Make Your Own Divination System

I have discovered that the universe will talk to us in any language we understand. All you have to do is define your language. It can be as complex or as simple as you like. The important point is to make it meaningful to you.

I've used Tarot cards, runes, I Ching (coins and sticks), Ouija, astrology, the flight of birds, ordinary playing cards, random signs, crystals, and the pendulum. I've consulted mediums and gone on Shamanic journeys. Except for the crystals and the pendulum, they all worked for me.

Probably the best example of variable meanings is Tarot cards. Over the years, I've used three decks: Rider Waite, Motherpeace, and Circle of Life (which is the one I use now). I learned a lot about the meanings of the decks. And you should. Deck creators have specific symbols and meanings in mind when they make the decks. Also, you should study the cards to get clear on what the images mean to you. As my understanding or interpretation of a Tarot card changed, so did the answers I received.

There's a great book for delving into your personal meaning of the cards: The Heart of Tarot a book by Amber and Azrael Arynn K. For plunging into historical symbol construction try The Ancient Tarot and Its Symbolism by David LeMieux. There's an online class offered through DailyOm, Create Art for Your Soul, that guides you in constructing your own cards from contemporary images.

Symbols
Choose symbols that mean something for you: stones, cards, pictures, sounds, odors, the direction of the wind, etc. Important to get in touch with your intention. When you develop this language for the universe, you need to be clear on what the symbols intend. Think of Lyra and the Aleithiometer. One symbol, a bee, can stand for industry, community, communication, food, etc. Don't lock down your symbols. Leave a little fudge factor because language is imprecise.

Yes/No
A simpler system is yes/no or heads/tails. You could use coins, sticks, or beads. Those prayer beads commonly used by Buddhists are divination devices as well consulted by shaking, random grabbing, and counting down (an odd number remaining means "no" and an even number means "yes"). Yes/No divination is what the I Ching is based on (yin and yang lines). You can do Yes/No with the Tarot by pulling three cards at random and letting the appearance of a Court Card mean "Yes." No court cards means "No." And there's the old standard flip-a-coin: heads=yes, tails=no.

Get Answers
Once you have your system, find a way to let the symbols come to you randomly. This opens your system to the universe so it can use your language. A caveat about answers: they are not final or inevitable. You always have choice. Think of your answers as warnings, advice, hints, or possibilities. Use the knowledge wisely. Don't over ask or ask the same question repeatedly. The universe may give you garble out of frustration. And don't ask a question to get a particular answer. Keep your mind open to possibilities. As a friend once said to me, "Sometimes the answer is neither A nor B but Q."

Sky 219 - moon drama

When the moon first rose, I thought it was the sun setting. Then I remembered I was facing east. All I have now is my iPhone camera. The actual moon rise was a lot more dramatic than this.

That's the reflection of the moon in the water. The lights are along the Bay/Bridge/Tunnel bridge road. No lights in the center because that's the tunnel part. And now you know.

Hero and Dog

It's a start.

Current Fads
Listening. Romance Unlimited (unpublished iMix); my heart
Watching. Iron Man (2008)
Activity. running away to the woods
Gadget. iPhone 3GS
Writing. Gertrude, so far (NaNoWriMo 2010)
Location: Regulus, about 15 miles from the orphanage

when day is done and shadows fall I dream of you

when day is done I think of all the joys I knew

that yearning

returning

to be held in your arms

I know love, what's so love,

without you life has lost its charms ...

and although I miss

your craziness

the whole day through

I miss you most of all

when day is done

midsummer

Light candles. Blow them out in reverse. Pluck up tiny weeds. Remove the dried dead fronds of blooms returned to earth. Pace the garden. Note the flavor of the wind. Contemplate holly leaves dreaming of winter. Select a mimosa bloom for pressing. Hear subtle music.

Happy Solstice!

Songs of the Day: One Guitar, No Vocals – Leo Kottke

I love you! You're wonderful!

