliability, dependability, trustworthiness. %nlightenment, endurance. Lefence, protection. The driving force to ac=uire, providing motivation and a sense of purpose. Indicates that you have set your sights on a reasonable target and can achieve your goals. 1n honest man who can be relied upon. %ihwaz <eversed or #erkstave) +onfusion, destruction, dissatisfaction, and weakness. /erthro) (/) ;ot cup, vagina.* Uncertain meaning, a secret matter, a mystery, hidden things and occult abilities. Initiation, knowledge of one-s destiny, knowledge of future matters, determining the future or your path. /ertaining to things feminine, feminine mysteries including female fertility, and vagina. 'ood lot, fellowship and $oy. %volutionary change. /erthro <eversed or #erkstave) 1ddiction, stagnation, loneliness, and malaise. 1lgiz) (X or .<) %lk, protection.* /rotection, a shield. The protective urge to shelter oneself or others. Lefence, warding off of evil, shield, and guardian. +onnection with the gods, awakening, higher life. It can be used to channel energies appropriately. 4ollow your instincts. Neep hold of success or maintain a position won or earned. 1lgiz <eversed) or #erkstave) 3idden danger, consumption by divine forces, loss of divine link. Taboo, warning, turning away, that which repels. !owilo) (!) The sun.* !uccess, goals achieved, honour. The life force, health. 1 time when power will be available to you for positive changes in your life, victory, health, and success. +ontact between the higher self and the unconscious. Wholeness, power, elemental force, sword of flame, cleansing fire. !owilo #erkstave (!owilo cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition*) 4alse goals, bad counsel, false success, gullibility, loss of goals. Lestruction, retribution, $ustice, casting down of vanity. Wrath of god. M8 Tiwaz) (T) Tyr, the sky god.* 3onour, $ustice, leadership and authority. 1nalysis, rationality. Nnowing where one-s true strengths lie. Willingness to self.sacrifice. Oictory and success in any competition or in legal matters. Tiwaz <eversed or #erkstave) 5ne-s energy and creative flow are blocked. #ental paralysis, over. analysis, over.sacrifice, in$ustice, imbalance. !trife, war, conflict, failure in competition. Lwindling passion, difficulties in communication, and possibly separation. Berkano) (B) Berchta, the birch.goddess.* Birth, general fertility, both mental and physical and personal growth, liberation. <egenerative power and light of spring, renewal, promise of new beginnings, new growth. 1rousal of desire. 1 love affair or new birth. The prospering of an enterprise or venture. Berkano <eversed or #erkstave) 4amily problems and or domestic troubles. 1n"iety about someone close to you. +arelessness, abandon, loss of control. Blurring of consciousness, deceit, sterility, and stagnation. %hwaz) (%) 3orse, two horses.* Transportation. #ay represent a horse, car, plane, boat or other vehicle. #ovement and change for the better. 'radual development and steady progress are indicated. 3armony, teamwork, trust, loyalty. 1n ideal marriage or partnership. +onfirmation beyond doubt the meanings of the runes around it. %hwaz <eversed or #erkstave) This is not really a negative rune. 1 change is perhaps craved. 4eeling restless or confined in a situation. <eckless haste, disharmony, mistrust, betrayal. #annaz) (#) #an, mankind.* The !elfG the individual or the human race. Eour attitude toward others and their attitudes towards you. 4riends and enemies, social order. Intelligence, forethought, create, skill, ability. Livine structure, intelligence, awareness. %"pect to receive some sort of aid or cooperation now. #annaz <eversed or #erkstave) Lepression, mortality, blindness, self.delusion. +unning, slyness, manipulation, craftiness, calculation. %"pect no help now. ;aguz) (;) Water, or a leek.* 4low, water, sea, a fertility source, the healing power of renewal. ;ife energy and organic growth. Imagination and psychic matters. Lreams, fantasies, mysteries, the unknown, the hidden, the deep, the underworld. !uccess in travel or ac=uisition, but with the possibility of loss. ;aguz <eversed or #erkstave) 1n indication of a period of confusion in your life. Eou may be making wrong decisions and poor $udgements. ;ack of creativity and feelings of being in a rut. 4ear, circular motion, avoidance, withering. #adness, obsession, despair, perversity, sickness, suicide. MH Ingwaz) (>') Ing, the earth god.* #ale fertility, gestation, internal growth. +ommon virtues, common sense, simple strengths, family love, caring, human warmth, the home. <est stage, a time of relief, of no an"iety. 1 time when all loose strings are tied and you are free to move in a new direction. ;isten to yourself. Ingwaz #erkstave (Ingwaz cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition*) Impotence, movement without change. /roduction, toil, labour, work. Lagaz) (L) Lay or dawn.* Breakthrough, awakening, awareness. Laylight clarity as opposed to night time uncertainty. 1 time to plan or embark upon an enterprise. The power of change directed by your own will, transformation. 3opePhappiness, the ideal. !ecurity and certainty. 'rowth and release. Balance point, the place where opposites meet. Lagaz #erkstave (Lagaz cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition*) 1 completion, ending, limit, coming full circle. Blindness, hopelessness. 5thala) (5) 1ncestral property.* Inherited property or possessions, a house, a home. What is truly important to one. 'roup order, group prosperity. ;and of birth, spiritual heritage, e"perience and fundamental values. 1id in spiritual and physical $ourneys. !ource of safety, increase and abundance. 5thala <eversed or #erkstave) ;ack of customary order, totalitarianism, slavery, poverty, homelessness. Bad karma, pre$udice, clannishness, provincialism. What a man is bound to. Blank <une) There is no historical support for a KBlank <uneK in runic divination. It was invented in the &M:9-s. It should not be used in a rune casting. If you bought a rune set with a blank piece, save it in case you lose another rune piece, but don-t use it in rune casting. #y sets of runes were to be used primarily for divination, so I wanted something robust and lasting. <unes have traditionally been made from a variety of materialsG many modern sets are made from wood. But runes, to me, have always been linked to stone, and so I decided to make my set from stones. Which rune script to use0 The choice here was pretty simple. The %lder 4uthark is the oldest, simplest, and has the most work written about it. !o the %lder it was. To me, many depictions of the runes have the proportions all wrongG there is no homogeneity of form. 1 rune set drawn by the same hand should, like handwriting, carry some consistency across the forms. !everal evenings were spent trying.out various forms before I settled on the ones shown here. MJ Why these0 Well, for a start they hang together well (to my eye* to form a clean. looking alphabet. !cripts in this set look like scripts and not $ust haphazard masses of symbols. The ne"t decision was regarding the blank rune, Wyrd. It-s a fairly recent innovation but that doesn-t make it any less validG it works well for some people. But to me the twenty.four %lder runes sit together K$ust soK and don-t need the e"tra rune. A Run Ritu!' Before starting, make sure that everything is in place. 'ather a large bowlful stones to choose from, arrange tools and notes. #ake sure the work area is comfortable. ;ight a suitable incense and arrange lighting, music etc. #usic might seem an odd choice but I found something powerful and non.invasive. The $ob took over three hours to complete, and repeating the same classical tape kept my mind on the $ob. Toast 5din, the workplace and myself with mead. Bearing in mind the character of the runes, select twenty.four suitable stones from the stone hoard and arrange them ready to start. While working on a single rune, contemplate its nature and generally Kconnect with the rune energyK. <epeat until they are all carved. Wash the stones and allow them to dry. ;eave them over night under a full moon #i" up the paint from egg yolk, iron ochre powder and a drop of your own blood drawn with a suitable knife. The blood serves to link me to this set of runes and to energise them. There are many instances of this practice in the literatureG it-s not as ghoulish as it may seem. While painting each rune, again connect with it, filling the form with the rune-s meaning. When finished, again salute 5din, the runes and myself, and throw open the doors. ;et the fug clear, put the dry runes away, and tidy up. M: 4or the ne"t few weeks I carry the new set of runes with you. This allows them to become something intimately KmineK (Lo not be precious about who touches or uses themG they are however your runes,*. Luring this period you should use and handle them =uite e"tensively. >ow put them somewhere safe and bring them out when needed. The three.norn reading refers to the three norns, Oiking 4ates. 5ne draws three stones at random) one represents the past, one the present and one the future. The way they relate, as well as the individual runes, is relevant, but here is not the place to go into a how.to on a sub$ect I-m pretty new to myself. The single.draw snapshot is straightforwardG pull one stone. It can be harder to interpret because conte"t is all.important. 5ne method I find useful is to have a dialogue while divining. !o I may ask, KWhat will happen to my $ob0K and get a reading. Based on that reading, I may go on to ask, K5kay, what if I push for a raise0K and get another. Then perhaps, K5kay, forget the raise, what if I-m meek and good0K and another reading. This builds a picture that I find much more accurate and meaningful than a single reading. It-s especially good with relationships. 4irst, let-s look at the ma$or runic alphabets (called KfutharksK based upon the first si" symbols*. There are many other variants, but the %lder, 1nglo.!a"on, and Eounger 4utharks are the most well known. <unes were used to write many languages including, 'othic, 'erman, 4risian, %nglish, Lanish, !wedish, >orwegian, Icelandic, ;ithuanian, <ussian, 3ebrew and other !emitic languages (due to trade relations with the Nhazars, a !emitic tribe of traders of the !ilk <oad*. The runes might be read from left to right or from right to left, even on the same artefact. Translation of runic inscriptions is therefore e"tremely difficult, and complicated by the fact that rune masters sometimes wrote cryptic puzzles or in secret script. MM Th 4itch"@ run" The Witches- runes as I am going to show them here are the ones described by /atricia +rowther in her book K;id off the +auldronK. There are only eight of them, and the symbols are deceptively simple. %ach pictogram looks very much like the earliest forms of writing, used by hunter.gatherer tribes thousands of years ago. #s +rowther didn-t give any hint of the origins of this particular set, e"cept to say that they are an ancient form of divination Th Sun This is the rune of success and positive outcome. It can denote progress and personal enrichment in life, as well as being the rune for KyesK in a reading for a straightforward =uestion. 1cts like the outcome card for the tarot when is the leading stone (furthest from you*. Th Moon The four K"K marks represent the four main phases of the moon, and accordingly you can e"pect changes to occur within the ne"t 2: days. This stone is particularly feminine and often appears in response to =uestions about women-s issues such as the menses or pregnancy. This rune is a messengerG telling you to be aware that big changes are coming to your life. Whether that change will be positive or negative is best found by relating it to the rune closest to it. Rin&" This is the rune of love, and when it is the leading stone it is a positive answer to your =uestion. It can also mean engagement, marriage or a newPrenewed relationship about to emerge, sometimes speaking of the need to refresh and find a new approach in an e"isting partnership.
Cro""d S2!r" The symbol of the crossed spears signifies arguments, negative events) strife of an upsetting nature, rather like the Tower card in the tarot. If it is near to a positive rune it may indicate the end of a =uarrel and repair of any damage done. %specially if it lies with the <ings, where it indicates the healing of a personal relationship or renewal of a partnership. &99 /ositively, if you are in the army, navy or air force this rune could mean you are due a promotion at work, or if you are ill a speedy and successful recovery. 4!% The Wave rune is to do with the people around you, your friends and family and their influence upon you. #uch of it-s meaning is derived by the other stones closest to it. 1s the Wave symbol may represent the sea, this rune is also associated with travel. 1 $ourney abroad is indicated especially if the !un rune is nearby, but a $ourney for someone close to you if the #oon stone is closest. When cast near the <ings it foretells a holiday or long distance relationship. *ird" 1 trio of birds carry a message of some une"pected news that may alter your life completely, particularly if this rune leads. 'enerally the news will lead to a positive change . look at the runes lying closest to it for a deeper insight into its nature. The Birds can also mean the arrival of news about friends or family you haven-t seen for a while, whether they live abroad or you $ust lost touch. ;etters, documents and any other form of written communicationPrecords should be watched out for because they will bring happiness. E!r o/ Corn This stone uses the symbolism of harvest to show abundance, success and happiness. This is a lucky rune and if leading is very positive about your =uery-s outcome, whether it be about finances, business, friendship, partnership or spiritual =uesting. !pecifically, with the <ings it indicates a happy and prosperous marriage, with the !un it foretells fast progress and success in your chosen career, and with Waves, success abroad. Th *'!c3 Run This is a rune of difficultyG I see it as under the $urisdiction of the sphere K'eburahK on the Tree of ;ife. >egative influences rule your life for a time, but all losses and unhappiness are learning e"periences and will lead to an improved personal perspective and progress on your life-s path. 1gain, the meaning of this rune depends on the stones lying nearest to itG when it lies with a positive stone it indicates that the pain and this e"perience will lead to a beneficial change in circumstances. 1lways relate this rune to the runes lying around it. &9& C!"tin& &. +ast the runes in the manner of diceG also, cast all of them at once. 2. 1 rune is only relevant to a reading if it falls face up. ?. The leading, or most important, rune in a reading is the one furthest from you. 7. If a casting results in all the runes being facedown, this is like the blank rune in the Oiking oracle, you are not meant to know the answer. Eou shouldn-t attempt another reading for at least one week. 8. The runes are not a toy. &92 V!riou" !'2h!9t" !r u"d /or di%in!tion !ome of the following are classed as scripts. 1nd would be used as an alternative alphabet, by seers, fortune tellers etc, to take and keep notes and so that their own countrymen could not read their secrets. Hr -ou c!n " nu(9r o/ Runic Scri2t" KThe %lder 4uthark is thought to be the oldest version of the runic alphabet, and was used in the parts of %urope which were home to 'ermanic peoples, including !candinavia. 5ther versions probably developed from it. The names of the letters are shown in +ommon 'ermanic, the reconstructed ancestor of all 'ermanic languages.K &9?
