The Divining Traditions
Divination
has most likely been around since the dawn of mankind
and can be found in all cultures both ancient and modern.
It can be a part of a religion or it can stand alone.
It has provided communications, revealed truths, produced
judgments, and heralded things to come.
Esoteric Tradition
What is divination?
Divination is the foretelling of future or
other unknown events through intuition or magic or—
is it ? Divination is really the production of
information by unaccountable means for a particular
purpose. This purpose can be either communication between
the various deities or worlds or gathering unknown information
from the past, present or future.
Divination for Prediction
Foretelling or affecting the future is probably
the most common form of divination. The future belongs
to "time" and it exists after the present.
What lies after this point can be the realm of possibility
and probability or contrariwise, can be ruled by predestination.
Alternatively, there may not be a future to predict
because it might not exist until we observe it. The
question here, is not which of these theories is true
but why is it so important for us to know the future?
Something
to think about
When we try to predict the future, are we:
— predicting a specific individual event?
— predicting the possibilities of the probabilities?
or
— are we facilitating certain events to happen?
How do we make predictions
of the unknown?
Scientifically, predications are made through
the following steps: 1) observation, 2) comparison and
analysis, and 3) formation of a model of 'cause and
effect'. We, more or less, do the same thing every day
through deductive and inductive reasoning. In divination,
we use these same steps to form our predictions. What
makes this process different with esoteric divination
is that, in most cases, the relationship between what
is being observed and what is modeled *seems* to be
illogical and unrelated. It is also theorized that when
we perform these "irrational deductions" we
are utilizing that part of our brain that is non-deterministic.
The three concepts that seem to be
the mainstay within esoteric divination are the conscious
and unconscious mind and probability. Numerous theories
and speculations have been banded about over these topics
in relation to predictions, but since it is an illogical
method it cannot be proved by logical means.
The Conscious Mind
It seems that the only common link between unrelated
events is the observer —man. We look for connections
between unrelated events because we want them to exist.
A relationship is knowingly established for some personal
reason that is known only to the observer. Perhaps,
the observer is seeking verification.
The Unconscious Mind
Supposedly, a relationship can exist between two
unlikely events in that unknown part of the mind called
the unconscious. The mind is still an undiscovered territory
and this certainly applies to our unconscious. According
to Sigmund Freud, it was "id" -the repressed
memories, and with Carl Jung it was the "tribal
collective" - the shared memories. In the world
of parapsychology and mysticism, it is the container
that holds our wisdom, intuition, higher self, physic
abilities and our other connections to universe. Whatever
the theory, the unconscious mind seems to influences
our actions and the understanding of our world.
"The psychological rule
says that when an inner situation is not made conscious,
it happens outside, as fate. This is to say, when the
individual remains undivided and does not become conscious
of his inner contradictions, the world must perforce
act out the conflict and be torn into opposite halves."
—Carl Jung, Collected Works
Probability
Depending on how you view an occurrence of an
event, you will probably use one of the following words:
chance, random, arbitrary, fate, destiny, predestination,
coincidence, or synchronicity. Whereas, the conscious
and the unconscious are the internal factors, probability
is the external factor in divination. How much power
or significance we assign to this external factor is
determined by the individuals' beliefs. In esotericism,
a popular reason for a relationship to exist between
two unrelated concepts is synchronicity. Swiss psychologist,
Carl Jung and physicist Wolfgang Pauli believed that
apparently unrelated significant events are connected
by "acausality" because of a force that transcends
logic. This means that meaningful coincidences, which
have a hidden purpose, exist and happen beyond the realm
of the logical 'cause and effect'. Synchronicity is
not to be confused with predestination where everything,
in varying degrees, is preordained and determined due
to some "higher power".
Divination for communication
There can exist many levels or worlds within
reality. Divination is used to communicate within and
between these worlds. Some of us work on the premise
of two worlds; the spiritual and the physical world.
Necromancy is one form of divination that communicates
between the living physical world and the spiritual
world of our deceased loved ones. Prayer is another
form of divination where man (physical world) communicates
with his gods (spiritual world). Some believe that this
unique ability of communication outside the normal senses
is a natural inherent gift, while others believe it
is a talent that can be developed.
The New Tradition
Introspection
In Esoteric divination the scope is the future
and with Introspection the scope is you. A new use for
an old tool has been found. There are no oracles to
be read, no prophecies to be divined, and no futures
to be told. The purpose is simply to learn more about
yourself by looking within and reflecting on your actions
while asking the one question -why? When humans interact
with their environment, they not only perceive patterns
but they also project their own matter into their perception.
We think we perceive the objective reality -but we don't.
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First Impressions?
What do you see?
Whom do you see?
What do you think is the story?
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The image that you perceive and the
story that you tell, says a lot about you. Did the picture
remind you of a family member or famous person? Did
you see the pagan Green-man, God, or just an old man?
-or- Did you see two lovers kissing under an arbor of
leaves? If I told you, this was two pictures in one
would you change your answer? To see the other image
put the cursor over it.
The tarot works on this principle
along with other pictorial divination tools and is a
useful tool in introspection. Another tool used is dream
interpretation where the symbols have deeper allegoric
meanings and the source comes from within you. Introspection
is such a personal form of divination and you are the
only questioner. However, friends and third parties
can help us in our discovery. In fact, professional
help is available in the form of psychologists and psychoanalysts.
However, you will not see a tarot deck. Most psychoanalysts
prefer to use the Rorschach inkblots and dream analysis.
Personal Thoughts...
Do I believe the future can be foretold? I really don't
know. At the moment, I am working on the axiom that
it can't. I think that my future lies not in a deck
of cards or some other divinatory device ... but in
myself. I make choices and if these choices are made
in a causal or acausal world, or consciously or unconsciously,
--nevertheless, they are made by me.
Are my choices predetermined? I would like to think
that my choices are my own. When I understand Quantum
physics, I will get back to myself on this one. At the
moment, I am still trying to wrap my brain around "The
Dancing Wu Li Masters" by Gary Zukav.
Yes, I own a tarot deck —in fact I own hundreds.
Actually, I am avid collector and when I do use my decks,
I use them not for parapsychology but for psychology.
Introspection is my methodology. For me, how I view
and perceive the image is far more important than the
image that I see.
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