I did divination for myself, to gain new insights—or be reminded of old ones—about self-care when working hard. The reading was for me, but I post it below in case you find it helpful.
The following italicized paragraphs provide background, so the reading makes sense to you:
Exhaustion exacerbates multiple sclerosis symptoms badly. The final parts of curriculum development for an online course can be seriously exhausting for me because of how I tend to approach those final stages of creating an online course. I’m learning to approach those final stages differently, and have come a long way, but still have progress to make.
Choosing a crystal ball should not be undertaken lightly: this is a deeply personal tool that has its own energy and will also become imbued with your energy. Think of it as a container for a great deal of your energy and make sure it feels right for you and you alone. Do not allow anyone else to touch your crystal ball. If by chance it happens, simply place it in a bowl of sea salt overnight and it will be cleansed of outside energy and influence.
Highly polished and glasslike spheres of beryl and quartz crystal have been in use for many thousands of years. Healers, shamans, witch doctors, and medicine men have been using the bones of the earth for divination since time immemorial. The Celtic folks and Druids favored beryl as their scrying crystal of choice. Beryl still has a well-earned reputation as the stone of power. The Middle Ages and the Renaissance saw a far-flung use of crystal for seeing the future. The mythical wizard Merlin, of Arthurian legend, kept his crystal ball with him at all times! Pure quartz crystal balls are quite pricey but are worth the expense if you are serious about harnessing your intuition and using it for the good. Most people I know who use crystal balls, including many healers and teachers, see cloudy and smoky images, so do not expect your experience to be like going to the movies! Each and every crystal ball is unique and has its own energy. Here are a few examples:
This post started as notes in preparation for a talk I was planning for the seers group in my tradition. I decided to share it with some modifications to make it more broadly applicable. The following points are offered to encourage mindfulness and dialogue regarding the ethics and best practices for divination, oracular work, and allied disciplines. They do not cover all possible situations and differences in applications or doctrines, so change and adapt what is here to match your needs. I think that it is important for your sake and the sake of those lives that you touch to be clear on your ethical guidelines if you offer readings or oracular sessions of any kind. If you do not agree with any or all of these suggestions, I hope you will work to create your own or consider these a template that you can adjust.
Divination using toys? No, I haven’t lost my marbles. I collect them instead. I do psychic readings with everything in my environment. All of life is sacred. Fun is sacred.
I collect marbles. A few weeks ago, I thought it’d be fun to do divination with them. Since I view everything is my environment as an oracle, it was only a matter time before the idea of using marbles for oracle work came to me. ... Hm, honestly, I’ve probably used them that way before this, and not even remembered it; that’s how much a part of my life using everything as oracles is. ... In any case, this blog is about a psychic reading I did a few weeks ago using marbles.
Frequently Asked Question: Was x a real sign/ was x just a dream or a real communication from a god / was x a fiction story idea or a message from a god?
My answer: What you want to do is to confirm (or not) whether you have received a message. That's a yes or no question, which is the simplest type of question to divine for. If you use runes, decide in advance which ones count as yes or no and pull a rune. Or, you can use bird omens.
Images and memes traditionally associated with Imbolc are showing up on social media now, as they do every year. I enjoy seeing the hearty crocus push through the snow, the candle illuminating a frozen landscape, and the dormant seed waiting underground to burst forth into life. All of these symbols and motifs encourage the weary heart that the cold, dark days are ending.
I believe in dreams, creativity AND inspiring my peeps to awaken intuition and joy, no matter what. As a practicing astrologer + artist for the past 26 years I’ve learned a thing or two and I’d love to share that with you!
Creative tools such as my Daily Moon Vibes, Oracle Decks and Astrology Reports will help to awaken your intuition, which is essential for navigating these often crazy times.
Erin Lale
Fellow faculty at Harvard Divinity School posted an open letter to Wolpe in response to his article. It's available on this page, below the call for p...
Erin Lale
Here's another response. The Wild Hunt has a roundup of numerous responses on its site, but it carried this one as a separate article. It is an accoun...
Erin Lale
Here's another response. This one is by a scholar of paganism. It's unfortunately a Facebook post so this link goes to Facebook. She posted the text o...
Erin Lale
Here's another link to a pagan response to the Atlantic article. I would have included this one in my story too if I had seen it before I published it...
Janet Boyer
I love the idea of green burials! I first heard of Recompose right before it launched. I wish there were more here on the East Coast; that's how I'd l...