K1 number of e"tra letters were added to the runic alphabet to write 1nglo.!a"onP5ld %nglish. <unes were probably bought to Britain in the 8th century by the 1ngles, !a"ons, Butes and 4risians (collectively known as the 1nglo.!a"ons*, and were used until about the &&th century. <unic inscriptions are mostly found on $ewellery, weapons, stones and other ob$ects. Oery few e"amples of runic writing on manuscripts have survived. K KThis version of the runic alphabet was used sporadically in !candinavia, in particular in Lenmark and !weden, until about the &Jth century.K ZThere are variants of the Eounger 4uthark also. The commonality of symbols of all of the following alphabets makes sense when one considers the migration of ancient peoples from the east to the west. The people and languages of northern %urope are considered KIndo.%uropeanK because of this migration. It-s not unreasonable that customs, languages, alphabets, mythology, etc. share common origins. !taggering, isn-t it, &97 KThe %truscan alphabet is thought to have been developed from the 'reek alphabet by 'reek colonists in Italy. The earliest known inscription dates from the middle of the Hth century B+. #ore than &9,999 %truscan inscriptions have been found on tombstones, vases, statues, mirrors and $ewellery. 4ragments of an %truscan book made of linen have also been found. #ost %truscan inscriptions are written in horizontal lines from left to right, but some are boustrophedon (running alternately left to right then right to left*. Used to write) %truscan, a language spoken by the %truscans, who lived in %truria (Tuscany and Umbria* between about the :th century B+ and the &st century 1L. ;ittle is known about the %truscans or their language.K 1rchaic %truscan alphabet (Jth.8th centuries B+* >eo.%truscan alphabet (7th.?rd centuries B+*
&98 KThe #essapic alphabet is thought to have derived directly from the 'reek alphabet, rather than developing from the %truscan alphabet. The only known inscriptions in the #essapic alphabet date from the 2nd and &st centuries B+. The #essapic language was not related to other languages of Italy.K &9H KThe <omans used $ust 2? letters to write ;atin. There were no lower case letters, and N, Y, E and X used only for writing words of 'reek origin. The letters B, U and W were added to the alphabet at a later stage to write languages other than ;atin. B is a variant of I, U is a variant of O, and W was introduced as a -double.v- to make a distinction between the sounds we know as -v- and -w- which was unnecessary in ;atin.K
But what other alphabets may have influenced runes0 <emember that over the millennia there was a great migration of people, spreading from the birthplace of mankind, in the Kmiddle eastK to what are now %urope and northern 1frica. 1ncient people did travel..a lot..and long before the Oikings became known as e"plorers and traders. K3ungarian runes (!zSkely <ov_s`r_s* are descended from the Ndk Turki script used in +entral 1sia. The !zSkler #agyars in 3ungary used them before Istv_n, the first +hristian king of 3ungary, ordered all pre.+hristian writings to be destroyed. In remote parts of Transylvania however, the runes were still used up until the &:89s. 3ungarian runes were usually written on sticks in boustrophedon style (alternating direction right to left then left to right*. The runes include separate letters for all the phonemes of 3ungarian and are in this respect better suited to written 3ungarian than the ;atin alphabet. K &9J The upper rune rows are the %lder 4uthark variants. The lower rune row shows the Turkish <unes and their phonetic e=uivalents. KThe Tifinagh or Tifinigh ab$ad is thought to have derived from the ancient Berber script. ZBerbers were mountain people, who lived in northwestern 1frica, in what is now #orocco.[ The name Tifinagh means -the /hoenician letters-, or possibly comes from the 'reek word for writing tablet, -p`naks-. It is not taught in schools, but is still used occasionally by the Tuareg for private notes, love letters and in decoration. 4or public purposes, the 1rabic alphabet is used.K &9: KThe !outh 1rabian alphabet is known from inscriptions found in southern 1rabia dating from between H99 B+ and H99 1L. Its origins are not known. The !outh 1rabian alphabet, like 1rabic and 3ebrew, includes only consonants. It was written from right to left in horizontal lines. The top row of letters are written in monumental style, while the bottom row of letters are in cursive style. K KThe !abaean or !abaic alphabet is one of the south 1rabian alphabets. The oldest known inscriptions in this alphabet date from about 899 B+. Its origins are not known, though one theory is that it developed from the Byblos alphabet. The !abaean alphabet, like 1rabic and 3ebrew, includes only consonants. Unlike 1rabic and 3ebrew, !abaean has no system for vowel indication. In most inscriptions it is written from right to left, in some it is written in boustrophedon style (alternating right to left and left to right*. It was used to write !abaean, an e"tinct !emitic language spoken in !aba, the biblical !heba, in southwestern 1rabia. The !abaeans managed to unite southern 1rabia into a single state by the ?rd century 1L, but were con=uered by the 1byssinians in 828 1L. K
&9M <unes are an ancient 'ermanic alphabet, used for writing, divination and magick. They were used throughout northern %urope, !candinavia, the British Isles, and Iceland from about &99 B.+.%. to &H99 +.%. <unic inscriptions of great age have even been found in >orth 1merica, supporting stories that the Oikings arrived in the 1mericas long before +olumbus. Tacitus, in +hapter Y of his 'ermania, describes a form of divination used by 'ermanic tribes) "&o divination and castin" of lots' they pay attention beyond any other people. &heir method of castin" lots is a simple one they cut a branch from a fruit(bearin" tree and divide it into small pieces which they mar# with certain distinctive si"ns and scatter at random onto a white cloth. &hen' the priest of the community if the lots are consulted publicly' or the father of the family if it is done privately' after invo#in" the "ods and with eyes raised to heaven' pic#s up three pieces' one at a time' and interprets them accordin" to the si"ns previously mar#ed upon them." <unes are an oracle from which one seeks advice. They work best if you detail your current circumstances and then ask a specific =uestion. <une readings are sometimes obscure. They hint toward answers, but you have to figure out the details. This is when the rune casters intuition becomes paramount. <unic divination or Krune castingK is not Kfortune tellingK in the sense that one actually sees the future. Instead, runes give one a means of analysing the path that one is on and a likely outcome. The future is not fi"ed. It changes with everything one does. If one does not like the prediction, one can always change paths. !ince ancient times, runes have been used for divination and magic, in addition to writing. The word KruneK actually means mystery, secret or whisper. %ach rune has esoteric meanings and properties associated with it, beyond its mundane meaning and phonetic value. %ach translates into a word or a phrase signifying concepts important to the early peoples who used them, representing the forces of nature and mind. %ach rune has a story attached to it, a relationship to a >orse 'od. <unic alphabets first appeared among 'erman tribes in central and %astern %urope. !ome runes symbols are likely to have been ac=uired from other alphabets, such as the 'reek, %truscan, and the %arly <oman. The runes were made of straight lines to make the characters suitable for cutting into wood or stone. The earliest runic inscriptions on stone are dated to the late ?rd century 1L, although it is probable that runic alphabets had been in use for some centuries before. The 5ld 'ermanic <unic alphabet or K%lder 4utharkK contains 27 runes. The first si" runes of the alphabet spell out the word K4UT31<NK. 1s the runes spread northwards into !candinavia, some rune symbols were dropped and the alphabet was reduced to only &H runes. Between 799 and H99 1L, three 'ermanic tribes, the 1ngles, the !a"ons and the Butes, invaded Britain. They brought the runes with them. The forms of several of the runes changed, notably the runes for 1P5, +PN, 3, B, !, and >g. 1lso, changes in the language led to nine runes being added to the alphabet to compensate for the e"tra sounds, and several runes were given different &&9 corresponding letters. This alphabet, e"panded to ?? symbols, has become known as the 1nglo.!a"on 4uthorc. The rune names themselves have been passed down relatively intact. 1lthough no manuscript e"ists listing the names of the older, 'ermanic runes, the 1nglo.!a"on and !candinavian rune poems agree to such an e"tent that their common origin can be deduced. 5ne who aspires to become adept with runes must have some knowledge of the mythology, history, and culture of ancient %urope and !candinavia. The kenning of rune lore is ine"tricably dependent upon these. #uch of what you find here will merely point you in the right direction. The rest is up to you. Lelve as lightly or as deeply as you wish. &&& MEDIUMSHIP #ediumship is an interesting process considering we have little to no control on the outcome of each session. %ach reading is uni=ue and has it-s own special and personal earmarkings. >o, psychic medium reading is alike and you will not e"perience it in the same way even twice. #ediums are as almost as varied as their readings. %ach carrying their own uni=ue style into the work. But there are some constants in mediumship that you should be made aware of. O1;IL1TI5>) True mediumship seeks validation from the spirits that come through. There are many ways for a spirit to validate who they are to you. Eou, being the person that is receiving the reading and desiring the contact. In mediumship circles the person or persons being read for are know as the sitter or sitters. Eou, as the sitter have a very special $ob during a reading. By your personal knowledge or through the personal knowledge of others known to the spirit you can validate or invalidate certain information that comes froth as the result of a medium reading. !ome of this information can be validated during the course of a reading while some information may re=uire validation after the reading with friends or other family members whom are privy to this certain info. 3ere are some e"amples of ways in which a spirit may try to validate who they are) !ometimes the medium will get the names very clearly or $ust the initial. 1lso the spirit-s personality traits may be described. #ost spirits are willing to show how they passed to the medium. 5ften spirits will give important dates of reference to further validate themselves. They have been known to mention other family members. !ometimes calling them by name. They have also been known to mention a recent event even if small in your current life or other family members lifes to show awareness of the here and now and their spiritual presence at the event. They have been known to show past events. They have even been known show their favourite flower, book, song or any favourite &&2 from their life or even yours. 1nd $ust to surprise us. They have even been known to find some really uni=ue way of validating themselves that we probably have not even thought of yet. 1ll in all. The spirit may choose to use any of the above methods or even none of them. But they will find a way to validate them. !ometimes a sitter will hold out for a specific validation that they asked the spirit for in advance. !ometimes this method works but also a lot of times it doesnt. That is why it is very important not to place any preconceived e"pectations on the reading. If you get your special validation great and if you do not, $ust know that it is not always possible. That is $ust the way things are, It is a good idea during a medium reading to take notes or even tape record the reading. Because you will want some kind of record of information received. 1nd you will not want to depend on memory to help you sort out the information later. 5ne reason is because medium readings can have an overwhelming effect initially and you would most likely forget more than you remembered. 1 medium reading is and always should be considered a special event in a person-s life. Because within this most wonderful process we call psychic mediumship you receive the most important validation of all. E5U 1<% 1> %T%<>1; !/I<IT, +lairvoyance and mediumship are generally associated together, although, really they are totally different fields. I personally have always been interested in what is called /hysical mediumship. This is where the medium actually produces physical phenomenon i.e. a spirit in ectoplasm .Un fortunately I have never met a medium that could do this. I have seen numerous fakes. The Oictorian times were fraught with such people and the likes of !ir 1rthur +onan Loyle and 3arry 3oudini made it their personal =uest to show these charlatans for what they really were. &&? ? %oo# at /hysical $anifestations K/hysical mediumship is the process whereby someone, in !pirit, usually known as a spirit operator (as compared to a spirit communicator*, works or operates through the mental 1>L physical energies of the medium and causes something physical to happen on the %arth plane. /hysical mediumship is ob$ective in natureG that is, when the phenomena occur, everyone is able to see andPor hear them.K The implications, here, are really =uite staggering) #ind is capable of affecting matter. /erhaps this is the most pertinent implication lying at the foundation of physical mediumship. What makes a physical medium0 #ediumship is an inherent element of the !pirit. Therefore, to some degree, everyone can develop the ability to link with !pirit and, thus, be receptive to the influences coming from those in !pirit. But, not everyone can become a physical medium. Unlike evidential mediumship, which can, to some degree, be developed within most people, physical mediumship re=uires certain elements to be present within the physical organism of the medium. %ither you have those elements or you do not. 4irst, there must be an abundance of what is known as etheric matter within the etheric vehicle. The etheric vehicle is a subtle counterpart of the physical body, which performs two basic functions) 5ne) It acts as a battery, or storehouse, for certain types of vital energies that come from the sun (prana* and from the earth (kundalini*. This energy vitalizes the dense physical body, in a way that compliments the energy that we receive from the various foods we eat. Two) It acts as a bridge of consciousness between the spirit and the body. !pecifically, it acts as a bridge of energy and consciousness between the astral body and the physical body. The etheric vehicle is comprised of matter that is far more refined and subtle than the rarest of physical matter (hydrogen*. To the clairvoyant, the etheric vehicle appears as a thin, luminous band of light and energy surrounding the physical body by appro"imately one inch. It tends to have a silvery.blue.grey colour and varies in intensity and brilliance, depending upon the general health and energy disposition of the individual. Illness and physical e"haustion tend to weaken the etheric vehicle, as do long periods of cloudy weather. 5n the other hand, good health causes the etheric vehicle to appear more brilliant and energized. 1nton #esmer, the father of modern.day hypnosis, conducted a great deal of research on etheric energy.matter. 3e called it Kanimal magnetism.K In his researches, he ascertained that certain people had an abundance of this vital energy.matter. 4urthermore, this energy could be transferred from those who had an abundance of it &&7 to those who seemed lacking in it. They could do this through mentally directing this energy as they moved their hands over the individual-s aura. 3e called this type of activity Kmagnetic passes.K It forms the basis for the laying.on.of.hands. 4inally, he discovered that certain people could be put into a state of sleep, or trance, through these magnetic passesG and, in that condition, they e"hibited paranormal abilities, such as clairvoyance, etc. This was called #esmerism and, later, became the foundation for modern.day hypnosis. 3ow does !pirit work with a physical medium0 In physical mediumship, the #edium uses this abundance of etheric energy and matter in order to produce the various manifestations. They do this e"actly as 1nton #esmer discovered) through the directed use of mind, they release this energy.matter from the physical medium-s body and use it. #ost often, although not always, the medium must be in a state of rather deep trance. This helps place the medium-s mind on the sideline, so to speak, thus allowing the intelligence of the spirit operator to work with and manipulate the etheric energy. matter. !pirit tells us that they assist the medium in attaining this trance state through a process not unlike that of #esmer-s magnetic passes. Luring the manifestations, the physical medium usually sits within an enclosed area, called a cabinet. This helps focus the energies and creates a type of battery from which the phenomena can be built and energized. There is usually a curtain in front of the cabinet that can be spread apart in order for people to see what is going on within the cabinet. 1nother condition that seems to prevail in physical mediumship is that of darkness. #ost physical phenomena take place in darkened =uarters, with a dim red light providing the only light source. !pirit tells us that white light tends to inhibit the phenomena, while dim red light energizes it. Unfortunately, this condition has, over the years, tended to foster an amazing barrage of cheating and fraud within the realm of physical mediumship. These conditions do not allow people to see very well and can create a psychological effect that fosters the seeds for figment of imagination. What is ectoplasm0 >andor 4odor, in his Encyclopaedia of /sychic Science' describes ectoplasm as follows) K1 mysterious protoplasmic substance streaming out of the body of the medium by the manipulation of which, either by the subconscious self or by discarnate intelligences, phenomena of a super.physical order, including partial and complete materialization, are produced. The word was originated by /rofessor <ichet . . . The first thing that has been definitely established is that ectoplasm is matter, invisible and intangible in its &&8 primary state but assuming vaporous, li=uid or solid condition in various stages of condensation. It emits a smell which reminds one of ozone.K When the spirit operators withdraw the etheric energy.matter from the medium-s body, it is known as ectoplasm. It is through the use and manipulation of ectoplasm that the physical phenomena occur. 