Paganism

The Pagan tradition is full of many methods of divination and it is possible to find people more than willing to do readings for you that make use of these methods. There are as many names for divination as there are methods. You may well have heard it called fortune telling, soothsaying, augury or simply predicting the future.  Whatever you call it, it is a skill that has been developed by many Pagans who can use it as a powerful method to help people make sense of their lives.

Having a Pagan reading can help people to make decisions in their lives based on information that they receive from the reading. Many people will use the information they receive from a reading to positively affect their future. A reading does not tell you exactly how the future will be; it gives an indication of what might come to pass. Armed with this information people can work towards positive outcomes and attempt to avoid negative ones. The Pagan belief is that the future is not set in stone and any reading you receive will reflect this core belief.

This aspect of a Pagan reading can sometimes be seen as a weakness by sceptics. But it is a misunderstanding to think that a reading will give absolute answers to questions or visions of an unchangeable future. The world does not work like this. A successful reading will show pathways and possibilities that may have been obscured and open up options to people that may not have been possible before. In this way a reading can be extremely empowering and life changing.

There are many techniques used to make readings. Here are some of the most common that you will come across if you are interested in Pagan readings:

·          Cartomancy: This is the use of Tarot cards or playing cards to interpret the future.

·          Tasseomancy: This is the art of divination using tea leaves.

·          Pendulum: The patterns made by a free swinging pendulum are used to interpret answers.

·          Runes:  This method involves symbols etched onto stones. They are thrown onto a surface and their orientation and interactions all play a part in the reading.

·          Omens: This is the interpretation of events and natural phenomena.

·          Dowsing: A way of finding lost items and objects.

There are many other tools and methods that can be utilized to deliver a reading. Most of them are ancient and have been developed over the years and integrated into various Pagan traditions. The important thing to remember is that what they all have in common is that they are methods of focusing an individual’s abilities. Whatever method used it is the link to the source that is significant and the interpretation that will be of importance.