Divination in a secular age

The other day I was noodling on the net and came across a blog post by a well-respected colleague. This individual was commenting on the difference between a predictive approach to divination versus a more philosophical approach. In concrete terms any reader or intuitive counselor will recognize this in the 2 different types of clients that we experience--there is one type of client who wants a nuts to bolts description of what will happen next in their lives as opposed to the client who wants an overarching reading that will most likely give them insight into their spiritual gifts and/or purpose. The former is the predictive case and the latter the philosophical (or probably in more correct terminology, the metaphysical). I have read similar articles in the past stating the same dichotomy and experienced how from this dichotomy springs another idea which is gaining currency--that working with an oracular system (whether its tarot, runes, tea leaves or what have you) for the purposes of prediction is "low" or less-than while working with the same system for meditative or contemplative purposes is "high" and the mark of an enlightened soul. So. This is wrong. But let's talk about why its wrong.

There are 2 issues at hand--the first is that the split between a predictive approach to divination and a metaphysical approach to divination rests on a false dichotomy. The greater spiritual questions are essential to correct prediction and correct prediction touches upon the greater spiritual questions. The false dichotomy comes out of the enlightenment period of history and the subsequent age of secularism that the enlightenment ushered in. Divination is one of the oldest arts and professions. One need look no further than the ancient texts that both encourage and prohibit certain forms of divination to understand that it has been around, in one form or another for a long, long, time. And of course it has! One of the most fundamental questions that we humans ask is…what's next? What will happen if…What will happen if I don't…voila the need for divination and diviners is born!

Because divination is such an ancient art we know it was practiced when our sense of the world and our place in the world was a different animal than it is now. Please note: I do not actually think much changes about our experiences-but I do think that our perception and explanation of why we experience what we do has changed, and not necessarily for the better always. To continue, I often explain to my students and clients that when we work with my preferred system of divination-the tarot--we need to place ourselves in what I refer to, somewhat incorrectly, as a "middle-age" mind set. Tarot cards have been documented as arriving in Europe in the early 1400's--although I and many other readers suspect the cards were worked with much earlier but unless my client is a history scholar (of which I do have a few!) they mostly know what I am talking about. I am using the example of tarot here because it is the system of divination that I work with, but the same thing applies to any system of divination that has ancient roots as well as the general art of divination itself. When I ask a client to enter the medieval mind set I am asking them to envision a world where the day is bracketed by rituals celebrating what is divine, unseen, and mysterious. We can say a lot of negative things about this period of history-the social and economic structures, the role of women and minorities, etc, etc, BUT one thing that the pre-Enlightenment folks had over us moderns hands down is a deep sense of the sacred. This sense was communal and participated in by the greater community. Belief in things that cannot be seen and touched-only felt or intuited did not mark you out as insane or weird or woo-woo-it was something that you most likely shared with your friends and neighbors. The sense of the sacred-of God, of the Divine was a part of daily life. A sense of wonder at the mystery of nature and the world was ingrained in individuals. So it is with any system of divination. For you see, divination is a system, as well as an art, and like all art and systems it does rest on certain presuppositions. For instance, if you are a fatalist it doesn't really make sense for you to have your cards read as the whole point of divination is to learn what is most likely to happen--and then if need be, take actions to encourage or stop certain events from taking place to the best of your ability. And among these presuppositions is the belief that our daily lives, thoughts, actions, and behaviors are touched and influenced in every possible way by our sense of the sacred, the world and our place in it, the questions that really matter--in short, our philosophy. Wonder-at ourselves, at the grandness of the word, the greatness of the Divine, the mystery of it all--undergirded our sense of philosophy until the Enlightenment. Now, don't get me wrong--we needed the Enlightenment to happen. It brought us physics, the scientific method, vaccines, and all kinds of goodies that make modern life possible. BUT one thing that gave way in the onslaught of this new approach to wisdom was that sense of wonder. No more would nature hide her secrets from us-brave and strong men were going to come, ravish her, and empty her skirts of any remaining mysteries.  (Thats not a fancy analogy by the way-that is Sir Francis Bacon, the father of the Enlightenment who says it more elegantly: "My only earthly wish is... to stretch the deplorably narrow limits of man's dominion over the universe to their promised bounds... nature will be bound into service, hounded in her wanderings and put on the rack and tortured for her secrets.")

Yes--its the knowledge that in some way led to the machine that I am typing this on right now-yet there was a price, and it was steep. We can see it in many areas but the area I am interested in is divination. As we lost our sense of wonder and the sacred we also started to buy into the false dichotomy I mentioned earlier and a schism grew between the art of prediction and an individual's philosophy. And so we have today the situation of clients and readers who think of these aspects as separate in the best case and at odds with one another in the worst case. In theory philosophy is for the academy and divination is for woo-woo mystics or wannabes. In practice, as any reader knows, its much more complicated and people from ALL walks of life seek divination now just as they always have. And any truly useful+insightful divination is going to place prediction and philosophy in relationship to one another--because what you think about yourself and the world around you influences the direction your life goes in today as it always has. Or to put it more plainly--whether or not you and your boyfriend are going to take it to the next level has everything to do with "big questions" like how you think about yourself, commitment, relationships, faithfulness, honesty, and hard work. If we want answers we gotta delve into your philosophy--its the way that we get clarity! I was talking to my husband about this idea this morning and he reminded me that the same principle can be seen in the Chinese character of the Tao (which of course translates to Way or in some translations "way-making" to capture the progressive sense of the idea). Originally this character was understood to be an eye with legs--because you have to both see (understand) where you are headed and have the practical ability to go there. That is what we strive for in divination-as client or reader-you shouldn't settle for less.