5nce created, the ectoplasm generally emerges from the medium through some bodily orifice (nose or mouth* or through a psychic centre, located near the navel, known as the solar ple"us. $anipulation of Ectoplasm This is the most fundamental use of ectoplasm. The ectoplasm is released from the medium-s body, and the operator demonstrates how it can be fashioned and directed. This becomes a demonstration of !pirit-s ability to influence matter via the directed use of mind. $ovement of @b3ects %ctoplasm can be used to move ob$ects. Luring a demonstration such as this, the spirit operator might mould the ectoplasm into hardened rods and direct these rods to the underside of an ob$ect and cause the ob$ect to be lifted. ;irect 5oice 3ere, the !pirit operators create an ectoplasm voice bo", through which they can speak physically and audibly to all present. This is often done using a small conical device, known as a trumpet. The trumpet acts very much like the cabinet, in that the energies are focussed inside the trumpet. The trumpet is often levitated around the room, with the !pirit people speaking through it. 1 very interesting phenomenon witnessed during direct voice is the shifting in the strength of the voice, as the energy level and harmony change. When the voice first begins, it is often very garbled and difficult to distinguish. 1s the energy is built up, the voice becomes more powerful and more easily understood. Toward the end of the session, when the energies begin to diminish, so, too, do the =uality and clarity of the voice. In fact, this gradual peaking and diminishing of phenomena is =uite common in all forms of physical manifestations. ?pportation 3ere, !pirit causes something to materialize in the sitting room, apparently from nowhere. The apported ob$ect sometimes does and sometimes does not remain. 5ften, the materialized ob$ect is dematerialised back to where it came from. !tones, gems, animals, ancient relics, and even people have been known to be apported into sSance rooms. &&H 1aps and &aps This is a common form of activity observed in circles for physical mediumship. The !pirit people cause sharp raps to be heard, often from within the table they are sitting around. 1 code can be established through the raps, thus creating a means of conveying specific messages to the sitters. Spirit %i"hts This is another common occurrence in physical circles. 4lashes or balls of light appear, often on or near the vicinity of the medium himself or herself. These in modern times have been dubbed orbs. M!tri!'iA!tion: Th 0r1me de la 0r1me o/ Ph-"ic!' Mdiu("hi2 In materialization, the !pirit people use ectoplasm to create an image or moulding of himself or herself. The degree and strength of the materialized form varies =uite a bit. 1 full.form, head.to.toe materialization of a spirit is, perhaps, the most amazing phenomenon witnessed in mediumship. There are countless recorded cases where spirits have materialized fully, with full dress and facial features. !ome have been as clear and solid as an earthly body. !pirit has even been known to go to the e"tent of creating fingerprints on their materialized hands. #aterialized spirits have been known to walk among the sittersG talk to the sitters via direct voiceG touch, hug, and kiss the sittersG allow the sitters to touch themG materialize in front of the sittersG pass through wallsG and dematerialise before the sitters. 1 most interesting phenomenon seen during materialization is the physical link between the materialized form and the medium. 1fter a spirit materializes and walks away from the medium, there can be seen a cord of ectoplasm linking the spirit form with the medium. This ectoplasmic cord can be likened to the umbilical cord of a foetus. Through it, the spirit operator receives a supply of etheric energy.matter from the medium. The spirit may dematerialise by withdrawing the ectoplasm back into the medium-s body via this cord. 1 specific form of materialization, whereby the spirit operator uses the ectoplasm to mould his or her face over the face of the medium, is known as transfiguration. &&J 4h- Ph-"ic!' Mdiu("hi2 I" So R!r Luring the last century, up until around the &M?9-s, physical mediumship was very common, and the strength and range of phenomena were amazing. Today, it is =uite rare. There are two basic reasons for this) 5ne) %arlier on, when modern !pirit phenomena was relatively new, people needed to see. They needed ob$ective evidence of !pirit-s presenceG thus, the preponderance of physical manifestations. 1s people began accepting the reality of mediumship and, then, yearning more for teaching and philosophy, the occurrence of physical mediumship began to lessen, while mental mediumship began to predominate. In other words, the needs of 3umanity dictated how !pirit would respond to those needs .. always the case with !pirit. Two) The development of physical mediumship can be a lengthy processG sometimes tedious, with nothing happening in the circle for months or even yearsG re=uires great commitment on everyone-s partG and generally revolves around the development of one, maybe two, people in the circle, with the other people sitting to help them in their development. Today, people are $ust not geared to putting this amount of time and effort .. sometimes totally selflessly .. into the development of any form of mediumship. In earlier years, sitting in circle was, often, what people did to socialize. #ost of the great pioneer mediums began by sitting in a home circle. Today, this is simply not the case. Thus, today, the occurrence, as well as the nature, of physical mediumship is nothing like it was a century ago. 3owever, we have noticed during the last decade that there seems to be a resurgence of interest in physical mediumship and, conse=uently, resurgence in the development of physical mediums. 1s we stated) #ind over matterG that is what physical mediumship is all about. Traditionalists in !piritualism will answer with an empathic and resounding, "$O# Only %!irit out of /ody can create such manifestations#" The =uestion is) why should that be the case0 In the &MJ9-s, the Toronto !ociety /sychical <esearch put this very =uestion to the test for, in con$unction with the >ew 3orizons <esearch 4oundation. Their findings were published, in &MJH, in the book &&: "0on-urin U! 2hili!3 An Adventure in 2sycho)ineses#" 1 group of people decided to meet regularly, $ust as they would if sitting for mediumistic development, with one ma$or difference) they decided to create a fictitious character, whom they later called K/hilip.K ;ittle by little, as the meetings continued, everyone present was creating the character of /hilip. #ore and more details were being woven into the life story of /hilip. 4inally, the group decided to put their e"periment to the test. They wanted to see if phenomena .. attributed to K/hilipK as the operator .. would occur. They got more than they bargained for. <emember, they were sitting to e"periment with psychokinesis, not mediumship. /sychokinesis, or /N, is the movement of ob$ects via the directed use of I>+1<>1T% mind. >ot only did the /hilip group get /N phenomena, they got levitation and direct communication, through raps, from /hilip. But, they did >5T achieve any actual manifestation of /hilip. The debate is this) Were the phenomena a result of mass hallucination0 Was this a genuine demonstration of the group-s energy, collectively known as /hilip, manifesting itself as /hilip0 5r was /hilip actually a person, in !pirit, who decided to work with this group and telepathically fed the group information about himself and his earthly life and, then, through the power of physical mediumship .. with the group (or, perhaps, one person* acting as the medium .. physically materialized him. The conclusion of the /hilip group, itself, was that it was strictly /N at work here. In other words, the combined mental energies of the group, focussed through the KpersonK of /hilip, were the source of the manifestations. &&M What !s $ediumshipA+hannellin"B #ediumship can be defined as follows) The process whereby a human instrument, known as a #%LIU# or +31>>%;, is used by one or more discarnate, spirit personalities for the purpose of) /resenting information, verifiable or otherwise. +ausing so.called paranormal activities to occur. +hannelling forth certain types of energies. #anifesting themselves for ob$ective e"amination andPor identification. 4rom this definition, we see the following) #ediumship involves a cooperating effort between a person on the %arth plane (the medium or channel* and a person in !pirit (the communicator*. There are several ob$ectives behind the manifestation of mediumship. In addition to this, we see that those in !pirit use mediumship for the following purposes) To present information, which may or may not be verifiable. To cause certain types of paranormal activities to occur. To channel forth certain types of energies. To manifest themselves materially. Therefore, mediumship involves the cooperation between at least two individuals) 1n %arth.plane channel or medium and a spirit communicator or operator. &29 Eou will note that we distinguish between a spirit communicator and a spirit operator. 1 spirit, who uses a medium for the purpose of communication, either verbally or visually, is known as a spirit communicator. 1 spirit who uses a medium for the intent of working with andPor manipulating energies or energy systems is called a spirit operator. This distinction is very general, and it should be noted that a spirit operator can, and often does, communicate. Thus, mediumship can be distinguished as two basic types) #ental #ediumship and /hysical #ediumship #ental mediumship involves the relating of information, through communication, via the varied aspects of thought transference, or mental telepathy. #ental mediumship takes place within the consciousness of the medium. The results are e"pressed verbally and must pass through the medium-s mouth. In a demonstration of mental mediumship, it is the medium that hears, sees, and feels what the spirit communicators are relating. 4urthermore, it is the medium-s function to relate the information, with minimum personal influence and pre$udice, to the recipient of the message, also known as the sitter. /hysical mediumship involves the manipulation and transformation of physical systems and energies. The spirit operators, in this case, are causing something to happen upon the %arth plane. What it is that actually happens varies with the style of mediumship involved, but the results can be seen and heard by others. When spirit links with a medium, the spirit communicator e"erts various degrees of control, or overshadows the consciousness of the medium to a greater or lesser degree. This varies, depending upon the intent and conditions of communication, as well as the ability of the medium to lend themselves to be overshadowed or controlled. 'enuine trance is a strong sharing of mental and physical energies and consciousness between the medium and the spirit communicator. There is generally .. although not always .. manifested, within the medium, the following) 1 slowing of the heart rate. 1 slow, deep, and steady breathing pattern. >o rapid eye movement, or <%#. 1 lowering of body temperature. 1 greatly reduced reaction to touch and pain. Oarious degrees of unconsciousness. &2& 4urthermore, because in the trance condition the spirit communicator is speaking directly through the consciousness of the medium .. rather than the medium relating what is being mentally given to him or her .. the voice pattern, inflection, and general manner of speech differ from that normally e"hibited by the medium. 5ne final point needs to be mentioned) that of control. What does it mean to be controlled by spirit0 4irst of all, it does >5T mean that the medium is, in any way, possessed by a spirit personality. /ossession .. or attachment (apparently a new and, in my opinion, disturbing buzz word* .. is e"tremely rare. >or does it mean that the medium leaves his or her body and the spirit enters therein. #ediumistic control means a sharing of mental and physical energies between the medium and spirit communicator or operator. +ontrol signifies a telepathic rapport between the two. 3ow strongly en rapport they are determines the degree of control. +ontrol can range from inspired thought, to conscious control, to light trance, to deep trance, to very deep trance. It all depends upon the work at hand and the mental and physical energies available to the spirit communicator or operator. 4h- S2irit Co((unic!tion8 Why would someone wish to communicate with their spirit loved ones0 What does this accomplish, for them as well as for the loved ones in !pirit0 Why would spirit wish to Kcome backK and communicate to their earthly loved ones0 What type of information does spirit seek to impart to those of us on the %arth plane0 These are $ust a few of the =uestions which people ask when they consider mediumship and spirit communication. It all boils down to one basic =uestion) Why0 Why should spirit in the body seek to establish communication with spirit out of the body, and vice versa0 4irst) why seek spirit communication, through a medium0 !pirit communication helps bring together that which seems to have become separated and lost, through death) love and interaction with our loved ones. We seek spirit communication because we want to know) do our loved ones survive deathG if so, where are they, and are they the same people that we knew and loved while together on earth0 #ediumship answers both of these concerns with a resounding E%!. E%!, our loved ones survive death. They go to a place not separated by distance, but by dimension. 1nd E%!, they survive, as we knew them on earth. The only thing they leave behind, through death, is the physical body and earthly treasuresG everything else goes with them. This, alone, gives tremendous comfort to the grieving. &22 5ur work with mediumship has shown us, clearly, that communicating with spirit loved ones can be a tremendous source of resolve, closure, and, especially, healing. 3ow often have we seen loved ones, reaching across the doorway of life, in order to e"press how sorry they are for the errors of the past0 This applies not only to those in the body, but in !pirit as well. The opportunity to say, KI-m sorryK can bring with it an amazing healing for all concerned. Thus, spirit is an"ious to relate to their earthly loved ones what they have come to see and how they have changed since their passing. In many ways, death can be likened to a $ourney. If you take a trip to a foreign land, or move away from those whom you love, what would be your first order of business, when arriving at your destination0 #ost of us would want to call home and let our loved ones know that we arrived safely. Thus it is with death. !pirit wishes to convey to us that they have made the $ourney and are 5N. #ediumship can be the telephone line through which this communication takes place. 1 psychic can give names and addresses. But, only a medium .. one who has touched and linked with the spirit of your loved one .. can convey the true essence, love, and spirit of that person. 1nd that bears with it the greatest of evidence and comfort to one who is grieving. Thus, we have one of the most profound reasons why people seek genuine spirit communication. We also have one of the greatest sources of disappointment for people who visit mediums. It-s the difference between looking at a picture of your loved one and actually having your loved one there, sharing the e"perience of that picture with you. #ediums must come to understand this. They must nurture sensitivity) not only to the vibrations of those in !pirit, but to the reasons why spirit seeks to communicate with spirit. Thus it is with evidential mediumship. 3arry /rice, had to say about mental inspirational mediumship) "$ental mediums' often women' appear to have no .ualities' intellectual or physiolo"ical' which distin"uish them from their fellow. @n the contrary' they often emer"e from the semi(educated class of society. &heir utterances are often puerile' platitudinous' or nonsensical. &he trance addresses one hears at the typical spiritualist service have been called "a farra"o of stale platitudes and twaddlin" ethico(reli"ious uplift'' with little spirituality in them. ?nd after nearly a hundred years of intensive e*perimentation' we have learnt absolutely nothin" from the spirits. ?nd the many recorded conversations with the dead' such as can be found in "1aymond"' are often so mundane that they are usually received with scepticism' if not ridicule. Some of these messa"es may be true. But if true' why so sillyB ?re our dead relatives and friends incapable of "ivin" us information that so vitally concerns us' and of which we are so badly in needB ?re they incapable of "ivin" us one new fact concernin" this world (( to say nothin" of the ne*t (( not already #nown to usB @r one proof (( absolute and scientific (( that our souls 'survive' if our bodies do notB !t rather loo#s li#e it." &2? What a sad commentary from a researcher who spent a good portion of his life investigating mediumship and channelling, 3owever, the =uestion which plagues so many people .. especially researchers such as 3arry /rice .. is legitimate) if all this wonder and mystery is, in fact, often !pirit.inspired, why is there, also, so much trite communicationG furthermore, why is there disagreement, amongst those in !pirit, concerning such profound issues as reincarnation0 4irst of all, it is important to keep in mind) all communication from !pirit must pass through the consciousness of the channelG therefore, it will be influenced, to one degree or another, by the medium-s mind and personal pre$udices. !econdly, and probably more challenging to the student, is this simple truth) not every spirit sees life through the same set of KeyesK. There is disagreement on some very important issues amongst those of us on the %arth planeG likewise, there is disagreement on some very important issues amongst those of us not on the %arth plane. To some, this may seem disturbing, for they would like to believe that somewhere in creation there is ultimate and universal truth. Indeed there is, But, that ultimate and universal truth concerns matters of the !pirit, not of the earth. Ultimate truth resides within the !pirit, and it often gets distorted when it filters down to the level of earthly matters and conditions. That of the earth comes and goes, with the winds of time, but the truth of the !pirit remains constant, steadfast, and eternal. H'2/u' Hint" on Con"u'tin& ! Mdiu( or P"-chic: !ome /ractical Lo-s and Lon-ts and What to ;ook 5ut 4or and 3ow >ot to 'et +heated. +ontrary to popular belief, mediums and psychics are not machines that can be randomly turned on and off. #any subtle factors are involved in the channelling of information. !ometimes, everything falls very nicely into place and a strong communicative link is established. 