Hanne Csanyi - Divination and Meditation as Paths to Enlightenment

Art of Divination

When broaching this topic many questions come to mind. What is divination? Who has the abilities to work with these and who would be interested in this and why? With all the tools that are out there which one would be best for me and how do I begin? Is it safe and recommended to use these tools? And so on.

What is divination?

According to the Grollier’s CD ROM Encyclopedia
"Divination is the practice of foretelling the future by means of alleged preternatural powers. It is based on the belief that the future is predetermined, that all things, however casual or accidental they might appear, have significance, and that the pattern of coming events can be read from them. The practice has been common to all peoples from earliest times, often through the medium of a PROPHET, SHAMAN, SIBYL, or person temperamentally equipped to go into a state of trance."(1)

Webster's Dictionary lists two meanings for the word "Divination." The first, "the attempt to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge by occult or supernatural means," is the most accepted and stereotypical definition in today's society. It is also the most controversial and divisive definition. The second definition, "perception by intuition," is actually nearer to the truth for most serious practitioners.(2)

Divination is the art or practice that seeks to discover hidden knowledge. The word divination springs from the word to divine or to discover or perceive intuitively. (3)

Who has the abilities to work with these and who would be interested in this and why?
Everyone has the ability to use divination tools, these tools aid us in focusing our own perceptive abilities and help us in trusting our own intuition. With time many practitioners discard the divination tool of choice and move into more direct methods of divining or channeling by the use of clairvoyance, clairaudience etc. For some this progression only takes a short time, but for most it can take several years. And for yet others, they already have the abilities to trust and follow this inner guidance and wisdom.

Not everyone has the ambition to pursue these abilities as their life paths have another focus. To those that do have an inner calling for this work, it demands that one’s intent is always for the highest good of all and that you trust explicitly the information which you are given without judgment of the content.

In this time of the world, we have moved from only a few having the abilities or the opportunities of working divination to a progressed move toward the masses. Our World is changing and the need for more beings to be aware has become important to the global society.

The tools only help us learn how to trust our inner knowing, they are neither good or bad. Just as a computer is only a tool for connecting with the internet to access information, divination tools connect us to our own inner knowing and the universe for the same reasons.

If you have a draw to learning divination, trust you are on the path to becoming aware and understanding yourself and your world better.

With all the tools that are out there which one would be best for me?
There are many systems of divination. A short list is tarot, astrology, crystallomancy (crystal balls), geomancy (poking holes in a box of earth and combining the results into a set of symbols.I'll be explaining geomancy fully in another lecture), pyromancy (using flame or smoke to divine), dream interpretation, hydromancy (scrying with a liquid reflective surface like water or ink), runes, tea leaves, palmistry, I Ching and astral projective investigation. There are many, many more forms, but what they all have in common is a set of symbols that the diviner combines in a specific (often ritual) fashion and by "reading" the relationships and order of the symbols to acquire hidden or esoteric knowledge. Some sets of symbols are more detailed than others (tarot, astrology, geomancy, I Ching) and some rely heavily on the reader's own intuition and imagination (tea leaves, crystallomancy, hydro and pyromancy). (3)

And in today’s world there seems to be even more new and varied forms becoming available all the time. The only way you will find one or possibly two which are right for you is to try them. On trying these, many will find that there is an attraction or affinity to one or another where the tool seems to communicate with you right from the start, making it very easy to begin work with that specific tool.

So how do I begin?
One useful way to think of divination, especially for beginners, is as a very specialized form of meditation and that is why it is recommended that if you pursue the work with divination that you have or attain knowledge of meditation and the states which meditation can put you in. Mediation trains the mind to focus in a non controlling way, which is very necessary when doing work with divination.

Always remember to use the following principles whenever you use any method of divination.

Intent Always ask for information to be given for the highest good of all. Information should never be asked for the intent to manipulate or pry into the affairs of another person – quite frankly the information will not come through accurately. Also asking for lottery numbers or horse race winners will not come through either.

Protection Ask to be protected during your endeavors with divination using either prayer, ritual or a combination. With prayer ask for protection and guidance from those in spirit around you. One ritutal would be to envision yourself surrounded and being filled with the pure light of the universe.

Trust Trust the information you receive to be correct. If it seems confusing you may ask further questions to clarify, but if you did not like the answers you were given and continue to ask by rephrasing your questions, you can influence the outcome. These answers would then not be accurate.

A sample method to invoke the above:

Sit quietly for a few minutes taking in a few deep breathes and envision yourself being filled and surrounded by the pure white light of the universe. Then use a prayer similar to the following.

Great Spirit (God, Universe, Creator, etc.)
Thank you for this time. I ask that those in spirit around me draw close and guide and protect me with the endeavors which I am pursuing. I ask that the information be for the highest good of all and that I may be a clear channel for this and be trusting of this. In the name of LOVE. Amen (blessed be, etc.) (4)

Is it safe and recommended to use these tools?
When you follow the guidelines of protection as stated earlier it is very safe. But if you begin without some intent of protection you invite those spirits of a lower vibration in and their intent may not always be for your highest good. Always remember to set up protection.

Is it recommended to use these tools? Only use tools you are drawn to and that you feel on an intuitive level are safe for you to handle. Never allow another person to persuade you to get involved in something which you are not comfortable.

The tools provide a way of connecting to our own inner knowledge and that of the universe. The statement "Knowledge is power" has become very prevalent in our age of the world. Gaining knowledge about our own being and trusting the inherent knowing we all possess allows us to take back our own power, our birthright. It gives us back self-confidence, joy and innocence, the knowledge we can be, do and experience anything our hearts desire. It gives us back the abilities to be compassionate, loving and forgiving of ourselves and everyone and everything in existence.

Using tools such as Divination and Meditation help us evolve into who we really are... Beings of Light and Love. (5)

May you have light and joy in your learning.

References
1)     Grollier’s CD ROM Encyclopedia http://www.shamanicvisions.com/writings_folder/divination.html
2)     Divination and Prophecy http://www.tryskelion.com/divintro.htm
3)     Divinition. Wicca 101 http://www.geocities.com/~firesilk/lecture13.html
4)     H. Csanyi ,1999. Principles to Remember in Divination.
5)     H. Csanyi. 2001. Divination and Meditation http://www.pathstoenlightenment.com/article-DandM.htm

Through meditation and divination one can open up awareness to other realms of existence within and without of oneself – a journey which may ultimately lead one to enlightenment.