Weekly Divination ~ Peek in some books!

[Hope]

As we all hear all the time, I get these from my real daily life. This week is no exception, seems there has been a LOT of interest in my home lately to peek into my books, and shelves and see what all is hidden in there.

All the book stuff on my mind, made me go and ask a question about someone, and pick up a book that had been knocked to the floor, and then read a page for a reading ..

Some call this Stichmancy - and many use the bible this way!

Do you? have you? want to now?

and here is a cool link (http://www.facade.com/stichomancy/) I found you may enjoy where you can get a free reading.

♥

[Chaos Hawk]

I have done this.

Using the link you provided, I asked a question and got this answer:


is concerned with the use of weapons--'What is Courage?' Laches thinks that he knows this: (1) 'He is courageous who remains at his post.' But some nations fight flying, after the manner of Aeneas in Homer; or as the heavy-armed Spartans also did at the battle of Plataea. (2) Socrates wants a more general definition, not only of military courage, but of courage of all sorts, tried both amid pleasures and pains. Laches replies that this universal courage is endurance. But courage is a good thing, and mere endurance may be hurtful and injurious. Therefore (3) the element of intelligence must be added. But then again unintelligent endurance may often be more courageous than the intelligent, the bad than the good. How is this contradiction to be solved?

Which I think is kind of an ambiguous, "we don't know" kind of answer :lol:

[Hope]

Is that like being asked to go to your room and think?


LOL


♥

[Chaos Hawk]

Yes, it does :lol:

Ironically though, I have been thinking about "courage" a lot recently.

What is courage of the heart really? Is it putting yourself out to be rejected? Is it courage to wait calmly in the face of uncertainty? Does it take more courage to be patient, or to stand up for what you want?

[Toki Wartooth]

Oh! So this is the literary divination for any book. I was about to ask about bibliomancy, since that's the term/"type" I learned, but the link said that was for holy books.

In any case, I've tried this, though I don't know I've been very successful. Maybe I just didn't know how to interpret the messages? I would've thought I'd be a natural at it, since I'm such a reader/writer type of person...

[Hope]

Yes, it does :lol:

Ironically though, I have been thinking about "courage" a lot recently.

What is courage of the heart really? Is it putting yourself out to be rejected? Is it courage to wait calmly in the face of uncertainty? Does it take more courage to be patient, or to stand up for what you want?


Honestly I think it is more about each, and not the comparing of the two... More of being present in each circumstance.

♥

[Hope]

Oh! So this is the literary divination for any book. I was about to ask about bibliomancy, since that's the term/"type" I learned, but the link said that was for holy books.

In any case, I've tried this, though I don't know I've been very successful. Maybe I just didn't know how to interpret the messages? I would've thought I'd be a natural at it, since I'm such a reader/writer type of person...

laughs, isn't that how it is -- so often in our lives -- but wait i am good at THIS so why is it hard today ..

giggles

Did you ask a question or just open a book?

I know for me, sometimes I am so just hmm drained I suppose is the word, and I will just grab a book, and basically say feed me ...

Give me a place to focus and think -- as opposed to give me an answer :)

♥

[TheWomanMonster]

Hah cool link.
Sometimes I'll just flip a book open and see what it says to me.

I asked what my current career path holds for me,


can be said to create anything--the British Empire. They won for us our colonies, our commerce, the mastery of the seas of all the world. But at what a cost!

Their bones are scattered far and wide, By mount, and stream, and sea.

Year after year, till the final triumph of Waterloo, not battle only, but worse destroyers than shot and shell--fatigue and disease--had been carrying off our stoutest, ablest, healthiest young men, each of whom represented, alas! a maiden left unmarried at home, or married, in default, to a less able man. The strongest went to the war; each who fell left a weaklier man

I'll think on that for a time.

[Scott Hill]

Actually, bibliomancy is the correct term - or, at least, the term I use. Some people believe this only applies to holy books, but I would challenge that contention on two points. First, the "biblio" prefix just means "book" (you find it in other terms, like "bibliophile", where there is no emphasis on the sacred). Second, in a way, all books are holy anyway.

Bibliomancy is one of my favorite ways to divine. I'm so glad you're covering it! There are many different ways to go about it, but I'll give a couple of pointers from my own experience.

You can either carefully choose a question, or generally choose a topic, or just ask, "What do I need to know?" Bibliomancy is a very fluid practice. Also, you may wish to use spirits/characters originally derived from the written word to help you as guides.

You should be careful what books you consult. Whether using a single book or choosing from an entire library, you want a body of text that represents a large possible group of meanings. For instance, let's say someone asks you an important bibliomancy question and you refer only to the complete works of Poe or Lovecraft for an answer. You'll probably get something very negative - and possibly scare the crap out of your client! So avoid such books unless you are reading from a large group of books that represent a broad range of possible answers. However, some books have an enormous range and work just fine by themselves (like, for instance, the collected works of Shakespeare). Typically, I use my home library for bibliomancy, but I have around 5,000 books. If your library isn't very large (or if it favors specific types of books and doesn't have the range needed for bibliomantic readings), you can either use carefully selected single works or visit a local library.

Also, I divide bibliomancy readings into two main categories; I call them disassociative readings (unconnected to the rest of the narrative) and readings in context (grounded in the overall narrative). I think I can explain the difference using an example. Let's say a client asks you for a general reading, and your intuition or your guides lead you to the following passage from "The Princess and the Pea": "In the morning the girl complained, 'I couldn't sleep a wink all night. There was something under the mattresses.'" If you are doing a reading in context, you will consider how this passage fits into the overall story. In this case, you might interpret the passage as meaning that your client has recently come through a difficult struggle but that her talents are about to be recognized (just as the trial in the story leads to the recognition of the princess). However, if you are doing a disassociative reading, you would only look at the passage at hand. In this type of reading, you might interpret the text as meaning that the client is having trouble sleeping - perhaps due to stress or bad dreams. Often, the choice of disassociative or contextual readings can make a huge difference to the outcome.