1t other times, this may not be the case. The failure to establish or maintain a strong link with !pirit may have nothing to do with either the medium or the sitterG so, we must never $udge any sensitive-s work based upon one sitting. The =uestion is) how can you determine whether you should visit a particular medium or psychic. 3ere are some helpful hints) 4irst and foremost) know whether you wish to sit with a medium or a psychic. %ach works on a different level and offers a different type of information. 1 medium offers communication from !piritG a psychic attunes to and interprets the energies from the sitter. If a sensitive promises you the world, be careful. If a sensitive charges an unreasonably high fee, then you can be pretty well assured that his or her primary motive for doing the work is financial. 5f course, the service offered by a good medium or psychic is invaluable, and you should e"pect to pay a reasonable rate for his or her timeG but, outlandish fees should be avoided. Use good $udgment here. &27 Be careful when a medium says that he or she will promise communication from particular spirit loved ones. >o one can make that guarantee. If conditions are right, and if that particular medium is suitable for your loved.ones to link with, then, very likely, you will get what you hope to receive. This is determined at the time of the sitting, not prior. !o, be cautious of guarantees made in this work. Be cautious of sensitives who charge !er 4uestion or !er communicator# In our opinion, this is too much like grocery shopping and not the way in which sittings should be conducted. Luring a sitting, be discerning when it comes to predictions. It is true that what we shall do tomorrow is being planned, spiritually, today, and the energy of those plans are within the auraG but nothing of the future is etched in stone. 1lways use your good $udgment concerning the future. Understand why it is that the !pirit loved.ones wish to communicate through a medium. Is it to tell us about career, romance, and finances0 >o. That is not their $ob. !pirit comes, first, to let us know that they are 5N and that there is life after deathG then, to guide and inspire us. !pirit does not come to live our lives or to make decisions that we should be making. The same applies to psychics. Lo not turn over the responsibility of your life into the hands of another. Be very careful of sensitives who ask personal =uestions, either before or during your sitting. Oery often, they fish for information and return that information, either as a message from !pirit or as part of the psychic reading. >o medium or sensitive needs to know anything about you e"cept your name (even this is not really re=uired*. If he or she asks for additional information, do not offer it. Eou do not have to provide your date of birth or anything of that nature beforehand. The only =uestion which a sensitive should ask, during a sitting, is whether or not you understand or can accept a piece of information given to youG then, answer only E%! or >5G do not give any additional information. The time you spend with a psychic or medium is E5U< time. If ever you are told that you cannot tape record a sitting or reading, stay clear, 4inally, please avoid those ubi=uitous psychic hot lines. Trust me on this one) for a 6& a minute, you are >5T making any kind of a friend. There are many very good, ethical, fair, and honest mediums and psychics, and the service, which they can render to the seeking soul, is, truly, pricelessG but you have to know what to look out for. Use this information, as a guideline in your =uest and you will find what you need. Best of luck in your =uest for truth, &28 Th Cr-"t!' 4rom the most ancient times precious stones have been used in the making of amulets and talismans. 1n amulet, or charm, is an ob$ect that is believed to have a particular power . for e"ample, to protect against sickness, or to ward off the evil eye . simply because of its e"istence. This may be because it is made of a particular substance, or because of its shape. Bust by wearing it or having it about their person, a person benefits from the amulet-s power and =ualities. 1 talisman is an ob$ect that has been created with a specific purpose and intention in mind. Whether to help cure someones ills, sickness or to protect against an evil curse etc or even to do harm to an enemy. In contrast to the general power of an amulet, a talisman is made to do a specific $ob and has to be -charged- by a magical ritual. It will often make use of the inherent properties of, for e"ample, gemstones that make them work as amulets, but they are directed towards a particular goal. 1 talisman may, therefore, be made up of an arrangement of several stones with different properties, each of which are re=uired in order to achieve the desired ob$ective. The #aoris of >ew Xealand have made $ade amulets in the shape of human figures, which are called 3ei.tiki. (Bade is found in the !outh Island of >ew Xealand.* The 3ei.tiki represents the life force, and are handed down in families or given as gifts between friends. In 3indu lore, the gems regarded as having the greatest magical properties, known as the #aharatnani, were the diamond, pearl, ruby, sapphire and emerald. The 3indu nararatna is one of oldest recorded amulets made of gemstones. It consisted of a set of stones . a diamond, ruby, emerald, pearl, sapphire, coral, topaz, $acinth and cat-s eye . set into a ring or pendant. %ach embodied the magical properties of one of the planets, and the nine combined made a powerful amulet. 'iven in the Book of %"odus (chapter 2:* /recious stones adorned the sacred 3ebrew Breastplate of 1aron. In The instructions for its construction it was stated that the golden breastplate was to be set with twelve stones representing the Twelve Tribes of Israel) sardius, topaz, carbuncle, emerald, sapphire, diamond, ligure, agate, amethyst, beryl, ony" and $asper. In the Tree of ;ife of the +abala, the highest of the sephiroth, Nether, the +rown, is symbolised by $ewels. The ancient %gyptians, for e"ample, engraved the images of the scarab and the goddess Isis on emeralds as a good luck measure. 1 &?th.century treatise, The Book of Wings, gives details of the images that may be used in this way. 4or e"ample) &2H The beautiful and terrible figure of a dragon. If this is found on a ruby or any other stone of similar nature and virtue, it has the power to augment the goods of this world and makes the wearer $oyous and healthy. The figure of a falcon, if on a topaz, helps to ac=uire the good will of kings, princes and magnates. The image of an astrolabe, if on a sapphire, has power to increase wealth and enables the wearer to predict the future. The well.formed image of a lion, if engraved on a garnet, will protect and preserve honours and health, cures the wearer of all diseases, brings him honours, and guards him from all perils in travelling. +ommon, modern day amulets include the !t.+hristopher medallion) supposed to bring about a safe $ourney. CRYSTALS We start with a brief introduction to =uartz rock crystal. If you have ever heard the saying K as clear as crystal C you will be confused straight away, because crystal is very rarely clear. It is usually milky white at the base and clear towards the tip. The milky white base represents the Yin& or female side and the clear part represents the Y!n& or male side of the crystal. <egarding Ruartz, where would we be without it0 Ruartz what is it0 What is it used for0 Well it is in most clocks, watches and machinery including the computer you are using right now. If you look at a watch face it may say Ruartz somewhere upon it. This is what charges your watch and makes it work. &2J Cr-"t!' *!''" 1 crystal gazing ball will channel for you, help you to connect with your spirit friends who can give you information and a better understanding of life. Then it is up to you whether you tell or not. 3old those feelings with youG they will come to light sooner or later, only time will tell. +rystals go through moods $ust like us. Eou try taking a photo of a crystal that dose not what want to be photographed. The colours are all wrong, the images are blurred and sometimes the camera $ust won-t work. Eou tell me what-s happening there. Tell me how a clear =uartz crystal can turn blue or red in one photo and in the ne"t it can be as clear as water, without moving the camera or changing the light. 1 lot of people believe that simply because =uartz stores enery, we @pick up on that enery.sometimes its like static electricity, and thats why it can cause difficulties in photography etc. +rystal balls come in many sizes and colours. The most popular is <ock +rystal or =uartz. 1s long as the crystal grows large enough it can be shaped, a crystal ball will not grow round, it has to be carved into that shape. They can be e"pensive and different stones give different meanings. 4or e"ample a <ose Ruartz sphere is for love and relationships, and well as for self.love and emotional problems. I use various crystals, for different things, even different sized balls. <anging from one. about&9 inches, which is e"tremely heavy, to a small ball I keep in my case that is about 2 inches across. 3olding one of the smaller crystals sends energy messages to the larger rock crystal sphere that you can then pick up on. Because crystals absorb energy, both positive and negative, from time to time they will all re=uire cleansing. There is nothing mysterious in that fact. We $ust need to find out the best way that-s all. To cleanse my own crystals I use a mi"ture of !unlight, #oonlight and an herb called !age. Eou can start by holding your crystals under running water, shake dry and place in !unlight for a day or #oonlight for a night. !age is also e"cellent to use. &2: #any different minerals and crystals are used for various things i.e. <ose =uartz) 4or matters of love and to help troubled sleep. 3aematite) for grounding and protection. 1methyst) for spiritual matters #ostly when people refer to the crystal, they mean a crystal ball. This is usually made from =uartz crystal, some do use glass. Before either of these people would use either a bowl full of ink or water. This was called scrying. Basically whatever you use it simply helps the reader to focus, either by staring into a see through ball or a bowl of ink, it focus your mind and it is those mental images that are brought into sight, and discussed, for the =uerent. 5ne could certainly select a group of stones with different meanings, put them together in a pouch and let people choose by feel or sight and give mini readings based on what was chosen. Take a class in stone casting and learn how the 1ncients did their divination-s based on the 7 elements and 7 directions. &2M C!"tin& Ston" I have met very few psychics or others who use casting stones, but there are a few of us who do. There are many different methods for using gemstones and crystals as an oracleG it depends on what feels right for you. +asting stones are simply a group of crystals, gemstones or the like which you KthrowK onto a surface and then read. Eou can sometimes buy casting stones as a kit, complete with a drawstring pouch in which to store them. 5r you can select your own stones one by one as it feels right to you. The best stones to use in casting stones should be relatively small, but not tiny (very small stones are fre=uently lost, and they should also be relatively flat, or with a flat side. Eou can choose your stones by virtue of their magical associations, colour, name, or feel. 4or instance, Tiger %ye is usually included in a set of casting stones. Tiger %ye is a yellowPorange colour, and thus has associations with warmth, light, heat, the !un, clarity, daytime, etc. It also could be associated with cats, vision, and the night, depending on the =uestion and what you choose to associate it with, or what your subconscious tells you it means. 1methyst is associated with spirituality and psychic vision, Eou can cast your stones in various ways. I have a lovely handmade cloth onto which the stones are cast and interpreted them based on what area they fall in, which stones fell ne"t to which other stones, taking into account colours, associations and the @feel. I have a circle design on the cloth, divided into four areas representing the four directions and their associations) %ast (air*, !outh (fire*, West (water* and >orth (earth*. 1ir connects with the mind (as does the colour yellow*, 4ire connects with action and energy (as do red coloured stones*, Water is the intuitive and emotional (blue and purple coloured stones*, and %arth is the practical and manifest (earth tones*. I also have twelve segments, correlating to the zodiacal elements also as each stone has an association with a planetary energy. The present is represented as being in the centre, and the further from the centre, the further away the event, or the less prominent in the =uerents life. &?9 Cr-"t!' T!rotBBBB 3ave a general knowledge of The ma$or 1rcana +ollect the following crystals (each represents a corresponding energy to a trump card* Lecide how many stones will be used as an answer or reading, and how they will be chosen. The 4ool . 1gate The #agician . +lear Ruartz The 3igh /riestess . Nyanite The %mpress . +arnelian The %mperor . %merald The 3ierophant . 3ematite The ;overs . <ose Ruartz The +hariot . ;eopard !kin !trength . +itrine The 3ermit . !mokey Ruartz The Wheel . 1venturine Bustice . Bloodstone The 3anged #an . 1metrine Leath . Black Tourmaline The Tower . +hrysocolla The Levil l. Black 5ny" Temperance . Nunzite The !tar . Tektite The #oon . #oonstone The !un . 'olden Tiger.eye Budgement . 4luorite The World D 5pal &?& Eou might $ust do a reading from the @feel that you pick up from each of the crystals. +rystallomancy or crystal ball gazing is perhaps the most familiar of the intuitive types of divination. %veryone has run across the gypsy fortuneteller stereotype in movies and TO and the reality is not far off. To perform this type of divination you need a crystal ball, or some other form of crystal (a large =uartz crystal works nicely as well*. ;ighting and mood are very important in getting a good reading. I have found that a =uiet candlelit area, free of distractions, tends to work best. To begin, you should settle yourself in a light trance. This can be accomplished by concentrating on breathing deeply and regularly for a few minutes, then picturing a red J in your head then an orange H, yellow 8, green 7, blue ?, purple 2, violet & (this is ;aurie +abot-s crystal countdown...it works very well to bring on an altered state of awareness. there are thousands of ways to enter a trance state, but I have found this way to be =uick and easy to both remember and perform*. Eou will know that you are in the trance state by a feeling of tingling in your hands or body and a slight euphoric or floating calm feeling. 5nce in this state, concentrate on the crystal ball, let your eyes focus or unfocus as they will, don-t think about it too hard, and let your mind wander like you would while daydreaming. 1fter a time, you should begin to see shapes and forms in the play of light within and on the crystal. ;ike the children-s cloud game, or the inkblot test, call or write down what these shapes look like to you.... Neep doing this till the symbols either starts to repeat or you can-t maintain concentration any more. >ow the analysis. Eou take your =uestion that you were divining for and relate these symbols to it. Lo not worry what they might mean to someone else, these are E5U< symbols from E5U< dream consciousness...so they will mean what you think they should mean. 3ydromancy or scrying is similar in techni=ue to crystallomancy, but instead of using a crystal ball as your focus you use the reflective surface of a bowl or cup of water, wine or ink...still natural bodies of water are also good such as a lake or pond. In this type of divination, mood and lighting are also important. 1s a Witch or /agan. 1 good time and place to perform hydromancy is during your new and full moon esbats, using your chalice that is full of some li=uid (water, wine, mead etc.* and the reflection of the moon as your light source, but you can do it at other times too. The actual form and interpretation follows along e"actly like crystal gazing. /yromancy is another variant of the crystal gazing techni=ue, this time gazing at a fire. +ampfires, bonfires, or fires in a fire place work better than a candle flame (which tends to be fairly steady and unvarying but can still be used*. There are other forms of intuitive divination like reading tealeaves or clouds and these tend to follow the same pattern as crystal gazing. %"periment around, different focuses will work better for you than others and you will best find which by trial and error. &?2 CRYSTAL SCRYIN# Both #erlin and Bohn Lee used a crystal globe for scrying. Because of the cost of rock crystal balls many people use a glass ball. Brazil has the best crystal rocks in the world. 1lthough crystals may grow to a considerable length, they seldom e"ceed one inch in thickness. There are however some e"ceptions. 4laws in a crystal such as cracks, bubbles and discolorations do not make crystal unfit for scrying although they may distract your attention. In fact some people find these flaws helps their minds eye to @flip over and @see !ize is however not important and bigger does not mean it will be better. +rystal scrying should be done in near or total darkness. The main thing is to avoid reflections on the surface of the crystal. The best method is to use the light of a candle when scrying but make sure the candle does not reflect in the ball. 4ocus your gaze on the centre of the crystal not on its surface. Try looking through the crystal as if it were a mirror upon the astral world. The first things you may see are clouds that change colour. %ventually a mist will spread outwards from the centre of the crystal to reveal images. When you scry for visions sooner or later you will achieve communication from the spirits. These spirits will help you to understand what you have seen in the visions. It may be helpful to charge your crystal ball once a month with moonlight. /lace the ball in a glass bowl of natural water in the glow of a full moon. &?? 