{"id":26711,"date":"2022-08-01T01:10:43","date_gmt":"2022-08-01T05:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/?p=26711"},"modified":"2022-08-27T17:38:53","modified_gmt":"2022-08-27T21:38:53","slug":"magickalarts-69","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2022\/08\/01\/magickalarts-69\/","title":{"rendered":"MagickalArts"},"content":{"rendered":"

What Are the Magickal Arts?<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

… As magickal practitioners we are all \u201cartists\u201d in our own ways, honing our skills of creating magick, weaving patterns of energy that affect change and calling to the most Divine of our natures as we align with cosmos, greater earth and all of the many Beings that inhabit those realms. And, I like where this trend is taking us in exploring the craft in all of forms…. <\/b><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s continue honing our skills as we explore the Art of Divination\u2026<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a> When we hear the word \u201cDivination\u201d it usually conjures up a picture of the gypsy fortune-teller who will predict your future love interest, dream job or soon to be received wind-fall. In reality, divination can take on that form, but it can also serve as a highly effective tool in extending and solidifying your energetic and psychic connection to the world around you. Lest, it be believed to be a less than a reputable source for information remember that kings, queens, politicians, warriors, dictators, businessmen, corporate giants and many others who would be considered \u201ctoo rational\u201d to believe in such \u201cstuff\u201d have routinely consulted with those having oracular abilities. The horoscope scrolls placed strategically at cash register\u2019s end weave their magick and often engage even the most resolute of skeptics \u2013 if for no other reason than curiosity.<\/span><\/p>\n

In ancient times those who practiced the art were called oracles, soothsayers, shamans, sorcerers, mages, fortune-tellers and more. The art, itself, in recent years has moved from that of being shrouded in mystery to the forefront of magickal workings with books, workshops and training in abundance. The internet is abuzz with \u201cplug in your question and receive an instant reading\u201d sites which are frequented daily by those needing \u201cto know\u201d. I use the word \u201cart\u201d because in its most pure, undiluted and non-commercialized form, divination remains a skill, that even with a natural predisposition towards natural ability still requires practice, hard work, a substantial knowledge base of magickal systems and years of study to elevate its effect beyond \u201cparlor tricks\u201d. \u00a0So, what then are the mechanisms and guidelines for the serious student of Divination?<\/span><\/p>\n

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Expectations or Fate vs Free Will\/Choice<\/b><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

Many who come to the diviner\u2019s table accept whatever information is received as being the sealed deal. And, it is also those same who are often either disappointed when they do not meet the future lover with blonde hair and blue eyes or subconsciously manipulate their interactions and surroundings to fulfill the said prophecy. Neither scenario is good outcome, nor what the expectations should be. If we consider the information received as being simply that \u2013 \u201cmore information\u201d this allows us greater option in how to exercise our free will and consequently how we will use that information. If approached in that manner, rather than allowing that information to narrow and limit our choice, giving excuse that Fate expects us to obey blindly, we open to the possibilities of making choice of a potential outcome based on the consequences of our will, not that of a diabolical Universal Plan.\u00a0Take the information received in Divination and mull it over, meditate upon it and then act upon it in a way that is now fully informed by having pieces of a larger picture afforded you.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Focus and Intent<\/b><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve talked of the importance of\u00a0Intent<\/b><\/i>\u00a0upon any magickal working and the ultimate success or failure given the specificity of that intent. Divination uses this same important component to draw the information received into a concise form. In order to align yourself with energies that are able to align and resonate with the answers sought, the work of developing a state of focused and directed energy towards that goal is also required. Quieting oneself, visualizing that you are in alignment with the source of all knowledge and removing your conscious mind from the distractions around you opens the subconscious to retrieve what is needed. It is precisely this principle that accounts for those flashes of inspired thought when least expected and when you are most relaxed and not actively trying.<\/span><\/p>\n

Developing the receptivity necessary for a clear stream of information can be cultivated through development of a regular meditation practice. In the work of Divination a large portion of what is received will be filtered through your own understanding, so to minimize the internal interpretation (particularly if you are doing readings for others) you want to set aside a portion of your own consciousness and work from a state of consciousness that is receptive and open to pure communication devoid of internal commentary. Most importantly you also want to be able to actively turn off the extraneous noise and distractions that convolute the stream of flow and setting into a tangled mess of miscommunication.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Many Tools of Divination<\/b><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

The Art of Divination is expressed through the use of many tools. These include the more popular of Tarot, Scrying Bowls, Pendulums and Runes, to those lesser known such as bones, ogham sticks, shells and others. Each has its own limitations most often in terms of resonance with the individual you are reading for and their familiarity with these tools allowing a connection to be made. <\/span><\/p>\n

When selecting a tool these are a few guidelines of consideration: <\/span><\/p>\n