Dominomancy: Using Dominoes for divination I used to play dominoes with my grandfather when I was a child but I haven’t touched a domino tile in many years. I have friends who play almost daily and even gamble on the outcome of the games, using a point system and accusing each other of cheating. Very recently I received a box of dominoes and I poured them out on the table with a sense of anticipation. How it brought back memories to mix up the overturned tiles in the boneyard! But I wasn’t playing a game with a grandchild. I was picking tiles to answer a question. Dominoes are a form…

Basic Venison Stew I have always been at home in the woods and fields and along the creeks and lakes. I learned to fish at such a young age I don’t remember when it was. My brothers and sisters and I used to collect empty shotgun shells from the fields from the fall hunting and feathers from pheasants. Often, my mother would receive a roast of venison or several pounds of mixed ground venison and pork, which she would make into chili or meat sauce. Generally she didn’t tell us beforehand what it was but it was obvious from the way it tasted. I was usually the only one who…

Heirloom Holiday Cutout Cookies I have been studying and practicing the skills associated with the Pagan and Wiccan religions for over thirty years now. My Book of Shadows, once a small spiral notebook, has grown to three large notebook binders, organized by subject and carefully maintained. Much of my information was copied from library books but nowadays I am more likely to print directly from the internet. I am a fairly eclectic witch – I live with the seasons and work to develop my divinatory skills – as a solitary, my rituals are very quiet and quite Zen-like in their simplicity. I am also unapologetically Dianic and see no reason…

To Know: A Guide to Women’s Magic and Spirituality, by Jade I know this is a column about divination but sometimes I feel the need to write about books. Like many of us, I learned about paganism, wicca, witchcraft and many other occult subjects through books. Most of the books I read were from the public library and I took copious notes, which became my Book of Shadows. But when I had the money, I bought the books I longed to own or ones that were recommended to me. One that was recommended to me by the owner of the shop in which I bought it, was To Know: A…

The Oracle of Napoleon: divination, Secret Code, or Both? The Oracle of Napoleon is one of the most involved divination systems I have ever encountered. Unlike other methods of divination – such as dice or cards or a pendulum, which can be easily carried in a pocket or a handbag – the Oracle of Napoleon demands that you have a set of questions that go with a chart – called “The Key” – which then the querent needs to further refer to another set of charts – it’s almost as bad as doing your taxes before we all had Turbo Tax and we had to refer to charts and booklets…

Using a Crystal Ball As the Wheel of the Year approaches Samhain and the days grow dark and the nights long, it becomes the time for scrying. This is not something that can be done in the brightness of a hot summer day. This is for the mystery of night and the dark. Even summer nights can be too alive with light for a good scrying session. But the cloudy darkness of October and November nights – the early fall of evening and the reluctant rise of the autumnal sun – makes for the best time to practice those arts that require the dark. Scrying, whether with a bowl of…

Using a Pendulum with Tarot Cards or Oracle Cards When I was researching last month’s column on using a Pendulum, I found a blog called “New Age Blog” written by Travor Mayes. The page I was on was from 2009, but it had an entry about using your Pendulum in conjunction with Tarot Cards. He said to lay out nine cards and then: “Let the pendulum select which cards apply to you with a yes answer, the pendulum will also decide how many cards to turn over.” This is of course rather confusing but I got out my Rider-Waite deck and after shuffling and cutting them the proper amount of…

  Divining by Pendulum Recently, I received a beautiful pendulum from our generous editor, Jenn. I have used pendulums in the past but they were homemade ones of braided embroidery floss & crystal buttons. This is a really nice one! It felt really good in my hand and it was weighted perfectly. And I loved the pentacle etched into it! Although I have used pendulums in spell work in the past, I naturally had to pull out my books and do some research on using one. I was rather dismayed at what I found, or what I didn’t find. But perhaps that’s because of my own preconceived notions and I…

Diving by Crystal Ball, Part 1 Our esteemed editor, Jennifer Wright, sent me a crystal ball to examine and review for Pagan Pages. It arrived within days of my birthday, which was just fabulous! It came in a royal blue box entitled “Titania’s Crystal Ball” and along the side of the box was written: “NOW YOU CAN ‘SEE’ YOUR FUTURE”. Inside the box was the crystal ball in a plastic cup to keep it from rolling around inside the box; a ring to place the ball upon when in use; a booklet to teach you how to use the crystal ball; a card entitled “The Image Key” with the most…

What I Want for My Birthday May is one of my favorite months. It starts with Beltane, which for me means several days spent in the woods and the fields. Mother’s Day comes ten days after that, which is another celebration. The next weekend is my birthday. May ends with Memorial Day weekend. Many regard the Memorial Day weekend as the start of the summer season but really, the entire month of May can be a celebration of the start of summer and the growing power of the sun. I personally claim it as my own party month like the taurine that I am. Every day is a holiday. If…