4ATER SCRYIN# Eou will need a large, deep bowl made from glass, brass or silver. It must have a smooth and even rim. Eou must set your base on some sort of tripod for best results. 1 tripod made of laurel boughs is the best. Eou will need to do your own testing to find out which bowl works best for you and how much water you should use. Lo not use water from a tap. 'et clean, fresh water from a stream. The ancient 'reeks believed that nature spirits dwelled in fresh water. The water may be stored in a vessel and used again. 3owever it is a good idea to replace your water once a month. >ever collect the water of daytime. Water should only be collected at night preferably on a full moon. To make your wand use a branch from a bay tree, hazel tree or the laurel. The end of the wand should be covered in dry tree sap or resin. Lip the end of the wand into the water until it becomes wet. Wet the rims of the bowl. The best time to scry is at night when it is =uite. By gently drawing the rim of the wand around the bowl the action of the resonating basin will cause circular ripples to form in the basin. The water seems to breathe with the sounds. It is the harmonics that seem to whisper forth predictions of the future. These are interpreted with the help of a guardian angel. Eou may also receive visual impressions that >ostradamus likened to that of a Kburning mirrorK. It will cause it to resonate. &?7 Mirror "cr-in& #irror scrying is an evolved form of water scrying. When it became possible to build mirrors they were regarded as being like water that was fi"ed into one place. The early mirrors were made of polished copper, brass, mar=uisette, tin foil or mercury behind glass, polished silver and obsidian. 1ll types of mirrors may be used for scrying and the size is not important. Because mirrors are linked to the moon mirrors should be backed with silver. Try and use a round or oval mirror instead of a s=uare mirror. 4or the frame try and use a mirror that has a silver frame. 5ld mirrors also seem to work better than new mirrors. #ost seers prefer to use a black mirror. Because this is difficult to buy you may have to make one. Bust simply take out the glass and paint it black. Eou may have to give it a few coats of paint though. When you put it back in the frame make sure the glass part is to the front. The use of black mirrors may be traced back over the centuries. Bohn Lee used a black mirror of obsidian. When using the black mirror for scrying you do not want to see your reflection. The best is to leave the mirror on a table and look at it from an angle. ;ook into the depths of the mirror as though you were looking into a bowl of water. 1t first it may appear grey than colours will come and go. With time and practise you will be able to see scryed images like still photographs or moving film images. !pirits may sometimes look at the scryerG talk to the scryer or even touch the scryer. The visions may even e"ist outside the mirror and surround the scryer on all sides. Bohn Lee (&82J to &H9:* was one of the greatest scryers in history. Lee-s private library of books was renowned throughout %urope. &?8 Through his studies Lee was well versed in the magic of the ancient world. In &8M& he became strongly interested in spirit communication when he started having troublesome dreams and hearing knocking noises. 3e records these disturbances in his private diary. Lee began by trying to see visions within a small rock crystal. Lee met %dward Nelley in &8:2 when he came to his house seeking information about turning base metals into pure gold. Nelley had little interest in the angels other than trying to use them to make money. The angels treated Nelley with contempt and only used him as a line of communication to Lee. Lee had a strong interest in using the angels as political channels, but the angels where not interested. The angels where only interested in passing on the system of %nochian magic. The actual scrying method of %nochian magic was recorded in Lee-s diary ;ibri #ysteriorum. Lee-s crystal was a small globe of rock crystal. !ometimes Lee used a mirror of obsidian that he called his $et shewstone. The crystal rested within a golden frame that had a cross on top. The crystal in its frame rested upon a seal called !igillum 1emeth. The angel Uriel gave instructions about this. The !igillum resides in the British museum today. The !igillum was placed in the middle of Lee-s scrying table. The angels gave instructions for the table as well. It was to be made of sweet wood and two cubits in all directions. 1 magic s=uare of twelve %nochian letters occupies the centre of the table. The table was draped with a white silk cloth. 1round the central s=uare of the table were seven talismans known as %nsigns of +reation. Lee always opened each scrying session with a prayer. Lees method shows $ust how e"act a scryers table must be. &?H A Cr-"t!' E7rci" Use a crystal, or a glass filled with water. !it where you are comfortable, rela" and look at the water in the glass. Imagine yourself going deeper into it, totally immerse yourself within. >ow you will see things around you, pictures, you may not be able to make sense of these at this present time, but you will find there meanings for you at a future date. Usually like dS$e vu, &?J Pndu'u(" /endulums are a very simple method of divination, generally used for simple Kyes or noK =uestions. 1 pendulum is some kind of weight suspended from a string or chain. The end of the chain is held lightly in the fingers, and the =uestion is asked. The pendulum should, within a minute or so, begin to swing in a particular direction, thus giving you the answer to your =uestion. Before using a pendulum, determine which direction means KyesK, which means KnoK, and which means Kuncertain or don-t knowK. #ost often, a north.south direction means yes, an east.west direction means no, and a circular motion means uncertain. The best way to determine this for yourself, though, is to make these the first =uestions you ask your pendulum) KWhich direction means yes0K Eou can buy pendulums made for purposes of divination. If you-re on a tight budget, you can make your own with a piece of string or chain, and whatever you want to attach to the bottom of it. The most common use of a pendulum I have come across is a woman who ties her wedding ring to a piece of string or cotton, holds it over her belly to divine whether her child will be a boy or girl. It should not be very long (si" inches or so*, and the weight should be heavy enough to pull the string taut as you hold it gently by the end Eou can use it alone, or you can make a nice cloth (or even $ust a paper* circle, with straight lines running >orth.!outh and %ast.West to hold the pendulum above. /endulums work by allowing your intuitivePsubconscious mind to give you the answer to your =uestions, which in turn moves the pendulum in the direction in which it needs to go. &?: P!'(" Usually it is believed that you left hand is the hand that you are born with, your hand is what you make of it, in other words left is for possibilities, right probabilities. %very line tells a story, and if you where to take a print of your palms now and than again, si" months on you would notice differences. The palmist looks at all the ma$or lines in your hand and many of the minor lines to fill in the gaps, or fine.tune those meanings. Usually it is the simple act of holding hands that gives the psychic the link they need and then a conversation from your psyche to that of the reader is downloaded and thus your future is divined. There are far too many books detailing the meanings of lines, and far too many lines for me to go into detail of them all. Basically looking at your hand the first line running across from little finger below the other four digits is your head line. The longer this line, the more intelligent. Its like a TO antennae. 1 short one will pick up BB+ but if covers the width of your hand, super intelligent, able to pick up satellite TO, The one below this generally starting around the life line but running across the hand towards the little finger is the 3eart line. The more bubbles or crisscross lines in this line show the more se"ually motivated the person. The line running around the thumb towards the wrist is the life line. If this line finishes at the @O near the rest it means you will e"pire at about :2. &?M P"-cho(tric" 1 method of sensing or -reading- from physical ob$ects the history of each ob$ect (and the history of things and people associated with these ob$ects* that is hidden to ordinary sensibility. Boseph <. Buchanan, an 1merican physiologist, who claimed it could be used to measure the @soul of all things, coined the term in&:79. Buchanan further said that the past is entombed in the present. Buchanan e"perimented with some students from +incinnati medical school and found that when certain students where given an unmarked bottle of medicine they had the same reaction as if they had taken the medicine. Buchanan developed the theory that all things give off an emanation. These emanations contained a sort of record of the history of the ob$ect. Buchanan believed that ob$ects recorded senses and emotions and these could be played back in the mind of the psychometric scryer. !ome theosophists attempt to e"plain psychometry in terms of the 1kashic records. /sychometrists usually scry in a normal state of mind. <esearchers who followed Buchanan theorized that ob$ects retain imprints of the past and their owners f variously called -vibrations-, -psychic ether-, and aura f that could be picked up by sensitive. /sychometry is the main techni=ue used in criminology. The ability to interpret memories connected with an ob$ect or artefact and can even include rooms and buildings. The information that comes through from any one of these things to someone who claims to have this ability can be in the form of any of the senses. 4or e"ample, it may in the form of a mental picture of a person connected with a room, the happiness of a person who once owned an artefact or the memories of a person who witnessed something happen long ago in a certain place leaving their thoughts in the very surroundings. The word comes from the 'reek K/sycheK (!oul* and K#etronK (measure* &79 P"-cho(tr- This is best done when you do not know who is handing the ob$ect to you, either an unknown person or one of a number of people handing you an ob$ect when your eyes are closed. !it rela"ed with your eyes closed and your hands palms up in your lap. Instruct a person to place an ob$ect in your hands, which they have had in their possession for a long time. <elate everything that you see in your mind, think of, hear in your head and also any feelings that you have while holding the ob$ect. NOTE Eou may pick up some thoughts and feelings etc. that seem meaningless to you but keep talking as much as possible about what is in your mind and you may be amazed at how much is relevant to the owner of the ob$ect. This techni=ue develops your gift of feeling. It gives you the e"perience of learning to tune into another person-s vibrations to discern what you are feeling. %very ob$ect a person has in their possession becomes magnetised by their vibration. !ometimes, while practising psychometry, the feelings associated with the ob$ect are vague and don-t seem to bear much relevance to anything recognisable to the owner of the ob$ect. 5n other occasions the opposite is the case and intricate details can be discerned. 5ne day while a group of friends were practising one girl was surprised when told that the reader could see a black and white dog. 3e was able to describe it in great detail and she confirmed that she did, in fact, have a black and white dog that e"actly matched the description. P"-chic Cri(ino'o&- &7& The use of psychics in the investigation and $ury selection of civil and criminal cases. This controversial techni=ue has grown in the decades following World War II due to the publicized successes of various celebrity psychics. The primary techni=ue is psychometry, handling ob$ects, such as discarded weapons or the belongings of victims, and sensing their -vibrations-, which can provide information to help solve the crime. Throughout history seers and dowsers have been sought out to help locate missing persons and solve crimes. /sychic detection was used in %urope during and after World War I. 1nd as recent as the search for !addam 3ussein after the Ira=i war in 299?. In &M28 !ir 1rthur +onan Loyle, creator of !herlock 3olmes, predicted that the detectives of the future would be clairvoyants or would use clairvoyants. By the latter part of the twentieth century, hundreds of psychics were working regularly with police in the United !tates, Britain, and %urope, though their success was erratic. /olice departments remain divided over the effectiveness of psychics. !ome make regular use of selected individuals and have established written procedures for doing soG others feel psychics make no difference in solving cases. Lepartments that do use psychics often are reluctant to admit it publicly. 4or many reasons including the old chestnut of @witch craft 3ave you ever touched someone or something and gotten some kind of message f such as ideas, pictures, or words0 While shopping in an anti=ue store, do you pick up impressions about certain pieces0 Eou are e"periencing psychometry. /sychometry is the art of interpreting the psychic vibrations contained in ob$ects. !ometimes referred to as Kpsychic touch,K It is often used in cases of missing persons. The reader can touch an ob$ect the person has worn or touched, usually an article of clothing, to get impressions of the persons whereabouts. !ome common items used in psychometry are rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and watches. 1ny of these items will hold information about the wearer, such as thoughts, their emotional state, and sufficient events affecting the persons life. Through psychometry, a story unfolds that describes not only the events of a person-s life, but also how the person is feeling, thinking and reacting to these events. In order to receive clear information, the ob$ect should belong to and have been worn only by the person getting the reading. &72 The following e"ercises are very basic, but they will help you learn to develop your psychometric abilities, individually and in groups. %veryone has this ability to some degree, but most of us don-t focus on it consciously. With practice, you may become proficient in a very helpful tool. 1nd as I always say, only use your gifts for your highest good. Any attem!t to intrude on someone5s life "ithout his or her !ermission is an invasion of !rivacy and is very ina!!ro!riate# 4hich H!nd To U" The hand you use to get impressions from ob$ects of very important. Eour dominant hand "ives or relays information, while your non.dominant or receptive hand receives information. Eour receptive hand is the correct hand to use. The following a simple test to find out which hand is most receptive. It is very important that you do this, as you will always use this hand to receive impressions, at least until you have become so accurate that you can use either hand. 4or most right.handed people, the left hand is the receptive hand. 4or left.handed people, the right hand is likely to be the receptive hand. If you are in doubt, or were changed from a left.hander to a right.hander as a child, the following test can be used to discover which is which. &. 3old both hands at chest level with fingertips pointing up and palms facing each other. 2. <ub hands together very lightly to stimulate the energy flow. ?. #ove your hands closer together, then apart, feeling the flow of energy. 7. Whichever hand feels stronger, or that it is emitting stronger energy, that is your dominant hand. The other is your non.dominant or receptive hand. 1lways use your receptive hand in psychometry. When you are beginning your work in psychometry, always pick up or touch an ob$ect with your receptive hand. If you pick up the ob$ect with your dominant hand, you may inadvertently transmit an impression as you do. 4orm a habit of using your receptive hand to take things from others, and to pick up something you may intend to use. This will be a challenge, as you are probably used to picking things up and holding things with your dominant hand, but this practice will help you to remember to use your receptive hand for psychometric work. Ho0 To Pr!ctic P"-cho(tr- 1s we have already learned, all ob$ects carry an energy fre=uency connected to the person they are most in contact with. Eou can learn to interpret these energies with the e"ercises that follow. &7? The first e"ercise is for the individual, but it is best performed with a friend from whom you can receive feedback. &. !it rela"ed with your eyes closed and your hands in your lap, palms up. 2. Instruct a person to place an ob$ect that they have had in their possession for a long time in your receptive hand. ?. <elate everything that you see in your mind, think of, hear in your head and any feelings that you have while holding the ob$ect. Eou may pick up some thoughts, feelings, and symbols that seem meaningless to you but keep talking as much as possible about what is in your mind and you may be amazed at how much is relevant to the owner of the ob$ect. This techni=ue develops your gift of feeling. It gives you the e"perience of learning to tune into another person-s vibrations to discern what you are feeling. !ometimes, while practicing psychometry, the feelings associated with the ob$ect are vague and don-t seem to bear much relevance to anything recognizable to the owner of the ob$ect. 5n other occasions, the opposite is the case and intricate details can be discerned. !ome people are more rela"ed and trusting and so they get many messages immediately. !ome people are afraid they will say or do it incorrectly so they get nothing. Lont worry. Eou cant do it wrong, The following e"ercise is for a group of people. 