Divination is a very old practice, dating back thousands of years - likely before history, and possibly before the human race. The concept of "the future" is all that's needed to spark a desire to know what that future holds. Divination gives you a means to contact your unconscious, deity, and other beings, and allows your unconscious, deity, and other beings a means to communicate with you. Sometimes deity and other beings use divinatory tools to communicate with us, but often it is our unconscious that does the talking. Regardless of what type (or types) of divination you use and/or specialize in, there are a few basics that everyone should know:

  1. Know your question. If you don't have something specific to ask about, at least limit yourself to a frame of time (today, this week, this month, etc.).
  2. Know who you're asking. Is it your unconscious? Someone else's unconscious? Deity? The Universe in general? Make sure that whoever or whatever you're asking knows that they/it is being addressed.
  3. Know why you're asking. You may have a specific reason for wanting to know (I'm about to marry him - is he the right one? Am I really ready for children? Is this new job going to be for my highest good?); if so, you can express this.
  4. Don't demand anything. Divination is not a power struggle. It's a request that you make to see pertinent things about the future to make your and others' lives better. You don't have general access to this kind of information, but other beings do. Be respectful of this power and ask nicely for enlightenment.
  5. Be centered. As in, perform a centering exercise (such as the Breathing Exercise). Divination requires concentration, and you want your various selves to be aligned and have a similar purpose.
  6. Only use divinatory tools that have been cleansed and consecrated for divinatory use to ensure that the readings you get aren't influenced by unwanted or foreign energies. 

   Here are a few examples of questions you might use divination to answer:

   There are, of course, many others. The first question would be best directed toward a patron deity or Universal energy. The second should be directed to your unconscious. The third could be asked of deity, Universal energy, or the unconscious.

   A few things may help your divination experiences that are also useful for general magick: incense, low lighting, appropriate music, etc. You should do as many unique things as possible as consistently as possible to eventually automatically trigger your unconscious that you are about to perform divination. This may mean burning a special incense you use only for divination, or practicing it as a part of magickal workings. Whatever it is that you do to make divination a special time, do it consistently, and your unconscious will learn to become more active during this time.