Quick Cues on Not Being Taken for a Sucker!

So…you have decided to consult with a psychic, a spiritual advisor, someone who is willing to advise you and help you achieve your goals…for a price. So far, so good. But as my longtime readers know, I get stories on a weekly basis from people who have been SORELY taken advantage of. Here are some quick tips on how to make sure that you are working with someone who is ethical, legitimate, and honest:

1.) Check their testimonials+website--how long has the site been around? How many testimonials do they have? If you ask them to speak to one of the people who left a testimonial will they hook you up or leave you hanging?

2.) Do they belong to any professional clubs or organizations that guarantee an ethical approach? I am a founding member of the Association of Readers and Rootworkers because our field needed an ethical watchdog--AIRR is it.

3.) Is it clear to you what you are signing up for and what you are getting in return? Is there a contract you can sign? How much contact can you expect from the individual and will they agree to a set number of contacts in writing? If not, its a big sign that something might be amiss.

4.) Are they guaranteeing their results? This is mystery and magic not math--every situation/perspective/person is different and there are a million extenuating circumstances-someone who is guaranteeing results to you is someone to look at very carefully.

5.) Can you verify that they actually are delivering on their promises? Are you getting reports and analysis, photographs, contact--or are you getting vague promises and excuses?

6.) USE common sense! For most of the tragic stories I hear, the teller begins with "I should have known better when…" and then they tell me something that definitely should have (and in many cases did) set of warning bells. Hey! Pay attention to those bells. There are lots of spiritual advisors out there. You don't have to settle for the first one that you try. (This is not an encouragement to go and knock on every spiritual worker's door either though--be honest with your current worker about past experiences.) If you do not feel comfortable working with someone after giving them a fair shot then move on! Not every person will be satisfied by any one worker.

May you be smart, savvy, and satisfied!

Dedicating the merits of your practice

This one goes out to all the yogis and wannabe yogis and folks who feel ridiculously blessed (or challenged which is also a form of blessing) and simply don't know what to do with themselves.  There is a practice in many 21st century American yoga studios of "dedicating the merits of your practice."  You can dedicate merits to someone, a cause, an affirmation, even a Deity.  As best I can tell, this idea comes out of the Hindu practice of asceticism (and it was picked up by Buddhists later in a very similar manner).  Ascetics--usually of the Brahmin class but not necessarily so--were individuals who dedicated themselves to doing tasks of great difficulty.  Often these tasks were physical in nature, for instance, the Goddess Uma seduced and captivated Lord Shiva by standing on one toe and surviving on nothing but dried leaves for over a year--how's that for unconditional devotion?!  Occasionally the tasks were more specific and intellectual or spiritual in nature--chastity for eons was another popular form of ascetic practice.

Behind these traditions lie two powerful principles: the first is that the physical body and the sensations it experiences are largely illusory and the second is that through an understanding of the first principle an individual can pierce through the veil of the unreal and discover powers within him or herself that have the ability to manifest real change in the physical realm.  Now, on some level if you have ever exercised in your life to lose weight, increase muscle tone, or repair an injury you already believe these things because your physical self imposed some kind of limitation (impossible weight gain or an injury), you agreed that through effort and work you could positively impact that limitation, pierce through it and go beyond it, and once successful you discovered that your efforts did indeed cause physical change.  In traditional Hindu parlance the act of effort is known as karma--yes, karma comes from the sanskrit root kr which means to "act or do" and it is where we get such words as create, and what is generated by this effort is tapas or heat.  Again, physical exercise is a really great place to look at this because it is grounded and we have all experienced it--what happens when you make a physical effort?  You get hot and sweaty.  Well, as it turns out most major religions believe that a similar phenomena happens on a spiritual/energetic/soul level when you engage in certain ascetic or devotional practices.  This tapas in turn creates a kind of merit--in our words today it says that you give a damn about something greater than yourself, and this merit in turn carries a kind of power.  And, as a favorite comic book hero was told, Power can be used for good or evil.

