The word divination is based upon the Latin word divinatio, which means "the faculty of foreseeing". The root word is itself based on a Latin word for "divine power" or "of the gods", and this exposes a more subtle meaning which is "to make divine". This sheds an entirely different light on the subject of divination.
Far from being a superstitious practice, the art of divination reveals itself as a spiritual science that seeks to discover the divine significance behind chance events. And like other magickal arts, divination has existed as a tool for psychic development and spiritual health long before the development of modern psychology, which has often borrowed heavily from the techniques of ceremonial magick, putting new names on old magickal ideas.
In the ancient world, atmospheric signs such as rain, wind, and lightning were considered the precursors of major events - all of which had divine implications. In societies where warfare against other tribes and nations was a way of life, divination was often employed strategically, to petition the gods' advice on the best course of action to take against one's enemies. One of the earliest recorded forms of such divination used militarily was the Mingling of Arrows mentioned in the Book of Ezekiel: "For the king of
The forms of divination that developed were as varied as the inventive minds from which they sprang. It often did not seem to matter what form the divination took; it was more important that the diviner be able to quiet the mind enough to attune with the higher forces and then perceive certain signs or symbols by means of an inner vision that could interpret their divine implications.
Divination can open up the mind to the mechanics of the spiritual realm. The various methods of divination are good exercises for developing one's psychic faculties of intuition and imagination.
