I used to be going again over all of the stuff I’ve written for this weblog to this point, and I seen that I’ve introduced up geomancy a number of instances, however I’ve by no means actually defined what it’s. So let’s repair that.
At its core, geomancy is a binary system of divination: a query is requested, and in response, random numbers are generated (historically by making marks in sand or on paper, however cube and taking part in playing cards work effectively, too). These numbers are damaged right down to even and odd, represented by two dots or one dot, organized right into a sequence of figures, and plugged into an astrological chart.
The chart is interpreted primarily based on the person meanings of the figures, their positions, and the way they work together with each other, to get one in every of three sorts of solutions:
- “Sure/no.”
- “Sure/no, and right here’s why.”
- “Sure/no, and on this essay, I’ll…”
And despite the fact that you’re simply a bunch of dots, a narrative turns into clear, with its personal introduction, exposition, climax, and conclusion.
In idea, geomantic divination is so much like that scene in The Matrix, the place Cypher explains the stream of unusual, inexperienced symbols on his monitor: “I don’t even see the code. All I see is blonde, brunette, redhead.” However in follow, it’s like that scene in Girl within the Water, the place a roomful of panicky individuals hold on the phrases of slightly child who has been charged with delivering a vital message in a life-or-death scenario, however should achieve this (spoiler alert) by decoding the photographs on cereal bins.
Thankfully for my stress ranges, my good friend Sam runs an academic geomancy discussion board, the place individuals publish charts, after which we’ve got full of life discussions about them. I don’t remark fairly often — I imply, I’ve bought expertise and a modicum of talent, however Sam and among the different group members can geomance circles (or, extra precisely, squares) round me, so I primarily simply keep out of their manner.
However the different day, somebody requested, “Why is Amissio strengthened within the Second Home of a geomantic chart?” And I used to be like, Ooh! I’d like to purchase a vowel and remedy the puzzle, Pat Sam!
“The Second Home represents worth, earnings, materials wealth, and so forth.’” I mentioned. “Amissio means ‘loss,’ so when it seems within the Second Home, it has a fairly simple which means — therefore it’s strengthened.”
“So ‘strengthened within the Second’ means ‘particularly infamous loss’?”
“I’d say so, sure. Or robust loss.”
“Oh, okay!” the OP replied. “I took ‘strengthened’ to imply, ‘It is a good place for this determine’ and thus one thing favorable. However it’s really a foul factor for the querent, for the reason that Second Home is related to Taurus, and Amissio (of Venusian nature) has all of the sources it wants in that place to totally manifest its core which means, loss.”
“Precisely!”
After which a random group member jumped into the convo and introduced, “Amissio is an indication of progress and gathering, not vacancy. It represents a time of harvest.”
And… I bought so offended, y’all. And it takes a lot for one thing on the Web to make me offended (which, contemplating among the hate mail I’ve obtained since beginning this weblog, speaks volumes about my ethical fortitude).
Name it a pet peeve or management points or what have you ever, however I lose my tenuous grip on endurance each time damaging connotations are faraway from divinatory archetypes. A good friend of mine as soon as bought a Celtic-esque Tarot deck, wherein the Satan card had been changed with “The Inexperienced Man.” There was no Satan in Paganism, the deck’s creator defined within the accompanying guidebook, so there was no want for such a card within the Tarot. The Inexperienced Man — symbolizing nature’s bounty and mild, paternal steerage — was ever a lot extra acceptable.
One wonders how the Inexperienced Man pertains to the obsessions and addictions foretold by the Satan, however one sincerely hopes it interprets as, “You, alright?! I realized it by watching you!”
Symbols have meanings, and people meanings have energy, and we settle for that ignoring symbolic warnings within the “actual” world leads to consequence (as anybody who’s run a purple mild in entrance of a cop can attest). However the logic that retains us from doing so is nowhere to be discovered after we’re posting to Fb like, “A hen flew into my home yesterday, and I do know that historically this implies there will likely be a loss of life within the household, however does anybody know if it may presumably have a optimistic which means as a substitute? Additionally, the hen killed my canine.”
