Witchcraft 101: What Is Divination? A Beginner's Guide Beyond Tarot

Tarot might be the first thing that comes to mind, but divination is much bigger than a deck of cards.

Sep 17, 2026

https://welcomingwitch.substack.com/p/witchcraft-101-what-is-divination

When I first started learning about divination, tarot was probably the thing I associated with it the most.

And I think that’s pretty common.

Tarot is everywhere now. You see daily card pulls online, beautiful decks in bookstores, tarot spreads on Pinterest, and readings all over social media. But tarot is only one tiny corner of a much bigger world.

People have looked for meaning in cards, stones, books, dreams, water, fire, the movement of animals, and countless other things throughout history.

Some methods are incredibly old. Others developed much more recently.

And you definitely don’t have to learn all of them.

I actually think one of the fun parts of exploring divination as a beginner is figuring out which methods you naturally connect with and which ones just aren’t for you.

So let’s start with the biggest question.

What Is Divination?

Divination is basically the practice of seeking insight, guidance, or hidden knowledge through signs, symbols, tools, or particular methods of interpretation.

That definition is intentionally pretty broad because divination itself is broad.

Someone pulling a tarot card for guidance is practicing divination.

Someone casting runes and interpreting how they fall is practicing divination.

Someone opening a book to a random passage and looking for meaning in the words can be practicing divination.

The method changes, but the basic idea is similar.

You’re creating a way to ask a question and interpret what comes back.

What you believe that answer actually comes from is much more personal.

Some people believe divination allows them to communicate with spirits, ancestors, deities, or other spiritual forces.

Others believe it works primarily through intuition.

Some see it as a tool for reflection that helps the subconscious bring things to the surface.

And plenty of people fall somewhere in between.

You don’t have to have every part of that figured out before you begin.

Divination Is Very Old

Humans have been trying to understand signs and predict what might happen next for a very long time.

Ancient cultures developed all kinds of divinatory practices.

The ancient Greeks and Romans consulted oracles and interpreted omens. Various forms of lot casting existed across different cultures. Astrology developed into complex systems for interpreting the movements of celestial bodies. People observed animals, weather, dreams, flames, and other natural phenomena for signs.

But there wasn’t one universal ancient practice called “divination” that everyone followed in the same way.

Methods varied enormously depending on culture, religion, place, and time.

Some forms were part of official religious life. Others belonged more to folk practice. Some were performed by specialists while others could be part of ordinary household traditions.

That is worth remembering when we talk about divination today.

Modern witchcraft has brought many different practices together under one big umbrella, but they don’t all share the same history.

Tarot and Oracle Cards

Tarot is probably the most recognizable form of divination today.

A traditional tarot deck contains 78 cards divided between the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana. Each card carries imagery and symbolism that can be interpreted individually and in relation to the other cards in a reading.

One of the biggest misconceptions about tarot is that you have to use it to predict the future.

You don’t.

You can ask questions about your current situation, your feelings, something you might be overlooking, where your energy is going, or what you should reflect on.

Oracle cards are a little different.

Unlike tarot, oracle decks don’t have one standardized structure. A deck might contain 30 cards, 40 cards, 60 cards, or something completely different. The creator decides the theme and meanings.

That can sometimes make oracle cards feel a little less intimidating when you’re brand new.

Neither is automatically better.

They’re simply different tools.

Runes

Runes have become another popular divination tool, but there is an important distinction to make here.

Historically, runes were letters used in Germanic writing systems. They weren’t originally created as a modern divination set.

There is historical evidence connecting runes, inscriptions, magic, and ritual practices, but the familiar system of pulling rune stones from a bag and interpreting each one through a neat list of modern meanings is largely a later development.

Today, some practitioners use rune sets for divination by drawing one or more runes and interpreting their meanings in relation to a question.

If runes interest you, I think they’re a wonderful subject to actually study rather than simply memorizing a correspondence chart.

Learning a little about their history makes working with them much more interesting.

Pendulums

Pendulum divination is probably one of the easiest methods to physically try.

A pendulum is simply a weighted object suspended from a chain, cord, or string.

The movement is then interpreted as an answer.

You might establish one direction as yes, another as no, and perhaps another movement as uncertain.

Pendulum boards can also be used to provide more possible answers.

But you don’t need a special crystal pendulum.

A weighted necklace can work.

One thing beginners should know is that pendulums can be influenced by tiny unconscious muscle movements. This is known as the ideomotor effect.

That doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate a pendulum into your spiritual practice.

It just means it’s worth understanding the physical explanation behind the movement too.

I personally think knowing how something works physically and finding spiritual meaning in the practice can exist side by side.

Scrying

Scrying involves gazing into something and allowing images, shapes, impressions, or symbols to emerge.

The stereotypical crystal ball is one example, but scrying can involve many different surfaces.

Mirrors have been used.

Water can be used.

Smoke and flame are sometimes used.

A dark reflective surface can be used.

Rather than expecting a tiny movie to suddenly start playing inside a crystal ball, scrying often involves softening your focus and paying attention to impressions, patterns, thoughts, and imagery.

It can take patience.

And if absolutely nothing happens the first time you stare into a bowl of water, congratulations, you have had a very normal beginner experience.

Bibliomancy

This one is wonderfully simple.

Bibliomancy involves using a book for divination.

Traditionally, sacred or significant texts have often been used for this type of practice.