Thanks for hanging in here and waiting for me to return to blogging. I don't know what it is, but nothing is inspiring me to write. Sure sign of an amateur or I might just be lazy or it might be spring and I'm having too much fun or ... Whatever. Pick a lovely reason and hug it close to your heart.

I'll be back.

Current Fads
Listening. Time Waits for Everyone, Viggo Mortensen; Love and Other Obsessions, Spyro Gyra; Deep Sleep Every Night, Glenn Harrold
Watching. L.A. Story (early nineties)
Activity. making others happy
Gadget. iPod Shuffle
News Source. none
Reading. The Terra-Cotta Dog - Andrea Camilleri; not reading a lot right now even though I am a reading addict. SL is sort of getting that time. I'm building a grove. It's totally cool and I have this pet fish named "Fin" that swims around my avatar's head and blows bubbles. And my avatar has lovely ragged fairy wings and she's blue.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - some spoilers

I finished reading the book around 2 pm on Sunday. Wow! I waited until 4 pm to call my daughter so I could be relatively sure she had finished, too. Surprise! She had finished at 2 am, being still able to stay up all night. A thing I could no longer do at the tender age of 22.

Today at work I mentioned I had spent the weekend reading the final HP book and my manager asked me who died. She really wanted to know. She doesn't read the books but she wanted to know. So I told her, hoping she wouldn't spoil it for those who do read the books. As I was listing the dead, I noticed that at least one member of each genetic group died: politically correct dying (or killing). Also, it's not possible to get a sense of the books just from knowing who died. One character doesn't totally die. You kind of have to be there.

You can't really get a sense of the stories when I mention that the books have witches, wizards, werewolves, ghosts, elves, goblins and humans because the definition of each group isn't what you would expect. Neither is the application of the cultures. The list also leaves out Rowlings' fabulous plot twists, gadget inventions and original games. And you don't get to know her intriguing and entertaining characters.

So, READ THE BOOKS!! heh heh

Reading Book 7 - no spoilers

My book was delivered by a delightful postman at around 11:00 am this morning. I was still finishing off book 6 (for the second time) and cursorily finished it hitting only the bits I couldn't really remember. So I actually started reading around, oh, 11:45? I am now on page 388 (Chapter 20) and appear to be half-way through. Damn book must be nearly 900 pages long!!! I have irrational fears of spoilers jumping out at me and a likewise irrational urge to run to the grocery store (where the book is on sale) or the corner convenience store (where it is not). I'm reading mostly inside but it's such a heavenly day I read outside for about 2 hours.

Back to the shadows ...

so much so little

There's the deck to stain. I've done the railing. It looks so nice. Here's a tip: buy good paint. Here's another: prepare the surface. I am entranced with the miracle of sanding! Sure, I've made wooden things before. I was forced to work with wood during a crafts class in the seventies. I had to sand by hand. This time I sanded with a machine. Doesn't matter. Both work. But if you're doing a railing I suggest a machine unless you're going for that "made by hand" look. But it's just lovely the way the wood responds to paint and how the paint covers it so thoroughly and smoothly. Sanding is the answer! ... no matter what the question.

Oh. Right. Then there's a poem or two in my head that need writing down. Soon. And my camera is holding lovely (I hope) shots of the river in spring which I would love to share with you.

And every five seconds I have yet another topic to blog about. It's definitely something like spring but a lot like summer. This I have discovered after three hours at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens with friends. If you get the chance, hire a guide. We had an excellent one and I learned so much. Guides know it all. I've missed a lot just wandering along reading pamphlets. I didn't take any photos but I still have impressions to share.

That, and I'm trying really hard to be me all the time. Oh! And I need to relay my last PP experience. Yes. I have something to say about that and I can't just let it go with one poem.

Yikes! And there's Pirates of the Caribbean! I may actually see it first run but not the night it opens. It's very long and I need my beauty sleep (okay – keep those thoughts to yourself). And I've discovered yet another thing about my youthful past that you must know. heh heh

I'll be back.