'roup practice is best because you can all put an ob$ect into a bowl without knowing which ob$ect belongs to whom. In a new group setting such as this, try not to say anything that might make someone uncomfortable. Be tactful and diplomatic, but as descriptive of your thoughts, feelings, or symbols as possible for feedback from the owner of the ob$ect. &. 1s discreetly as possible, everyone puts an ob$ect of his or hers in a bowl. 2. %ach person then reaches in and takes out an ob$ect that it is not their own. ?. 3old the ob$ects in your receptive hands until you receive an impression. !ometimes I ask specific =uestions such as, KWill this person change their $ob or career0K KWill he or she find love0K KIf so when0K KWho0K What lesson does this person have to face at this time0 ... %tc. 7. %ach person then takes a turn describing his or her impressions. <elate everything that you see in your mind, think of, hear in your head and any feelings that you have while holding the ob$ect. 8. %veryone should give some kind of feedback. 4eedback is what helps us to develop your skills. Dr(o;O2tic Prc2tion &77 1nother area of psychometry is dermo.optic perception, or Ksight through touch.K It refers to @seeing by touching the skins surface. !ome people have developed this sensitivity =uite naturallyG especially those who are sight impaired and must rely on touch. %veryone emits electromagnetic energy. When we tap into this energy, we can see as well as if we were using our eyes. But regardless of continuing proof that such a thing as dermo.optic ability is present in many people, arguments still abound that relate dermo.optics to telepathy and clairvoyance. Therefore, it should be mentioned that in many cases where dermo.optic perception ability was found evident in a certain person, that person was separately tested for telepathic and clairvoyant abilities, and in most of the cases, no such ability was present, It is commonly thought that some people can distinguish colours and patterns through dermo.optic perception. Oarious colours have different feeling. !ome have described black as KstickyK or KclingingK to the touch, while yellow was KslipperyK and blue was found to be Kstill more slippery, but cool to the touch, like delicate ice.K <ed causes great, bold radiation, and according to some, is so hot that the sub$ect immediately draws his hand away, as though from searing heat. It seems that small children are sensitive to colours, and can easily distinguish them merely by feel. 5ne young mother reports the case of her si".year.old daughters ability to distinguish colours by touch. !he discovered that one day while she was wrapping +hristmas presents, she asked her si".year.old daughter to give her the bolt of red ribbon. 3er daughter immediately pulled the right colour ribbon out of the bag, and repeated this with green, gold, white, and blue ribbon. !he never pulled the wrong colour out of the bag. With practice, we can all master the ability to read by touch. 3ere is an e"ercise to help you develop your sense of touch. &. /repare a bowl of lukewarm water. 2. +lose your eyes and gently dip your fingers into the water. ?. <epeat this e"ercise for about five minutes at a time. 1t first, you may have some difficulty knowing e"actly when your fingers make contact with the water, but after a short amount of practice, you will feel the tips of your fingers becoming more sensitised. 4eeling te"tures is also a helpful means of developing dermo.optic perception. /lace various specimens such as salt, sugar, sand, or other granular substances into small separate envelopes and touch each substance throu"h the envelopes. Lont reach in and touch the substance directly. 4irst, try to distinguish it through the paper of the envelope. 1t first, it may seem impossible to detect e"actly what your fingertips are touching through the paper, since all of the substances are similar in te"ture. 3ere is the point of the test where you must not doubt, &78 Trust your instincts. With patient practice, you will be able to detect through your fingertips the substances in the envelopes. Oarious ob$ects have different feelings, not $ust in te"ture, but because everything radiates its own specific energies, and trained fingertips can sense these differences. 1wareness of this speeds the process of your own development in dermo.optical attempts. 4eel the difference between wood and paper, plastic and metal, wool and silk, china and glass, or hair and fur. This method will help to enhance your sensitivity to feel the varying ob$ects and te"tures. !uch practice raises your vibration so that eventually you will be able to KreadK someone $ust by touching him or her, as you learned psychometrically. &7H Th P!r!2"-chic Scinc" /arapsychic science is the unity of contemporary science and philosophy with metaphysics to provide us with the ability to understand and communicate with the spiritual realm. It covers many areas of psychic science including the investigation of psychic phenomena, e"tra.terrestrial activity, telepathy, near.death e"periences, and parapsychology. /arapsychology is a branch of psychology specifically involved with the studies of paranormal events. The parapsychologist ascertains the history, principles, and theories behind psychic phenomena involving telepathy, clairvoyance, sensory awareness, psychometry (psychoscopy or Kpsychic touchK*, dermo.optic perception, spiritual healing, auras, mediumship, and so forth. 1 parapsychologist can also counsel individuals who have suffered trauma due to alien and spirit encounters and other paranormal e"periences. The following are some of the parapsychic sciences) Aur!: an energy field surrounding every person, animal, plant, and ob$ect. 1uras can be observed by those sensitive to seeing them. They contain meaningful colours that can assist in the healing process and are also indicative of spiritual growth. 1uras have also been photographed. Using a device known as a Nirlian camera. Ch!nn''in&: allowing a spiritual entity to communicate with others through a medium. The spirit can speak directly through the medium, using the mediums voice, the spirit may speak aloud so everyone can hear (if they are sensitive or clairaudient*, or the spirit can allow the medium to translate information given psychically. C'!ir%o-!nc: the ability to KseeK events psychically. +lairaudience is the ability to KhearK events intuitively, and clairsentience is the ability to KfeelK events empathetically. +ommonly referred to as the Kclairs,K they are e"tensions of our five senses. The two lesser.known KclairsK are clairaroma or clairscent, which involves the sense of smell, and clairgustus or clairsavourance, which is associated with the sense of taste. Dr(o;o2tic 2rc2tion: an element of psychometry where one can KreadK a person intuitively through contact with their skin. 1 person who has developed their ability to &7J sense things about someone through touch, can get impressions through as much as a handshake. Mdiu("hi2: relaying impressions and communications between the spirit world and the physical world psychically or through the act of channelling. The medium can be anyone or anything conducive to the transfer of such information. P"-cho(tr-: also referred to as Kpsychic touchK it is the ability to obtain psychic impressions from holding an ob$ect that someone has worn or touched. !omeone intuitive can also obtain impressions from photographs. S2iritu!' h!'in&: channelling divine energy to the recipient by direct touch, manipulation of the aura, or through stones, crystals, music, colour, and aroma. T'2!th-: sending or receiving information from one person to another by concentrated thought. 1nimals, particularly our pets, communicate with us (and each other* telepathically. C'!ir%o-!nc 1wareness lies dormant in the psyche, waiting only for the individual to acknowledge the presence of psychic abilities and to take steps to develop those abilities. The most common psychic ability is known as clairvoyance. <eferred to as Kclear seeingK, clairvoyance is the ability to regress or advance in time to KseeK with the Kthird eyeK past, present, and future events that are not visible to the normal human eye or mind. The most remarkable feature of clairvoyance is the ability to go beyond the conventional time and space barrierG catching glimpses of current happenings at a distance, visualizing events that have already occurred, and seeing things that have not yet happened. /hysiologically, the clairvoyant organ is the pineal glandG a light.sensitive organ located in the geometric centre of the forehead $ust above eye level. When a person first begins to e"ercise clairvoyant ability, she may e"perience slight headaches or pressure that is often described as a sensation that the brain is e"panding. !uch e"pansion is the result of the pineal gland vibrating against the walls of its chamber. 1s a person continues to strengthen this gland, the chamber enlarges slightly, giving the pineal gland enough room to vibrate more freely resulting in the ability to see with what we call the Kthird eye.K +lairvoyance and other avenues of psychic impression are commonly referred to as the Kclairs.K Besides clairvoyance, there is clairaudience, or Kclear hearingK and clairsentience, or Kclear feeling.K !ome people are able to hear psychic messages audibly, and some sense them intuitively in the heart area. The other two KclairsK are clairaroma or clairscent, which involves the sense of smell, and clairgustus or clairsavourance, which is associated with the sense of taste. 3ave you ever e"perienced an aroma or taste that reminded you of a loved one who had passed on0 These are $ust other ways our dearly departed can let us know they are with us in spirit, &7: 1s you may have noticed, the KclairsK are really psychic e"tensions of our five human senses. While we all possess some psychic ability, only those who already are, or who endeavour to become more sensitive are able to detect such energies. 3owever, with conscientious awareness, we can all learn to e"perience inner vision by tapping into the power of the Kthird eye.K D%'o2 Your O0n P"-chic A9i'it- We all have an innate psychic ability also referred to as intuition or simply the Kgut feeling.K There are several schools of thought as to how psychic we already are vs. how psychic we can become. We utilize the power of what we call the Kthird eyeK in order to see past, present, and future events psychically. With enough practice, anyone can develop or strengthen their innate psychic ability. T!22in& Into th Po0r o/ th Third E- There are many techni=ues used to tap into the power of the Kthird eye.K >ative 1mericans conduct vision =uests. !ecret societies have arcane rituals. 1boriginal and similar cultures use hallucinogenic plants. >evertheless, probably the best method of strengthening clairvoyance is meditation. To begin with, try the following visualization e"ercise called the KTree of ;ife.K It can help you reach a meditative state, while keeping you firmly grounded and centred. If you can do this outside, where you are in contact with the earth, it is that much more effective. Lo this e"ercise for five to ten minutes a day to start. If you already meditate regularly, try this for fifteen or twenty minutes each day. &. !it in a comfortable chair with your feet firmly on the ground. Take two or three deep breaths and e"hale completely after each breath. 2. Imagine the brightest, most glorious white light that you can possibly visualize f like the light of the full moon f and see it surrounding your body like a cocoon. ?. Oisualize roots growing from the soles of your feet all the way down to the centre of the earth. Breathe the earth energy up into your entire being. 7. !ee the very top of your head opening up and branches growing out toward the heavens, attaching themselves to all the heavenly bodies, planets, and stars in the universe. Breathe this universal energy down into your entire being. 8. Oisualize the universal energy coalesce with the earth energy. Together, both the &7M earthly and universal energies bring forth a golden light that pulsates throughout your body. 4eel, for a few moments, the soothing warmth of the golden light. H. >ow imagine a bright blue light emanating from your forehead. 4eel it e"panding to halogenic phosphorescence. 4eel this light for a moment. Is it cool0 Is it warm0 Become that feeling of vision and awareness. J. 5nce you feel that the brightness of the blue light has reached its zenith, let the light contract to become no more than a gentle flicker, like a pilot light. Neep this pilot light burning. :. 5pen your eyes and take another deep breath. Try not to focus on anything in particular, as if you are daydreaming. 3ow do you feel0 What do you perceive0 1t first the picture may appear foggy and out of focus. Lont try to clear it, or a stray thought brought on by outside surroundings may drive the impression away. !tay rela"ed and focus your concentration on the images, and gradually the picture will clear. Eou may find yourself in a KdaydreamingK state with your eyes slightly out of focus. This is the ideal state to receive mental images. Eou may see colours, shapes, and symbols. !uch mental images convey a tremendous amount of information. 4or e"ample, if you see the colour green, this might indicate healing and growth. !hapes and symbols also have meaning. +louds may stand for revelation or clarity. 1nimals signify important metaphysical concepts. 1 cat might represent transformation, independence, and sensuality, while a hawk or a falcon might embody aspiration, freedom, and the rise to a higher level of consciousness. 1s you progress, you will also begin to see movies, with the inside of your forehead right behind the third eye as the movie screen, of what has been, what is now, and what is to be. Leveloping your clairvoyance is an ongoing process. %ach of us is uni=ue and progresses at a different pace. /ractice with like.minded friends who can give you feedback. +all a friend on the telephone and, with her permission, tune in to the colours she is wearing, or which room she is in, or what she is doing at that given moment. #ost importantly, always use your gifts only for good. We are spiritual beings en$oying our human e"perience, each on our own path. 3onour every being on their path, bless them on their $ourney, and release them to their highest good. In other words there is no preparation needed or any need for trance, etc. !cryers are sometimes unable to hold certain ob$ects because of that ob$ects past. 4or e"ample if the ob$ect had been used in a violent crime. In some cases if a scryer has been handed an ob$ect of someone who recently died of illness the scryer may suffer from symptoms of the illness. /sychometric impressions may come in the form of emotions, sounds, scents, tastes or images. &89 The visions are usually very rapid in nature. The visual images occur with no logical se=uences. /sychometrists usually e"perience a loss of energy and an increase in body temperature when scrying. !ome scryers report an irregular heartbeat. It is generally thought that psychometry is a natural power of the human mind, but some people believe that it is controlled by spiritual beings. !ome scryers feel that they act as an instrument and that the spirits do the actual scrying. If you possess a talent for psychometry you probably already know it. It usually starts at an early age and seems to be a natural gift not something that is learnt. A P"-cho(tric E7rci" 1sk a friend to let you hold something of theirs, a ring watch etc. !it back, and rela". 4eel everything about this item, imagine the gold melting, into your fingers, you and it are one, sharing the same space. Then simply say what you feel or see. Lont be surprised if you spook your friend, or they say, C 3ow the hell did you know all that,A Pr!cticin& -our 2"-cho(tr- !ome ob$ects contain psychically perceivable energy that has been placed into them deliberately. These are called Kcharged ob$ectsK and you will want to create a few of these if you are interested in playing this particular game. Use five small, identical blocks of wood. They should be KchargedK with emotional energy by holding each one in your hands while concentrating on a particular emotion. ;ater the blocks are circulated among your guestsG with each person attempting to perceive which block is KchargedK with each particular emotion. 4irst you need to ac=uire five pieces of wood about five or si" inches long and an inch wide, of any thickness you feel comfortable with. These KsticksK need to look and feel identical so you cannot tell them apart from each other. It is best not to paint the wood, but you can if you prefer. Eou then need to label each piece with an identifying number near the end on one side (&.8*. These numbers will correspond with one of five different emotions you will attempt to imprint on each stick. 1n inde" card or notebook should be used to maintain a record of the associated emotion. If you are very serious about developing this ability you may prefer to use a notebook in order to document more detailed information. 4irst select the five different emotions you intend to focus upon. Write them down ne"t to the related number in your notebook. %motions include love, lust, freedom, e"citement, contentment, curiosity, longing, etc. Eou can select any emotion you choose but try to make them as different from one another as possible. It is very easy to Kpick upK a feeling of hate or depression, you won-t en$oy having to encounter negative emotions later on so try and keep them as positive as possible. &8& CHAR#IN# THE O*JECTS: !elect a block to be assigned to a particular emotion, then while holding it in your hands, focus all your attention on that emotion. Eou should attempt to feel the emotion as strongly as you can while imagining filling the stick with it, pushing the emotion from your chest and head into the ob$ect. If it helps to focus on a particular mental image, then do so, and note the nature of the image in your notebook. !ometimes the best way to focus on an emotion is to remember a time when you felt it clearly and concentrate upon a particular image connected with that event. /erform this concentration techni=ue with one emotion for between five and ten minutes. Then wait at least ten minutes for your emotions to clear before repeating the process with the ne"t block. 