Modern Divination Methods
I got into Strixhaven recently as I have always wanted to run that kind of campaign with friends. When I bought the book I also bought a Strixhaven bundle because I realized that I hadn't updated my Magic the Gathering deck for quite some time and it was collecting dust, let me tell you. I'm still waiting on the last cards to finalize the new edition as I didn't get everything I needed and I thought 'why not write about modern divination methods?' So here we are and let's get into it!
Whether I'm using Pokemon or MtG they both have a common denominator. There's one copy of each basic mana/energy card in the deck. They often have the same meanings as well. As, for example, both grass energy & forest mana can be about being among nature, grounding, your roots, etc. From there on out it can go any way you want. With pokemon I use the art, the subtext & the pokemon's lore in my divination results. But, you can also use its type, its attacks, its stage, its rarity, etc. However, with MtG I tend to go on name and subtext only, as it is often enough. Because I use so little I do use cards which can be interpreted in more ways than one. As for deck size, before my update I had 83 cards. Right now I have 56, but I'll be adding more once the others come in.
Personally, I have only done videomancy a few times before. Twice when I was still really into kpop & once while watching Hotel Hell. Listen, I know what you may be thinking, but I can't help I hear '14:13' in my head while I'm working with Mammon. During our session I had the episode paused, so I went back to the time (I'm assuming) he said and listened to what Mr. Ramsay had to say.
And so the chef spake and proclaimed: "John is a lawyer! Why do you have to ask someone that doesn't know how to run a bath, let alone a hotel?"
King Mammon doesn't beat around the bush, that's for sure.
Some other interesting links:
What is Shufflemancy? by Auntie Pandora
Divining with Computers (Cleromancy) by Technomancy101
Your Personal Magickal Assistant by Ethan Bozeman
Card Game Divination
Pokemon, MtG, Lorcana, etc. are all suitable to make your own divination deck. I've seen someone use their My Little Pony cards for it and I have used Vampire the Masquarade discipline & blood magic cards for the same thing. There is nothing wrong with older methods like Tarot & Lenormand, but the charm of a TCG divination deck is that it is tailored to you, by you. You can make it as sweet or as cutthroat as you like! Besides, you can start with cards you already have at home.Whether I'm using Pokemon or MtG they both have a common denominator. There's one copy of each basic mana/energy card in the deck. They often have the same meanings as well. As, for example, both grass energy & forest mana can be about being among nature, grounding, your roots, etc. From there on out it can go any way you want. With pokemon I use the art, the subtext & the pokemon's lore in my divination results. But, you can also use its type, its attacks, its stage, its rarity, etc. However, with MtG I tend to go on name and subtext only, as it is often enough. Because I use so little I do use cards which can be interpreted in more ways than one. As for deck size, before my update I had 83 cards. Right now I have 56, but I'll be adding more once the others come in.
Shufflemancy
I've written on it before in my 'ways to communicate with entities' blog post, but I'll gladly do it again! Shufflemancy is a divination method where you ask a question and then shuffle your playlist to get an answer. As stated previously, I have a spotify playlist that I named Greg which started out as a gaming playlist that I now use for shufflemancy. I often ask him how my day will go if I have something planned or sometimes I use him to speak with a companion if I feel it's fitting. You could say it is a modern version of cledonomancy (where one asks a question and walks into the crowd to hear an answer by chance encounter) if you involve shuffling with the radio.Videomancy
I didn't even know this was a legitimate thing with a legitimate name, but here we are! Videomancy is divination via films, television, music videos, youtube, etc. I think technically GIFs fall under this mantle as well? You could ask a question and open the GIF tab in whatsapp to see what you get. So far it only worked once as the recommended GIFs didn't change for me, but I do have different GIF recommendations than my boyfriend. Anyways, a fun deep dive but let's get back on topic.Personally, I have only done videomancy a few times before. Twice when I was still really into kpop & once while watching Hotel Hell. Listen, I know what you may be thinking, but I can't help I hear '14:13' in my head while I'm working with Mammon. During our session I had the episode paused, so I went back to the time (I'm assuming) he said and listened to what Mr. Ramsay had to say.
And so the chef spake and proclaimed: "John is a lawyer! Why do you have to ask someone that doesn't know how to run a bath, let alone a hotel?"
King Mammon doesn't beat around the bush, that's for sure.
In Conclusion
Modern divination methods are a great way to get into the practice if you are more intuitively aligned and don't want to buy a tarot/lenormand/oracle deck yet. When it comes to free divination there are more ways to dip your toes into the world of prophecy, but they may not hit the spot like these methods do. That is the case for me, at least. I like tarot, I love the Clow, but they aren't as clear to me as my MtG deck is. And often times, that is what I need. I didn't write about cleromancy because I don't have that much knowledge nor experience with it. I am however very interested!Some other interesting links:
What is Shufflemancy? by Auntie Pandora
Divining with Computers (Cleromancy) by Technomancy101
Your Personal Magickal Assistant by Ethan Bozeman