Current Fads
Listening. iPod List - Rock (unpublished); a million birds
Watching. Annie Hall (1977)
Activity. deck renewal
Gadget. iPod Shuffle 2nd Gen
News Source. I am the news!
Reading. A Diet to Die For - Joan Hess; My Mind - me; GD USA; Fortune The New York Times and The Washington Post online (Yes, I really am reading them all right now—I'm a reading addict. What can I say?)

I'm back ... thanks for understanding

I actually got back Friday evening but was so relaxed from being in Cancun that I couldn't bring myself to do anything more than unpack and go right on relaxing. Yesterday I tackled the yard, the grass having grown 4 inches during the 7 days I was gone. The weeds are horribly frightening but I'm going to get to them shortly. Which is why this post will be short. I also spent 2 hours yesterday catching up on email and I'm still not done. That will be finished today, hopefully. I also plan to post a short summary of my vacation in my other blog. Mostly, I'm left with an irrepressible urge to burst into a warm "Hola!" every time I see someone. It's lovely! Everyone should have an all-inclusive vacation in Cancun at least once in their life.


more later

Forget what you know. Trust where you would not.

On days like today I'd prefer to write poems about why tomatoes don't like being wrapped up in plastic rather than get ready for work. There's a poem there, you know.

Yesterday I wrote what's below. That led to the title you see above. I know how I got there. I do it all the time. Do you know how I got there?

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An Actor's Choices
Actors discover, easily or uneasily, that who they are and what they feel are what keeps them in work. They learn that pulling up something from inside themselves and projecting it is what others come to see. It's a powerful realization. As they practice and master themselves (and characters like them) they can move on to work that lets them become someone else. They still use who they are and what they feel but recombine it into someone they are not and would never be. A different choice is to use this opportunity to project idealized or perfected images of themselves (through the scripted character). Acting is an art form and a lot of work -- even for "naturals."

A lucky actor or actress (thespian) will get to choose a good a script from many offers instead of having to look really hard for just one. There are many variations on "good." There's good emotionally, good for skill development, good for publicity, good for the company, instinctively good, etc. Hopefully the good will be in all areas. That's the ideal choice.

There comes a time when the thespian discovers limits and fears. Some accept these limits. Others see them as challenges and put themselves continually in the way of opportunities to face their fears and push their limits. Some are successful. Some are moderately successful and some fail miserably. Some lose their instincts in the process. Some their feeling. Some decide they were never any good to begin with and leave the profession. Some keep battling, digging a deeper and deeper pit until they find themselves trapped.

Of those who see their limits, some think they are facing their fears when, actually, they are merely increasing their skill at facing a previously overcome fear and using that activity to avoid facing a real fear. For example, an actor who has a fear of being overcome by the publicity machine and also a fear of hatred. He has worked for years to master his fear of hatred by playing many hateful characters. Rather than facing his fear of the publicity machine by starring in large mainstream films, he will take on more roles that let him face down hatred over and over again. So, the actor feels like he's really having at it when he is not. (Nothing looks more attractive to me than doing the dishes when it is time to edit my novel.)

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Something doesn't feel right, but there it is anyway.

wishes can come true

I wished for nicer weather to garden in and no sooner had I finished the post than the sun came out! See! All you have to do is wish. I got both rhodedendrons planted, some of the daisies and the rest of the bedding plants.

There's a folk song about diseases. —The Smothers Brothers
Everyone's got something wrong with 'em. Just be glad yours is something you can see, said my Nan. —Woman in Earl's Court

My particular disease is wishing. Wishing I could drift through the days doing what ever comes to mind. Comes from years of being organized and planful. Yikes! It's Sunday night! ... and tomorrow is ... ARRRGGHHH! Can I wish for a month of Sundays? Should I?

Song of the Day: The Story in Your Eyes