4ollow this procedure until all five blocks have been Kcharged.K !ome precaution should be taken to keep the sticks from making physical contact with each other. This is to prevent the psychic energy of one stick from KcontaminatingK the others. #etaphysical literature suggests wrapping each block in a silk handkerchief, but rolling them up, separated in the folds of a hand towel, should be sufficient. In a party situation each guest will need a piece of paper to write down his or her impressions. %veryone should be told what the five target emotions are, then the five numbers should be listed in a column to the left on each paper. %ach of your guests in turn will be given a block to work with, one block after the other. (If everyone is sitting in a circle it is easy to pass each block to the person ne"t to you.* Then while holding the ob$ect in their hands for one or two minutes, each person should focus their complete attention on it while waiting for an emotion to come clearly to mind. The trick here is to clear the mind of any preconceptions and try to KfeelK emotion coming from the wood rather than simply KguessK what the emotion might be. 1lso be on alert for any mental image that comes to mind. 1fter everyone has selected which emotion they believe is associated with the block they are holding, they should write the name of that emotion to the right of the identifying number on the paper. 1ny mental image that came to mind can be written down to the right of the emotion. 5nce you have written down this information, pass the block to the ne"t person. <epeat this process until everyone has worked with all five ob$ects before checking for results. If you find yourself feeling the same emotion with more than one block then guess that emotion twice if necessary. ;ogic has nothing to do with this, and it-s better to get four out of five than ignore a correct impression because it has already be guessed previously. If you wish you can return to a previous ob$ect to re.evaluate your guess before making a final conclusion. !tatistics tell us that in five attempts you should successfully choose only one of the five emotions correctly. <epeating the entire e"ercise five times would produce twenty.five attempts and odds alone would produce a total of five correct impressions. 1nything better than this is evidence of psychic perception. 1fter playing the game, you andPor your friends might want to repeat the KchargingK procedure in order to saturate the sticks with as much energy as possible. If your friends assist you, have them concentrate on a specific image you want associated with each emotion. If a particular &82 image is included every time it will reinforce the KtargetK image you are hoping others will be able to detect. This is layering. When using psychometry, you must learn to peel back the layers of time and ownership. ;ike the skins of an onion, /sychometry, as described here, can be an e"cellent tool for learning to develop clairvoyant ability, since once you are familiar with perceiving KimpressionsK from specific ob$ects you can easily switch to turning your attention to people, events, etc., which is clairvoyant perception. P"-cho(tr-: Su((!r- o/ In"truction" &* /repare Kcharged ob$ectsK by following steps (a* . (e* a* +reate five identical blocks of wood. b* >umber one end of one side of each block (& through 8*. c* +harge the five ob$ects with one emotion each by KpushingK the emotion into the ob$ect from your head and chest for 8.&9 minutes. (Wait 8.&9 minutes before charging the ne"t ob$ect.* d* Write down which emotion is associated with each block. e* !tore the blocks by rolling them up in a silk handkerchief or small towel. 2* The ob$ects are distributed to the first five guests sitting in a circle, each guest having a pen and paper with the numbers &.8 listed in a column on the left. ?* %ach guest attempts to feel which of the five, pre.selected emotions are associated with the ob$ect they are holding (&.2 minutes* then the ob$ect is passed to the ne"t person. 7* The selected emotion is written ne"t to the number of the ob$ect, along with any visual image perceived. 8* 1fter everyone has written their selections, the results are compared. &8? #o(!nc- %"plores the realm where human consciousness meets and dialogues with the !pirit of the %arth. It empowers the harmonious interaction between person and place. Through the art of appropriate placement of both secular and spiritual structures, places where we pray, work and play, geomancers locate and shape spaces in harmony with both the physical and the spiritual environment of the place. !trictly speaking, the term geomancy refers to an ancient form of divination in which, simply put, handfuls of soil or other materials were scattered on the ground, or markings made in the earth or sand, to generate a range of dot configurations which could then be KreadK by a seer. In the &Mth century, however, geomancy came to be applied to the +hinese practice of fen" shui by which the location and orientation of houses and tombs was determined with close regard to the topography of the local landscape. The fen" shui master or geomant employed a circular magnetic compass, called a luopan, which was marked off in rings containing data relating to astrology, directions, the elements, landscape forms, times of day, and so on. The aim was to locate a site where the energies or ch'i of the land and sky were brought into perfect balance. The harmony of these energies ensured good fortune. The science of fen" shui, literally Kwind and waterK, recognized that certain powerful currents and lines of magnetism run invisible through the landscape over the whole surface of the earth. The task of the geomancer was to detect these currents and interpret their influences on the land through which they passed. These lines of magnetic force, known in +hina as the Kdragon currentK, or lun"(mei, e"isted in two forms) the yin, or negative, current represented by the white tiger, and the yan", or positive, current, represented by the blue dragon. The landscape will display both yin and yan" featuresG gently undulating country is yin, or female, while sharp rocks and steep mountains are yan", or male. It was the aim of the geomancer to place every structure precisely within the landscape in accordance with a magic system by which the laws of music and mathematics were e"pressed in the geometry of the earth-s surface. The landscape itself may be manipulated in order to achieve the harmony sought through the placement or ad$ustment, or removal, of trees or rocks, or bodies of water. %very feature of the landscape may be contrived to produce an effect which ultimately is &87 perceived as beautifulG indeed, perceived beauty in a landscape may in fact be simply when the lines of the dragon current are in balance. 1t the outset, a geomancer must locate the course of the ma$or lines of the dragon current in his or her area. These days, it is claimed that such energy lines can be detected, and traced, through dowsing. In the &MH9s, the ley lines discovered by 1lfred Watkins forty years earlier came to be identified with the dragon lines of +hinese fen" shui. This gave a whole new meaning to ley lines which now ceased to be simply straight tracks but in fact mapped on the surface of the landscape lines of energy coursing through the earth. The presence of prehistoric sites . megalithic tombs, stone circles, standing stones . along ley lines indicated that these energy currents were known in prehistoric times and that the sites did not merely mark the route but somehow also tapped into this energy source. 4re=uently, important prehistoric monuments occupy sites where two or more ley lines intersect. Livination and fortune telling cover the whole globe. %veryone has some interest in it. I have tried to show a few of the mainstream forms of divination. There are of course countless ways of looking into the future. OMPHALOMANCY 5mphalomancy is a form of divination by the navel of a newborn first child. The mother uses it to ascertain future conceptions. These indications were obtained from the number of markings on the navel of the child *ELLY TAL$ERS In ancient <ome Belly Talkers were sort by many seeking answers to the future. These Belly talkers spoke automatically while in a trance. The #ediums were believed to have a Laemon in their belly. The Laemon used the #ediums vocal organs to predict the future. A'ctr-o(!nc- 1lectryomancy is divination by poultry. It is done by drawing a large circle on the ground and then dividing the circle into sections or slices. In each section P slice a letter of the alphabet is written. 1fter this is done, a =uestion is then asked and grain is then sprinkled over all the sections in the circle. 1 cockerel is let loose and whichever letter section he eats the grain from reveals the answer to his =uestion. &88 5n the floor was placed a pile of grain, a bowl of water, and a lump of clay. 1 cockerel was then let loose. If he pecked at the grain the girl would marry a rich man. If he drank the water, a poor husband. If the cockerel pecked at the clay, it meant death. I Chin& The I +hing is an ancient 1sian system of divination and understanding the +osmos and one-s relationship to it. ;egend has it that +hinese %mperor 4u.hsi around 2:82 B.+.% invented the I +hing. It is composed of H7 different he"agrams, with each he"agram containing a si".line figure. There are 7,9MH answers that are possible with this combination. The I +hing is read by throwing yarrow stalks or coins, with coins being the much simpler and more accessible method. It can be consulted with three pennies, although special +hinese coins can be used if you can find access to them. There are two different types of lines in the I +hing .. the yin line and the yang line. The yin relates to the feminine and the receptive, while the yang is the masculine and active (yes, these attributes are a bit se"ist, but this is an ancient system. Eou can ignore KmasculineK and KfeminineK altogether if you choose*. The yin line appears as a broken line, while the yang line is unbroken. When tossing the coins, first decide which side of the coin represents which type of lineG I usually use heads for yang, tails for yin, which is most common. 1 numerical value is given to each side of the coin, thus heads e=uals the value of ?, and tails the value of 2. Eou throw the three coins si" times, writing down the appropriate line each time, going from bottom to top. The types of lines possible are as follows) ggg"ggg H (moving* three tails ggggggg J (young yang* two tails, one head ggg ggg : (young yin* two heads, one tail ggg9ggg M (moving* three heads
5nce you have thrown the coins si" times, you will have a he"agram composed of the upper trigram (the top three lines*, and the lower trigram (the bottom three lines*. +onsult the I +hing book of your choice, finding the he"agram you have thrown, and read the interpretation. &8H There are a number of I +hing books on the marketG Bollinger-s is the best. The lines are more comple" than the e"planation I have given here briefly, and you should consult the book of your choice to learn about moving lines, and what to look up in terms of each line. 1 finished he"agram may look something like the following) ggg ggg ggg ggg ggg ggg ggg ggg ggggggg ggggggg
This is the he"agram numbered &M, called ;I>. Its keyword is K1pproach (!ymbol of 1dvance*K. In short, it indicates great progress and success. The I +hing is part of a holistic spiritual system, and should not be taken lightly. #any Westerners find it difficult to use as an oracle, yet many others find it immensely accurate and e"traordinarily helpful in terms of understanding. Eou must treat the I +hing with respect and due seriousnessG most who read it have found that it can be mocking in its responses if you treat it as $ust another toy. 1 lot of Westerners look towards the %ast for their insperation. There is no more mystical place that the home of !hang <i ;a) Tibet. I found this a while ago, and hope you find it interesting especially now after looking at the previous methods. &8J By Lor$ee Tseten Tibetan Bulletin #arch . 1pril &MM8 1lthough means of telling the future were employed in Tibet, before the advent of Buddhism, they are not regarded as an alien remnant outside the Buddhist framework that it is occasionally convenient to call upon. <ather, they are used within the sphere of Buddhist concepts, functioning in accordance with Buddhist principles such as karma. There are no references to divination in the collections of sutras, but many can be found in the tantras. /urpose) By looking into someone-s future, the diviner or medium can assess the particular situation and recommend how to respond or deal with it <emedial action, in the form of rituals, evokes positive forces and can result in a change in the person-s fortune. <ituals will not change a person-s karma, and those re=uesting and performing a divination are aware of this. 3owever, they can induce latent positive potential to take precedence over that, which is perceived as the cause of an impending misfortune. The efficacy of a ritual involves the patron making offerings of food and money to the monks or adepts performing it. The merit ac=uired from this gift is used to trigger the forces of latent positive potential in oneself or others. Thus, one is not transferring merit and stepping outside the laws of cause and effect, but merely using merit to awaken the forces of one-s own or other-s good karma. If, for e"ample, someone-s relative is ill, or his business is deteriorating, an individual may re=uest a =ualified practitioner-s divination to discover what ritual would be most helpful in setting conditions right. The success of this ritual depends on the strength of one-s own karma. 3owever, if the karma or predisposition to be ill is stronger than the latent positive potential in the sick person-s continuum, the effects of the disease will not be overcome and the ritual will remain unsuccessful. /erforming divination for the ill is often considered =uite tedious. Nhamtrul <inpoche, a Tibetan lama, says, KIf you tell a patient to take Tibetan medicine or Western medicine, and I have to conduct a divination for each =uestion. I feel that whatever we do, it is important for us to make the decision ourselves, because there is less cause for regret afterwards. If we are unable to do that, or have tried, but still feel we need someone else-s advice, the ne"t step is to seek guidance through divination. It is said that the invasion of Tibet by the +hinese had been predicted through various means and accordingly many rituals were performed. 3owever, since the Tibetan &8: people-s negative karma was too strong to be countered by rituals, they remained ineffectual. Livination In Tibetan !ociety) Livination is very much a part of life in Tibet and continues to be so among the e"iled community. #a$or decisions concerning everyday life such as marriage or business agreements are made only after consulting some form of divination. In most cases, people have favourite lamas who they consult. In nomadic areas where the sparse population is sub$ect to the whims of nature, divination, signs and omens are seriously e"amined. They generally interpret these themselves. Rualifications needed) When performing a divination, an individual is relying on the power vested in him by a particular deity. This power may have been ac=uired through a connection with the deity in a past life, and reinforced through retreats involving recitation of a mantra as many as one million times, identifying himself with the deity with clear concentration and the generation of divine pride. There are many ways of performing divination related to the practice of various deities. 4or e"ample, there are divinations dependent on #an$ushri, Tara, Oa$rapani, the 4ive Lakinis, /alden ;hamo, Lor$e Eudronma and Tsering +henga (the 4ive ;ong ;ife !isters* The motivation for performing divination must be pure. 1lthough anyone can ac=uire a relationship with a deity through intensive mantra recitation and conse=uently ac=uire certain powers, if they are used for unwholesome purposes, they will eventually rebound and bring about an unfortunate rebirth. V!riti" o/ Di%in!tion: i+ Dou&h 9!'' Di%in!tion: This method is practised mainly in the monasteries or by individual lamas when an important decisions needs to be made, such as in the search for the reincarnation of very high lamas. 1 number of possible answers to the en=uiry, such as the names of likely candidates for a reincarnation, are written on slips of paper. These are then encased in e=ual sized balls of dough. 'reat care is taken to weigh the dough balls to ensure that they are e"actly the same size. The dough balls are then placed in a bowl, which is carefully sealed and placed in front of a sacred ob$ect, such as the Bowo statue in the main temple in ;hasa, images of Lharma protectors or the funerary monuments of great lamas, re=uesting their inspiration in deciding the outcome. 4or a period of three days monks remain in the temple reciting prayers day and night. Luring that time no one is allowed to touch the bowl. 5n the fourth day, before all those present the cover of the bowl is removed. /rominent lama rolls the dough balls round in the bowl before the sacred ob$ect until one of them falls out. &8M That is the ball containing the answer. ii+ Dic Di%in!tion: /alden ;hamo dice divination is conducted with three dice with a number from one to si" indicated by dots on each face. Livination associated with other deities can be conducted with dice marked with letters. The dice are made of bone, wood or conch shell. Nhamtrul <inpoche described his own procedure for doing dice divination as follows) 4or a divination to be successful, it is essential that the diviner should have a pure motivation and the person who came for advice believe in the diviner. It is important that they both pray to the Three Bewels, their root and lineage lamas and their deities, chiefly /alden ;hamo and other Lharma protectors, for a clear answer. If I didn-t hear the re=uest clearly, I ask again. Then, I visualise myself as my personal deity Lor$e !honu or Oa$ra Nilaya and call on /alden ;hamo. Through my long familiarity with her, I can clearly visualise her before me and I re=uest her to give a perfect answer to the person who came for advice. Then & throws the dice and according to the numbers indicated on the dice, I refer to a divination book. There are many such hooks written by great lamas and they provide all the possible answers, though once you are familiar with divination techni=ues reference to te"ts is no longer necessaryK. iii+ Di%in!tion on ! ro"!r-: The person doing the divination prays to the deity he is invoking for the correct answer and recites that deity-s mantras. 