Mar 19 2009
Divination and Fortune Telling Using Common Household Items
So welcome to the ad hoc TT. Thirteen whatevers. Let’s have some fun and get to know each other a bit. Don’t forget to leave your link at the site and leave a comment here. Auntie Thorne loves TT-ers!
It’s Thursday again and I’m just tickled! This ol’ witch just loves making lists in witches’ dozens. There are a whole lotta ways to predict the future. Divination has been an art of witches and women and seekers since time immemorial, and surely long before Tarot cards were around. The I Ching is probably the oldest formal tool of divination, although it is a complex system. Today your Ol’ Auntie is going to share 13 simple forms of divination, or fortune telling. 13 ways to predict the future, to divine answers to your every question using stuff you can find around the house or, if you’re a secret witch who can’t shop at occult stores or have obviously magickal tools around the house where people can see them, these ordinary household items will never be noticed.
13 Common Household Fortunetelling Tools and Methods
1) A needle and thread.
Did you ever do this to determine the sex of a baby in a pregnant woman? Thread a needle with at least 6 or 8 inches of thread and hold the end of the thread above a reclining momma to be’s belly. The needle will begin to move. If it moves in a circle, it’s a girl in there. If it swings back and forth in a straight line, it’s a boy.
This simple pendulum will work for divining yes or no answers as well. For me, the line is a “no” and a circle means “yes”, but it’s best to see how a pendulum will work for you by sounding or testing the pendulum. Holding it again by the end of the string with the needle above your opposite hand ask it to show you yes, then no.
2) Almost any pendant type necklace may be used the same way. Try using a piece that is special- a gift from a loved one or an heirloom.
3) Dowsing for lost items.
Use any wire coat hanger for this. Some people say a plastic hanger will work, but I don’t seem to be able to connect with plastic. I like to straighten the hook first, but if you’re in a hurry, (you know; when you’ve misplaced your car keys and are late for an appointment) don’t bother. Hold the coathanger loosely by the points (where the shoulders of a shirt would rest) with hook or straightened hook
pointing in front of you. Focus on the lost item as you walk around the house with your dowsing hanger. The end will point you in the direction of your lost item.
4) Bibliomancy, Chartomancy or Stitchomancy.
Pick up a book; any book. As your question as you open the book at random and read the passage or paragraph of the first word or line to catch your eye. It is your answer.
5) Cromniomancy
This is a form of divination that has been historically practiced across Europe, Asia and Africa. There are a number of ways to do it and all you need is a couple of onions and a knife or pointed tool. Having trouble deciding between 2 lovers or 2 or more courses of action? Inscribe an onion each with the name or choice and place them on your altar or a kitchen basket. Watch them for a few days. Whichever one sprouts first and most is the one that indicates your answer. Cromniomancy may also be used to check on the health and well being of distant loved ones. Inscribe an onion with your loved one’s name and again watch for the sprouts. Fat healthy and numerous sprouts are a sign of your loved one’s good health and well being.
6) Marbles, buttons or colored glass globs.
Choose 4 items of identical or very similar shape and size, but 2 each of different colors and place all 4 in a closed container like a bag. Assign a value of yes and no to each color. Meditate for a moment on your yes/no question. Pull 2 items from the bag. 2 of the same color is a firm yes or no, while one of each is a maybe or unclear/unknown answer.
7) Scrying with water method #1 (for any of the water methods one may use tap water, spring or rain water (I love rain water), sea water or water left under a full moon to charge.)
Choose a bowl without decoration. A single, solid color is best. Glass or ceramic is good and so is wood. Fill it with water and gaze into it past your reflection while concentrating on your question or the person you wish to divine.
8) Scrying with water method #2
Take a small mirror without an enclosed backing on it. Pour enough water on the mirror to wash across it. Discern your answer there.
9) Scrying with water method #3
Ice scrying. Use an ice cube. This method is much like crystal gazing. You can also freeze water in a bowl for a larger scrying surface.
10) Scrying with fire method #1
A candle flame is small, but serviceable.
11) Scrying with fire method #2
Be careful with this one. A cast iron pan or dutch oven may be placed on a fireproof surface. Choose a pot with a tightly fitting lid or have some baking soda nearby to extinguish the fire if needed. Pour a half cup of rubbing alcohol into the vessel and light. (Some folks say that 151 Rum or other strong spirits work well. Ol’ Auntie doesn’t drink these days, but when I did I would have called that alcohol abuse! Hee hee) The smokeless blue flames make for very meditative and trance inducing scrying.
12) Scrying with fire method #3
Hold a piece of parchment (or copier paper) above a candle flame, close enough to become discolored with soot, but not close enough to burn. Discern your answers in the smokey sigils left on the paper.
13) Ol’ Auntie’s Random Handful Tried and True method of divination for any situation.
Got pasta? Macaroni, shells, spaghetti. Beans? Dried pinto, lima, split peas or lentils. A pinch of thyme? A handful of sand or dirt in the garden, the shed hair pulled from your own hairbrush or your dog brush… you get the idea. Toss it. If it’s a lively sort of material like dried beans you might want to toss it on a big platter or cookie sheet. I use this one often while cooking as I toss a couple pinches of herbs into the pot. Check out the shapes, the symbols that your toss makes. if you have trouble visualizing or telling your stories from the shapes, take a piece of paper and write words or symbols on it and then toss. See where things land. Get your answers.
That’s my TT. Thanks for stopping by.
I’m off to visit now!
What common household items do you use for divination? Remember,
Ol’ Auntie wants to know!
Peace, out!






