These are just some remarks to get you started with bibliomancy (which we will eventually explore over at the Magic and the Arts class at the Circle of Teaching). It's a wonderful, far-reaching method that I highly recommend.

[Lady Aeris]

oooo i like this one :) i do this more often than i mean to, actually...

[SilverClaw]

Some call this Stichmancy - and many use the bible this way!

Do you? have you? want to now? I have used Magazines and various books including Encyclopedias, Tarot and divination books, and I find that this divination can be very thought provoking :D






and here is a cool link (http://www.facade.com/stichomancy/) I found you may enjoy where you can get a free reading. :lol: I knew it was going to be that site before I even clicked on the link :D

[LisaT4P]

I used to do this with the Tao Te Ching. :) Great messages for the day that way.

Once I stepped outside @ my work to smoke, and found a page from a children's book laying in the parking lot near my car. I think I took it home, but it was interesting to read, even though it didn't seem relevant at the time. I wonder if I read it now... would it be? I'll have to find it and check.

[TheWomanMonster]

Sometimes I just grab a random story from buddhanet.net daily readings (http://www.buddhanet.net/flash/daily-readings/daily-readings.swf)
So far they seem pretty relevant.
:smile:

[Toki Wartooth]

laughs, isn't that how it is -- so often in our lives -- but wait i am good at THIS so why is it hard today ..

giggles

Did you ask a question or just open a book?

I know for me, sometimes I am so just hmm drained I suppose is the word, and I will just grab a book, and basically say feed me ...

Give me a place to focus and think -- as opposed to give me an answer :)

♥

I've tried both. But, I think, perhaps Scott Hill's advice would be some good guidance in using this method of divination...


Actually, bibliomancy is the correct term - or, at least, the term I use. Some people believe this only applies to holy books, but I would challenge that contention on two points. First, the "biblio" prefix just means "book" (you find it in other terms, like "bibliophile", where there is no emphasis on the sacred). Second, in a way, all books are holy anyway.

Bibliomancy is one of my favorite ways to divine. I'm so glad you're covering it! There are many different ways to go about it, but I'll give a couple of pointers from my own experience.

You can either carefully choose a question, or generally choose a topic, or just ask, "What do I need to know?" Bibliomancy is a very fluid practice. Also, you may wish to use spirits/characters originally derived from the written word to help you as guides.

You should be careful what books you consult. Whether using a single book or choosing from an entire library, you want a body of text that represents a large possible group of meanings. For instance, let's say someone asks you an important bibliomancy question and you refer only to the complete works of Poe or Lovecraft for an answer. You'll probably get something very negative - and possibly scare the crap out of your client! So avoid such books unless you are reading from a large group of books that represent a broad range of possible answers. However, some books have an enormous range and work just fine by themselves (like, for instance, the collected works of Shakespeare). Typically, I use my home library for bibliomancy, but I have around 5,000 books. If your library isn't very large (or if it favors specific types of books and doesn't have the range needed for bibliomantic readings), you can either use carefully selected single works or visit a local library.

Also, I divide bibliomancy readings into two main categories; I call them disassociative readings (unconnected to the rest of the narrative) and readings in context (grounded in the overall narrative). I think I can explain the difference using an example. Let's say a client asks you for a general reading, and your intuition or your guides lead you to the following passage from "The Princess and the Pea": "In the morning the girl complained, 'I couldn't sleep a wink all night. There was something under the mattresses.'" If you are doing a reading in context, you will consider how this passage fits into the overall story. In this case, you might interpret the passage as meaning that your client has recently come through a difficult struggle but that her talents are about to be recognized (just as the trial in the story leads to the recognition of the princess). However, if you are doing a disassociative reading, you would only look at the passage at hand. In this type of reading, you might interpret the text as meaning that the client is having trouble sleeping - perhaps due to stress or bad dreams. Often, the choice of disassociative or contextual readings can make a huge difference to the outcome.

These are just some remarks to get you started with bibliomancy (which we will eventually explore over at the Magic and the Arts class at the Circle of Teaching). It's a wonderful, far-reaching method that I highly recommend.

Thanks so much for that information! I'll have to try this again sometime using your advice/methods. :]

[TheWomanMonster]

This was my passage for the day, perhaps it will strike someone as relevant.

buddahnet (http://www.buddhanet.net/flash/daily-readings/daily-readings.swf)

There are these six dangers of being addicted to gambling. In winning, one begets hatred; in losing, one mourns the loss of wealth; one's word is not accepted in court; one is avoided by both friends and officials; one is not sought after for marriage, as people say a gambler cannot support a wife.

[Godgifu]

Most people I know who do this use the bible; but I recall one woman who uses the dictionary (her complaint was the Bible is usually too vague: dictionary leaves no doubt.)

I think part of the "logic" of it is you're supposed to use a book that 'doesn't lie.' So, to many people that's a bible, but a dictionary would also do.

[SilverClaw]

Most people I know who do this use the bible; but I recall one woman who uses the dictionary (her complaint was the Bible is usually too vague: dictionary leaves no doubt.)

I think part of the "logic" of it is you're supposed to use a book that 'doesn't lie.' So, to many people that's a bible, but a dictionary would also do.Lol I never thought of using a dictionary and your right there would be no doubt as to the meaning of the passage :)