A simple version might involve holding a question in your mind, opening a book to a random page, and allowing your attention to land on a passage.

You then reflect on how those words might relate to your question.

It doesn’t have to be treated as a literal prediction.

Sometimes the value is simply that an unexpected passage makes you look at your situation differently.

Casting Lots

Casting lots is another very old idea that appears in different forms across history and cultures.

At its simplest, objects are cast, drawn, or selected and the result is interpreted.

Modern forms of casting might use stones, charms, bones, shells, coins, sticks, or other small objects.

Some systems have very specific rules.

Others are personally created.

You might have individual charms that represent things like home, money, love, change, communication, or travel and interpret how they land in relation to one another.

This can become incredibly detailed, but it doesn’t have to be.

Reading Signs in Nature

This is probably one of the areas where I think beginners need the most balance.

Humans have interpreted natural signs for thousands of years.

Bird behavior, weather, animal encounters, plants, celestial events, and seasonal changes have all appeared in folk beliefs and divinatory traditions.

But not everything unusual in nature is necessarily a spiritual sign.

A crow landing in your yard might feel incredibly meaningful.

It might also be a crow doing normal crow things.

Before deciding something has a supernatural explanation, I like to understand the ordinary explanation first.

Learn about the animal.

Learn what plants grow where you live.

Pay attention to seasonal changes.

Notice patterns.

If something still feels personally significant afterward, you can explore that meaning without having to pretend nature exists solely to send us messages.

I actually think learning about the real natural world makes nature based spirituality much richer.

Divination vs. Fortune Telling

These terms are often used interchangeably, but I don’t think divination has to mean predicting exactly what will happen.

Fortune telling tends to make people think of concrete predictions.

You will meet someone.

You will get the job.

This specific thing will happen.

Divination can be much more reflective.

Instead of asking:

“Will I get the job?”

You might ask:

“What should I understand about this opportunity?”

Or:

“What energy should I bring into this situation?”

Or:

“What might I be overlooking?”

That shift can completely change your relationship with divination.

Rather than handing your decisions over to a deck of cards or another tool, you’re using it to explore the situation more deeply.

Do You Have to Be Psychic?

No.

You don’t have to consider yourself psychic to learn tarot, pull an oracle card, experiment with a pendulum, learn runes, or try another form of divination.

Some people believe psychic abilities play an important role in their readings.

Others rely much more heavily on learned symbolism, intuition, pattern recognition, and reflection.

You are allowed to approach divination in whatever way makes sense within your beliefs.

And intuition itself doesn’t have to feel dramatic.

Sometimes intuition is simply noticing what immediately stands out to you.

Maybe you pull a tarot card and one tiny symbol catches your attention before anything else.

Maybe a rune reminds you of something you’ve been avoiding.

Maybe a passage from a book makes you think about your question in a completely different way.

You don’t have to hear mysterious voices or receive elaborate visions.

How to Start Experimenting With Divination

If you’re curious about divination, choose one method.

Not five.

Not an entire shelf of tools.

One.

Tarot and oracle cards are easy places to begin because there are so many resources available for learning them.

If cards don’t interest you, try runes.

If runes don’t interest you, experiment with bibliomancy.

You might discover that you love one method and feel absolutely nothing toward another.

That’s normal.

Start with simple questions that encourage reflection rather than trying to predict major life events.

You could ask:

“What should I pay attention to today?”

“What am I overlooking in this situation?”

“What energy am I bringing into this?”

“What would help me move forward?”

“What do I need to reflect on?”

Then write down what you receive and how you interpret it.

Keeping a divination journal can be especially useful because you can look back later and see how your interpretations have changed.

Common Misconceptions About Divination

“Divination tells you exactly what will happen.”

Not necessarily.

Many people use divination to explore possibilities, patterns, emotions, and perspectives rather than treating every reading as a fixed prediction.

“You have to be born psychic.”

No.

Many divination systems involve skills that can be studied and practiced.

“You need expensive tools.”

Definitely not.

Bibliomancy requires a book.

A simple pendulum can be made from something you already own.

You don’t need an enormous collection.

“You shouldn’t buy your own tarot deck.”

This is one of those superstitions that gets repeated constantly.

You absolutely can buy your own deck.

You don’t have to wait around hoping a mysterious relative appears and presents you with one.

“Every strange thing is a sign.”

Probably not.

Sometimes a candle flickers because there is a draft.

Sometimes a bird appears because you put birdseed outside.

Sometimes you keep seeing the same number because your brain has started noticing it.

Being open to spiritual meaning doesn’t mean abandoning ordinary explanations.

Finding the Method That Feels Right

There are so many forms of divination that you could spend years exploring them and still find something new.

But you don’t need to know all of them to have a meaningful practice.

Maybe tarot becomes your thing.

Maybe you love runes.

Maybe you prefer pulling an oracle card with your morning coffee.

Maybe you become fascinated with old forms of divination and start digging through folklore books.

Or maybe divination ends up not being a huge part of your witchcraft at all.

That’s okay too.

Witchcraft isn’t a checklist.

You don’t have to collect every tool, learn every method, or practice everything another witch practices.

Divination is simply another doorway you can explore.

Open it slowly.

Learn what’s actually behind it.

Keep what speaks to you.

And don’t be afraid to close the door on the things that don’t.

Until our paths cross again, keep learning, trust yourself, and welcome the magic.

Welcoming Witch

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