The only problem I have now is that my research leads me to the conclusion that the act of divination, aside from being a snapshot of the future possibilities branching out from the current moment, can also lead to some of those possibilities becoming self-fulfilling prophecies :-)
The line between divination and enchantment can get very blurry indeed...
"The world is made of many pages
And every page contains a world
We flicker through them in the daytime
But in the night become unfurled."
Very true,Moth.I agree and I believe this is a large part of why people ask for readings.
At least it's been so in my own experience.
I view reading for others as part cold reading,part empathy and part headology.It can be a while before I get to the root of why they are asking the cards and what the heart of the matter is.I often found tea and sympathy was a big part of the experience for them;and for me.
I find that the seeker most often wants to know when a particular course of action will be the best one,in the view of the cards/reader and what the reader says should be avoided or ruled out ;and that is the magickal part,in the interpretation of the possibilities and the seeker being guided towards the most probable/desirable outcome.
I rarely read for people whose lives were going well.
Moth- It is true that you can force your out come after a reading, but you can also answer questions about the present that are already unchangable.
the seaker- I tryed working with runes for a while but it seemed like the tarot was much more detailed, do you think that is only because I was new at the runes or do you think the runes take a lot more interpretaion by the user.... I find If you are tuned you can get the same outcome from anything, buy as a tool I felt the tarot was more able to be detailed.
You can also answer questions about the past.This can be helpful in understanding the present:how you got to here,which is again helpful in deciding on the future.
The Runes are perhaps not as visually stimulating as Tarot,at least for the beginner?
I like to play with them.I draw up wheels: a circle with three concentric rings.divide into 8 [45deg]segments and there you have 24 individual sections in the circle.
Then I put in the runes.Elder Aett,round the outer ring,clockwise from north and so on.
I use brightly coloured felts for the runes.I see the rune in my head,hold it there and think for a moment about what it means to me and then I grab a pen and mark it in.
Oh Look,the runes have directional affectations now too... [geek2]
Think about how direction and colour associate with the rune itself and what it is said to favour/describe traditonally and then compare with yours.
Runes are more than a divination tool,just as is with Tarot.It can take a while to get them under your skin sufficiently.
If it helps try thinking of them each as an individual personality or an archetype,Runespirits,if you will.Singing or speaking the runes[Galdr]] helps to familiarise them also and can help with focusing the mind before working with them,whether ritually or in divination.