• Laguz •
Old English Rune Poem
Lagu (Sea) is by folk thought wide indeed,
If they should dare to go in a ship unsteady,
And the waves terribly frighten them,
And the sea-stallion heed not its bridle.
It's deep Winter, and the People are hungry. Even the wisest and most experienced hunters can't agree where the herds of caribou might be just now.
So they throw the bones. The bones say: Here.
The hunters go There, and—sure enough—they do find caribou: not as many as hoped for, but enough, at least, to get us through.
When it comes to the working principles behind divination, I'm of the Projection-and-the-Human-Penchant-for-Seeing-Patterns School myself. I'm a strong proponent of divination nonetheless.
Why? Because when you've weighed all possible actions and still can't reach a conclusion, divination offers a way out of stalemate. When you don't know where the caribou are, it's better to go out and look than to sit around the fire arguing.
Divination makes a good servant, but a bad master. You're a fool if you let the cards run your life. But when you really can't make up your mind, divination can offer a way out of inaction. My father always says, “It's better to make a decision and act, than to dither and do nothing.” I can't help but agree. As a general rule, taking initiative offers a better chance of survival than passively waiting for someone, or something, else to act on you.
Inaction kills. "Going with the flow" is for Newagers. Witches act. You're more likely to get the result that you want if you act, than if you wait to be acted upon.
So “All things being equal, consult divination” is my motto.