When studying for different individuals, I’ve solely overlooked the damaging meanings of a geomantic determine as soon as, and whereas it didn’t chunk me within the ass per se, it did make the scenario much more uncomfortable for each me and the querent. And it was a tough however mandatory lesson in geomancer roles and tasks: Trying to defend a querent from what the dots are attempting to inform them is not going to magically engineer a positive final result.
Right here’s that story.
A neighborhood occult store determined to host a psychic truthful, and I volunteered to be a reader. I used to be ensconced behind a folding desk, clutching my deck of geomancy playing cards and feeling fairly skilled, when this man wandered over and requested for a studying.
I gave him a short however thorough rationalization of geomantic divination, and I requested what particular scenario he’d like to debate. There wasn’t one, he mentioned. He simply needed a common studying. I cringed slightly on the within.
Even in probably the most informal of circumstances, I don’t get pleasure from giving common readings. It’s completely too simple to allow them to morph into metaphysical dog-and-pony exhibits. You find yourself telling individuals stuff they already learn about themselves, and so they stroll away suitably impressed along with your Mighty Psychic Talents®, which isn’t in any manner helpful or satisfying until you propose to ascertain your self as a New Age guru. (I don’t.)
Now, there is a approach to interpret a geomantic chart to reply a query the querent doesn’t wish to vocalize, however this man was adamant: No questions in anyway, nothing specifically he needed to know, only a common studying, please. Resigning myself, I shuffled my deck, pulled the primary card, and…
Rubeus. The overturned goblet; the obfuscating censer. The querent is being dishonest.
Not probably the most auspicious of introductions.
Traditionally, there are a few methods to react when Rubeus leads in a studying. The Airtight Order of the Golden Daybreak recommends destroying the chart and refusing to aim one other divination for a number of hours, however this strikes me as a wee bit melodramatic. As an alternative, I paused for a second, meditated on the fundamental meanings of the determine, and instructed him he was passionate, but reserved. He agreed, and with that out of the way in which, we began working our manner across the chart.
Funds, good. Homelife, good. Youngsters, good. Well being, very good: Laetitia within the Sixth Home, pleasure and happiness, vitality, a powerful structure, and in addition a little bit of luck.
Contemplating Houston’s prolonged, debilitating flu season and the general high quality of our air, I discussed that there was an opportunity he was both uncovered to one thing and fought it off earlier than any signs developed, or that he merely wasn’t uncovered to something, even when the individuals round him have been.
He didn’t reply to this, so I saved going.
Romantic relationships, iffy. Alternatives for journey, respectable. Then we bought to profession, and I spotted I’d fully miscalculated this space of the chart, which was past embarrassing – I used to be purported to be a skilled. So I used to be rearranging the figures and attempting to find out the place I went improper and having a gentle panic assault when he requested, “Do you wish to know what I do for a dwelling?”
“Positive,” I mentioned. And he instructed me.
Employed by an area power firm. Blue-collar work, primarily laying pipe. Preferred his job, however not too long ago, a number of co-workers had gotten sick. Actually sick. Two had most cancers. One other had died of it.
“I’ve been frightened that we have been all uncovered to one thing carcinogenic and that I would get sick, too,” he mentioned, pointing to the determine within the Sixth Home. “However then, after what you mentioned… I’m simply relieved.”
The books and Websites and correspondence programs don’t put together you for issues like this.
They don’t put together you for a querent who’s so scared about what would possibly occur that he’s opted to have his fortune instructed over looking for medical consideration.
They don’t put together you for the overwhelming urge to seize somebody by the shirtfront and scream, “Go see a fucking physician NOW.”
However on the identical time, you aren’t the place you’re to place your personal spin on the scenario, or to advise, or to beg, or to plead. You’re there to interpret what the playing cards/runes/dominoes/entrails should say, and at hand that data over to the particular person sitting throughout from you, and to just accept that it’s their job to determine what to do subsequent. Not yours.
Anyway, I completed the studying. The man thanked me, left a (non-tax-deductible) donation, and took off. On the one hand, I’m glad he heard what he needed to listen to — not each studying works out that manner. On the opposite, I proceed to hope he took what he heard with a grain of salt, and adopted up by doing what he may to make sure his well-being.
True divination is the artwork of understanding that “correct” doesn’t at all times imply “proper.”