Conversation is a two way street. There is nothing more annoying than a person who talks constantly and never lets a reply in. I tend to think that prayer is a lot like this. I know that when I pray I will pause for a moment to see if a reply might be felt. I get the distinct feeling of being this rude individual who not only dominates the conversation, but who tries to put words into the mouth of my conversation partners. Now, I don't always get this feeling, but it happens often enough that I have come to develop a habit of taking out my cards before starting my prayers. Divination is one of the very few ways in which prayer can be answered in a direct and concrete way. Although it could be argued that personal bias is involved in how we interpret the divination results, it could also be argued that personal biased also enters into how we hear a response from someone who is talking no matter what. It is easier to stop personal bias by listening to the words instead of just guessing what a person would say if they were talking. A divination taken to answer questions, or to allow the kindreds to speak, are expressions of thought uttered out loud instead of guessing for what they might be saying. I don’t tend to think of divination as being a way to predict the future, but more as a way to help foster deeper relationships with those spirits who are part of my life.
This is why I think the omen drawing in ADF ritual is so important. It is the part of our rite where we hear directly from our Kindreds about their thoughts on what we are doing together in fellowship and as a community. They reply to us a group. When I do an omen pull alone, they reply to me as an individual, and can speak to any number of topics. In both instances divination is an intimate act of conversation in which I stop being rude. I become a partner with the powers of this world that we share.
I am curious to hear what you, dear reader, feel the purpose of divination to be.
This is why I think the omen drawing in ADF ritual is so important. It is the part of our rite where we hear directly from our Kindreds about their thoughts on what we are doing together in fellowship and as a community. They reply to us a group. When I do an omen pull alone, they reply to me as an individual, and can speak to any number of topics. In both instances divination is an intimate act of conversation in which I stop being rude. I become a partner with the powers of this world that we share.
I am curious to hear what you, dear reader, feel the purpose of divination to be.
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