Divination taps into YOUR own wisdom!

Throughout my life I have found ‘divination’ most helpful when I have been at a complete loss. I’ve used it at times when I have felt stuck, indecisive, desperate for answers or insights, and in need of reassurance or direction.

Clarity, insights and solutions, using everyday objects found around your home

There is no need for Tarot cards, runes or crystal balls. You can receive insights and answers to previously hard-to-solve issues, using everyday objects.

Divination is helpful in times of great need, in that it provides insights and possible solutions to problems that you haven’t been able to work out with your mind alone - no matter how long you’ve spent trying to find the answers you seek.

I have also used divination in a spirit of play. I might decide to do a reading for myself ‘just for the fun of it’. I don’t think my soul minds either way. It’s happy to help and provide the insights at any time. xyz


Divination seems to work best for me when there is emotion involved. I’ve found it most insightful and inspiring when I am either really down or really up.

Divination is a way of tapping into your inner wisdom, the part of you that is all wise and all knowing. It enables you to get in touch with the part of you that speaks in pictures and images rather than in words.

Divination Cards

If you haven’t used divination cards before then the best ones to start with are cards that have all-positive messages (and no ‘negative’ ones). Choose a pack of cards with uplifting images and messages.

I recommend any card pack by Doreen Virtue. I’ve found that most people seem to particularly love her “Mermaids and Dolphins” cards. Doreen’s “Magical Unicorns” are great for children. “Messages from your angels” are also good, especially if you’re into angels!

Other favourites are:

Well-Being cards (the Teachings of Abraham)- Esther & Jerry Hicks

Soul coaching oracle cards - Denise Linn

Medicine cards - Jamie Sams & David Carson

The Lakota sweat-lodge cards - Chief Archie Fire Lame Deer and Helene Sarkis

Using The Tarot - stay positive, no matter what!

You will do yourself a big favour if you are able to look at even a ‘negative’ card (say in the Tarot) in a positive light. Do whatever you can to find the positive slant!

When I use tarot cards in a reading for myself I will go out of my way to re-frame any seemingly negative card to a new positive perspective.

All ‘positive seeming’ cards have a ‘negative side’ and all ‘negative seeming’ cards have a ‘positive side’.

I don’t bother with ‘reversed cards’. Some tarot readers will consider a card that is drawn and appears upside down as it’s turned over as a ‘reversed’ card. They then read the negative aspect of the card if it is a ‘positive’ one, and read the positive aspect of the card if it is a ‘negative’ one.

Depending on what is happening in my life at the time, I will decide for myself whether to focus on the negative or positive aspects of the cards drawn. Though, as I say, I will go out of my way to view each card in a positive light if I possibly can.

We get what we focus on in life, so we may as well dwell on the positive I say!

Before we go on, I’d like to state that using Tarot, or any other divination tool, is done in order to get in touch with our own power and wisdom: there is no ‘secret power’ in the cards themselves.

Readings are best approached with the intention of gaining clarity and insight. In a reading it’s best to use both your intuitive and rational mind. By using both you will come to the wisest conclusions and make the decisions that are right for you.

Never let a pack of cards dictate your choices!

The choices and changes you decide upon are always with you. Nothing is set in stone. YOU are the captain of your ship.

I didn't like that one either! So I drew another.

I liked that one! So, I chose that card to be the 'crown' or 'end result' of my reading. And yes, I did get the end result I wanted, in my tarot reading, and in my life.

Sometimes, drawing a ‘negative’ card can be very helpful. For example, if you are choosing between two options. You can draw a Tarot card for each option.

So, you’ve chosen two cards, one card for each of the two possible options. Let’s say, before the reading, that you rather favoured option B. If option A is a bright and happy looking card and option B is a dark and gloomy looking card, then you might want to think about why option B might not be all it’s cracked up to be!

Is your soul or your subconscious mind trying to tell you something about option B?

What does your logical mind tell you?

What does your intuition or gut feeling tell you?

Use your heart and your head to come to a decision.

You may come to a conclusion about option B that hadn’t occurred to you before drawing the ‘gloomy looking’ card. Or you might decide option B is perfect for you and go ahead anyway. It’s up to you, always. You will always make the right choice (sometimes the right choice isn’t always the easiest one!). You can make no mistakes.

So again, I recommend the wisdom of being able to look at things in a positive frame of mind when you use divination tools. If you can’t be positive then it might be better not to bother with divination.

I view divination as a helpful tool. If you find it in any way worrying or scary then do not use it. You’ll only frighten yourself.

Now, having said that, I have used divination when I’ve been in the depths of despair about some situation or another. Sometimes I’ve felt awful, and not positive at all. But my intention in using divination has always been “to feel better”. That’s the difference. Even if you don’t feel positive, at least have a positive intention. That way, however you feel, you will always get an answer that is helpful and of comfort to you.

Sometimes, a card will mirror what we know, already, to be true. But often, just drawing the card helps us feel better. It's as though, through the appearance of the card, we can acknowledge its mirroring of emotions we are currently feeling, or a situation we are experiencing. It's a bit like 'owning the problem'.

So, for example, I may be working hard on a complex project and wondering if I'll ever get to the end of it and make it work. Then I draw a card that shows a strong young man resting wearily after hard work, yet with a bounty of 'treasures' beside him. Then I am reminded of my own strength and of all I have achieved so far on the project. I'm encouraged by the thought of rewards I will reap from my hard work. I may also be reminded to take time out for recuperation and play.

