Divination

Divination Methods Beyond Tarot: Runes, Pendulums & Scrying

DJ Potter

10 Apr 2026 — 1 min read

Tarot may be the most well-known divination tool, but the world of oracular practice is vast and ancient. Runes carved into stone, mirrors clouded with candlelight, and pendulums swaying over maps — each method offers a different relationship with intuition and the unseen. Exploring them broadens your magical vocabulary.

Runes

The Elder Futhark, a system of 24 symbols used by ancient Germanic and Norse peoples, is the most commonly used runic alphabet in modern witchcraft. Each rune carries a name, a phonetic sound, and a set of meanings rooted in Norse cosmology.

To divine with runes: hold your bag of runes, focus on your question, and draw one (for a simple answer), three (past/present/future), or more for complex spreads. You can also cast them all at once and read proximity and orientation.

Key runes to know: Fehu (wealth, cattle, new beginnings), Uruz (strength, health, raw power), Raidho (journey, travel, movement), Sowilo (the Sun, victory, wholeness), Dagaz (breakthrough, dawn, transformation).

Pendulums

A pendulum is a weighted object on a string or chain. It acts as an amplifier of subtle intuitive signals, translating your unconscious knowing into physical movement.

Calibrating: Hold the pendulum still and ask a question you know the answer to (your name, a fact). Observe the movement — this is your "yes." Ask another to find your "no."

Uses: Yes/no questions, locating objects on a map, choosing between options, identifying energetic blockages in chakras, selecting crystals or herbs for a spell.

Scrying

Scrying is the practice of gazing into a reflective or translucent surface to receive visions or impressions. It requires relaxed focus — not active staring, but a soft, receptive gaze.

Tools for scrying: A black mirror (a piece of glass painted black on one side), a bowl of dark water, a crystal ball, a candle flame, or smoke.

Practice: Dim the lights, light a candle, and gaze into your surface for 10–20 minutes. Do not try to force images — let your peripheral vision and imagination open. Record everything you see, feel, or intuit immediately afterward.

Bibliomancy

The simplest divination tool you already own. Hold a question in your mind, open any book to a random page, and point without looking. Read the passage your finger lands on as your answer. Works beautifully with poetry, sacred texts, or any book that feels significant to you.

Record and track your divination readings in the Private Journal at Starlit Grimoire.

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