3e then holds up the rosary horizontally in front of him, with the fingers of each hand grasping a randomly chosen bead, leaving half the beads of fewer between them. Then the fingers of each hand move towards each other counting three beads at a time. The outcome of the divination depends on the number of beads left. The procedure is repeated three times. When only one bead remains, the result is called hfalcon-. When two beads remain, it is called -raven-. When three beads remain the result is called -snow lion-. The outcome on the first attempt indicated the e"tent of the deities- support and the =uality of the divination in general. &H9 1 falcon at the first attempt would indicate support from protectors, luck in a new enterprise, and success in a lawsuit. 1 raven on the first try means the protectors are not on your side. There will be no accomplishment, lawsuit will be unsuccessful and there are enemies present. !uch a divination would caution against starting on any new enterprise. 1 snow lion on the first round would indicate support from the deities, slow but stable accomplishments and weakness on the part of enemies. If the =uestion concerned successful business, this would be regarded as a neutral result. 1t the second attempt, the outcome indicates conditions to take place in one-s immediate environment. The falcon indicates good luck in general, but not much success for those wishing to have children. The risk of thefts and illnesses in general would remain small. The raven indicates serious illness, obstacles to health and a decline in the life force. There will be a tendency for things to get lost or stolen. 3owever, in the case of an ordained person, these negative aspects would be reduced. 5n the third occasion, the number of remaining beads gives clues about an e"pected person arriving from elsewhere. This was a very important aspect of life in Tibet, for people travelled constantly and there was no communication system. 1 falcon with regard to an e"pected visitor indicates imminent news or arrival. With regard to illness, it would indicate finding the best way to cure it. 1 raven represents a bad indication concerning e"pected travellers. They are likely to encounter obstacles on the way will not arrive at all or will be robbed. The sick will not be cured and possessions will be lost or stolen. The snow lion indicates that travellers will arrive late, but come to no harm. /roblems with health will be few, although there will be difficulties in finding the right treatment. &H& The best divination would be three consecutive falcons. This would indicate that travellers will arrive =uickly, patients will recover and accomplishments will be swift. i%+ *oot"tr!2 Di%in!tion: This form of divination is popular among nomads. The flat, one.inch thick bootstraps are folded over each other into s=uares and suddenly pulled apart. If the bootlace unfolds freely and clearly it indicates positive signs, while a tangle would be negative. Intr2rt!tion o/ Incidnt!' Si&n" When a practitioner is setting up or preparing the yield for a retreat, certain occurrences in his environment can be interpreted as indicative of his future accomplishments. These can be either positive or negative. /ositive signs indicating that the practitioner will receive the Buddhas- and Bodhisattvas- blessing include) seeing cranes, geese, ducks, swans, pheasants and other auspicious birds flying overhead or hearing their callsG overhearing the sounds of drums, of stringed instruments, flutes, gongs, bellsG people reciting auspicious stanzas including such words as victorious, accomplished, e"cellent, happiness, success, give it, take it, fruitful, great, numerous and glorious. >egative signs indicating impending obstacles include) hearing the chatter of monkeys, s=ueaking of mice howl of wolves, bray of donkeysG low of buffaloesG having one-s path crossed by snakes or scorpionsG encountering people in mourning, hearing them e"press words like defeat, decline, die, sick, get rid of something, alas, difficult, unsuccessful and meaningless. In such instances, the practitioner should interrupt his practice and move to another site. In general, when setting out on a $ourney or some other enterprise the following would be considered good omens, or signs of success) meeting elaborately dressed men, women and childrenG pregnant women, cows with their calves properly dressed bhikshus, illustrious people, Brahmins dressed in white, beautiful be$ewelled women, young girls playing together, elephants, smart carriages, and people holding religious symbols such as the wheel, vase, garland, lotus, umbrella, or banners. !igns of failure would be indicated by the following) losing luggageG encountering wicked, frightful, worn out or ragged personsG having one-s road blockedG seeing collapsed houses, something catching fire, or having things break. &H2 Dr!(" +ertain individuals are gifted with clairvoyant dreams which they can use as means of predicting the out.come of future events. These dreams usually take place in the latter part of the night, before dawn, and are characteristically very clear. ;ike other forms of divination, they usually occur as the result of a special relationship with a deity and use either established symbolism that which is particular to the dreamer and easily recognised by him or her. 4or a practitioner, the following are established symbols of high accomplishment) seeing Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, one-s personal deities, and receiving teachings from themG dreaming of being enthroned, putting on a crown, taking a bath, being given va$ras and other religious implementsG dreaming of having become king, of reading scriptures, of being in temples with holy ob$ects, tigers, dragons, lions, garudas, horses, or ascending into the sky close to the sun and moonG rotating the four continents, easily swimming across the sea, seeing the sun or moon rising, ploughing a field, eating dairy products, and of sitting on a lotusG dreaming of being respected and praised by the gods, by one-s parents, spiritual masters, beautiful ladies, and friendsG dreaming of wildflower parks, rain, ripe fruit, kings, ascetics, Brahmins, wealthy people, virtuous masters, geese and other auspicious birds. 5vercoming obstacles is indicated by dreaming of gold, treasure, precious stones, sound weapons, food grains, ornaments, armour, and of killing one-s enemy. The following dreams, although apparently negative, actually indicated good results, and symbolise the surmounting of obstacles) cutting off one-s head, eating human flesh, washing one-s body in blood, drinking alcohol, shaving off one-s hair, burning one-s body, immersing oneself in sewage, surrounding the town with one-s entrails, and making love during the day. The following dreams indicated obstacles created by harmful !pirits) meeting tigers, leopards, cats, dogs, pigs, donkeys, mice, scorpions, weasels, snakes, vultures owls, dwarfs, dark, naked thin people, butchers, pale and skinny children, tall naked men, and struggling with any of the aboveG dreaming of wells becoming dry, of heaps of bones and skulls, and of ruined houses. In general bad dreams are those including the following indications) being chased by soldiers, applying vegetable oil to one-s body, talking with crippled or hunchbacked individuals, seeing the sun or moon going down, climbing mountains of sand or twigs, seeing red flowers or camel-s back, passing through narrow passages, wandering in a swamp, running downward, breaking the parts of one-s body or of things, being defeated by others and engaging in unwholesome actions. These dreams indicate that an individual has very little merit and will have a short life. In such cases, a lama would advise that the person should accumulate merit, meditate on emptiness, and perform peaceful fire ritual offerings before resuming any activity he or she was engaging in. &H? E7!(inin& F'!(" 5bserving the flames of ritual fire offerings is also a form of divination. 4irst, one invokes the fire god and then observes the flame. 1 bright, golden, orange colour, a smokeless and soundless =uality, the flame burning strongly and turning to the right, or burning upward in a single point, the fire lasting long and giving off a pleasant smell are general positive signs, and indicate that whatever =uestions one had in mind will be answered in a positive way. When the colour of the flame is !now white and the fire burns very gently, it mean that one has been cleansed of imprints left by unwholesome actions. The flame turning yellow means that one will become powerful and wealthy. Its turning bright red signifies success in any undertaking and its becoming a clear, smokeless blue colour symbolizes sound health and that one will develop one-s lineage. !igns of illness and other misfortune are indicated by the fire blazing fiercely and the flame turning dark smoky, the colour of human flesh, green, that of vegetable oil, dull, pale, having two or three points and a foul smell. When performing a fierce fire offering ritual, though, the above signs are considered to be positive. !igns that are considered to be negative in the case of either peaceful or wrathful rituals are sparks and smoke afflicting the performer of the ritual. Lark flames moving in all directions and blazing in an unsteady way indicate the termination of one-s lineage. &H7 O9"r%in& ! *uttr L!(2 The butter lamp used for divination should be faultless and made of gold, silver or another precious metal. It should be thoroughly cleaned. 1 wick should be made from a dry and odourless piece of wood, which is neither too thick nor too thin, with a height reaching the brim, and placed in the centre of the lamp. Barley should be heaped on it, and melted, purified butter poured over it. Then recite) 5m ah hum va$ra guru dhe vadakki nihum- od- od li sarva ah lo ke praha dhe naye svan bah a hundred times and think of the =uestion you wish to ask. Then light the butter lamp and observe the shape of the flame. 1 globular point means safety, a conch shape represents fame, and a bright yellow flame indicated no obstacles, a lotus and $ewel like flame denotes wealth. 1 flame with a hook shaped tip means that one will become powerful and one with two points signifies that the person will leave for another place. If the light of the lamp is dim and the flame gutters, it means someone will become one-s enemy or that he or she is about to receive a guest from a distant place. The flame separating into two parts indicates separation within one-s family. 1 dark red flame means the eldest son will die, the middle of the flame turning red and smoke coming from the wick indicates loss of property and the lamp going out without apparent reason means death. !pilling of the melted butter stands for the length of an undertaking. &H8 Mirror Di%in!tion /erformance of the Lor$e Eudronma mirror divination should be done in a =uite and peaceful place. The mirror is placed in a container filled with grain, itself standing on top on a clean felt cushion. The diviner then sprinkles vermilion powder (!indura* and recites the mantras of the ritual. In front of the mirror is placed a small crystal stupa or a piece of crystal, and at the back, a five coloured flag (representing the Buddhas of the five families* is attached to an arrow. 5n the right, is a ritual cake offering decorated with butter ornaments and on the left a red coloured cake offering. 1round these are arranged offerings of drink, roasted barley flour (tsampa* mi"ed with butter, incense and various kinds of wood. In front of himself or herself, the diviner places a va$ra, a bell and a damaru (drum*, some barley and vermilion powder to sprinkle in the drink, as well as an arrow to which is tied a white scarf. 3e or she then generates himself or herself as a deity and performs the preliminary ritual for removing obstacles according to the ritual of Tam. 4ollowing this, invocations are made to Lor$e Eudronma, one of Tibet-s chief protectors, who holds an arrow with the five colours in her right hand and a white silver mirror in her left. The diviner then re=uests the goddess to give a correct answer to the =uestions asked. The mirror is not read by the diviner but by a virgin boy or girl no more than &8 years old. The child, who must be clean and well dressed, sits on a cushion under which has been drawn a swastika, symbol of stability. 3e or she is asked to pick up a stone, wrap it in a piece of red cloth and place it under his or her knee and is made to drink the orange tinted libation. Blessed ears of barley are placed on the child-s head, which is the wrapped with a turban. The diviner cleans the mirror and lights the butter lamp. The child looks into the mirror and, depending on the type of divination that has been re=uested, sees either pictures, like se=uences in a film or letters. ;etters re=uire written =uestions, which have been given to the diviner. The child describes the visions to the diviner who interprets and e"plains them in terms of the =uestions that have been asked. The reader of the mirror has no knowledge of the =uestions asked and the diviner does not see m the mirrorG however, they are complementary and mutually dependent for this type of divination. The child-s ability to read the mirror disappears at puberty, and thus the diviner may use different children at different times. &HH Shou'dr;9'!d Di%in!tion It is said that divining from shoulder blades was first done by brown bears who, after killing weasels and mice took out the shoulder blades and e"amined the lines on them to know whether they were being pursued by hunters. This was observed by hunters, who noticed that the bears sometimes ate the body of their prey and sometimes abandoned it uneaten with only the shoulder blade e"tracted. 'radually, this form of divination came into use among hunters themselves, as well as among robbers and thieves. It was also very popular among village people. The bone used in the divination must be the right shoulder blade of a slaughtered sheep, as opposed to an animal which has died from disease or been lulled by wild animals. To begin with, the shoulder blade must be cleaned of meat and washed in clean water. The diviner than fumigates it with $uniper and holds it up with his or her right band to be reflected in a mirror. >e"t, he recited -Ee dharma- three to seven times and invokes the deities re=uesting them to give a clear answer. The shoulder blade is then burned in a smokeless fire, 5ut of the sight of strangers. Luring the burning, if the shoulder blade makes a rattling sound it means evil spirits are haunting the house. 1ccompanying clucking sounds would indicate that they are causing harm and discord in the family. The spine of the shoulder blade falling away very =uickly would mean that the above troubles could be dispelled with a appropriate rituals. The shoulder blade is divided into different areas, which enable the diviner to make =uite detailed predictions. These are) one-s protector-s, >aga-s enemy-s and kindred-s areas. Between the protector-s and the kindred-s areas are five sections known as the king-s, the lord-s, the minister-s, one-s own and the servant-s areas. These should be separated by a distance of one finger-s breadth. Bubbles in one-s own area are a good sign, although if they recede the implications are negative. 1 crack in the lower part of one-s own area indicates weakness in that year, and in the middle part, misfortune and regret. 3owever, a rack on the back signifies invincibility in he face of enemies and evil spirits. 1 rack in the shoulder blade socket indicate loss of property, though its fullness indicates impending wealth. The shoulder remaining white is a positive sign of imminent action, while its turning to an ash colour is negative and indicates high winds that year. Black stands for heavy sin and yellow for a warm year. The shoulder blade-s cracking in many lines indicates a loss of path or an unsuccessful future. 'enerally speaking white cracks are good indications, black ones are bad and slightly dark ones are of middling negativity. White cracks in one-s protector-s area indicate that the protector is helping you and black ones show the necessity of performing purifying rituals, lamp offerings, incense burning rituals, hoisting prayer flags and chanting prayers of confession. &HJ If the >ags-s area or the cracks on it become black one must perform a >aga cake offering beside springs and lakes. 1 crack appearing in the upper part of one-s enemy-s area means that he will become powerful and if it is black, it is a bad sign and one must recite sutras and the ritual of the white Umbrella (gLugs dkar*, which has the power to clear obstacles. If the kindred area is black one must perform ransom life rituals (Tse sgrub*. The division between the king-s area and the servant-s area are e"amined in the same way. The shoulder blade-s cracking in vertical lines denotes illness and in horizontal lines, that one will be a victim of theft and robbery or that it will take a long time to achieve a goal or accomplish a task. H!rin& Di%in!tion (!ee +lairaudience* This type of divination is done in the nomadic areas of Tibet and other isolated places, where there may not be a diviner available to consult. Before proceeding with the divination, a piece of $uniper is tied to a shoulder blade with wool, white cloth or string. The diviner then places the shoulder blade in the left pocket of his cloak and walks out of his dwelling. The first word he hears outside will indicate the turn of events. If this divination is being performed with regard to someone who is ill, then negative words such as -long- would suggest a protracted recovery. 5n the other hand, words such as -good- will indicate a =uick recovery. These words can be applied to any other circumstances about which the diviner is seeking an answer with the word -good always having a positive connotations while others like -nothing- having negative significance. 4rom among the above, Lough ball divination is regarded as the most reliable. But due to the length of the preliminary rituals, it is only conducted Mn very important occasions. !ome lamas are able to make predictions using no overt means of divination, but through direct inspiration from the deity. Though the result is the same, they would not usually claim to be performing divination. &H: