The Spirit Guide: Meditation: Divination Tools

I truly believe that all things that bring us closer to God and help us be vessels of Divine Love are good.  This is something that is often in opposition to organized religion who have, for centuries, categorized these tools as "Occult" or "Witchcraft" or "Paganism."  

I don't use words this way.  On their own, these tools are just tools and they mean nothing without intention.  You can have a mean heart and still pray the Rosary.  You can have a pure heart and read Tarot. Intention is 100% at play.

I embrace Celtic spirituality, and my non-religious divination tools stem from that culture.  I celebrate the eightfold wheel which honors the changing of seasons (equinox/solstices) with traditions aligned with Scottish Druidry. 

While there are religious Druids I am not one.  It's a philosophy I embrace, but I don't belong to any of the big Druid organizations, and I don't belong to a Grove.  I hold no judgment to those who do, but it's not my path.  My job isn't to tear down that path, but to respect it and leave it alone.  If you want to learn more about Druidry, I recommend visiting Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids (OBAD).  There is a lot of information there, and you can decide which path makes the most sense to you.

There are hundreds of divination approaches out there.  There are people who toss bones - that's one of the oldest known methods.  Some read tea leaves or coffee grounds.  Others read clouds.  The list goes on and on.  I don't even know about most of them, and of the ones I do know about, not many of them speak to me.  

In my current practice, I mix religious and spiritual tools.  

The religious tools I use are the King James Bible, the 1928 Anglican Book of Common Prayer, the St. Augustine Prayer Book, the Rosary, the Jesus Prayer, and informal prayer.

The Divination tools I use are meditation, rune stones, oracle cards, Native American stones, and a pendulum.  I have three sets of rune stones, a Rose oracle, two Celtic oracle decks, 2 pendulums, and one Native American oracle deck.  Native Americans and Ancient Celts believed in many of the same spiritual concepts, so I often find comfort and direction in their materials.

I don't know enough about crystals to use them, but I think they are pretty, so I have them around.  I have essential oils, candles and incense, but, again, they are just to create a spiritual space so I can study and reflect if I can't be in the woods.  

I do not read Tarot because it isn't my heritage or tradition, and I don't believe in fortune telling.  I believe in free will, so I don't believe it's possible to predict the future.  I don't think they are evil, and I don't think they are wrong. I just don't use that tool.

I do use sage to smudge my house often to release negative energy, and if I can't smudge, I have a Tibetan singing bowl to cleanse my cards and area.

I celebrate all the Christian holidays, and Easter is my favorite because it speaks to the sacrifice made by Jesus on the Cross and his triumphant rising from the dead.  Easter is what makes us Christian.  Good men are born all the time, but the one man who conquered death and ascended to Heaven is our Savior. 

I celebrate the Scottish holiday of Hogmanay on New Year's Eve and observe St. Andrew's Day (the Patron Saint of Scotland) and St. Patrick's Day (the Patron Saint of Ireland).  

I honor the eightfold wheel of the Scottish Druids.  These aren't usually just one day holidays; they are three-day festivals or observances.  For each of these celebrations I do my own thing, as we don't really know how Druids celebrated since they didn't write anything down or what they had written down was destroyed.  These aren't religious holidays; they are festivals, celebrations and observances of nature and allow me to honor the natural world and the gifts God has given us through nature.  Again, intention is 100%.

Samhuinn (Samhain/Halloween/All Saints/All Souls) (October 31-November 2) 

Alban Arthan (Winter Solstice, Yule) (December 21st) - secularly aligned with Christmas

Imbolc (February 1st) 

Alban Eilir (Spring Equinox, Ostara) (March 21st)

Beltane (May 1st)

Alban Hefin (Summer Solstice, Midsummer) (June 21st)

Lughnasadh (Lammas) (August 1)

Alban Elfed (Autumn Equinox, Mabon) (September 21st)

As I've said probably a few times, intention is key.  You can do mindless formal prayer without intention, and you can use any of these tools with ill intention.  They key is to rely on the guidance of Spirit and focusing energy on the message God has for you.  

We often pray for friends and family who go through rough patches, but we sometimes forget to pray for ourselves.  We forget to set our own souls straight while we critque the souls of others.  

Today, I had a late start and a tremendously busy day.  I had back to back meetings and paperwork that had to get done.  I didn't set my intentions, and I truly feel it.  I didn't pray and I have felt off and scattered and kind of cranky.  It's just like taking medicine.  If you forget it, you feel it.  Today, I felt it.