So…back to dedicating the merits of your practice.  Now in today's world most of us are not standing on one toe and eating dried leaves BUT I talk to people all day who are willing to follow the example of the Hanged Man tarot card and make efforts to secure what they want/need/desire.  Not spending money can be an effort, not eating the cookie can be an effort, being nice to your brother when he is super difficult can be an effort.  Yoga teachers talk about dedicating the merit of your practice because yoga is an effort--on multiple levels at the same time.  If you are feeling blessed, loved and illuminated by the universe then give back--to your family and friends, to your favorite charity, to strangers you have never met. Blessings are meant to be shared, not clutched close to your vest in miserly desperation.  If you are feeling stuck or challenged ask yourself: am I making an effort here?  Be honest.  Can you make more of an effort?  Be honest.   What is your practice around the people, situations, and life areas that cause you the most difficulty, pain, anger, and stress?  What might a sustainable practice that could improve these feelings look like? And then, don't make the effort with the expectation of the reward.  Make the effort because you care about more than your own situation--dedicate the merits of your efforts to someone or something that really needs it.  All I can say is that you'll be surprised at the results and it worked for child birth--but that's another story.

A little Blake today

This poem has been on my mind all day--who better to share it with then all of you?

To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
A robin redbreast in a cage	5
Puts all heaven in a rage.
A dove-house fill’d with doves and pigeons
Shudders hell thro’ all its regions.
A dog starv’d at his master’s gate
Predicts the ruin of the state.	10
A horse misused upon the road
Calls to heaven for human blood.
Each outcry of the hunted hare
A fibre from the brain does tear.
A skylark wounded in the wing,	15
A cherubim does cease to sing.
The game-cock clipt and arm’d for fight
Does the rising sun affright.
Every wolf’s and lion’s howl
Raises from hell a human soul.	20
The wild deer, wand’ring here and there,
Keeps the human soul from care.
The lamb misus’d breeds public strife,
And yet forgives the butcher’s knife.
The bat that flits at close of eve	25
Has left the brain that won’t believe.
The owl that calls upon the night
Speaks the unbeliever’s fright.
He who shall hurt the little wren
Shall never be belov’d by men.	30
He who the ox to wrath has mov’d
Shall never be by woman lov’d.
The wanton boy that kills the fly
Shall feel the spider’s enmity.
He who torments the chafer’s sprite	35
Weaves a bower in endless night.
The caterpillar on the leaf
Repeats to thee thy mother’s grief.
Kill not the moth nor butterfly,
For the last judgment draweth nigh.	40
He who shall train the horse to war
Shall never pass the polar bar.
The beggar’s dog and widow’s cat,
Feed them and thou wilt grow fat.
The gnat that sings his summer’s song	45
Poison gets from slander’s tongue.
The poison of the snake and newt
Is the sweat of envy’s foot.
The poison of the honey bee
Is the artist’s jealousy.	50
The prince’s robes and beggar’s rags
Are toadstools on the miser’s bags.
A truth that’s told with bad intent
Beats all the lies you can invent.
It is right it should be so;	55
Man was made for joy and woe;
And when this we rightly know,
Thro’ the world we safely go.
Joy and woe are woven fine,
A clothing for the soul divine.	60
Under every grief and pine
Runs a joy with silken twine.
The babe is more than swaddling bands;
Throughout all these human lands
Tools were made, and born were hands,	65
Every farmer understands.
Every tear from every eye
Becomes a babe in eternity;
This is caught by females bright,
And return’d to its own delight.	70
The bleat, the bark, bellow, and roar,
Are waves that beat on heaven’s shore.
The babe that weeps the rod beneath
Writes revenge in realms of death.
The beggar’s rags, fluttering in air,	75
Does to rags the heavens tear.
The soldier, arm’d with sword and gun,
Palsied strikes the summer’s sun.
The poor man’s farthing is worth more
Than all the gold on Afric’s shore.	80
One mite wrung from the lab’rer’s hands
Shall buy and sell the miser’s lands;
Or, if protected from on high,
Does that whole nation sell and buy.
He who mocks the infant’s faith	85
Shall be mock’d in age and death.
He who shall teach the child to doubt
The rotting grave shall ne’er get out.
He who respects the infant’s faith
Triumphs over hell and death.	90
The child’s toys and the old man’s reasons
Are the fruits of the two seasons.
The questioner, who sits so sly,
Shall never know how to reply.
He who replies to words of doubt	95
Doth put the light of knowledge out.
The strongest poison ever known
Came from Caesar’s laurel crown.
Nought can deform the human race
Like to the armour’s iron brace.	100
When gold and gems adorn the plow,
To peaceful arts shall envy bow.
A riddle, or the cricket’s cry,
Is to doubt a fit reply.
The emmet’s inch and eagle’s mile	105
Make lame philosophy to smile.
He who doubts from what he sees
Will ne’er believe, do what you please.
If the sun and moon should doubt,
They’d immediately go out.	110
To be in a passion you good may do,
But no good if a passion is in you.
The whore and gambler, by the state
Licensed, build that nation’s fate.
The harlot’s cry from street to street	115
Shall weave old England’s winding-sheet.
The winner’s shout, the loser’s curse,
Dance before dead England’s hearse.
Every night and every morn
Some to misery are born,	120
Every morn and every night
Some are born to sweet delight.
Some are born to sweet delight,
Some are born to endless night.
We are led to believe a lie	125
When we see not thro’ the eye,
Which was born in a night to perish in a night,
When the soul slept in beams of light.
God appears, and God is light,
To those poor souls who dwell in night;	130
But does a human form display
To those who dwell in realms of day.