One of the best ways to use divination cards is to use the images alone to gain insights, ideas, and answers. But you may also want to read up on the interpretations of the cards, and the meanings others have ascribed to them. There are many Tarot books available.

Tarot Book Recommendations

* “Tarot Talks to the Woman Within”, by Cassandra Eason (not just for women! The book encourages you to tap into your intuition or inner wisdom).

* “Beginners Tarot” (with book and tarot pack combined) by Juliet Sharman Burke.

Both are excellent books, containing positive and empowering interpretations. On many an occasion, I have found their interpretations (even for the gloomy cards!), spookily accurate, uplifting and illuminating. And that is what you want!

Top Tip!

Regarding information giving interpretations of Tarot cards, you can throw away the leaflet that comes with some Tarot packs and invest in a decent book instead. I’m talking about the flimsy little leaflets, in the ‘older’ Tarot packs.

Now, I LOVE the Rider Waite Tarot pack and have used it for many years, but when I first bought it, the accompanying leaflet gave me the willies!

Do not keep it! Throw it away!

The card interpretations given are negative beyond belief, largely untrue and no longer relevant. The leaflet was written nearly a century ago and Earth energies have moved on and evolved since then.

Times have changed, thinking has changed and the world we live in has changed. You need a Tarot book that more accurately mirrors that, one that recognises and understands the positive and empowering energies, and limitless possibilities now available to us.

So, if you’re going to buy a book on Tarot, get the most positively worded book you can find. Look up some of the more ‘negative’ or ‘gloomy’ cards in the book such as the Devil card and the Death card and see if the description has any positive aspect to it.

The Death card to me is about 'death of the old', and beautiful new possibilities on the horizon, and I welcome it! The Devil card to me is about my own self-imposed ‘chains’: remaining stuck in a situation I might free myself from, or signals that I am limiting or compromising myself in some way.

How to do a reading with divination cards

If doing a reading for yourself it is probably best to be alone. You’ll want no distractions and to be able to focus on your question. Be somewhere quiet and peaceful if possible. Light a candle if you wish. You might want to spread out a special cloth on the floor or a table to place your cards upon.

Begin by taking a deep breath or two to release any tension and ‘centre yourself’. You may find it helpful to close your eyes. This is your time. Shuffle the cards then hold them to your heart and affirm to yourself that you always choose the right cards. Do you feel calm and peaceful? Great! Shuffle the cards as you ask your question. You can ask the question silently or out loud. Remember, the cards are only a tool. You are not asking the cards for an answer, you are asking YOU, your wise and loving Self, your Soul.

You’ll want the answer to be as expansive as possible so ask a question that encourages that. Therefore, ask a question that doesn’t require a simple yes or a no. After all, in life, most questions can probably more truthfully be answered “maybe” or “it depends….” rather than “yes” or “no”. Allow the cards images to suggest different and new possibilities and courses of action.

You may be surprised!

You’ll get the hang of the best way to phrase your questions as you go along, but here are some examples:

What do I need to know about my work?

“ “ “ “ money?

“ “ “ “ health?

“ “ “ “ relationship?

How can I best help John?

What’s the likely outcome if I accept this new job offer.

What’s the likely result of me taking ‘this’ action?

What do I most need to know now?

What do I need to focus on today/this week/this month?

Shuffle the cards as long as you want to. Stop shuffling when it ‘feels right’ or it feels like you’ve 'shuffled enough' and select a card from the deck. You can choose a card from anywhere in the pack. Again, whatever feels right (and it may be different each time).

Turn the card over and look at the image.

What do you see?

What do you feel?

Are the colours bright or dark?

Let the image speak to you.

What’s happening?

How are the figures dressed?

What are they doing or carrying?

What are the expressions on their faces?

What’s in the background?

How does the sky look (cloudy, clear)?

What meaning does the card convey to you?

What’s the feeling or emotion?

If the card had a story to tell, what might that be?






Annual spread

This is a spread that I do at the beginning of every new year. Twelve cards are selected, one for each month of the year. The way I do it, is to shuffle the cards then lay them out like a clock circle. The first card selected is placed face down in the 9 o’clock position. The second card is placed just below it at the 8, the third at 7 and the fourth at 6 and so on around the ‘clock’. The twelfth and final card will then be placed at about 10.00.

Now then, if it makes more sense to you to start at the 12 or the 1 o’clock position then do so! Or if you want to lay the cards out in a line rather than a circle. But basically, the intention is to choose one card for each month of the year. Plus, to choose a 13th card (usually placed in the centre of the circle) which is the ‘focus’ or general ‘feel’, ‘energy’ or ‘atmosphere’ of the year as a whole.

I have found this 13th card, in particular, uncannily accurate. I always have a great feeling of anticipation before I turn over this final card, as I know how accurate it usually is. I pray it’s going to be one I love, as I will likely be living with its 'energy' for the whole year!

Having said that, remember that every card has a positive and a negative aspect. So, like 'life', or 'the human experience', it's never 'all bad' or 'all good'. In fact, it's usually, mainly, 'Good'! Especially if, on the whole, we choose to cultivate a positive perspective (whatever happens). The control of our life is in our hands.

Back to HOME PAGE